The Silsilah Dialogue Movement started in Zamboanga City (Mindanao) in 1984 inviting all Muslims, Christians and people of other cultures and faiths, to promote dialogue and peace guided by the message that Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME, shared to the group after his immersion in the mission of Siocon (Mindanao) living in a Muslim community, “DIALOGUE STARTS FROM GOD AND BRINGS PEOPLE BACK TO GOD.”
He started his first approach of dialogue living in a Muslim community. There he was invited to become the negotiator of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). He was successful in the negotiation, but he also got problems with the military, he was ambushed, but survived. For this reason, he was sent back by his superiors to Italy and in Rome he studied in PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies). This was a good experience for him and he understood that one good entry point of a sincere dialogue can be to promote the spirituality of life-in-dialogue.
Fr. D’Ambra came back to the Philippines in 1983, and he was assigned in Zamboanga City where he started with other friends, Christians and Muslims, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement guided by the spirituality of Life-in-Dialogue promoting the Culture of Dialogue (with God, with the Self, with Others and with Creation) as a Path to Peace. It was a simple beginning formed by a group of Christian and Muslim friends. They formed the Silsilah Dialogue Movement and along the years Silsilah has formed thousands of people, especially Christians and Muslims.
Silsilah now continue to live and promote the spirituality of life-in-dialogue deepening this spirituality guided by each own faith. Thus, the first expression was done by the Christians to deepen this spirit as Christians. Thanks to Aminda Saño, EDC, president of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement. She was a teacher and one of the first members of Silsilah; She formed a community with other Catholic teachers and started the Emmaus Dialogue Movement in 1987 adapting the same spirituality of Silsilah and committed to be active members of Silsilah. This experience was the beginning of many challenges and a good number of Catholic members also became members of the new Catholic group that now is identified as Emmaus Dialogue Movement. This movement welcomes Catholics as lay consecrated and other Catholics, married and not married, priests, seminarians, Nuns and even Bishops.
This positive experience has been a challenge to start also the Emmaus College of Theology, offering Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Major in Interreligious Dialogue.
This experience has helped Silsilah to reflect how to start a group, formed by Muslims, men and women, who are willing to grow spiritually guided by the basic teachings of Islam and at the same time, be part of Silsilah and live the spirituality of Life-in-Dialogue as Muslims. This desire has helped Silsilah to find different ways to gather Muslims part of Silsilah and invite them to be committed members of Silsilah and at the same time to find space and activities that allow them to grow spiritually as Muslims.
Thanks to committed Muslim members of Silsilah, we have shared this plan in different occasions and finally we have launched the JAMA’A DIALOGUE MOMENT on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of Silsilah in May, 2025 together with our Christian and Muslim coordinators of the Silsilah Forum present in the country, especially in many areas and cities in Mindanao and Manila.
Together, during the annual gathering in Zamboanga City on May 2025, this new movement was initially named differently, but after deeper sharing and reflections we have chosen the finalized name, JAMA’A DIALOGUE MOVEMENT.
The word Jama’a literally denotes a group, a collective, a congregation. However, its general linguistic definition is community. In jurisprudential terms it also refers to the congregation of prayer. But, each member of Silsilah is free to be part of the Emmaus Dialogue Movement for the Christians and Jama’a Dialogue Movement for the Muslims.
We decided now to use the word JAMA’A link with the dialogue movement. This means a group formed by Muslims guided by the teaching of Islam open to dialogue. This challenge invites the Muslims in Silsilah to emulate the spirituality of life-in-dialogue.
We cannot deny that Muslims and Christians come from a stage in history where we are not ready to look at each other as a part of the same “Human Family.” There are a lot of prejudices, expressed and not expressed, that need to be addressed. This is the challenge of Silsilah today, we dream to invite people of different cultures and religions to develop the spirit of dialogue and peace that Silsilah promotes.
In addition, the effort of Silsilah to encourage Christians and Muslims to grow in their own faith and together in the Silsilah Dialogue Movement is a new challenge that is in line with the aspiration of many, even among Christian and Muslim leaders.
The first words of Pope Leo XIV when he started to address all are: “PEACE BE WITH YOU.” Indeed, this expression is dear also to the Muslims who often greet others with the same expression saying “Assalamu Alaikum” (PEACE BE WITH YOU.)
Yes, with this spirit, we start the new movement called “Jama’a Dialogue Movement.”
SILSILAH DIALOGUE MOVEMENT