The Imam and the Rabbi
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.
3 comments June 1st, 2008