Ursula King’s often-cited observation that “feminism [is] the missing dimension in the dialogue of religions” underscores the importance of recognizing the historical dynamics within interreligious dialogue. Reflecting on this history means delving into the narrative of the religious elite, which has predominantly been male. Throughout history, the leading figures in interfaith dialogue have typically been men—religious leaders adorned in their liturgical attire, advocating for solidarity and respect across diverse beliefs.

This pattern extends into academia and theology, where major publications, volumes, and articles have largely emanated from a cisheterosexual, white, and male elite. As Catherine Cornille aptly points out, this reality shouldn’t come as a surprise. Given the overwhelmingly male leadership within most religions, it’s only “natural” that women would be marginalized or overlooked in official interreligious dialogues.

However, it’s not just women who are excluded from these dialogues or academic circles. The voices of colonized peoples from the Global South, black intellectuals and religious figures, LGBTQIA+ individuals, indigenous tribes, Dalit communities, persons with disabilities, and adherents of oral tradition religions are also frequently silenced. Therefore, a decolonial paradigm shift is imperative in the realm of interreligious dialogue. It necessitates actively listening to and uplifting the marginalized voices that have long been excluded from the interfaith table.

Kwok Pui-Lan, in her work “Globalization, Gender, and Peacebuilding” (2012), asserts that “interfaith dialogue” offers a more dynamic framework than “interreligious dialogue.” She argues that while interreligious dialogue often implies conversations between Christianity and other faiths, interfaith dialogue represents a meeting of individuals engaged in living faiths. The term “interfaith” encompasses a broader spectrum, suggesting that discussions and interactions occur among people who adhere to faiths rather than between religions themselves — emphasizing the human dimension over doctrinal differences (2012).

As we move beyond institutional frameworks into the complexities of life and human interaction, the dynamics of interfaith dialogue emerge organically and interconnectedly. Kwok Pui-Lan suggests that interfaith dialogue would greatly benefit from insights drawn from postcolonial studies, which critically examine the construction of identities, power dynamics, and cultural hierarchies.

It’s crucial to recognize that interfaith dialogue has always been inherent within colonized and marginalized communities. Everyday relationships, the negotiation of communal identities, and the formation of alliances for survival and resistance are central themes within this dialogue. Interfaith dialogue, therefore, embodies the interactions of ordinary individuals, coming together to learn from one another about the intricacies of life and faith.

Brazil: “My Body, My Faith: Violence and Abuse in Religion”

According to the 10th National Survey on Violence Against Women, conducted by the DataSenado Institute in partnership with the Women Against Violence Observatory (OMV) (2023), about three out of ten Brazilian women have experienced domestic violence perpetrated by men. The study suggests that women with lower income levels are more likely to suffer domestic violence. More than 25.4 million Brazilian women have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives, with 22% reporting incidents in the last 12 months.

The research found that psychological violence is the most common (89%), followed by moral (77%), physical (76%), patrimonial (34%), and sexual violence (25%). Women with lower incomes are more likely to experience physical violence. The majority of assaults are committed by husbands or partners (52%), followed by ex-husbands, ex-boyfriends, or ex-partners (15%).

Apart from these forms of violence, it’s important to note that violence against women within  religious contexts is also common. In 2019, amidst various reports of religious leaders abusing women, manipulating them through faith, there were significant cases. The most notable case involved João de Deus, an 81-year-old Brazilian spiritual leader, who, during his healing rituals, abused women and even children. According to information from the Brazilian Public Prosecutor’s Office, the medium had been sexually assaulting spiritual patients for the past 45 years, with 319 women coming forward to report him. When this news broke in the Brazilian media, other cases involving spiritual gurus, pastors, and priests began to emerge.

