Mr Robin Downie (Former Moderator of the Youth Assembly
of the Church of Scotland): Presiding Officer, members
of the Scottish Parliament, thank you for the opportunity to
address you today.
In August last year, I had the privilege of attending a
year of young people trip to Rwanda, which was organised by
Interfaith Scotland and the Church of Scotland. Having little
knowledge of the Muslim faith and not much of a clue about the
importance of interfaith dialogue, I was a little apprehensive
about the trip, to say the least. The group was formed of five
young Christians and five young Muslims. We travelled to Rwanda
to explore interfaith relations and the 1994 genocide.
There were many highlights of the trip. I experienced
Muslim worship for the first time at Kigali national football
stadium, where 20,000 Muslims met to celebrate the first day of
the Eid festival. During the trip, I became close friends with
many Muslims, and I was warmed by the love that shone through
their faith, as well as by the many similarities in what we
believed, of which there were more than differences.
Exploring the 1994 genocide, we travelled up into the
hills of Rwanda, where we met a group of people who were
affected by the genocide. Some had lost loved ones and seen
their children murdered with machetes, yet on the day that we
met them, they sat next to the men and women who had held the
machetes. Many had been able to forgive the terrible events
that had happened 24 years ago.
In January, I visited Israel and Palestine, and had a short
visit to Gaza. It was upsetting to see the divides in that
land, as well as the unrest and violence. I visited a centre in
Ramallah for young people who are my age. It was run by young
women of the Young Women’s Christian Association, the aim of
which is to find a brighter future for the young people of
Ramallah. When asked about the future of Israeland Palestine, only four members of
the class of 30 were hopeful that the situation would improve
for the generations to come.
Reflecting on those trips, I was sad that, having seen
such unity and forgiveness in Rwanda, despite the terrible
events that happened there, I then saw such unrest and violence
in Israel and Palestine.
The love that I was shown by members of the Muslim faith
was inspiring. The trips highlighted the importance of
interfaith dialogue overseas and in Scotland. By meeting with
people of different faiths and beliefs, we can build
friendships and work together, despite our differences. We can
challenge some of the major problems in the world, such as
climate change, and we can prevent wars. Through dialogue, we
can secure a brighter future for young people around the world
and here in Scotland.
