大象传媒

Writer Abdul-Rehman Malik.

Chris, just as I think I have found the secret to making my son listen to me 鈥� usually a mix of bribery and affection 鈥� he finds a way to confound me. My entreaties to him are now met with philosophical answers. The other day he tried to convince me that both our opinions had equal weight because, after all, he said, 鈥渨e鈥檙e both just people, aren鈥檛 we?鈥澛�

So I was surprised when my wife called me a few weeks ago while I was away in Indonesia, that our son had been acting withdrawn, less precocious. He was mum about it, but ended up spilling the beans one night while half asleep. He鈥檇 been experimenting with nail polish and his fingers had been a cacophony of dazzling colours. It turns out some of the kids in the neighbourhood didn鈥檛 take too kindly to this. They laughed at him and proffered the usual gender questioning slurs.聽

Sitting in my hotel room, I thought of my son 鈥� whose fearless gumption and can-do attitude I celebrate and love so much 鈥� being caught in a snare of mean words, guilt and confusion. I was filled with anger and sadness.聽

I鈥檝e been working for the last year on a project in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, whose complex cultures have been shaped by an intermingling of many ancient and beautiful traditions. I鈥檝e been helping a diverse group of young leaders use the power of storytelling to confront a rising wave of intolerance.聽

Through the telling of their stories to each and with each other, I have seen these remarkable women and men 鈥� some who have experienced violence for their beliefs 鈥� find healing and offer forgiveness.聽

鈥淐ome, let us get to know each other鈥�, urged the Anatolian mystic Yunus Emre. 鈥淟et us make our work easier. Let us love and be loved. No one inherits this world. No one's here forever.鈥澛�

The Waterboys wisely told us in their iconic song, there are some of us whose vision is limited 鈥� by fear or circumstance. We see just the crescent, but those daring ones, they see the whole of the moon.

To confront hate and hurt is to be daring. To be able to tell your story without fear is to be human. Everyone deserves to be understood. It鈥檚 the lesson we all ought to be teaching. As my son would, we鈥檙e all just people aren鈥檛 we?