For the cities we need to become really the cities we want, we need to connect our principles with our faith to find our motivation for true change. We need cities with a soul. The New Urban Agenda is void of mentioning spirituality and religion, except one mention in the context of inclusiveness. Yet, it is our faith and beliefs that provide the foundation for everything we do and hold dear.
To find this connection between faith and the city we need, I am engaging in conversations with participants at the 10th World Urban Forum about what beliefs motivate them to do what they are doing. Today and over the next few days I will report a summary of those interviews, which demonstrate that faith can be found on the exhibition floor and in the meeting rooms.
Matthew was quick to identify seven beliefs that motivate him as the Smart Solutions & Environmental Projects Specialist of Planet Smart City, namely: Unity, Peace, Prosperity, Cooperation, Respect, Understanding, and Environment. Describing himself more as an agnostic, Matthew was raised in a Canadian Catholic home. His mom is Irish and went to Catholic school, but as a feminist disagreed about the church’s stance on inequality in gender roles. His father is Italian. Matthew grew up in a context of Islamophobia, but through curiosity about the world, culture and faith has gained great respect for the Arab world. He would love to see Christians and Muslims get along more.
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Habitat for Humanity’s Communication Specialist, Lubna was raised in a conservative Muslim home, although they were not practicing. As and adult, she has become much more active and finds comfort in her faith. Lubna sees how we as humans differ from other species and should not let anger and hate get in the way. Her religion gives her a code of conduct that she wants to represent well, living it out without having to preach it. A follower of the school of Shia, she is encouraged to think scientifically. Living amidst the diversity of Lebanon, her faith provides the true essence of who she is that she carries with her in daily life. Lubna pointed out that during the time of the Prophet, Jews, Christians and Muslims were living peacefully together—a history, I must add, the government of the UAE is presently trying to emulate through the House of Abraham vision.
