Muslims Condemn display of hate at Holocaust Museum

Muslims Condemn display of hate at Holocaust Museum http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/06/muslims-condemn-display-of-hate-at.html

As Americans and as Muslims, we condemn this expression of hate; killing innocent people at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.

We all have a moral responsibility to protect and preserve life on earth, each time we see hate expressed in this fashion, we feel the responsibility to do our share of repairing the world. A lot of work needs to be done and we need to stand together and be a guard to each one of the 301 Million Americans. Our Obligation to one and all is to see us become one nation under the creator and be one community.

We mourn the loss of Stephen Johns, the security guard whose life was lost in protecting the lives of Members and the visitors to the Holocaust Museum.

As Americans we stand with the Jewish community and the symbols that represent the community including the Holocaust Museum.

Mike Ghouse
In behalf of the Muslim Community,
World Muslim Congress
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Security Guard Dies in Attack at US Holocaust Museum
By Kent Klein
White House
10 June 2009
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-10-voa53.cfm
A man opened fire inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday, killing a security guard before being shot by another guard. Local officials say the suspected gunman, who is believed to have ties to neo-Nazi groups, is in critical condition.

Washington police chief Cathy Lanier says the man walked into the crowded Holocaust Museum Wednesday afternoon and fired several shots.

"It appears that immediately as he entered the front doors of the museum, he raised the rifle and started shooting," said Cathy Lanier.

David Unroe was visiting the museum with his wife and grandchildren when the shots rang out.

"They yelled, 'Hit the floor, hit the floor!' So we did," said David Unroe. "We huddled up with another young family for what seemed like quite awhile, but was only a couple of minutes. At that time, we were scared, wondering what's next, if we're next. And at that time, they yelled, 'Get up and run out, run out!' So we did and followed the crowd."

Security guard Stephen Johns (undated photo)
Museum officials identified the guard who was killed as Stephen Johns. In an e-mail, the museum director said he "died heroically in the line of duty."

According to news reports, law enforcement officials are investigating the suspected gunman, James von Brunn - a man in his late 80s who is believed to have connections to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Von Brunn has a racist, anti-Semitic Internet website.

Police chief Lanier says there is no evidence that any threats had been made before the incident.
"We had no prior information," she said. "There were no prior threats of this nature about this incident. So it appears to be a lone gunman who entered into the museum and opened fire."

Rabbi Andrew Baker is the Director of International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. He cautioned that U.S. Jewish groups need to be more vigilant about their security.

"This is something that all of us at Jewish organizations, for a long time, at least in the U.S., did not pay much attention to and particularly, if you contrasted it to what has been the norm in at least European capitals, at synagogues, Jewish organizations, where the security is much more secure, much more intense," said Rabbi Baker.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama is "saddened" by what happened and that he is monitoring the situation.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington condemned the attack.

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Rabbi initiates Muslim-Jewish teamwork

Peace is the responsibility of every one, every one needs to pitch in and work for a world of co-existence and hope. I am pleased to read this initiative.

Mike Ghouse

February 6th, 2009
Rabbi wants to bring U.S. Muslim-Jewish teamwork to Europe
Post a commentPosted by: Keith Weir

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2009/02/06/rabbi-wants-to-bring-us-muslim-jewish-teamwork-to-europe/comment-page-0/#comment-10226

Rabbi Marc Schneier, a New York Jewish leader who has helped to build bridges with American Muslims, is planning to bring his campaign to Europe to help ease the anger fed by bloodshed in Gaza. “In the light of the recent conflict in Gaza, Jewish-Muslim tensions have been exacerbated,” Schneier, vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, told Reuters during a recent visit to London. “We have seen a rise, I would say an exponential growth in anti-Semitic attacks, rhetoric coming from the Muslim world. We cannot allow for Islamic fundamentalism to grow.”

