On the final day of their three-week journey, Father Adrian, Ustadz Niki and Rabbi Ralph joined SBS Hebrew in the studio to reflect on the most meaningful moments of their shared interfaith experience across the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia.
The 1000 Abrahamic Circles is an Indonesia-based project bringing together Jewish, Muslim and Christian faith leaders from three countries. Over three weeks, they travel together, living in one another’s homes and communities and experiencing each other’s religious traditions.
During a visit to a public hospital in Iligan City, in the Philippines, Ustadz Niki realised how important it is for patients to have access to a religious leader from their own faith at a time of need.
Many Ustad... pray to Muslim people who are sick. But when the people sick coming from other religion, I haven't look other religious leader pray to themUstadz Niki Alma Febriana Fauzi
For Rabbi Ralph, who was awarded an OAM for his service to multi-faith relations, what made this journey different from other interfaith encounters was the experience of actually living together.
If you really immerse yourself and live the life of another person and another community, another faith... you’re going to learn a lot moreRabbi Ralph Genende
The journey also took place against a backdrop of tension and hostility between communities, much of it amplified online.
The social media ruins everything... the hate escalated there also.Father Stephen Adrian Villaester
He added: “It affects the interfaith works...as an interfaith leader, as a faith-based leader, we have to mediate things and to pacify things because...they hate what they do not know, and they have no idea what they hate.”
In conversation with SBS Hebrew, the three leaders share what happened when they stepped into one another’s communities.
