The Breath of God, with Rashied Omar
Rashied Omar shares how a lifelong commitment to faith prepared him for spiritual leadership during during turbulent political times.
“Oh humankind, we have created you into males and females and fashioned you into nations and tribes so that you may come to recognize each other, to know each other, not to despise each other.”
- The Quran, Sural Al-hujarat Ayat 13
When Rashied Omar was young, those around him recognized his extraordinary gift for memorizing the Qur’an. This discipline, known as ḥifẓ (حفظ), is considered a sacred trust in Islam, and someone who completes it is called a ḥāfiẓ (حافظ), meaning “guardian” of the Qur’an. For Rashied, this early spiritual training cultivated a deep reverence for the divine dignity within every person—an understanding that would shape his moral courage during South Africa’s most turbulent years.
Born and raised under apartheid—a system of racial segregation that ruled South Africa from 1948 to 1994—Rashied came of age during the Soweto Uprising in 1976, when students protested the government’s racist education policies. As a teenager, he helped lead peaceful demonstrations and was even arrested. Later, as an imam, he brought together people of many faiths to resist oppression nonviolently and affirm that justice is not merely legal or political—it is sacred.
“Justice, from a religious perspective, is affirming the full dignity of the other. To know that every human being has within him or herself the breath of God. If I offend you, I am offending the breath of God.”
In this video, The Breath of God, Rashied reflects on his experience as a young activist and spiritual leader, showing how interfaith solidarity and deep faith can transform even the most unjust of societies.
Putting ideas into action
Rashied’s video is about the link between our spiritual lives and the moral imagination that we can take with us into society. In his book The Moral Imagination, John Paul Lederach in offers four powerful ways to do this.
See yourself in a relational web: “Imagine ourselves in a web of relationships that includes our enemies.” Begin to see how all of us are deeply connected in relationship. There is no “me” without “we.”
Be curious about others’ joys and grievances: “Sustain a paradoxical curiosity that embraces complexity without reliance on dualistic polarity.” Remain curious about others. Seek understanding. Understand that human beings are different and complex, but that there are also key things that connect us together.
Break the script: “Belief in and pursuit of the creative act.” Break out of old patterns of interaction. Find new and creative ways of connecting. Use food, holidays, sports, music, art, literature -- all of the tools that inspire human creativity to find deeper and more meaningful ways to connect.
Take risks: Acceptance of the inherent risk of stepping into conflict. When we are stuck in conflict we often wait for the other person to take the first step. It feels safer, less vulnerable that way. Being the first person to open up our arms and take the risk of embrace creates space for the other person to know you want to reconcile and it’s safe.
A. Rashied Omar is associate teaching professor of Islamic studies and peacebuilding in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Omar earned an MA and PhD in religious studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and an MA in international peace studies from Notre Dame. In addition to being a university-based researcher and teacher, Omar serves as imam (religious minister) at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa, a trustee of the Healing of Memories Institute in South Africa, a member of the Interfaith Council for Ethics Education, Arigatou International in Japan, and an advisory board member for Critical Investigations into Humanitarianism in Africa. Omar’s research and teaching focus on the roots of religious violence and the potential of religion for constructive social engagement and interreligious peacebuilding. He is co-author with of Religion in Public Education: Options for a New South Africa, a contributor to the Oxford Handbook of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding, and a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World.