(Photo: Rabbi Marc Schneier/FFEU)
Schneier helped to bring together thousands of Jews and Muslims across America last November in an initiative in which 50 mosques were twinned with 50 synagogues over a weekend. Jews and Muslims worked together in community projects, formed study groups and got a better understanding of each other’s faith. They publicised this in the short video below and a full-page ad in the New York Times available here in PDF.

An eloquent and persuasive speaker, Schneier has advocated closer links between Jewish and Afro-American communities through the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, where he has worked with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

Schneier feels there is a need for action at the grass-roots level to help heal the rift between Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. He is planning to repeat his ”Weekend of Twinning” this November and wants to extend it to Britain from North America. “Jewish-Muslim relations are a great concern here in Europe, so we wanted to bring this programme across the Atlantic,” he said.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews told me they were very interested in the project and wanted to develop it here, building on their own linking programme. However, the climate is not easy. Israel’s invasion of Gaza in which more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed has sparked fresh tensions between the two groups in Europe.

An umbrella group of French Jewish groups last week asked French President Nicolas Sarkozy to ensure that authorities do more to stem a rise in anti-Jewish crime. Britain has also seen protests over Israel’s campaign.

(Photo: Pro-Palestinian protesters in Paris, 24 Jan 2009/Gonzalo Fuentes)
Schneier dismissed concerns that members of close-knit Muslim communities in European countries such as Britain and France would be harder to reach than their counterparts in the United States, who tend to be better integrated into U.S. life.

“The challenge here is more of a language barrier than a social or cultural barrier. What we did in North America wasn’t an easy task either. There was much hesitation on both sides,” he said. “I see around the world there are pockets of moderation emerging within Islam. We cannot spurn the hands of the moderates in the Muslim world.”

Schneier’s initiative seems to be working in the United States, but can it be transplanted to Europe? We’d like to hear your comments here.

Jewish Muslim Dialogue; a necessity

Jewish Muslim Dialogue; a necessity
INSPIRED BY THE DOCUMENTARY "THE MONSTER AMONG US"
Mike Ghouse, Dallas, Texas

The Jewish Community Center in Dallas recently screened a documentary called “The Monster among us”, produced and directed by Dallas filmmakers Allen and Cynthia Mondell.

I have captured the highlights of the film, and will pen a few here;

First of all, let me acknowledge, that it is a well made documentary and I commend the integrity of the producer for presenting his particular perspective which he twice clarified to me was a strictly "Jewish" perspective with no attempt made to present any other side of the story. That is fair.....until we have all points of view on the table, the dialogue to find solutions would be inadequate and thus will not be sustainable.

I did not find the movie to be offensive; however there were three major flaws in the movie that needed to be re-edited or tagged with comments to rectify them. Our allegiance ought to be to the truth. Continue

http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Articles/Jewish-Muslim-dialogue-a-necessity.asp

Iranian Muslim intellectuals protest

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/07/iranian-muslim-intellectuals-protest.html
Muslim intellectuals protest to EU follows my commentary;

Three things jump from this piece;

i) That it is the voice of the intellectuals from Iran and was in a way endorsed by the government of Iran to have delivered by the Tehran Embassy. I hope the Iranian government is reflective of her people, as of now, it is not the case. It sounds very much like our administration; it does not reflect the sentiments of an overwhelming majority of Americans.

ii) “Muslims no longer expect pluralism from you but just some politeness and justice,” the statement explains. I do hope we can expect Pluralism from the Iranian government. The rumors about mistreatment of Jews, Sufis and Bahai’s turned out to be a hoax, as we have worked on it two years ago. I am not sure if the Government of Iran practices Pluralism, certainly the intellectuals do, and no matter what country they live.

iii) The Iranian government needs to back off from denying Holocaust, it certainly can search for the answers but not hurt the sentiments of people who are hurt, whose faith in mankind was tarnished, and who stood hopelessly to be killed.

