WASHINGTON DC: Nineteen men and women from the Vaishnava and Muslim faiths, including laypersons as well as Imams and priests, met for a Vaishnava-Muslim interfaith dialogue in Rockwood Manor. The topic: “What Do We Love When We Love Our God?”

According to one Muslim speaker, “it is not our original sin that has brought us into this lower world and imprisoned us. Instead, it is forgetfulness (ghaflah) of, and indifference to, God.”

A Hindu speaker agreed, “we also have a lot in common with the Islamic tradition—we also say that the source of our problems in this world is forgetfulness of God.”

“There was a very strong sense of comraderie in the group. Even though some of us had never even met before, there was a real sense of learning from each other, and a sense that we were walking similar paths together. Often we only hear about the geo-political aspects of world religions these days—for instance, it can be hard to separate Tibetan Buddhism from the political situation in Tibet, or Christianity from the politics of George W. Bush, or indeed Islam from the politics of the middle East. But beyond those superficial, external things, all the bonafide spiritual traditions have at their core very transformative messages to share with humanity. And it’s very inspiring to hear the same message echoed in your own faith and in the faith of those you’re sitting and discussing with.”