Is there a Purpose to Dialogue?

(For More on the picture read This American Muslim)

Salaam, Dear Muslamics readers I have to say I am quite disheartened these past four days. I am not in the mood to write because it just seems so pointless. I don't even have the heart to continue to watch or read the news, but to keep from loosing my humanity I have forced myself to keep "connected".

What I want to share is my reflection with you. Recently Muslim organizations took part in this "Twinning Project" where Jewish and Muslim congregations partake in matching up with each other and "were part of a national "twinning campaign" to establish synagogue-mosque partnerships to combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism." Don't get things misinterpreted, I think the interfaith work is important and necessary.

However, what I am questioning is whether its worthwhile for us to set aside our principles- ie. distract ourselves from talking about the real issues in order to make friendly with the Zionists. The excerpt below is from LOS ANGELES TIMES article on "twinning":

"Jews and Muslims, as the children of Abraham, not only do we share a common faith, but we share a common fate," Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, told the gathering. His organization has coordinated the interfaith effort with help from the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the World Jewish Congress.

....

"We have to change ourselves, then we can change others," said [Dr. Muzzammil] Siddiqi, who is also chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, the highest body of Islamic jurisprudence in the United States. "Muslims and Jews of America can . . . show this is possible to work together. This is the message of the Torah. This is the message of the Koran. This is the message of the Gospel."

While I agree with the premise of what is being said by the Imam and Rabbi say, I question again American Muslims inability to understand the implications of our full participation.

Why are we as American Muslims bending over backwards to support such efforts in the face of Zionist (often with mainstream Jewish complacency) agenda of only working Muslim organizations that bend over backwards and go out of their to not criticize Israel. Why are Muslims being asked to hold "Israel as a holy cow" that can not be criticized in order to benifit from "interfaith" efforts? Why are interfaith efforts even premised on the idea that Muslims have to put aside something principled in order to participate.

That is what I question. That is what I fear we as Muslims are loosing sight of when we rush to this "joining hands"- joining hands is such a facade if we can not come to terms that we "can agree to disagree and still work together on other issues" when one side- Muslims- are told that the litmus test for them to even come to join hands is to sell out the Palestinians in blind support of Israel.

With Lebanon war just behind us and this atrocity currently in Gaza, HOW can we as American Muslims conciensly continue to keep this charade wanting to participate in such hollow proposals like the Twinning Project? Why should we dirty our principles in order to be present at the table?

If we really want to look at doing something, then lets work on long term changes, lets begin by sending a clear message to our leaders that as Muslims we need to stick up to our principles.

Jewish Women of Hijab

I was walking down 13th Avenue in Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhood of Boro Park a few weeks ago, and I saw a woman walking down the street decked out in a hijab and an abaya.

My first thought was that she was an observant Muslim woman — there is no shortage of hijabi women in Brooklyn — but her Hasidic female walking companion and her shopping bags made me realize she was Jewish. My realization of her Jewishness was followed soon by a sense of anxiety.

“Please tell me this woman is Persian, please let this woman be Persian”, I muttered under my breath as the woman approached. Many Iranian Jews in America continue to wear the clothing of their homeland, with some older Jewish women retaining the chadors they had worn in Iran. As she approached, I could tell by her accent — the woman was Hasidic and she was apparently a follower of the hijab and abaya-advocating movement of ultra-Orthodox women taking hold in Israel.

...

“Muslim women are imitating Jews to try to gain God’s favour with modesty. The truth is that the women of Israel are lessening in God’s eyes because the Arabs are more modest in dress."