Much of the ire Iran has raised against herself comes from its administration and not her people. Ahmedinejad's words are cause of much of the conflict; he is bent on winning battles of wits with his partner Bush in dumbness, but forgets about losing the goodwill of the people around the globe. The hawks in Israel like Olmert are simply mirroring this Hawk Ahmedinejad.

All these individual hawks must be challenged into a dialogue, if they refuse, then at least asked to fight a hand to hand wrestling in an arena and leave the rest of the world in peace.

Mike Ghouse
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Muslim intellectuals protest to EU
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=173908

TEHRAN – Hundreds of Muslim intellectuals released a statement here on Thursday condemning recent insults to Muslims and holy prophet by some western figures and governments.

This statement was delivered to the French government which holds the rotating presidency of the EU council by Iranian embassy in France.

The statement - signed by hundreds of poets, academics, intellectuals, writers, and journalists - calls on the European countries to quit their anti-Islamic efforts.

“This culture of violence and vindictive procedures which are often covered under the ‘liberty of speech’, not only targets the holy prophet but also other divine characters like Christ, Mary, Moses and Abraham.” the statement reads.

Denouncing German foreign minister’s support for these insults, the statement added, “The European Union’s support to Selman Rushdie and recent stupid caricatures and turning ‘freedom of speech’ into ‘freedom of insult’ is nothing but aggression and cultural terrorism.”

“Muslims no longer expect pluralism from you but just some politeness and justice,” the statement explains.

Elsewhere the statement reads, “The secular Europe should note it cannot compensate its Christian violence of the past centuries by secular and modern violence and in a prejudiced manner against Islam which played no role in Europe’s violence.”

In recent years there has been a growing wave of insults against the Holy Prophet and Muslims in some western countries like Denmark. Germany’s foreign minister called other nations to do the same.

Exploiting the Muslim- Jewish divide

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-almarayati26-2008jun26,0,392276.story

From the Los Angeles TimesAnother wedge issue Exploiting the Muslim- Jewish divide is the wrong way to win votes.

By Salam Al-Marayati and Steven B. Jacobs
June 26, 2008

There's a disturbing trend in this 2008 election. We are witnessing the manipulation and exploitation of Muslim-Jewish differences by political candidates in pursuit of votes. As advocates for our respective communities, we believe it's in America's interest that it stop.
It appears that the political logic of the candidates and their handlers calls for winning Jewish American support at the expense of Muslim American voters. This takes the shape of aggressive outreach to the Jewish community while Muslims go ignored. That strategy may be politically expedient, but it is inherently flawed. Muslims see their exclusion as a betrayal of American values, and many Jews are alarmed by the parallels to their own historical political exclusion.
American Jews are all too familiar with institutionalized bigotry. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Rep. John Rankin opposed the immigration of Holocaust survivors, and he opposed integration. In that McCarthyite, anti-Communist era, politicians clamped down against those who they thought threatened the changing fabric of America -- namely, Jews. Now, Muslims are on the receiving end of similar suspicions, this time in the name of fighting terrorism.

Muslims today are political scapegoats associated with global tragedies including terrorism and war. Against this dismal backdrop, politicians are apparently deeming Muslim voters political pariahs; any endorsement from national Muslim groups is tantamount to a kiss of death.
Just one day after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton dropped out of the Democratic race, Sen. Barack Obama rushed to receive the blessing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Last week, his campaign volunteers rushed to remove Muslim women wearing head scarves from a Detroit rally. Though Obama apologized, Muslims felt stung by a candidate supposedly running on a platform of inclusion and change.

But the snubs aren't limited to Obama. Sen. John McCain recently dismissed a Muslim American businessman from an important campaign committee. In March, McCain visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem but made no similar visit to the adjacent Muslim holy site, the Dome of the Rock. And although both candidates have made frequent stops at churches and synagogues, neither has made a campaign stop at a mosque.

Put on the spot about turning their backs on Muslim voters, politicians may argue that they can't afford to lose Jewish support, implying that the Jewish community would oppose any politician who associates with Muslims.

