The Algerian “frontier”

Christians’ educational commitment in Muslim majority countries aimed at promoting the development of peaceful and constructive relations between the two faith communities and at combating fundamentalist division-fuelling stances, is the theme broached by Msgr. Henri Teissier, bishop of Oran in an article published by “Oasis”, (n. 11, June) (www.oasiscenter.eu) focusing on the experience of Algeria.The premise. “If we direct our glance to the future of Muslim-Christian relations – writes bishop Henri Teissier -, we will realize that assuming commitments in the realm of education is of primary importance. The fundamentalist faction, that tends to separate communities, currently prevails across a number of Muslim countries. Its influence is exerted on the youth in particular, whose adhesion is void of a critical approach and is marked by typical adolescent radicalism. Youth education commitment targeted at the development of peace amongst different religious traditions is thus of great import. However, whilst reaffirming the central role of education, it must also be said that the members of the community which children and youth belong to, notably the parents, along with the national environment and religious authorities, are tasked with the responsibility of education”.On the grounds of respectful dialogue. In most Muslim countries it often happens that parents entrust their children to schools run by Christian educators. “Similar initiatives – observes the bishop – can take place only on the basis of respectful dialogue with those societies which these children and youth are natural members of. This is the case of those Muslim countries where, with the parents’ consent and with the authorization of the national education ministries, a number of religious Catholic congregations run Catholic schools marked by a large number – even a majority – of Muslim pupils”.The situation of Maghreb and Algeria. Msgr. Teissier noted, “the above-mentioned situation characterizes all Muslim countries, which accept the existence, alongside public educational establishments, of non-public schools, including Catholic ones. This is the prevailing status of Catholic educational establishments in the Middle East and across a number of Asian and African countries”. “Moreover, in those areas of Maghreb where these schools were enabled to survive – in Morocco or Tunisia for example – most Catholic school pupils and teachers are Muslim, while the deans are foreign Christian citizens”. The situation in Algeria is different. Until 1976 the Catholic Church was responsible for the education of 40 thousand young pupils and children, from kindergarten to high school. The nationalization process led Catholic schools to shut down, “but it did not mark the end of Catholic educational dialogue within Algerian society”. “Despite Catholic schools’ nationalization, Christian education continued being offered in other school establishments of Algeria” which are still operative and which include woman formation centres and publications whose editorial staff consist in Muslims and Christians working side by side. A concrete example of the close cooperation described in the article is the magazine “Hayat”, published in Arabic and French for Muslim female readership – adults and youth – for more than 30 years, owing to the joint commitment of the Algerian Red Cross and Caritas.The common reference to God. In such contexts – continues the bishop of Oran – “general dogmatic differences prevent the dialogue from taking place on the basis of clear confessional tenets. Educational values normally refer to common human values such as honesty, truth, justice, sincerity, mutual respect, altruism, care for the common good, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation, sacrality of human life and recently, the integrity of the Creation. The common reference to God enables to rediscover the source of these values: God’s plan on mankind, but without specific confessional connotations”.