Audio: Yehuda Stolov on how to run an interfaith encounter

Chicago Public Radio recently ran an interview with Dr Yehuda Stolov, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Encounter Association in Israel and Palestine.

Based in Jerusalem, the IEA has 29 ongoing groups.  Stolov says that they are not an interfaith organisation in the regular sense.  For IEA, interfaith dialog is a tool that they use to build better relationships between people.

Stolov talks about how when the encounters began seven years ago at the height of the intifada, the Jews involved had never met had never met Muslims before, and vice versa – they only information they had about each other was via the media, whose chief message was that the other group only wanted to kill them. By the end of the encounter weekend, many strong friendships had been formed.

Islamic Peacemaking since 9/11

The US Institute for Peace (USIP) issued a report last month entitled “Islamic Peacemaking Since 9/11“.  Summary:

• Muslims in general and Muslim leaders particularly have often been severely criticized for not more energetically condemning the violent acts of Muslim extremists.
• Violent extremists are on one edge of the Muslim community. They are counter-balanced by a growing movement of Muslim peacemakers.
• Equally as notable as Islamic militancy but less noted are Muslims’ 1) widespread condemnation of terrorism and other violent acts; 2) promotion of interfaith dialogue; 3) education of Muslim youth and reeducation of extremist Muslims; and 4) promotion of peaceful conflict resolution.

The report concludes:

It is common knowledge that some Muslims espouse extremist interpretations of Islam, and some of these extremists engage in religiously motivated violence. But what is much less widely recognized is the extent of peacebuilding within the worldwide Muslim community. A large majority of Muslims denounce religiously motivated violence and are disgusted by the abuse of their religion. Evidence of this can be seen in Muslim leaders’ widespread condemnation of terrorism and religiously motivated violence around the world after 9/11, as well as after recent events in India. In addition, this report has described the efforts of many Muslim organizations and leaders to promote more frequent and effective dialogue with Christians and Jews to enhance mutual understanding and create practical steps to improve relations. Efforts are also under way in many places to vigorously educate Muslim youth about the core Islamic teachings of tolerance, peace, and pluralism. In addition, governments and institutions in Muslim countries are working to reeducate Muslim extremists about the falsity of the doctrines they advocate and to find alternative nonviolent methods to express their discontent.

Finally, there are growing indications of Muslim individuals and organizations promoting peaceful conflict resolution.

While the number of Muslim peacebuilding organizations is rising, many are small and struggling financially. International donors could make an important contribution to world peace by aiding these organizations and strengthening their programs. Several American Muslim organizations have recognized the important roles they can play in reinforcing pluralism within Islam worldwide, and they should be encouraged and supported. Muslim leaders who promote nonviolence, pluralism, and tolerance should be recognized and their efforts publicized. Key Muslim organizations around the world are mobilizing to counter extremism within Islam, and they should be applauded.

The report is well worth a read, and provides a viewpoint we don’t get in the mainstream media, because it doesn’t sell papers.

Dave

A Jew and a Muslim talk about Gaza

In early January at the height of the fighting in Gaza, bFM’s Joe Nunweek rang up Anjum Rahman and myself to pick up the conversation from where we left off from our 2006 Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal articles on Jewish and Muslim perspectives on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Here are the bFM podcasts:

Dave Moskovitz:

Anjum Rahman:

The bottom line: While Anjum and I have different perspectives on history and the core issues, we continue to be good friends and seek to support those who work for peace.

Thanks to Joe and bFM for running excellent, balanced, and yet probing interviews.

Dave

Joint Jewish, Christian, Muslim appeal for Gaza

Faiths Working Together Appeal

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chair of the Muslim Charities Foundation, Dr Hany El Banna and the Head of the Movement for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield, are calling on people of all faiths to give generously to the Faiths Working Together Appeal to help rebuild shattered lives in Gaza.

“I hope that all people of faith – and all of goodwill – will support this initiative by giving generously and by using all available websites and other resources to contribute and to spread the word.” – Dr Rowan Williams

“I warmly support this initiative as a model for cooperation between the Abrahamic faiths and welcome the practical concern for all the victims of the conflict, regardless of faith or nationality.“ –Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield, Head of the Movement for Reform Judaism.