To be sure, the politicians aren't inventing a division between Muslims and Jews. We acknowledge the tension between our communities created by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And yet it is also clear that Jews and Muslims should be natural allies in countering xenophobia and hysteria. We both suffer from scapegoating as fear works against common sense in our political culture. Whether it is anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, we both know the face of bigotry.
The issue of excluding Muslims to get Jewish votes is not about ensuring domestic security, it is about cowardly politics. It is about playing to fears, not processing facts. It is about the canard that Muslims and Jews have been fighting since ancient times and nothing will change. It is about blaming both for America's problems. We Muslims and Jews, along with all people of faith, represent the spirit of God. There is much that binds us together. It is in the spirit of this shared history, and our common interests, that we must stand against these divisions being created by the candidates.

Abraham Lincoln argued against the politics of fear, holding out hope for the 'better angels of our nature.' Our presidential candidates must display such higher thinking in the coming months. Likewise, we -- American Jews and Muslims -- must do the same.

Salam Al-Marayati is the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Steven B. Jacobs, a rabbi, is the founder of the Progressive Faith Foundation. Both are members of the Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative.

Makkah Interfaith dialogue

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/06/makkah-interfaith-dialogue.html

Muslims Gather for Interfaith Dialogue

Several articles will be listed below as they are published.

Praise the lord, Alhamdu Lillah, I am pleased to read this realization of King Abdullah “King Abdullah has realized that we Muslims have to play a part in reducing tensions across the world. It is a courageous decision.” For the last few years, we have been making attempts to define the role of Muslims in the world based in Qur'aan, and here is the sentence that makes part of the logo of this blogsite. "To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for the peaceful co-existence, God wants to live in peace and harmony with his creation."

Indeed, the World Muslim Congress is driven by the Qur'aan, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.

"OUR MISSION is to work for a World of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed toward justice and equity to attain sustainable peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in truth. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the World and vice-versa to sustain the good. We have to remember the World is a two way street.We have a monumental task to repair the World, and we will do our part in working towards a World of co-existence, one community at a time. We are committed, and now help us God. Amen

http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/WorldMuslimCongress/Articles/Mission-Statement.asp

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer and a Moderator. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing Pluralism, politics, Islam, Religion, Terrorism, India and civic issues. He is the founder of the World Muslim Congress, a group committed to building bridges and nurturing a world of co-existence. He also heads the foundation for pluralism, an organization committed to studying religious pluralism and pluralistic governance. His personal website is http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and his writings are on the above websites as well as several of the ancillary Blogs listed on the sites.
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Reference: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/saudi-kings-for-interfaith-dialogue.html

Muslims Gather for Interfaith Dialogue
Badea Abu Al-Naja & Siraj Wahab, Arab News

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah performs Maghreb prayer with others at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Tuesday. (SPA)

MAKKAH, 4 June 2008 — Muslim religious scholars, media personalities, academics and intellectuals from around the globe have arrived in the Holy City of Makkah for a three-day interfaith dialogue that begins today at the request of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The king is to open the first session this morning with a speech that will outline the parameters of discussion Muslims should be having with people of other faiths.

The Makkah Hilton lobby buzzed last night as nearly 500 delegates from 50 different countries shared their points of view. The conference follows King Abdullah’s plea in March for dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews.

“We are excited and looking forward to participate in this historic meeting,” said Abdul Aziz Khalidi of the UK-based Islam Channel. “King Abdullah has realized that we Muslims have to play a part in reducing tensions across the world. It is a courageous decision.”

“Whether we accept it or not, this is a global village, and we have to play a constructive part in this world,” said Syrian delegate Sheikh Abdul Qader. “This conference will show us the direction. There will be a healthy debate among our scholars to discuss the format of our dialogue with people of other faiths.”

Noted author and writer M.J. Akbar said dialogue with other faiths should be conducted not because other people want it but because it is the right thing to do.

“Whether the other side is ready or not, we should take this step and make the other side run out of excuses,” he said. “Islam has a glorious history of protecting people of the other faiths.”

Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, said the conference would discuss the basis for dialogue with other faiths in the context of the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah.

Shoura Council President Saleh Bin-Humaid is scheduled to preside over the first session, which features a number of papers on the objectives of dialogue as outlined in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, and historical experiences of cultural dialogue.

Sheikh Muhammad Ali Taskhery, secretary-general of the Center for Reconciliation of Islamic Schools of Thought, will chair the second session and Jordan’s Chief Justice Ahmed Muhammad Haleel will present a paper on the mechanisms of dialogue.

Bosnian Mufti Mustafa Ceric will preside over the third session, which focuses on the importance of coordination among Islamic organizations in holding dialogue with other faiths. Abdullah Omar Naseef, secretary-general of the International Islamic Council for Dawa and Relief, will present a paper and Muhammad Al-Sammak, secretary-general of the Islamic Spiritual Summit in Lebanon, will speak on dialogue with followers of divine religions.

The fourth session will be led by Abdul Rahman Sewar Al-Dahab, chairman of the board of trustees of the Islamic Dawa Organization. Mahmoud Ghazi of the College of Islamic Studies in Qatar will present a paper on the clash of civilizations and world peace. Ali Uzak of Turkey will speak on the common ground of family and morality.

The call for dialogue was welcomed by leaders of the three faiths and comes at a time of stalled peace initiatives and escalating tensions in the region.

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Mecca talks stress religious tolerance
· King Abdullah calls for better interfaith relations

· Saudi highlights dangers of Islamist extremism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/05/religion.islam

More than 500 delegates from around the world gathered in the Islamic holy city of Mecca yesterday with the aim of fostering better relations between Muslims and followers of other faiths. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia opened the three-day conference in Al-Safah Palace, a stone's throw from the Grand Mosque, by stressing the need for better understanding and cooperation between monotheistic religions.

The king urged his audience to promote the true message of Islam and said the Islamic world faced great difficulties in the form of extremists whose "aggressions and excessiveness" targeted the tolerance of the religion.

The event, the biannual meeting of the Muslim World League, a non-governmental organisation engaged in the propagation of Islam, has been described as an interfaith conference, although its location makes it strictly off-limits to non-Muslims. It is understood that Abdullah seeks greater unity among different Islamic schools of thought, so that summits with other religions can take place more easily. The king held talks in November with Pope Benedict XVI and in March announced plans to host a meeting between the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam - an initiative welcomed by the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder.

The move is a departure from Saudi government practice, which does not allow the public practice of other religions in the kingdom.

Abdullah's understanding of interfaith dialogue differs from the one held by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al al-Sheikh, who said dialogue with other religions was a way to bring non-Muslims into Islam. The cleric, who is the highest official of religious law, told the delegates that converting people to Islam was the ultimate goal of dialogue, a point made several times. "It is the opportunity to disseminate the principles of Islam. Islam advocates dialogue among people, especially calling them to the path of Allah."

The brochure advertising the event cites verses from the Qur'an that tell Muslims to "invite all to the way of the lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in the ways that are best and most gracious".

The conference organisers have insisted that speakers will focus on religion, not politics. However the former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who shared the stage with the Saudi monarch, only touched on the need for greater respect between Sunni and Shia Muslims, preferring instead to accuse western governments of hegemony in conflict zones.

Rafsanjani, a last-minute addition to the programme, said: "Without Islam the world is nothing. We control 20% of the world's resources. We don't want to waste these and it is our duty not to hand over what we have. Muslims are authorised to defend themselves in a good manner."

He told the audience to "think about Iraq", describing the presence of US troops as a threat to all neighbouring regions. "Iraqis have a responsibility not to let the Americans impose their diplomatic mission on Islam. Iraq has a great heritage and America wants to exploit it. We should not allow this exploitation and subjugation to continue. It is unofficial colonisation."

