An even wider inclusivity
Another team mate on the schools programme was Letlapa Mphahlele from South Africa who had been a liberation army commander during the apartheid era. (Referred to on page 2) At one point, he had ordered retaliatory massacres on white civilians. One of those killed was 23-year-old Cape Town university student Lyndi Fourie. After a profound inner journey, her mother, Ginn Fourie, later forgave Letlapa. These two came together on a remarkable journey, to bring healing to their country and the wider world. What brings together two people, a white female Christian, and a black male atheist in common cause after such a horrific experience? I was struck by Letlapa saying that when Ginn forgave him, it touched something deep inside and restored his humanity. He regards this as a spiritual experience, despite being an atheist.
Letlapa joined me in going to thirty-six Sixth Forms to share his and Ginn’s story. In school sessions, I often asked the students whether they thought that Ginn Fourie did the right thing to forgive Letlapa for the orders that led to the death of Lyndi. Also, why did they think she forgave?
In a school near Toxteth, Liverpool with a very multi-cultural group, a Muslim girl in the front row immediately responded that Ginn did the right thing because if she lived her life with that bitterness she would suffer more than Letlapa.
A boy at the back followed by saying that there was so much anger and hatred in the world that Ginn was setting an example for society by forgiving. I pointed out that Ginn actually forgave because she is a Christian and was following Jesus' example on the cross. "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
Then the students were asked whether you need to be a Christian, Muslim or a believer in God to forgive. The teacher interjected, "No, I am an atheist but value greatly things like forgiveness and try to apply them." A boy of Asian appearance sitting at the side of the room raised his hand and said, "It comes from within." Indeed, it does. It is important to remember that people from all sorts of religions and beliefs value such things as forgiveness and love. No group has a monopoly on grace!
It was clear from our discussions that the inner struggle with these issues is something we all experience. It was also observed that although Ginn did forgive Letlapa, that was nine years after the death of Lyndi. Ginn had told him that had she met him sooner after that tragedy she could have killed him with her bare hands. She was a Christian at that time too. And there are many others now, including Christians, who still don’t forgive Letlapa. We explored this observation, also in other varied settings.
Seeing the impact this made on the students gave me conviction to share this story more widely. Linking up with film director Imad Karam led to the production of the award-winning film: Beyond Forgiving
Imad, the film director just referred to, is also the executive director of IofC International. He is a Palestinian Muslim, born and brought up in Gaza. He says that a primary problem in his part of the world is that Palestinians and Israelis are both trapped in their own narratives. I’m sure that this entrapment is true for so many situations, whether with international strife, religious affiliations, family disputes, or even football team allegiances which sometimes turn to crowd violence. As a way forward, Imad highlights the value of really living into each other’s lives/narratives – of ‘walking a mile in the moccasins of the other’, as the saying goes. But further than that is the importance of bringing our own contributions to seeking a shared vision which all can buy into.