Welcomed, safe and inspired: challenging old thoughts

Picture of Mohammad and Justin both working for the Al Amana Centre.

Before coming to Oman, Sheik Mohammad الشيخ محمد and the Al Amana Centre were the two subjects keeping up my positive attitude towards the trip. Before every study trip I have attended so far, there has always come a point where the whole trip, in my head, seems like a bad idea for multiple reasons. So was the case also now but, by keeping the warm and earthly welcoming meeting الشيخ محمد gave us when he met us through an online meeting and the welcoming pictures and emails from Al Amana, I was able to behold a positive attitude towards the trip. Arriving in Oman and staying the first day, all my doubts left and soon I was to discover what would later leave the strongest impact for me. The relationship between Mohammad and Justin.

I have always been doubtful regarding interfaith work and dialog and I am still doubtful. But having the privilege, as just another friend in the room, to observe the friendship and dialogue between Justin and Mohammad throughout the week. There was something in their relationship which spoke to me in a way that no interfaith advertisement ever will. The two of them reminded me of one of my best friends from back home. With whom I do not share the same view of life, by the way.

Mohammad and Justin were very sincere in their dialogue, listening to one another even during topics where they might disagree. They spoke to each other in warm and friendly way whilst at the same time teaching us about boundaries, such as not trying to convert the other. Their relationship, mixed by seriousness and sincere honesty whilst still throwing jokes at each other like “The best thing about this Tv-show is how they make fun of Americans” and “at least we don’t have beauty contests for camels”.

In the same day being able to tell these sorts of sensitive jokes and in the next moment wholeheartedly listen to the other one telling you about his experience of living out his faith in Oman. That relationship forced me to rethink my own standpoint regarding interfaith coexistence. I am still doubtful about any major positive outcome from arranged interfaith dialogue. But there seems to be something very important to learn from living as neighbours (St Matt 22:39) side by side, leaving the theological debates aside whilst still fully living out your own faith without the need to neither withhold nor emphasize anything to the other person.

The ÅA group walking together at the Grand Mosque of Oman.

This week in Oman has thought me more than I imagined. Even though my camera roll contains mostly pictures of camels, cars, dishdasha (traditional Omani dress) and cranes, I carry home a lot of lessons which cannot be saved as PDF.

Before coming to Oman, I was very skeptical towards visiting a majority Islam country again.

My previous experiences of Islam can be summed up as:

– Disliking Islam, because of global violence, denying of Jesus and years of bad experiences in Finland.

– Reading the holy Quran and through the reading concluding that what I had experienced previously felt very much in line with that the holy Quran seemed to teach.

Traveling towards a country which seems to take Islam seriously I felt that this will be a burden. Either by making my already bad experiences worse or by shaking the somewhat steady ground I had formed, speaking of my relationship towards Islam.

To my surprise, Oman did neither of these. My standpoint towards Islam is not shaken and neither has it grown worse. I don’t feel any need to change my opinion toward Islam but rather I have come to a point where I want to question my own thoughts. That which I have experienced and seen during my week of traveling in Oman, is not in line with the evil things I have experienced previously. My theological standpoint remains but my attitude towards Muslims, in particular, must change.

Coming from Finland, any other country feels almost automatically less safe. Now imaging going from the safest place I know towards a country where the religion I dislike the most is the main way of life. I did not feel very positive. But already during the first day and especially after a whole week of visiting different sites and cities in Oman, I whole heartedly say that I have never felt safer, more relaxed or more welcomed than in Oman. Absence of violence is good and there exist strict laws too, but Oman took it multiple steps further. In Oman I experienced safety, a sense of being welcomed. If anything would to go wrong during my time in Oman, I felt assured that I could ask anybody and they would happily help me out as best as they can. Even during the late evenings nothing changed. The citizens of this country seemed happy with their nation and the culture, and laws were respected, not for fear of punishment but by a loving agreement towards the laws. Regarding conversion, I knew it was illegal to force anyone to convert or even try to do so. In Oman I felt that there was not a single person interested in doing so either. The laws of the Sultanate of Oman almost seemed to state that which was already culturally agreed between the citizens.

The people of Oman have by their way of living, forced me to question my relationship towards Muslims, Islam and interfaith coexistence.

The old capital Nizwe.

Mezmur Holmström

Kursen ”Abrahams barn i kontakt och konflikt” ordnas av teologiska utbildningslinjen och innehåller en resa till Oman 23-31.10.2026. Resan har möjliggjorts av Polin-institutet tillsammans med Finlands Mellanösterinstitut (FIME). Samarbetspartners i Oman är Al Amana Centre och The College of Sharia Sciences of the Sultanate of Oman.