While Rafsanjani's remarks may not surprise people familiar with his anti-western tirades, his address will have darkened the mood of an event designed to encourage scholars to promote dialogue with different religions. His attendance, at the invitation of the king, will also sit uneasily with the Saudi clerics who denounced Iranian Shia last Sunday.

The conference, which ends tomorrow, will also hear from Dr Ali Bardakoglu, president of Turkey's Diyanet, the highest Islamic authority in the country, and the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar mosque, Muhammad Sayed Tantawi.

Dialogue: Jews, Christians & Muslims

The following two pieces are on the same subject. Praise the Lord, good things are happening. I welcome these steps.

Previous articles on the subject:

1. http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2008/05/saudi-arabia-interfaith-dialogue.html
2. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/saudi-kings-for-interfaith-dialogue.html

Mike Ghouse
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Paving The Path To Dialogue
Understanding between Muslims and Jews.
http://www.pjvoice.com/v35/35002path.aspx
-- Judea Pearl

First came an "Open Letter From Muslims to Jews," signed by dozens of leading Muslim scholars and intellectuals in the West, calling for "Peace, Dialogue and Understanding Between Muslims and Jews."

The letter, which was initiated by American University professor Akbar Ahmed and formally presented by Oxford University professor Tariq Ramadan at Cambridge, England, stresses the Quranic acceptance of Jews and Muslims as one nation (Ummah); elaborates on commonalities of contemporary beliefs, rituals and values; celebrates shared memories of positive historical encounters; and ends with a call for "concrete outcomes in Muslim-Jewish relations in different parts of our shared world."

Second came an impassioned plea from the Saudi King Abdullah, for a dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews, the first such proposal from the custodian of Islam's holiest shrines and a nation that bans non-Muslim religious services and symbols. Abdullah said that Saudi Arabia's top clerics have given him the green light to hold meetings with "our brothers" in Christianity and Judaism, "so we can agree on something that guarantees the preservation of humanity against those who tamper with ethics, family systems and honesty."

Israel's newspaper Yediot Ahronot had subsequently reported on March 30, based on a phone call from the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, that Israeli rabbis will soon be invited to an interfaith conference initiated by the Saudi kingdom.

The official Jewish response to these proposals has been wholeheartedly enthusiastic. Responding to the Muslim letter, the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), an umbrella committee representing major Jewish organizations, has issued a welcoming call for dialogue between Muslims and Jews titled, "Seek Peace and Pursue It," and IJCIC's chair, Rabbi David Rosen, encouraged Muslims to develop the dialogue "in the pursuit of a world made better through our efforts."

As to King Abdullah's proposal, my understanding is that all chief rabbis in Israel, and there are many of them, are currently busy packing for an adventurous trip to the Arabian Peninsula.

Oddly, when I was asked by the initiative organizers to respond to the Muslim letter, I felt somewhat reluctant; it seems that all the media excitement caused me to take a sober look at the enterprise of Jewish-Muslim dialogue, with which I have been involved for almost five years.

My first thought landed of course on the positive symbolic value of having a visible dialogue going, regardless of its content. I therefore commended the authors for opening a new channel of communication between Jews and Muslims, and endorsed the letter as "a welcome first step toward the goals of peace, understanding and mutual respect."

But then I asked myself, how would an average Jewish reader react to the content of the letter? It became clear that the letter would evoke two immediate reservations, if not objections: First, it is totally void of self-criticism and, second, it skirts the thorniest of all issues: Israel's right to exist.

The question then became not whether a dialogue is a good thing to have (this I take as an axiom), but whether unconditional embracing of an invitation based on certain premises constitutes a tacit endorsement of those premises, with which one may disagree: In our case, the two premises in question are, first, that Islam is in no need for reform or introspection because it is already a pluralistic, nonexpansionist, Jew-respecting, violence-minimizing and human-rights-protecting religion and, second, that peace can somehow be achieved without Muslim acceptance of the legitimacy and permanency of Israel.