Continue here

Love Israel- Warts and All

The article was forwarded to me by my friends and in a way I found it quite moving. The piece can be read here (just scroll down past the commentary) and was originally publshised in the Jewish Journal. However, I have three major contentions with the article, but before I go on to that I want to point out the numerous things I agree with:

1. Israel is not above criticism nor is it a perfect- meaning it is not infallible nor is it always a matter of it being good vs. evil, big vs. small etc. That Israel, has and will make mistakes like any human enterprise.
2. Israeli's have more leeway to criticize and hold different perspectives of politics, social issues and the peace process, but here in the US the Jewish community is "myopic" and to me I believe it has much to do with the Zionist organizations that constantly holds the opinion of even those who mean good due to the demoniziation of all things not in line with Zionism.
3. I agree that there is a sense of anti-zionism growing in the US and thats due to the growing number of people who are experiancing and then sharing or working toward changing the constructed reality of Palestinian-Israeli dilema.
4. Major Jewish organizations, even progressives ones, constantly just talk about Israel left and right and it becomes hard to really focus on things that Muslims and Jews in the US really agree upon- social justice, equal access to health care, education, separation of church and state, welfare, workers rights the list goes on.
5. The numerous Jewish students I ran across did have whitewashed versions of Israel, however, they were able to show me things I might not have known about Israel, however it was always a one way streak, when it came to criticizing Israel and its policies they normally would shut down and never forgive me for being critical of Israel.
6. That American Jews have the ability to make Israel the great country it has the possibility of becoming.
7. That much like America, which is a great place, there are things that are not perfect and things that we have the ability as citizens, people of conscience to change- and we have the tools here to make effective change- the same is true of Israel, why not make it the democracy it can be, and hopefully a shining light for all the other despots in the region.
   
8. Jews, Zionism maybe, need to re-evaluate how and what is being taught about Israel. The list continues of points I agree with, for the sake of moving on this is my last point.

Points of Disagreement:

1. Apartheid state- in the article there is mention that there are check points, Jewish only roads, loss of water and land due to settlement. There is a "fence" which really is a concrete barrier with look out towers carving out land that is not finalized as far as borders are concerned. This is 'aparthaid'- its only one aspect. Arabs voting and participating in Israel. That is questionable, since it seems that is more for visibility then it is practical. Arab villages have second rate schools, are always in dire need upkeep and public projects- roads, electricity, water, sewage- all these things are prioritized so that Arab Israelivillages are last to receive them- or they never get them. This Apartheid point is debatable and something I do not mind leaving up in the air as questionable because of that.
2. "We need to teach American Jews to love Israel, warts and all, because Israel is worth loving and supporting." I really think that to love Israel "warts and all" leaves a very important aspect out of the picture, the desire to change, not to blemish the warts but to remove them. I think this point is later addressed, however, I felt that it was not conveyed as strongly.
   
3. Finally, the point missing is this connection and partnership with the Evangelical Right and war for the sake of war. This point is not addressed and I do feel its one of the more destructive paths developing with in the Jewish community that is known for its commitment for justice and peace.
   

Yet, I commend the piece because its a GOOD step. A step that might even bring Muslims and Jews to the table in larger numbers. Many critics of Israel- Muslims included- have this major issue with the Jewish community in America that they are blinded by their commitment to Israel given their social justice and peace positions on many other issues, but I feel its largely due to the Zionist organizations that builds this wall of not questioning or exploring other perspectives beyond the Zionist constructed reality of Israel- Birth Right Israel is a culprit in this. But again, bravo for the Jewish Journal and more so to the Progressive Jewish Alliance for a stance that will bring together all Americans on this contentious issue.

Neo Nazi's In Israel

I am always willing to accept that there can be a wide spectrum of political beliefs. However, THIS news story baffles and, well to be honest, disgusts me in that there is no explanation that comes to my mind about how a person(s) can turn to such an ideology of hate and act out upon it.

Israeli police say they have broken up a cell of young neo-Nazis who are implicated in a series of attacks on foreign workers, religious Jews, drug addicts and gays...Eight suspects, all immigrants from the former Soviet Union...All suspects are in either their late teens or early 20s.

The question here is- HOW CAN YOU BE JEWISH AND BE NEO-NAZI? Its against the very grain of what makes a Jew a Jew? (as a Muslim I would tend to think that anyway, but then there is Iran's supreme talk-a-thon who sheds a glimpse into our communities own spectrum of views.)

