The Broken Dialogue
12/23/2005 - Interfaith - Article Ref: CA0512-2868
By: Gul Rukh Rahman
children-of-abraham.org* -
The four month, intensive online seminar known as the Discovery Program creates an opportunity for nine Muslim and nine Jewish teenagers from 18 different countries to participate in a wide range of discussions online four-five times per week. In future, the Children of Abraham will have a public forum for Muslim and Jewish youth all over the world to communicate directly with one another as little or as often as they would like.
12/23/2005 - Interfaith - Article Ref: CA0512-2868
By: Gul Rukh Rahman
children-of-abraham.org* -
Jews and Muslims have been tied together by culture and history for centuries. For over a thousand years both peoples have contributed to the Middle Eastern civilization. But this relationship has become increasingly difficult in recent years. Blood, tears and violence has marked these relations. Both sides continue to blame the 'other'.
The 'other' and the problems they create - have been used as an excuse to hide behind the ignorance that has shaped our
views about each other. The mass media - in most part- has dehumanized the 'other' and has played a significant role in perpetuating the distrust, misperceptions, skepticism, fear, hatred and violence against each other.
Islam and Judaism - the two monotheistic faiths, have lost their identities in the political chaos of today. The distinction between religious identities and that of political one has been blurred to a point where Islam equates to Arabs and terrorists and to be a Jew means to be an Israeli. Neither all Muslims are Arabs nor all Jews are Israelis and neither do all adhere to the same political philosophies.
Most of us today, emphatically defend our political positions but have lost focus on creating and having a
constructive dialogue between Islam and Judaism. Not only have these two Abrahamic religions shared the same roots and ancestry through Prophet Abraham, they are joined together by faith in the One God.
The Muslim testimony of faith la ilaha illa Allah, "There is no god but God" - has been narrated in the Torah by: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might ." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). While the latter words are not found in the Muslim testimony of faith, they are found in the Quran: "Truly the believers are those whose hearts quiver when God is remembered ." (8:2). Islam has a deeply universal spirit. Its message for all humanity is one of peace and mutual respect. It has built into it
respect for Judaism and Christianity.
As Muslims and Jews, we have a responsibility to create a world where we can live together in peace and with dignity. Many of us believe that Jews and Muslims cannot co-exist because of the political divide. But both religions emphasize the need to live peacefully with others. Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) - once said: "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." The Torah says, " Love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)
Even in the contemporary world, France and the United States are examples where the Jewish
and Muslim communities live together in harmony, despite their religious and political differences.
Its not that Muslims and Jews cannot co-exist but words like 'Jewish lobby', 'Jewish conspiracy', and statements like 'Jews are the main cause of most problems in the Muslim world' keep not only reappearing in our discussions but it adds fuel to the fire of ignorance. The imagery of Jews and their nefarious plans against the Muslims are portrayed in the Muslim media as much as Muslims being terrorists and hating the freedoms of the west in the western media.
Among the Muslim world, it is still rare to hear Muslim voices that encourage dialogue. Mostly, this attitude is explained as an outcome of deep rooted frustration. Muslims in most parts of the Islamic world have been disillusioned by
their governments, and they blame the west for keeping those governments in power and hence their reluctance to a dialogue.
What as Muslims we overlook is that nothing in Islam allows us to reject or harm a human being due to his/her religion, language or ethnicity. The message of Islam requires respect of Jewish faith. Jews have been called "The People of the Book", in the Qu'ran. Prophet Mohammed (May Peace be Upon Him) constantly taught respect for all human beings, with all their differences. One day, he stood up out of respect when he saw a funeral procession nearby. When someone told the Prophet that it was that of a Jew, he replied "Is it not human soul?"
During the initial phase of the Prophet's time in Medina, the Prophet Muhammad said: "He who is unjust with a contractor (Christians and Jews of Medina), I shall bear witness
against him on the Day of Judgment". Later, during a period of conflict between Jews and Muslims, eight Qur'anic verses were revealed to absolve a Jew who had falsely been accused of a crime by a Muslim.
The recognition of Moses and the Torah is as much a part of Islamic teachings as the belief in all the other Prophets and the divine Books. In the light of these teachings, we, as Muslims cannot continue to perpetuate the negative image of Jews in the name of Islam.
It is the responsibility of all Muslims and Jews to recognize the link between Islam and Judaism. From the Muslim perspective, it also means that we must respect the pain and suffering of the Jewish people during the Second World War that has had long lasting effects on the Jewish way of thinking. This is not to say that the Palestinian issue should be overlooked. From a
Jewish point of view, they need to understand that Islam is not their enemy; it never was and will never be. Those who use Islam as tool to propagate hate and violence must not be taken as the voice of Islam.
As much as it is the responsibilities of the Muslims to take this message to their communities, it is as important for Jewish communities all over the globe to reciprocate. Both sides must understand that criticism of a regime either in the Muslim world or Israel does not mean disrespecting Islam or Judaism.
Muslims and Jews alike should work together to have a constructive dialogue to break down the existing prejudices and discover the 'other'. Continuation of keeping ourselves ignorant of the 'other' will ultimately have devastating consequences religiously, socially and politically. If we fail to have a dialogue, we may lose our generations
to hate and violence.
Young people are not only the future, as the clich commonly goes.
Young people are the ones who can change the world right now. It is they who are being mis-educated and they who are acting violently when they learn to hate.
Young people are the most fluent in the language of the Internet -- the language that is rapidly changing our world. They are in the best position to use this tool.
The question is whether this tool will be used for hate or for co-existence, for destruction or for respect. Groups that care about building bridges between Jews and Muslims must learn, unfortunately, from the model of White Supremacist groups and from Al-Qaeda -- who have brilliantly used the Internet to popularize their views. This medium needs to be taken back by those who wish to heal the world.
The young people of the world are the 'consumers' in the marketplace that every one with an agenda wants to win over. Educators for tolerance and respect and understanding must confront the reality that those with a far more sinister agenda are winning a game that the rest of us have hardly learned how to play.
Children of Abraham, an international non-profit organization, shares the same beliefs that youth dialogue is critical if we want to have a safer world. It is young people who commit the majority of violent acts and it is teenagers who are mature enough to take advantage of educational opportunities like Children of Abraham, while young enough to be transformed by them.
The organization uses the Internet as a subversive tool - bypassing many of the parents, teachers and clerics who would like to see our two peoples remain in mutual isolation. Teenagers are already online. Unmediated by adults with ulterior motives, youth forum on Children of Abraham provides a means for Jews and Muslims to communicate directly.
The four month, intensive online seminar known as the Discovery Program creates an opportunity for nine Muslim and nine Jewish teenagers from 18 different countries to participate in a wide range of discussions online four-five times per week. In future, the Children of Abraham will have a public forum for Muslim and Jewish youth all over the world to communicate directly with one another as little or as often as they would like.
The interaction between these students will result in a Jewish-Muslim educational guidebook.
If you are interested in applying for the Discovery Program 2006, click
on the following link http://www.children-of-abraham.org/interns/application.php
The author is the co-executive director of Children of Abraham. You can contact her at : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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