The concept of reform is a sensitive one in conversations with Muslims. Understandably, no person, let alone a community leader, would engage in an interfaith discussion only to listen to a sermon on how his or her religion should be reformed. Reforms, as Jews would surely recall, emerge from internal debates, not external criticism. Dealing with reform is especially hard for Muslims, since they are instructed to view the Quran as the final, perfect and immutable word of God.

In view of these constraints, what the Muslim letter is presenting to us is, in effect, a progressive reform strategy that we might as well call "stealth reform," namely, reform cast as reinterpretation of the sacred scriptures. The strategy invokes a simple recipe of dealing with contradictory texts in the Quran: texts that conform to accepted norms of modernity are to be considered central, universal and intentional, while those that deviate from modern norms are contextualized to specific events in seventh century Arabia and marginalized from modern discourse.

Before we dismiss this strategy as self-deceptive or disingenuous, we should be reminded that identical strategy has been used to great advantage in the Jewish tradition since the time of the Mishnah. Its most explicit expression is encapsulated in the Talmudic saying: Kol mah Sh'Talmid vatik atid l'horot lifnei rabbo, kevar n'emar L'Moshe B'Sinai (Translated: "Whatever a seasoned scholar is destined to innovate before his master was already revealed to Moses at Sinai") (Yerushalmi, Pe'ah 2.4). In other words, the Talmud bestows divine power unto the capacity of the human mind to reason and innovate.

The secret of this "stealthy" strategy lies in its power to usher in reform without challenging the divine origin of the scriptures; modern interpretations, however creative, are given equal chance to compete against extremist, literalist interpretations that accord universal validity to morally outdated texts. Stealth reform worked marvels in the Jewish tradition (e.g. no child was ever stoned for disobeying his parents, Sanhedrin, 71) and, if it worked in the Muslim world, we would be the last ones to quibble with its logic.

However, the effectiveness of this strategy depends critically on finding authoritative spiritual leaders who are willing to implement it in practice and turn it into the ruling philosophy of religious education. In other words, progressive interpretations of the Quran would become credible if sustained and reinforced by educational and jurisprudence institutions such as, for example, Al Azhar University, in Cairo, the most prestigious center of Muslim learning in Sunni Islam. Unfortunately, the leaders of these institutions, including Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, grand imam of Al-Azhar University, often support literalist interpretations that depict Jews as despicable, eternal enemies of Islam, and these interpretations are the ones that are currently gaining momentum in vast areas of the Muslim world.

It seems reasonable therefore to suggest that the Muslim letter would do more good if sent to Grand Imam Tantawi and other Islamic leaders in the Middle East who, evidently, have compelling reasons to object to the conciliatory interpretation espoused in the letter.

The Israeli-Palestinian issue is more subtle. Though the Muslim letter tries hard to avert controversial topics, it admits nevertheless: "At the core of the Muslim-Jewish tension lies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and proposes: "A peaceful resolution that will assure mutual respect, prosperity and security to both Palestinians and Israelis, while allowing the Palestinian people their rights to self-determination."

Readers familiar with the history of Israel's plight for a two-state solution would notice immediately the asymmetrical language in which the proposed resolution is cast. Whereas the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination are affirmed explicitly, the rights of Israelis to the same status of self-determination are left undeclared, vulnerable to future assaults by enemies of co-existence.

In my response to the letter, I therefore expressed hope that the next phase of the dialogue "will bring Muslim and Jewish leaders closer toward a position of symmetry and reciprocity, and boldly acknowledge the historical rights of both sides to self-determination in two, equally legitimate, equally indigenous, and equally secured states."

I am thoroughly convinced that such acknowledgment, benign and neutral as it may sound, would do more for world peace than theological accounts of shared prophets and common rituals. And if King Abdullah's conference manages to sprout such acknowledgment we will indeed be facing the dawn of a totally new era in the Middle East.

