Comments on: Rabbi wants to bring U.S. Muslim-Jewish teamwork to Europe

By: Kyle Hannan

Kyle Hannan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:05:03 +0000

Hello. What excellent news – and we’re already doing it here in the UK. Our project, Radio Salaam Shalom, has just entered its 3rd year of Muslim-Jewish co-operative broadcasting. We’d be very pleased to work together to build understanding and awareness of the voice of the moderate majority in our communities.Our website’s just being redesigned at the moment but you can listen to our Gaza-related podcasts from the holding page at http://www.salaamshalom.org.uk.SALAAM SHALOM!Kyle HannanStation Manager

By: Maria

Maria — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:10:06 +0000

I think is a very risky and hard task, but a great effort to put seeds of Dialogue and Coexistance.This initiative is a way to search Peace. Maybe some consider it is not perfect but it is a positive effort to admire and follow.

By: SS

SS — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:09:23 +0000

An important undertaking to have religious congregations pair up. Yet I wonder if European Muslims would object to the use of “fundamentalist” and “moderate” and how they are being used in the underlying assumptions of this program. If they do object, that could make the initiative less palatable. Perhaps if they must be used, it should be said that we must stem the tide of Jewish fundamentalism which seems to be growing, just as much as we must for “Islamic fundamentalism.” Dialogue might be much better served by an idea moderation is normative for Jews and Muslims and we are simply creating structured opportunities for people to interact in ways that they would naturally be inclined to do as decent human beings.

By: hassan

hassan — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:27:51 +0000

its good people like him who you won’t see on the news channels being interviewd. its these types of inititaves that are really going to help end conflicts in all types of religous conflicts that are primairly due to misunderstanding and political issues. as a muslim i have no “beef” or quarrels with jewish people; muslims and jews are actually more similar to each other then any other religion. the jewish muslim conflict has more to do with the israeli-palestine issue which is more political then anything else. take iran for example, as much they despise the state of israel, they have the second largest jewish population in the middle east and they enjoy their freedom in country like iran, they are even exempt from islamic law and are protected. for anyone who thinks this a muslim-jewish conflict, they are wrong and misinformed.

By: nyer

nyer — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:45:18 +0000

I believe to say that there are “pockets of moderates” in Islam is really insulting. This dialouge should focus on discussions of the elephant in the room “the palestine /israel conflict” – until that is addressed little progress is made.

By: Lukas

Lukas — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:03:55 +0000

The problem is Israel and Palestine. Once that problem is solved, initiatives like this won’t be needed. Until then, initiatives like that are useless, as beneficial as they might seem

By: Zeeshan

Zeeshan — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:41:52 +0000

Rabbi Schneier’s comment in the last paragraph, ie : “I see around the world there are pockets of moderation emerging within Islam.”, come across as patronizing and a bit arrogant. There arent pockets of moderation. Nearly the entire Muslim world is “moderate” – a word, along with fundamentalism, the use of which needs to be revisited and carefully used – especially in the context of interfaith relations.

By: Mike Ghouse

Mike Ghouse — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:21:34 +0000

Rabbi, indeed this is a good initiative. All of us are in it together, it is in our interest to team up and do the right thing. You have my suppport for thisAs Muslims we commemorated the Holocaust event to share the pain of the Jewish Peoplewww.HolocaustandGenocides.orgMike Ghousewww.worldMuslimCongress.com

By: Marcia Kannry

Marcia Kannry — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:14:24 +0000

Thank you for illuminating a story that addresses the need for real communication between Muslim and Jewish leaders; however, the key element for actual transformation is missing from this model.This work has the dangerous potential of providing an easy out for religious leaders. It can allow them to talk about acceptance and tolerance without exploring the deep differences that do exist and the roots of the hatred which they aim to address.Dialogue, a form of listening and reflection that has no institutional agenda, provides an environment that can and does lead to more sustainable trust and change, for both individuals (the people in the pews and on the prayer rugs) as well as within a community framework.In Dialogue, Rabbis, Imams, Reverends, and others sit as equals with those in their congregations, and together they commit to develop skills for active and generous listening.In dialogue we ask “curious” questions that allow people to discover information about another’s tradition, history and personal connections. People reflect what was said to make sure they understand the intent and the emotions of the person who is teaching or sharing an experience.When we slow down the conversation this way, we acknowledge and allow for differences to exist while barriers of suspicion are dispelled.The work described opens doors, now we must walk through and begin the difficult conversations inside.Marcia KannryFounder – PresidentThe Dialogue Projectwww.thedialogueproject.orgmarcia@ thedialogueproject.org