Fulbright scholar teaches, learns religious tolerance

Fulbright scholar teaches, learns religious tolerance
Boniuk provides productive semester at Rice

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News Staff

Having four consecutive meals on four different continents was a fitting way for Haroon Nasir to begin his tenure as the Fulbright Community Action Scholar at Rice University this fall.

Nasir came to the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance to learn about interfaith initiatives in Houston and expand his own understanding of interfaith dialogue, especially between Muslims and Jews, with the Fulbright program. Nasir is on leave from his position as a lecturer and research associate at the Christian Study Centre in Pakistan.

HAROON NASIR

“We have a real need for continuous dialogue about religion and the relationships between different faiths,” Nasir said. “In Pakistan, religious minorities make up just 4 percent of the population, so we need to have an open dialogue to ensure minority rights are respected and a political apartheid is not created.”

Living in an Islamic state as a religious minority, Nasir has practical experience from the Christian Study Centre in bridging understanding among different groups, promoting a culture of peace and mutual cooperation so that clear theological interpretation and true teaching can be shared. In Pakistan and in Houston, he has encouraged others to talk about their faiths and beliefs.

“Dialogue does not mean you are talking the whole time,” Nasir said. “True dialogue means that you are listening and have a meaningful exchange of ideas.”

In his work at the Christian Study Centre, Nasir has organized seminars, workshops and other projects that promote research and interreligious dialogue, but he has found new ideas and inspiration in Houston and the Boniuk Center.

“Haroon has been fabulous,” said Jill Carroll, executive director of the Boniuk Center. “He has jumped wholeheartedly into the network of community partners we have here in Houston and into helping us with our various events.

Nasir hopes to create in Pakistan something similar to the Amazing Faiths project, in which people of different religious faiths dine together and participate in moderator-led discussions. He said Amazing Faiths is important because by sharing a meal, it creates openness that other discussion groups lack. 

“When you eat together in someone’s home, it creates a closeness and an environment for sharing,” Nasir said. “Friends who laugh with you are often forgotten, but friends who cry with you and share a meal with you are remembered.”

Nasir noted that he would face significant challenges bringing such a project back because of the negative stigmas associated with socializing with people of different faiths.

“Haroon has really enriched us by being here these few months,” Carroll said. “I hope he’s been enriched by being with us and observing what we do here on campus and in Houston. Haroon is very well-connected in Pakistan, and we plan to stay in touch with him as an important resource for us in any possible future projects.”

Nasir will go to Washington D.C. Nov. 26 before returning to Pakistan.

The Fulbright Interfaith Dialogue and Community Action Program provides scholars and religious leaders from diverse religious communities with the opportunity for discussion, debate and collaborative learning centered on interfaith dialogue and community action. Drawing on knowledge and experience gained in the program, participants promote tolerance and build communities of people from different faiths working together on social and cultural problems.