New York – A group of 28 imams and rabbis from 10 European countries arrived in New York and Washington this week for whirlwind visits to interfaith centers to break new ground on Muslim-Jewish relations and combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in each other’s communities.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
They will receive instructions from teams of American rabbis and imams who will show the Europeans how American-style ecumenism works on the ground. It’s the first visit of its kind to involve foreign Muslim and Jewish leaders coming to the U.S., where interreligious ties have a much longer history and track record of success.
“Our success in America has given us the faith and confidence to reach out to Europe,” said Sayyid Mohammad Syeed, national director of interfaith and community alliances for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), one of three hosts for the visit.
“We need them to witness firsthand what we are doing. I have been working toward this all my life.”
The impetus for the five-day visit came after “exponential” growth of anti-Semitism among Muslims in Britain, France and elsewhere in Europe, said Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) and chairman of the World Jewish Congress American Section.
“We want to help strengthen those in the Islamic world who are projecting this voice of moderation and to help them take their religion back from the cadre of extremists and fanatics in Islam,” he said.
The Europeans’ first meeting Monday is with Imam Mohammad Shamsi Ali, head of the Islamic Cultural Center, New York’s largest mosque, who will talk about his contacts with the FFEU. Then it’s on to the United Nations, where the delegation will hear from Muzammil Siddiqi, chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, the continent’s highest body of Islamic jurisprudence.
What follows is an afternoon of panels at the Islamic Cultural Center, each with a local rabbi teamed with an imam. The day wraps up at the new Yankee Stadium, where participants will watch the Yankees play the Baltimore Orioles.
On Tuesday, the Europeans will visit Ellis Island and ground zero and hear from Robert Jackson, the lone Muslim member of the New York City Council.
On Wednesday morning, the group takes a bus to Washington to tour the Holocaust museum. Rabbi Jack Moline, leader of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria and vice chairman of the Interfaith Alliance advocacy group, and Imam Mohamed Magid of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, a mosque in Sterling, will speak on preventing future holocausts.
After a tour of the U.S. Capitol, the group will meet with Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana, both Muslims, along with two leaders of the unofficial Congressional Jewish Caucus, Democratic Reps. Jerrold Nadler of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida.
The delegation then attends a dinner hosted by the ISNA at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, where they will hear from Imam Yahya Hindi of Georgetown University and Rabbi Gerry Serotta, North American chairman of Rabbis for Human Rights.
On Thursday, the group will visit the White House to meet with Joshua Dubois, executive director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. After lunch at the Saudi Embassy, the group flies home.
“The great challenge of the 21st century in inter-religious dialogue is to find the path to narrow the gap between Muslims and Jews worldwide,” said Mr. Schneier of FFEU. “The foundation, which I co-founded 20 years ago, is known for our work in black-Jewish relations. We own this issue nationwide.”
ISNA also mounted an unprecedented outreach to American Christians and Jews at its annual conference earlier this month in Washington, sponsoring a private interfaith reception for 400 leaders from various religions and a separate speech by the Rev. Rick Warren, one of America’s best-known evangelical pastors.
“Muslims feel proud to welcome people of other faiths,” ISNA spokesman Mohamed Elsanousi said at the time.
Two years ago, the FFEU ventured into Muslim-Jewish relations, convening a summit of rabbis and imams in New York in November 2007. They combined forces for a public service announcement on CNN in early 2008 that denounced both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
On a weekend in November 2008, they “twinned” 50 mosques and synagogues in cities across the country to encourage mutual visits and partnerships. A second such weekend is planned this year for Nov. 13-15.
“We received calls from faith leaders in England, Sweden and Australia who want to take part in that,” Mr. Schneier said. He organized this week’s visit, which, he added, is costing the FFEU about $150,000.
The rabbi said there have been breakthroughs, such as the “gratifying” response he got from Muslim leaders in May when four Muslim men were arrested for allegedly planning to bomb two New York synagogues.
“But I appreciate the fact this is a very long process,” he said. “It took the Jewish people 40 years to reach their goal after they left Egypt.”
I think that if Muslim theologians were to stop screaming anti-Semitic nonsense from their pulpits, and were to publicly renounce the Jew-hatred that has become endemic to Islam, that might go a long way towards improving relations. Also, if more Muslims were to take a more proactive stance opposing terrorism (which seems, these days, to be committed almost exclusively by Muslims in the name of Islam), it might go a long way towards reducing “Islmophobia.”
very good positive step, this is the way our grandparents and late rebbes did all along golus.
may they succeed in bringing more peace to the world.
#2 –i’m not for or against since i’m not a poisek..that i leave up to geonoim who are tzaddikum..but where did you get this general rule?our grandparents? not mine. which grandparents are you referring to? do you know this as a general rule, not in my circles.
Marc Schneier has a Jewish neshama. Unfortunately, he is projecting it onto the Muslim world and sees the “potential for good intentions” where they plainly do not exist.
Listen, yes, there are some Islamic radicals who are using Khoran quotes, and other of there “pisukim” to justify there bad behavior.
But, there are also MANY Islamic people, both Imams, and regular people who do want peace and actually FEEL good feelings towards us. I have met many Muslims, and 9 out of 10 are friendly to us.
Sure, in the press you see only the bad. That is what sells. That is also what some of the billionair terrorists are paying them to show.
But, open your eyes and ears – see and hear the millions upon millions of Muslims who ARE on our side.
Remember also, all those going on the Haj are doing that in the memory of Avraham Avinu. They will be the first to agree we are cousins.
I am not in denial over the terrorist creeps among them, but I do wish we would recognize the good ones.
I hope this has some value to it. But, I am sceptical. The Imams that are meeting with the Rabbis are likely considered sell-outs by the radical Muslims. It is akin to a far left, modern orthodox rabbi going to the kolech meeting on what to call a female Rabbi. It would have no meaning to the yeshiva world. Similarly, this meeting is probably meaningless to radical and probably most practicing Muslims.
When the Nk meet with Muslims they are protrayed in the worst light by the m.o.s. when the m.o. clergymen do it, they are tzadikim. hypocrites!
$150,000????
The problem with all these meetings is that Muslims have a completely different mindset than us.
Middle Eastern people havee a middle eastern mentality. Westerners have a western mentality.
Western people THINK the same “rules” of the western mentality can be applied when interacting with the middle eastern people. Dialogue etc etc.
However the Middle Eastern people know there are two mentalities, and they play it to their advantage.
When we come to discuss etc. etc. it just makes us look weak in their eyes, because they can use whatever words they need to in order to make themselves look good, peace loving etc etc. To make us happy.
Then they go and speak to their own the same (unloving and kind words) as they were saying before.
At least this is how it works with the politicians.
We must have lots of Ahavas Yisroel towards each other, daven to Hashem to help us and to give our leaders good insight, and to keep us strong.
The only One who can help us with this current situation is Hashem Himself.