What I am still unable to determine, though, is whether entering a dialogue in response to an asymmetrical invitation has a better chance of restoring symmetry than insisting on symmetry at the onset. Let us hope that the Jewish delegation to King Abdullah's dialogue will find some of the answer in Riyadh.

Judea Pearl is a professor at UCLA and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, named after his son. He and his wife Ruth are editors of I am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl, winner of the National Jewish Book Award.

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Headline News
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 staff writer

Saudi king invites Jews, Christians for interfaith dialogue
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=16110

Israeli media is reporting that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has invited Jews and Christians to his kingdom for an interfaith dialogue despite the fact that anyone with an Israeli passport or an entry visa into Israel stamped in their passport is not allowed into the country.

Haaretz daily newspaper said the date and location of the meeting has not been announced. Abdullah first announced his plans in March to hold dialogue with Muslims from around the world and Christians and Jews. “We will start to meet with our brothers in every faith I have mentioned - the Bible and the New Testament,” he said.

At the time, Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger responded positively.

“Our hands are extended to any peace initiative, or to any dialogue whose goal is to bring an end to terror and violence,” he said. “I have said many times that the true way to reach the long-awaited peace is through interfaith dialogue.”

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said in a statement that King Abdullah’s initiative “is a laudable step forward. We hope that other religious leaders and political leaders throughout the world will be encouraged to join.”

Saudi Arabia: Interfaith dialogue

World Jewish Congress Welcomes Saudi Arabian King's Initiative on Inter-Religious Dialogue .

The world Muslim Congress welcomes this step. I have been a part of the exploratory dialogue by a Saudi Minister in 2005 in Dallas, where he has asked me to organize an interfaith meeting involving three Abrahamic faiths. Although I was reluctant to support this exclusivity, I accepted it as a first step towards developing an all embracing format over a period of time.

We must welcome all goodwill initiatives; after all, no one can be at peace when the other is not. Given the choice of conflict and aggravating, suppressing or bullying each other, befriending is a better choice to begin the process.

Previous article on the subject: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/04/saudi-kings-for-interfaith-dialogue.html

Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
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World Jewish Congress Welcomes Saudi Arabian King's Initiative on Inter-Religious Dialogue

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/world-jewish-congress-welcomes-saudi-arabian-kings-initiative-inter-religious/

NEW YORK, May 26, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The leadership of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) considers a recent initiative by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia for a reinforced dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) to be an important development in the area of inter-faith dialogue. In a statement, the WJC Steering Committee welcomed the King's initiative:

"The World Jewish Congress believes that all religions, and especially the Religions of the Book, can work together in responding to the challenges posed by the developments in society in these times. The WJC supports the proposal to bring together members of the Abrahamic faiths to discuss common values. Such an initiative demonstrates optimism that dialogue involving representatives of different faiths can help the peoples of the world during difficult times.

Discussion can help in finding ways to approach the crisis of ethical values facing our societies. It is the duty of all religions to restore respect for humanity. The WJC strongly believes that through discussion and debate between brethren who share a common root we will learn that the ideals, aspirations and values that we share far outweigh any difference we may have." In March, King Abdullah had told a seminar on 'Culture and the Respect of Religions' in Riyadh: "The idea is to ask representatives of all monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith and sincerity to all religions as we all believe in the same God."

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: "Despite all obstacles that may still be in the way, King Abdullah's initiative is a laudable step forward. We hope that other religious and political leaders throughout the world will be encouraged to join."

The Chairman of the WJC's Governing Board, Matthew Bronfman, expressed his hope that the Saudi initiative will spell real progress in fostering better understanding with the Muslim world. "The World Jewish Congress is ready to participate in any serious inter-faith talks that are based on mutual respect," Bronfman said.

The World Jewish Congress is the international organization representing Jewish communities in over 80 countries around the world. The WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations and has been involved in inter-religious dialogue for decades. The WJC seeks to engage all faiths on issues of common concern and promote respect for human dignity.

Website: www.worldjewishcongress.org
SOURCE World Jewish Congress
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org