Muslim Heretics Conference

Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Dallas emerges as leader in Muslim-Jewish dialogue

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, December 13, 2008

By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News
samhodges@dallasnews.com

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same.

MIKE STONE/Special Contributor

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider has emerged as a leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.

At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas’ Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.

“He has been in the forefront of strengthening relations between our two communities,” said Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.

 

MIKE STONE/Special Contributor

From left: Rabbi Jeremy Schneider, Azhar Azeez, president of the Islamic Association of Carrollton, and temple board member Gail Plotkin participated in a service last month at Temple Shalom in Dallas.

Rabbi Schneider – whose office boasts not only diplomas but a neon University of Texas longhorn – was one of 20 clergy who participated in last year’s groundbreaking National Summit of Imams and Rabbis.

He was the only rabbi in a National Peace Foundation-sponsored delegation visiting the Muslim Middle East – specifically Egypt and Syria – last June.

At Temple Shalom, he preached against “Islamophobia” on Rosh Hashana, pointedly telling his congregation, “We must learn what Islam truly stands for, not from politicians, not from e-mail forwards, and not from the media, but from Muslims themselves by engaging in dialogue.”

Interfaith gatherings

To that end, Rabbi Schneider has organized monthly meetings with five members of his congregation and five from the Islamic Association of Carrollton. He and his wife, Rachel, had a dinner at their home for the group during the Jewish holiday Sukkot.

“I find Rabbi Jeremy to be an amazing person, and a dear friend,” said Azhar Azeez, president of the Carrollton mosque, who at Rabbi Schneider’s request gave the sermon at Temple Shalom during a service last month. “He’s been extremely sincere.”

Rabbi Schneider traces his passion for interfaith efforts to growing up in the predominantly Christian suburbs of Houston.

His mother, a teacher, made it a point to educate schoolchildren about Judaism. He visited a church with his best friend and had the friend over for Passover.

“It was second nature,” he said. “I thought that’s what you do – learn about others’ religion and teach them about yours.”

After attending Jewish summer camps and spending a high school term in Israel, Rabbi Schneider majored in education at the University of Texas. He decided his junior year to be a rabbi, and after graduation enrolled at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

There, he got involved in interfaith efforts, and wrote a thesis titled “Jewish-Christian Relations: From Tolerance to Pluralism to Partnership.” His thesis adviser was Rabbi Reuven Firestone, author of An Introduction to Islam for Jews and an advocate of Jews and Muslims learning from one another about their faiths.

Rabbi Schneider launched right into interfaith work – both with Christians and Muslims – soon after joining the staff at Temple Shalom, a Reform congregation, in 2006.

Tension in Middle East

While Jewish-Christian dialogue and projects have been going on for decades, Jewish-Muslim efforts are in an early and tentative stage, impeded by a strained, often violent political situation in the Middle East.

“It’s the beginning of a marathon, not a sprint,” said Mohamed Elibiary, president of the Freedom and Justice Foundation in Carrollton, and another Muslim who has spoken at Temple Shalom.

Rabbi Schneider makes plain that the dialogue he fosters is not aimed at changing anyone’s faith. Nor is it about wrangling over the Middle East.

Rather, he said, it’s about building relationships between Jews and Muslims in North Texas and across the United States, and working through fears to solid knowledge of the other’s faith.

Rabbi Schneider argues that the three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – have much in common, and that extremists have, at times, “hijacked” each of them.

“There is terrorism in the world. There are fanatics in Judaism, in Christianity, in Islam. But if we give in to the fear that they’re creating, then they win,” he said.

Rabbi Schneider will be honored Jan. 10 by the National Peace Foundation for his interfaith work, and he plans to do more, including forming additional dialogue groups and starting a class on Islam at Temple Shalom.

There, he said, he has found “far more support than pushback,” but acknowledges some congregants think he is naïve. Solidly in his corner is Rabbi Andrew Paley – senior rabbi at Temple Shalom.

“He’s a terrific pastor and a wonderful teacher,” Rabbi Paley said. “I’m praying that his example here will be a real model for people to follow.”

Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Dallas emerges as leader in Muslim-Jewish dialogue | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News

MANILA, Philippines - Muslim scholars joined appeals for Muslim leaders to actively achieve peace with Christians and intensify efforts of inter-religious dialogue especially in Mindanao.
The scholars, in an open letter to their leaders, said the future of the world depends on peace between Christians and Muslims.
“The two commandments of love namely, love of God and love of the neighbor … (are) part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbor. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity,” they said in a letter to Davao-based DC Herald.
Excerpts of the letter were posted Wednesday on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website.
“Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common good is that on which hangs all the law and the prophets,” the letter added.
The religious scholars also said finding common ground between Muslims and Christians “is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders.”
In their letter, they said Christianity and Islam are the largest in the world and in history.
Christians and Muslims reportedly make up over a third and over a fifth of humanity respectively, they added.
“Together they make up more than 55% of the world’s population, making the relationship between these two religious communities the most important, factor contributing to meaningful peace around the world,”
they said.
“If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the word cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world and with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants,” they added.
“So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill,’ the letter said.
Muslim leaders in Mindanao had manifested all-out-support through prayer and fasting to the ongoing Mindanao Week of Peace which was to culminate Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement promoting inter-religious cooperation encouraged a heightened awareness of Advent among Muslims in solidarity with Christians.
“The Silsilah family, composed of Christians and Muslims, for more than twenty years has given special attention to the month of Ramadhan of Muslims. Christians are encouraged to share a special solidarity with Muslims during Ramadhan. Now, as a family and as a movement, we encourage a heightened awareness of Advent and its spirit, inviting Muslims to share solidarity with Christians,” it said on the CBCP website.
Advent is the beginning of the Christian liturgical calendar. This year the period of Advent is from November 30 to December 25, culminating with Christmas.
It said that while the Muslim and the Christian faiths differ in the understanding of these two events, there is something in common to remember and celebrate.
Both communities of believers celebrate God’s love and compassion expressed in two different ways, it said. - GMANews.TV

GMANews.TV - Muslim scholars call for inter-religious peace - Regions - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News - BETA

HRT

Sadiq al Mahdi. Photo ©

4 December 08 - The Sudanese Imam, Sadiq al Mahdi advocates for an Islam that is more tolerant towards women. He was taking part in a seminar on women and Islam co-organised by the Institute for Public Law in Bern. Interview.

Carole Vann / Human Rights Tribune - Notorious for its ultra conservative Islamic laws, it may come as a surprise in the West that Sudan also embraces more modern interpretations of Islam. One of its representatives, Imam Sadiq al Mahdi, took part last week, with other reformist Muslims, in a seminar organised at the University of Bern by the Institute of Public Law, run by Walter Kalin, and the Geneva Institute for Human Rights. Delegates discussed the issue of compatibility between woman and Islam and human rights.

Imam Sadiq al Mahdi is the grandson of the founder of the religious movement Al Ansar in Sudan. At the end of the 18th century this movement stood out for its openess towards women and influenced, amongst others, muslims in Tunisia. A religious leader himself and head of one of the largest opposition parties in Sudan, the National Umma Party, Al Mahdi was prime minister in the coalition government between 1986 and 1989, right up to the coup d’etat led by the current President, Omar al-Bashir. An Oxford graduate and member of the board of the Madrid Club, he is a key figure in the modern Islamic movement in the world today.

Are human rights compatible with the status of women in Islam?

Yes, absolutely. You have to look in detail at the religious texts, putting them in a modern day context and not reading them as they were written a thousand years ago. There is no link between the opinions that were accepted then and now. But let’s be careful, it is not a question of introducing western secularisation. There is an Islam that is based on rationality, humanism, science, plurality. It is an Islam where the status of women has been improved. There is no reason that this status should be diminished today.

How do countries such as Saudia Arabia react to such opinions?

Today Islam is dominated by conservative forces. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are the most extreme, wanting to link us to an idealised past. They want to subjugate women as inferior. Well known schools of law take ambivalent passages of the Koran or from other religious texts and interpret them literally. I think that there is room for a different approach.

Such as?

In the sacred texts, it is written that the testimony of two women is equal to that of one man. If this is taken out of context, you can become a prisoner of the past. At the time, most women were illiterate, so their testimony was based on memory (a reason why it was seen that two women were needed rather than one). Today the context is different and this passage should not be read literally. The testimony of a woman should be given the same value as that of a man.

Is wearing the veil enshrined in the Koran ?

This is also about a question of interpretation. The Koran requires that men and women dress decently. But I admit that here man is the weaker sex and it asks the woman to help him not to fail (laughter). Women and men are certainly not seen as equals there.

Two countries, Tunisia and Morocco have very progressive laws relating to women. Are they role models to follow ?

There is a fundamental difference in the two approaches. The Tunisian family code was drawn up with secular intent, outside of Islam, while the Moroccan code, the Moudawana, has based its laws on religious texts. The Moroccan approach is much more legitimate for a Muslim society than the Tunisian one.

