Days 7 & 8: Christian/Muslim Dialogue and Day Off
Heather Phelps
Saying goodbye to COP was bittersweet, as I scanned my badge to exit the Blue Zone for the last time. For all that I attended 6 days straight, it wasn't enough.Yet the reason CCOP has always divided trips into two weeks was clearly in evidence as I walked downstairs for breakfast yesterday morning to the fullest I've ever seen it – our Week 2 team had arrived! Starting tomorrow, Week 2 participants will be taking over our badges to enter COP, while Week 1 participants will be flying home over the next couple days.
Much that happens at a COP takes place outside the Blue Zone
Before heading out, we had a trip to Abu Dhabi together. The Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace was gracious enough to invite us to attend a dialogue on Christian-Islamic Perspectives on Climate at COP28. We even had the opportunity to bring additional guests, young African activists from the Rise Up Movement.. The hospitality was extraordinary – the massive lunch buffet we were greeted with turned out instead to only be the mid-morning snack!
Vastly more important, though, was the discussion. We had the great honor to hear from Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, who spoke passionately about the principles of Islam, and how humans are called to preserve the earth from corruption, not spread that corruption due to our own actions. We need to remember the virtues of compassion for all creatures and have a willingness to take responsibility. We need to be generous towards others, turning away from avarice and the excessive use of natural resources. Ultimately, the universe is God's Kingdom – not ours.
These are values and perspectives very familiar to me from my Christian faith – underscored when CCOP leaders Rich Killmer, Brian Webb and Lowell Bliss shared their own perspective on the Christian call to climate action, starting with Psalm 24: "The earth is the LORD's and everything in it." From Jesus' teachings we know that everyone is our neighbor and not even a sparrow falls to the ground outside our Father's care.
The day ended with a truly extraordinary visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Inspired by the Taj Mahal, the mosque is gorgeous, covered on the outside with floral mosaics made of marble & semi-precious stones along with dozens of domes covered in gold leaf. Inside it's filled with the largest hand woven carpet in the world, multi-ton crystal chandeliers, and glowing flowers on the walls inspired by stained glass. Approximately 60,000 people worshiped there at once during this past Ramadan. The mosque itself was breathtaking, but equally appreciated were the stories from our guide.
While there’s so much more I’d still love to see, it’s been a truly amazing opportunity to witness so much of the climate negotiations and catch a glimpse of a part of the world I’ve never seen before. I can’t wait to hear what our Week 2 team gets up to in the coming week!