While I understand the differentiation of these individuals from the immigrant population from Russia that Israel took in- ALL Israeli immigration however, is Jewish, save the current row over the refugee's from Darfur.

These Jews would be the very people that the Nazi's would send off to their deaths, how can one, knowing this still be affiliated or have attraction to such an ideology? (However, for the Muslim community we do have a similar problem, but slightly different.)

Muslims boycott Frito's...

Frito's faces major financial loses


It was only last month that Muslamics own Zahra Billoo shared with us that Dorito's and Cheeto's contained "pork enzymes". That brought a massive boycott and thousands and thousands of bags of Doritos can now be found dumped along the nations beaches, as demand falls for Frito's across the United States and excess chips are discarded.


But seriously, dont believe any of the things SAID ABOVE. The picture is from Shuttari's site from South Carolina where a container with these chips fell off a ship, broke and spewed out thousands of bags of Frito's products on the beach, this was back in December 2006.

Since our post, we have had numerous interested people running around making phone calls and just updating us.

Here is what is up:

1. This site has all the Kosher products for Frito's, so you can all enjoy them!
2. I was going to post two more things, but realized that I was pushing my side of how I see things on this issue, and thought it is best to keep it impartial do read the comments on the original post.

American Citizens Hang Bin Laden, All Jews don't hate Muslims

To follow up with the March 31 protest in front of the CAIR Los Angeles office, I want to share with you some video to show the imbiciles that put this thing on in their own words. This includes Ted Hays and Pertilli the founders of United American Committee.



Also the following are excerpts from a Jewish Rabbi attending and speaking at the CAIR banquet in Philly where the Governor of Pennsylvania also dropped by to show the Muslim community his support! What the Rabbi has to say really shows that not all Jews hate Muslims, and not all Muslims hate Jews, its more of a mutual misunderstanding and lack of communication and those are all things we can overcome:

You reported on the attacks on CAIR by one suburban rabbi and by an official of the local chapter of the Zionist Organization of America (a right-wing group) , and in other ways made a major point in the article -- indeed, its pervasive point -- a seeming collision between the Jewish community and CAIR.

Yet somehow, though you interviewed me, you did not see fit to report the fact that I, the director of a national Jewish organization with its offices in Philadelphia, the author of a dozen well-received books on Jewish history and practice, a rabbi described by last week's issue of Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in the United States, and one described by the Forward newspaper at the end of 2005 as one of the "Forward Fifty" of most effective and creative Jews (not just rabbis) from the whole country, spoke at the dinner; that my talk came from a deeply Jewishly rooted place and knowledge; that I spoke as a religious Jew committed to Israel, to Palestine, and to peace between them, speaking to religious Muslims who strongly applauded my call for renewed dedication to a peaceful two-state peace settlement and strongly applauded my remarks about the need for each single one of us members of the family of Abraham to feel personally wounded when any member of the family kills another; that my entire talk was very warmly received by the CAIR community.

Nor did you report that in the printed banquet program, which I assume you as a good reporter saw, there was not only a letter from me affirming Congressman Sestak's speaking to a totally legitimate Muslim group, but also a letter from the rabbi of an important Philadelphia synagogue, Rabbi Jeff Sultar of Mishkan Shalom, strongly supporting CAIR's work.

Why did you not report any of these facts?

You barely mentioned the warm and warmly received speech by Governor Rendell, who is himself Jewish and has excellent relations with both the Jewish and Muslim communities in Philadelphia.

The impact of your report was to give the false impression that "the Jewish community" condemns CAIR and the Congressman for speaking, because you did not bother to report other Jewjsh opinions. Nor did you make any effort to ascertain and report that in fact CAIR speaks out strongly against terrorist attacks by Muslims, while you reported the utterly uncorroborated assertions by two local Jews that CAIR "has connections to terrorists."

This kind of reporting encourages these McCarthyist assertions. It gives credence to lies. Good reporting should tell the whole story, not a one-sided version of it.

Finally Joe Kaufman- the picture says it all!