How can these changes be concretely applied on the ground ?

In many countries, women sit on commitees that study laws. But the principle constraints are cultural. We have to work on laws but also change mentalities. In Sudan, for example, a woman has legal rights. The problem comes in applying them. There has to be political will. The changes in Morocco and Tunisia would not have happened without the agreement of the President or the King.

Do you think you are in danger because of your views ?

I don’t know. Some forces accuse us of a lack of religious respect. But important political players in Turkey, Malaysia, Morocco and Indonesia share our ideas. At the moment there is a lot of competition between the various interpretations of the Koran over the future of Islam.

Walter Kalin wants to show another side of Islam

Former member of the UN Human Rights Commission, Walter Kalin has since 2004 been the UN Secretary General’s representative for displaced people. He also heads the Institute for International Law at the University of Bern and is one of the organisers of the forum. “This type of debate is one of the biggest challenges facing our university. It is about showing how the Muslim world is not a monolithic block and that there are competing forces between those who favour a fundamental approach and those who are more reformist.

The reformists are not marginal players. Al Mahdi is head of one of the biggest political parties in Sudan. Others are members of the Egyptian and Jordanian parliaments where they are extremely socially and politically active. But in general Europe or the West tends to ignore this. C.V.

What status do women have in Islam ? | Human Rights Tribune - www.humanrights-geneva.info

Saturday 13 December 2008 (15 Dhul Hijjah 1429)

 

Muslim journalists urged to portray true image of Islam
Jihad Ziadah | Arab News

JEDDAH: Media persons attending a reception organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information in Jeddah on Thursday night called on the Muslim journalists to portray the true image of Islam to the world.

“Muslim journalists, writers and thinkers living and working in non-Muslim countries should present the true image of Islam to the world through their work,” said Farah Al-Attasi, chief of the US-Arab Center for Translation, Research and Information, at the reception held at Jeddah Hilton for media persons who covered this year’s Haj.

“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s initiative for holding interfaith dialogues has, undoubtedly, contributed to broadening a Muslim’s vision about other religions and has emphasized the need to promote dialogues rather than violence, fanaticism and hatred,” she said.

The event was presided over by Assistant Minister of Culture and Information Prince Turki bin Sultan.

Speaking on behalf of African media delegates, Abdullah Sik, information adviser to the Senegalese president, praised the arrangement made by the Saudi government to facilitate the pilgrims perform Haj with ease.

He said the efforts of the Saudi authorities made the Haj incident-free and successful in all respects although the number of pilgrims have been increasing every year.

Hassan Mansour, an expert on the Andalusian literature of Spain, said the media in Muslim countries needed to play their role in countering the negative propaganda against Muslims and turning the world public opinion in favor of Islam. He was speaking on behalf of the European delegates.

Aqil Al-Janahi of the Qatar TV channel, who was representing Asian media, said: “Through the Haj coverage, the media have been able to draw the world attention to Islam’s noble values of selflessness, service and love for the fellow human beings.”

He also expressed his admiration over the interest shown by King Abdullah and other high officials for the welfare and safety of pilgrims who came from the four corners of the world.

Speaking on behalf of Minister of Information and Culture Iyad Madani, Prince Turki thanked the media persons for the ample coverage they gave to Haj and called on them to carry the message of Haj to their countries.

Prince Turki said, “We are pleased to see that the guests of Allah have completed their Haj rituals in a satisfactory manner. The Kingdom has been doing its best under the leadership of King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan to provide all comforts to the pilgrims. Our leaders since the days of the late King Abdul Aziz have been doing their best to provide all facilities to the pilgrims.”

Muhammad Abdul Hameed Zakaria, director of the Australian Center for Arab Media, expressed his satisfaction over the massive expansion work carried out in Makkah and other holy sites to facilitate smooth Haj.

He added that King Abdullah’s initiative for closer cooperation between religions was inspired by the Islamic principles of justice, cooperation, love for peace and hatred for violence and terror.

“King Abdullah’s initiative has been received well by the world. It has already begun to yield tangible results. People have started to understand that Islam in its true sense is a message of compassion and love,” Zakaria said.

Those who attended the function included the ministry’s Undersecretary for External Information Saleh Al-Namlah, Adviser at the Ministry of Culture and Information Ibrahim Al-Muslam, Undersecretary for Cultural and International Relations Omar Baqadir and Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs Abdul Aziz Al-Sabeel. Acting Director General of Saudi Press Agency Abdullah Al-Hussein also was present at the event.

Muslim journalists urged to portray true image of Islam