The Imam and the Rabbi
June 1, 2008
Altmuslim recently ran a post by Muqtedar Khan called “The Imam and the Rabbi“, describing a dialogue between Rabbi David Kalender, a senior Rabbi from the congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, Virginia and Imam Muhammad Magid, the Imam of ADAMS Center in Northern Virginia and the Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America.
Magid argues that we need to be willing to handle the tough issues in good faith and also be willing to examine the religious texts that can be source of discord or misunderstanding. Kalender goes further to argue that it is politics and not theology that is problem between Muslims and Jews (a position I took two years ago in my AEN paper). Kalender also attributes a competitive cycle of victimhood to exacerbating the situation.
But it is Muqtedar Khan who jumps to the heart of the problem: “I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that most advocates of dialogue assume that conflict is a consequence of misunderstandings and therefore, dialogues can foster understanding and eliminate conflict. Perhaps just understanding the other might not be enough. Even inculcating respect for the other may not douse the fires of conflict. At the core of all conflicts are competing and incompatible interests that may have material as well as moral basis. Conflicts will dissipate when understanding is followed by the replacement of competing interests with common interest.
“In simple terms, it is not enough that we talk. We must find common goals to pursue together.”
Readers, this is your turn to jump in: being realistic about scope and avoiding political collision, what practical projects and common goals can you think of to work on together? Please add your idea in the comments to this post, and together as a the Abrahamic family we can get together and make a real, positive difference for ourselves, our religions, our communities, and the world.
Related posts:
- Audio: Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's interfaith mission to Iran
- Canada: 10,000 Muslims laugh at a Rabbi
- World Council of Churches debate on "The Promised Land"
- Just Peacemaking and positive action
- Abrahamic alternatives to war
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: jewish, muslim, projects, usa.
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1. Hana Askren | June 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I think sport is one of the best ways for people to discover that they can work toward a common goal despite their differences, and that they will achieve more by cooperation. It’s a way for people to be contentious and aggressive without being destructive.
This goes for team and individual sports.
2. disbeliever2008 | September 8th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I am jewish, raised modern orthodox, however, there is a HUGE misconception of Rabbi’s. Unfortunately, I had the horrible experience that Rabbi’s could help. I can only relay from my own personal experience that these men are nothing more than human beings. There are not G-d, they are not trained in any field, except Torah reading and “interpretation.” They have no knowledge of ethics, morality, legal, medical, psychological, etc. teachings. They are inexperienced people, just like you and me. Do NOT look for their guidance as they have the same experience as the grocery clerk.
BEWARE and do NOT BELIEVE!!!!!
3. Dave | September 9th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Disbeliever,
I agree with you that rabbis are like people in any other line of work – there are ones that are good at their jobs, and ones that are not so great as well. I imagine that this holds true for other clergy too, although I’m not in a position to comment first-hand.
That said, there are some really wonderful rabbis around, and I don’t think it’s fair to write off all rabbis just because you’ve had a bad experience with one; in the same sense that it’s unfair to write off all {Jews, Christians, Muslims} just because you’ve had a bad experience.
The rabbi at my congregation, Johanna Hershenson, is one such person who fulfils the aphorism that “a professional is someone who makes a hard job look easy”, and has plenty of real life experience to back up her academic and work experience qualifications. There are many others – as with other pursuits in faith, the trick is to find someone to whom you can relate.
Good luck with your search, don’t give up!