In response to this context, two gatherings titled “My Body, My Faith: Violence and Abuse in Religion” were organized. It was an interreligious gathering of women, open to all, aimed at denouncing and supporting women who were victims of this form of spiritual violence. At the first gathering held in São Paulo, organized by the Rede Ecumênica da Juventude (Ecumenical Youth Network), which I was part of, and KOINONIA Presença Ecumênica e Serviço (KOINONIA Ecumenical Presence and Services) in collaboration with other ecumenical movements, various women from different religious traditions sat at the table. Among the speakers were feminist theologian and Catholic nun Ivone Gebara, activist Samantha Lodi from the Spiritist community, Colombian Methodist theologian Maryuri Grisales, Iyá Adriana Toledo, a Candomblé priestess, and Priscila Queiroz, a Pentecostal activist. More than 120 people attended on a Saturday morning to discuss and express their frustrations about these oppressions. We also had the honor of a remote participation by Sabrina de Campos Bittencourt, an activist who had been working for years to denounce and fight against violence and oppression towards women in religious communities, including in the recent case involving João de Deus. Sabrina, 38, tragically took her own life on that same Saturday due to numerous threats and persecutions against her life, family, and children. She was a spokesperson for the COAME movement – Combating Abuse in the Spiritual Environment, jointly responsible with the United Victims Group for denouncing, supporting victims, and mobilizing civil society against crimes committed by religious leaders. The gathering also provided opportunities for sharing feelings and experiences that prompt reflection and action. Movements like Catholics for Choice, Catholic Diversity, among others, were represented.

(Meeting held in São Paulo in 2019.)

The second gathering was organized by the Evangelical Collective for Gender Equality (EIG), in partnership with the Municipal Secretariat for Women’s Policies of the Municipality of Londrina. The focus of the second meeting was more on public policies and strategies for addressing abuse in spiritual contexts. Speakers included Selma Rosa, an Anglican pastor, Vanessa Carvalho de Mello, a researcher on gender issues, Larissa Ferraz de Barros, a criminal lawyer and secretary of the Commission for the Promotion of Racial Equality and Minorities, Sara Alexius, a social worker, and Sueli Galhardi, the manager of special protection for women at the Municipal Secretariat for Women’s Policies in Londrina.The gathering brought together approximately 50 people.

These seeds continue to sprout. Subsequent gatherings, such as the recent Ecumenical Journey (2023), addressed gender issues, interfaith dialogue, and the fight against fundamentalism. This agenda is more than urgent in the current Brazilian context, where femicide, religious intolerance, and religious racism are on the rise.

Honduras: Interreligious Dialogues on Violence Against Women and Children and Femicides

Until December 31, 2023, we registered 386 violent deaths of women, according to print and digital media in Honduras. 47% of women report being victims of psychological violence, followed by physical violence at 35%. Women between the ages of 18 and 30 are the most affected by domestic violence. Approximately 8 out of every 10 reports of sexual crimes were made by women in the year 2022. 66% (1,806 victims) are under the age of 18, and the age group with the most reports is between 13 and 17 years old, comprising 40% (1,093 victims). (Centro de Derechos de la Mujer,/ ; UTECI- Honduras: Análisis De Violencia Contra Las Mujeres Y Las Niñas.) 

Violence against women, girls, and adolescents in Honduras reflects deep-seated roots in gender discrimination, entrenched stereotypes, unequal power relations, and cultural practices that perpetuate it. In response, the group “Ecuménicas por el Derecho a Decidir”  (Ecumenicals for the Right to Decide), together with the Spotlight Initiative, launched by the European Union and the United Nations, took action. In the first phase of the initiative in Honduras, interreligious dialogues led by organizations such as Ecumenicals for the Right to Decide and the Center for Promotion in Health and Family Assistance were conducted, fostering collaboration between religious leaders and civil society to address gender-based violence.

(Pastor Ana Ruth García greets the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Honduras, Alice Shakelfor, and the participants of the Interreligious Dialogue held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.)

In the second phase of the Spotlight Initiative, the focus shifted to the participatory construction of a sustainability strategy for interreligious dialogues to prevent and eliminate violence against women, girls, and adolescents in Honduras. Religious leaders, government representatives, civil society, and the Garifuna community came together in Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba to reflect on social norms perpetuating gender-based violence. These dialogues seek to promote alternative practices to achieve gender equality and respect for the rights of women and girls under a culture of peace. Collaboration across different sectors and the inclusion of diverse perspectives are crucial to addressing this challenge and building a more equitable society free from gender-based violence in Honduras. Overall, there was a participation of 67 individuals, comprising 34 women and 33 men, as well as 13 individuals from the Garifuna community. The territorial participation was divided with 34 individuals located in La Ceiba and 33 individuals in Tegucigalpa. 

