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A Harmonious World Order Through Interfaith Dialogue : 75
All this suggests that an inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue is known to ancient India- and even after the coming of Islam. This process continued in the medieval ages. Interaction between Islam and Hinduism resulted not only in the rise of an excellent mystic philosophy of 'Sufism', but, went deeper into the synthesis of two cultures on a much broader plain. The impact of such a synthesis may be observed in the Indian languages contemporaneous to them and depicting Indian life and invoking Hindu gods in their poetry. Indian architecture, paintings, and musical forms are a testimony to creative fusion of Hindu and Islamic arts. But this fusion is not at the cost of Indian tradition itself. Rather, the elements from other cultural streams are assimilated into the tradition of the land itself. Thus, it is apparent that India offers a model for establishing a pluralistic society based on the values of harmony and synthesis.
This spirit of synthesis present all over in ancient and medieval life and thought stands in sharp contrast with the suspicion and lack of trust seen today in certain quarters of Indian life. Although modern India too stands firmly for cultural and religious harmony and is committed to have interaction with the rest of world, one can, nonetheless, see some sign of strains among the majority and minority on the one hand, and a sense of alarm against the superimposition of a consumerist culture on the other. However, the process of dialogue has not been weakened even today.
It is evident from this brief account that the tradition of Indian thought has been strengthened by the process of constant dialogue between different religions. Moreover, Indian culture has been stimulated by its historic confrontation with different cultures. The same is true with Christian philosophy. Christian Philosophy has constantly interacted with Hellenistic, Jewish, Muslim, and modern scientific thought. Now, it is trying to interact in this direction. David Peter Lawrence has analyzed this process and states. "The
