Muslims and Jews- we have more in common than what divides us

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider and Imam Mahmoud Sulaiman hug during an interfaith rally titled “Love is Stronger than Hate” at the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States June 1, 2015. The rally was held in response to an earlier anti-Muslim rally at the same location, one of the events which prompted the formation of the Jewish-Muslim association.  Photo by Deanna Dent/ Reuters

Trump Effect: Jewish and Muslim Organizations Form New Alliance

A new Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council will work to protect religious minorities’ rights as well as other ‘issues of common concern.’

Judy Maltz, Haaretz
November 14, 2016

Less than a week after an election that left many minority and religious groups in the United States feeling disenfranchised, two important organizations – one Jewish and the other Muslim – announced an unusual alliance on Monday.

The American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America have teamed up to form a new national group of leading Jewish and Muslim Americans: The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council.

In a press release, the AJC said that the new group “brings together recognized business, political and religious leaders in the Jewish and Muslim American communities to jointly advocate on issues of common concern.”

The co-chairs of the 31-member council are Stanley Bergman, CEO of the Henry Schein healthcare company, and Farooq Kathwari, president and CEO of the Ethan Allen furniture company.

One of many tweets from #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies

Among its initial “action items,” the press release said, will be to “develop a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and antisemitism in the U.S.” and to “protect and expand the rights of religious minorities” in the country.

“Our two communities share so much in common and should find ways, where possible, to work together for the benefit of the entire country,” said Bergman.

The council members include religious and lay leaders from both communities. Among the most prominent names on the membership list is Joseph Lieberman, the former senator who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000.

A Tweet from #Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies

A new council will unite Jewish and Muslim-American groups in a US alliance after the election

By Ismat Sarah Mangla, Quartz
November 15, 2016

Among the muted glimmers of hope in a divisive period of US history is this: Prominent Jews and Muslims in business, religion, culture, and politics are banding together to form a new alliance in Washington.

The American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America announced a seemingly unlikely interfaith alliance on Monday (Nov. 14) called the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, an organization they say is committed to working for causes dear to both groups.

The council, comprised of 31 initial members, will include politicians. Amongst them are former senator Joe Lieberman, religious clergy like Imam Mohamed Magid, and academics like Deborah Lipstadt. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, and Farooq Kathwari, president and CEO of Ethan Allen, will serve as the council’s co-chairs.
The announcement comes amid growing concern among US minorities about civil liberties.

The organization says its creation has been months in the making, and that it held its initial meeting in New York on Nov. 3. “This was not a reaction to the election,” says Bob Silverman, director of Muslim-Jewish relations at AJC. “We saw a strategic need for these two communities to come together. They have been working on parallel tracks on many issues, so why not work together?”

The council’s focus, it says, will be addressing bigotry, protecting religious minority rights in the US, and highlighting both groups’ contributions to American society. It also wants to confront prejudice between American Muslims and Jews. How it will accomplish this is still in the works, according to Silverman, but it starts with bi-partisanship and diverse political views.

The group is considering legislation to protect religious rights at work and stronger laws against hate crimes. “There’s no specific law currently saying you can’t fire someone for wearing a yarmulke or a hijab,” says Silverman. “There’s good hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels, but it’s not being enforced.”

As a group with many immigrant co-chairs and members, it plans to oppose any attempts to ban immigrants solely on the basis of religion.

Notably absent from the agenda is president-elect Donald Trump, despite fears that his election campaign stoked xenophobia and that his appointment of alt-right news executive Steve Bannon as chief strategist will exacerbate antisemitism and white nationalism.

The council says it’s striving for diplomacy. “We are going to work with whoever is in power to get things done and have influence,” says Silverman, who added that the council will host a reception for the new congress in February. “We will call them out when we need to. If issues come up that are contrary to the interest of these two communities, we will be vocal.”

AJC and ISNA Launch Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council

November 14, 2016

NEW YORK- The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a new national group of leading Muslim and Jewish Americans, was launched this month at a meeting convened by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

The Council brings together recognized business, political, and religious leaders in the Jewish and Muslim American communities to jointly advocate on issues of common concern. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, and Farooq Kathwari, President and CEO of Ethan Allen, are the Council’s co-chairs, and the initial members are listed below.

At the group’s inaugural meeting, the Muslim and Jewish participants met for two hours to get to know one another, discuss the Council’s mission, and identify and agree on a domestic policy agenda. Among the Council’s initial action items are:

• The Council will highlight the contributions of Muslims and Jews to American society, and aim to celebrate their contributions in the best traditions of American democracy.
• The Council will develop a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the U.S.
• The Council will work to protect and expand the rights of religious minorities in the U.S., as enshrined in the Constitution, so they may practice their faiths in full freedom and security.

“Our two communities share much in common and should find ways, where possible, to work together for the benefit of the entire country,” said Stanley Bergman, Co-Chair of the Council.

“The Council aims to provide a model for civic engagement by two communities, vital to American society, that agree to work together on issues of common concern and overlapping interest,” said Farooq Kathwari, Co-Chair of the Council.

The initial members of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council are:

Ms. Raheemah Abdulaleem, KARAMAH
Ms. Shakila Ahmad, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
Chaplain Tahera Ahmad, Northwestern University
Imam Shamsi Ali, Nusantara Foundation
Ms. Roberta Baruch, AJC Commission on Interreligious Affairs
Mr. Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein Inc.
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue
Ms. Rabia Chaudry, United States Institute of Peace
Senator Norman Coleman, Hogan Lovells
Mr. Steven Collis, AmerisourceBergen
Rabbi Joshua Davidson, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York
Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, Covington & Burling LLP
Imam Plemon El-Amin, World Pilgrims
Mr. David Harris, AJC
Mr. S.A. Ibrahim, Radian Group
Congressman Steven Israel, United States House of Representatives
Mr. Farooq Kathwari, Ethan Allen Interiors
Mr. Suhail Khan, Microsoft Corporation
Ms. Daisy Khan, Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality & Equality (WISE)
Mr. Farhan Latif, El-Hibri Foundation
Mr. David Levin, McGraw Hill Education
Mr. Moses Libitzky, Libitzky Property Companies
Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, Emory University
Imam Mohamed Magid, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)
Mr. Talat Othman, Grove Financial, Inc.
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, New York University
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the Rabbinical Assembly
Imam Talib M. Shareef, The Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad
Dr. Sayyid Syeed, ISNA
Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles

SOURCE The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council