SONGSOPTOK: To what extent do you
practice ‘religious tolerance’? Since when (how long ago)?
GEORGE ONSY: Through my writings, artworks and
active memberships in associations working for peace and religious tolerance since
more than 35 years.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe all religions
are the same?
GEORGE ONSY: I believe they could be all the same, tolerant and calling for
love and peace, but it all depends on their followers’ conception based on
their education, biases and psychological tendencies.
SONGSOPTOK: In case you practice religion, do you
consider all your religious beliefs to be true? What about those of others?
GEORGE ONSY: They are all true to the extent of their appropriate living
up-to-date understanding and practical application. I would say the same for
those of others too.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe that all faiths are equally
beneficial and equally harmless to society?
GEORGE ONSY: It all depends on interpreting and
understanding them.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe all religious groups are
equally beneficial and equally harmless to their followers?
GEORGE ONSY: The same previous answer as interpretations
and understanding play the key role in that.
SONGSOPTOK: Should members of any given religious group
refrain from criticizing religious practices of others?
GEORGE ONSY: Yes they should, ABSOLUTELY.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you usually refrain from talking about
your beliefs to others? Should you be ignoring your own religious ideas?
GEORGE ONSY: I actually try to present what I believe in
through a common human language that all followers of any religion can
understand and accept, and even, live by. I’ve been practically doing that for
many years through my non-stop posts on face book using my writings, paintings,
and analytical diagrams.
SONGSOPTOK: What are the different ways
religious tolerance, including secularism, can help (or hurt) the demands of a
complex world?
GEORGE ONSY: In fact, secularism is heavily criticized and
rejected by many religiously oriented people. I would rather use the term
humanism instead, as humanism is the common value among all races and religion
followers that need to be cherished and enhanced. So, stressing the humanitarian
values in all religious texts is a must. That does necessarily need a
contemporary human-centered rereading of all religious texts being, supposedly,
the very message sent from the ONE God of all men however their beliefs or
rituals are different. Please, see the attached diagram that I’ve designed and
displayed at many Muslim-Christian gatherings to visualize the relationship
between one’s self and the other with respect to each one’s religion and
his/her relationship with God who’s supposed to be its very source. It’s a
matter of actual experience that the response from both religions’ followers
have always been 100% positive.
SONGSOPTOK: Should ‘religious tolerance’ be a part of the
school curricula?
GEORGE ONSY: Yes, ABSOLUTELY, with case studies, applied practical
sessions/researches/exercises and field work.
SONGSOPTOK: Religious acceptance and bigotry appear to be
the two sides of a coin (unbiased). People are equally likely to choose one
over the other. Do you agree with that observation? Please explain.
GEORGE ONSY: Yes, I agree. But, again, it depends to a
large extent on the spiritual, psychological, and emotional structure/formation
of each person simply because intolerance, if any, can be understood as a
psychic/emotional outlet of negative energies accumulated within the individual
from different sources and previous experiences he/she has gone through.
George Onsy, is an Egyptian professor at the faculty of
Engineering, The Egyptian-Russian University in Cairo, as Humanities as well as
Art & Architecture History lecturer. A writer, poet and artist regularly
publishing his works on face book literary and peace-making pages as well as on
a group page that he founded more than 3 years ago, AWAKENING-صحوة , for opening a wider forum of dialogue
between The Arab World afflicted by extremism-terrorism and the entire world of
peace lovers, advocates and makers. He mainly publishes mystic poems and
writings trying to create a common spiritual experience that could be shared
among people of different religions, hence, trying to unify them. He is also a
board member at the international association IfC, Intiatives for Change/MRA,
Moral Rearmament Association for peace making and conflict resolution. His
doctorate, “The Geometrical Approach for Problem-Solving” submitted in 1987
under an Egyptian-American supervision is relevant to all that.
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Subhodev
Das
(Chief Advisor: Songsoptok)
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