Donations will be collected by Christian Aid and then used by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, Christian Aid and Islamic Relief to fund their relief, reconstruction and post emergency work.

To donate, visit:   http://www.faithsworkingtogether.org/donate/

Muslims and Jews join forces in Guardian podcast

The Guardian’s Islamophonic and Sounds Jewish podcast teams have joined forces in an inspiring podcast.  If you don’t listen to any other podcast audio this year, listen to this, as it’s a model for how we can work together to explore the crunchy issues:

The first half of the podcast focusses on how the conflict in Gaza has affected Jewish-Muslim relations in the UK, and moves on to a feature on to the Mu-Jew Crew – a Muslim-Jewish theatre team, and finally to a Muslim-Jewish comedy duo.

The damage done by the Gaza conflict to Jewish-Muslim relations runs deep, but this podcast shows that we can keep the conversation going, and look for new ways of working together to build a better future.

Dave

Wellington Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Middle East – audio

A group of about 100 people from many faiths gathered last night at St Andrew’s on the Terrace in Wellington New Zealand for an Interfaith Prayer Vigil and Candle Lighting for Peace in the Middle East.

It was a very moving ceremony and demonstrated the ability for many people from different faiths, ethnicities and political viewpoints to come together and pray for a common purpose.

Speakers included:

• Tiopira Rauna (LDS, Secretary of the Wellington Regional Interfaith Network)
• Dr Margaret Mayman (Reverand of St Andrew’s on the Terrace)
• Rev Godfrey Nicholson (Vicar of St Peter’s on Willis)
• Sultan Eusuf (Chief Officer, Federation of Islamic Associations)
• Rabbi Johanna Hershenson (Wellington Progressive Jewish Congregation)
• Ratilal Champaneri (President, NZ Indian Central Association)
• Carrie Coddington (Past Secretary, Baha’i Kapiti Network)
• Melanie Gregg and Lime (Soka Gakkai NZ)

You can download or listen to an audio recording (35 minutes, 16 MB):

Interfaith ecology project in Auckland

The Rasheed Memorial Dawah Trust (RMDT) held a meeting this Sunday launching an interfaith project to restore the Onehunga Bay wetlands in Auckland’s Manukau Harbour.

About twenty people came to the well-publicised meeting, billed as a planning session for Christian-Muslim co-operation.  I was invited to attend the meeting, and jumped at the opportunity for several reasons:

• The Wellington Council for Christians and Jews is exploring ways of taking a more “Abrahamic” focus
• I have great respect for planning – too many initiatives are approached in an ad-hoc manner
• I had corresponded previously with Aarif Rasheed, who has been very inclusive, welcoming, and supportive

I was the only Jew present, in fact I got the impression that I might have been the first Jew that some of the participants had met in person.  There were only a couple of Christians present, so nearly all of the participants were Muslim

The Big Idea behind the project is to get people of different faiths together with a common purpose and shared goal resulting in public good with and positive outcomes for the environment.  The Onehunga Bay wetland has been degraded over the years to the point where it covers only roughly 80 square metres, and the project’s aim is to restore it to cover about 4 hectares.  That’s an ambitious goal by anyone’s measure, and will have a knock-on effect improving the water quality in the surrounding estuary and bay.

Hopefully the good people of Auckland will be able to demonstrate to the world that people from different faiths can join hands and work together for positive outcomes for their cities and the environment as a whole.

For me, it was great to see a group of focussed Muslims reaching out and taking the lead in an environmental project.  It’s an example that the rest of us would do well to follow.

If you know anyone who might like to get involved, contact RMDT.

Spain to host Abrahamic dialogue in July

Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia and Spain have agreed to hold an interfaith dialogue of Muslims, Christians and Jews in Madrid in July.

“The dialogue, called for by King Abdullah after he won the backing of Sunni and Shi’ite clerics at a meeting in Mecca this month, will be held on July 16-18 by the Saudi-based World Muslim League, the Saudi Press Agency said.”

The dialogue will cover life in human societies, international cooperation, human rights, and issues of security, peace and living together in the world.

Iran’s former president Rafsanjani said that the meeting would also cover Western influence in the Muslim world, including issue around Iraq and Palestine.

Let’s pray for the ability of the attendees to listen as well as talk …

Dave