“When we first asked them as part of the pre-test whether Islam allows for you to share in the joys and pains of life with your neighbors of other religions – participating in a Baptism, visiting the sick, donating food – [most of the two dozen religious leaders from Dori] said ‘no’,” recalls Cissé Nassirou. He then proceeded to lead them through a three-day workshop introducing the Peace through Development II project, exploring the meaning of conflict, and discussing peaceful co-existence, conflict prevention and resolution from an Islamic perspective. “Islam is like a treasure, but they don’t know what is inside, I told them.” Cissé takes participants past a superficial reading of the Quran, even beyond the verses that speak against hate and violence, to have them reflect deeply on Islam’s ultimate and affirmative message, “it is our mission to preserve life and Earth.” When it came time for the post-test, it was clear to the religious leaders that Islam encourages them to go out and share in the joy and pain of others regardless of their beliefs.
Cissé is one of the Salam Institute’s 20 local trainers who carried out 23 trainings for 500 imams, preachers, Quranic schoolteachers, and heads of Islamic associations throughout Burkina Faso in last August and September, as part of the USAID-funded Peace through Development (PDEV II) project. One participant had been an imam since 1972 and this is the first time he said he had ever received a training like this.
This was more true for the three cohorts of female religious leaders in Dori and Ouahigouya than anyone else. They were responsible for conducting prayers, delivering sermons, and leading ceremonies for the separated female congregations. When word got out about this opportunity, one woman came uninvited from a village 40km away to attend. In Dori, the women had not collaborated with one another on account of their differing Muslim sects. By the end of the workshop, they decided to form an intra-faith association to address this disconnect.
Similarly reflecting the intra-faith tensions in the country amongst men, the Arbinda participants initially refused to attend the training for fear of mixing with other streams of Islam. The trainers went to each of their communities to pray with them at their mosques. By the second day, they came. Out of 41 expected participants for the two workshops in Arbinda, 43 completed the training. In Djibo, the participants emerged from the training having formed an intra-faith committee to coordinate use of mosques, dates of religious holidays, and the sharing of points of view. “This dissipated and they left as if they had always worked together,” concluded Cissé proudly.