What we do > Dialogue
Dialogue with Islam
Jesuits with an expertise in Islam are called to share their knowledge with other Jesuits, along with the Church, who, in turn, can engage more widely with Muslims through their work as educators, pastors, intellectuals and social workers.
The Jesuits Among Muslims in Asia (JAMIA) is a network of Jesuits active in the study of Islam and engaged in solidarity actions with Muslims. As a network, they help Jesuits and companions gain a better understanding of Muslims and the role of Islam in the Asia Pacific region.
Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.
Nostra Aetate, 1965
The Jesuits Among Muslims in Asia (JAMIA) is a network of Jesuits active in the study of Islam and engaged in solidarity actions with Muslims. As a network, they help Jesuits and companions gain a better understanding of Muslims and the role of Islam in the Asia Pacific region.
Composed of Jesuits and collaborators from the Conferences of Asia Pacific and South Asia, particularly Jesuits in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, JAMIA meets every two years to share and reflect on their work among Muslims, as well as to engage in joint research undertakings that promote Christian-Muslim relations. In 2022, the network published its first book, “Journeying with Muslims the Ignatian Way”, which uses Ignatian Spirituality as a way of approaching interreligious dialogue.
Besides JAMIA, within the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, the Asia Pacific Theological Encounter Programme (APTEP) held in Indonesia annually helps young Jesuit scholastics foster an understanding of Islam. A vital part of the programme is a five-day immersion experience in an Islamic setting.