Ana Ruth García, national coordinator of Ecumenicals for the Right to Decide, points out that “the work we have been developing for six years represents a commitment and challenge, as many of us experience violence both outside and inside our ecclesiastical institutions. For our movement, it is a priority to always defend and protect women and girls as a vulnerable and stigmatized population, because we have lived and experienced it as believing women” (2020).

Feminist Interfaith Dialogue

“Feminist theology today is a global and interfaith conversation,” states Rosemary Radford Ruether. Latin American feminist theology intertwines with the everyday survival and spirituality of women, reshaping traditional notions of marginalized bodies. It’s about women’s lived experiences guiding us to challenge established ideas of revelation and dogma. When we think about interreligious dialogue, it’s often filtered through a Westernized lens, limiting our understanding to a singular definition of religion. Yet, grassroots interfaith dialogue among women is rich with popular spirituality and the myriad of identities they embody.

It is important the understanding pf the word feminism in the context of intersectionality, intertwined with class, race, gender, sexuality, and geopolitics. Dolores Williams, an African-American theologian, argued that (i) there are ambiguities in feminisms because they are racist; (ii) patriarchy and institutional power offer opportunities for advancement only to white women; (iii) black women are invisible in the feminist movement; (iv) black women are discriminated against based on sexuality, gender, and race. Dolores Williams introduced the term womanism to embrace this African-American hermeneutic of the Bible. (WILLIAMS, 1985, p. 59-71). It is impossible to think of a feminist hermeneutics of inter-religious dialogue without listening to our black, queer, and indigenous sisters in Abya Yala. We cannot repeat the same mistake of a hegemonic white feminism that feeds on the coloniality of power and knowledge.

Inspired by Sophia Pandya’s lecture on interfaith dialogue with Hizmet women, I should say that this dialogue, intersecting with popular feminism, aims to:

• Amplify the voices of women as dialogue builders and peacemakers.
• Empower women to speak their truths.
• Shift the focus from elite discussions to grassroots and everyday realities.
• Inquire about the dimensions of power, whether in faith-based or political institutions and explore the role of women within them.
• Acknowledge shared experiences of exclusion.
• Remain less bound by institutional constraints, recognizing that women often operate outside centers of power.
• Encourage collaboration and solidarity among women across diverse communities.

Both in Brazil and Honduras, the majority of the population identifies as Christian (Catholic and evangelical). Therefore, the violence data presented in both countries demonstrates that a large portion of these women victims of violence are women of faith. Religious fundamentalism in Latin America has used the anti-gender banner in its discourse, which reflects not only in ideology but also in gender-based violence practices and the subordination of women and other minorities on the gender agenda, such as the LGBTQIAP+ population.

I believe it is impossible to conduct an inter-religious dialogue/table without considering the experience of women and their struggle. If we say in an inter-religious dialogue speech that we seek justice, understanding of others, peace, we cannot do so without listening to women, listening to the diversity of women’s experiences in Latin America. The struggle for territories is part of this everyday life.

In the face of pervasive violence and misogyny, interfaith dialogue emerges as a beacon of hope and a crucial tool for promoting understanding, empathy, and collective action. By centering the voices and experiences of women, interfaith dialogue can become a transformative force for social change, fostering solidarity and empowerment across diverse religious and cultural contexts.

We can no longer reproduce an inter-religious dialogue table that excludes the voices, bodies, and experiences of women. These two experiences show us where the heart of women’s concern lies: living in peace. The Chilean singer killed during Pinochet’s dictatorship sang: “el derecho de vivir en paz” (the right to live in peace). Interfaith dialogue is one of the strategies to ensure the survival of women in a context of such strong violence and misogyny in Nuestra América. In both actions of interfaith dialogue, the premise is: the end of violence against women!

References:

KWOK, Pui-lan. Globalization, gender, and peacebuilding: the future of interfaith dialogue. Paulist Press, 2012.

Ursula King, “Feminism: The Missing Dimension in the Dialogue of Religions,” in Pluralism and the Religions: The Theological and Political Dimensions, ed. John D. May (Herndon, VA: Cassell, 1998), 40–55, 43

WILLIAMS, Dolores. Women’s oppression and lifeline politics in black women’s religious narratives. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 1 (2): 59-71, 1985

ARTWORK: Faith Ringgold, The Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles, 1996, Silkscreen