First, we collect three Guest columns published last month in the Washington Post’s On Faith section on the general theme of the proposed Muslim community center near Ground Zero. Second, AFR is intimately connected with each author. Joe Montville introduced John Kiser to Padraic O’Hare which resulted in the establishment of the Ignac Goldziher Prize. And Joe chaired the jury that selected Mark Cohen for the first Goldziher Prize. Each of these columns is powerful and enlightening, well worth sharing with wider circles, printing out and saving.

• House of prayer near Ground Zero? Yes! – by Padraic O’Hare

• America already is an Islamic society – by John Kiser

• Americans must transcend ignorance on mosque near Ground Zero – by Mark Cohen

At the Death Camps, Muslim Leaders Grapple With Jews’ Pain – By A.J. Goldmann

Thus this week, we provide a link to the keynote speech delivered by Susannah Heschel at the annual meeting of the International Council of Christians and Jews in Istanbul in June. We reported on the meeting in general recently noting that this was the first time the ICCJ, founded in 1947, met in a majority Muslim country, under the key Qur’anic title “So That You May Know One Another.”

Susannah refers early in her speech to her legendary father, the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who was one of the greatest American Abrahamic moral leaders in teaching and practice in the twentieth century. He spread his arms wide to embrace all of God’s children. Susannah is a distinguished teacher and scholar in her own right as you will see. We are honored to be able to share her talk with our ever widening network of AFR friends.

Her speech will become a permanent document in the Theory Section of our Web site

Click here to read Heschel’s keynote speech

Joseph Montville chaired a panel on Islam in Europe, and presented on the challenges of interfaith dialogue. He represented the Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College, where he is a senior associate.

• Liberty U. removing Ergun Caner as seminary dean over contradictory statements – Washington Post

• Abraham’s Vision is hiring – Unity Program Muslim Co-Educator

Rabbi Reinstein is a key AFR participant based in Massachusetts.

• Friends By Susan Freudenheim – Jewish Journal

The Jewish and Muslim stars of this story were recruited by AFR Bay Area partner, Abraham’s Vision.

• Seeking religious harmony, the urgent call of our time By Bill Tammeus – National Catholic Reporter

Joe Montville is a senior associate of the Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations at Merrimack College. He chaired the jury for the Goldziher Prize.

• A Step on the Path to Peace: Basketball is Uniting Arab and Jewish Youth in Jerusalem By Julie Younes – Middle East Institute

We are especially pleased and proud of the fact that the first Muslim faculty member at CST is Najeeba Syeed-Miller, JD, whose speeches we have published in this Newsletter.
She is emerging as one of the most important Muslim leaders in the United States with special appeal for young American Muslims working to function well in the culture while honoring the moral values of their religion. Christian, Jewish and Muslim students will be educated at CST in their own traditions. However they will, as the Koran advises, “get to know one another.”

Click here for a video of CST presdent Jerry Campbell’s press conference today where Najeeba rocked, and her Abrahamic colleagues Rabbi Mel Gottlieb of AJR and Jihad Turk of ICSC also spoke movingly. The unifying theme was the shared prophetic guidance of the Abrahamic faiths. “All human beings are children of God.” And “we must love our neighbors as ourselves. There is no religion without compassion.”

We might add, let’s hope and pray that the people who feel compelled to fear and hate their neighbors will one day recover.

Joe Montville

• First Goldziher Interfaith Prize Winner Announced

AFR director, Joseph Montville, chaired the jury which selected the Goldziher Prize winner.

• Community Board Approves Mosque Near World Trade Center Site After Emotional Meeting – By Julie Shapiro

• Politicians Rally Against Tea Party Bashing of World Trade Center Mosque

A rare and stunning, personal statement of affection and commitment to America by a Muslim-American who was a Secret Service officer protecting George W. Bush. His solid support from his Secret Service colleagues September 12, 2001, is not reflected in what he sees in today’s surge in insults to Muslims by conservative politicians and media commentators

• Manhattan madness and Muslims – By Nazir Khaja, Arab News

A strong member of the Abrahamic Family Reunion network in the greater Los Angeles area, Khaja, a physician, has emerged as a leading American political commentator on Muslim political and cultural deficits. Arab News, published in Saudi Arabia, is the largest English language paper in the Arab world. That it published this strong critique is a measure of the editors’ respect for Khaja and tacit support for his views.

• Muslim Students Stage Sit-In to Support Christians at Iraqi University – Radio Free Europe
  

• NewGround Awarded Inter-Faith Leadership Award by the Valley Inter-Faith Council

Aziza Hasan and Malka Fenyvesi, co-directors of NewGround, are charter members of the AFR network in LA. Mabruk/mazel tov–(”congratulations” for the non-Semites).

Light diminished and light raised up. Last Saturday, as we were enveloped in the light of Shabbos, Governor Patrick spoke at the new Mosque and Cultural Center in Roxbury to a gathering of over one thousand Muslims from across Massachusetts. The program was part of an effort to help Muslims engage in American civic life. Even as terrorism was condemned and pluralism espoused, State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Timothy Cahill yesterday issued a statement denouncing Governor Patrick for attending the program and accused him of “playing politics with terrorism.” With each word that Mr. Cahill cast, another candle in the menorah of understanding was blown out, the light of so many Muslim souls among us diminished through the pain of Muslim and terrorist becoming one in the understanding of a politician manipulating fear while smearing an entire community. Mr. Cahill said, “I am deeply concerned about keeping Massachusetts and our country safe,” referring to Gov. Patrick as “pandering to special interest groups with talk of ‘cultural awareness training’ for law enforcement and promises to urge employers to allow Muslims to leave work early on Fridays so that they can make it to Mosque for prayers.”

I was part of a group of interfaith clergy who met early this morning at a Roxbury church with Timothy Cahill. It was a sad and distressing interaction, yet one whose context came to be embroidered with hope. Most distressing to me was the constituency of fear that Mr. Cahill seemed to be speaking for and to. Continuing to blame the governor and the media, he failed to see that it was not about either the governor or the media, but about his own framing of a concern for terrorism that everyone in the room shared. Whether speaking about Muslims or “illegal” immigrants, he failed to recognize the common humanity that joins us all and which needs to be acknowledged in the way that we address serious challenges we face together. While agreeing to meet with the Muslim community, he was not prepared to retract his statement. With several rabbis present, a clear Jewish thread gave its glow to the tapestry of light. While the director of one major Jewish communal organization was present, seemingly more as an observer, she made it clear that she would not be at a subsequent press conference due to the sponsorship of the Muslim American Society. The lack of moral vision on the part of major local Jewish organizations in regard to building bridges with the Muslim community continues to grieve me.

The press conference took place this afternoon on the steps of the Roxbury Mosque. With a large media presence, there was a rainbow of clergy from across a broad interfaith spectrum. The sense of connection among those gathered was powerfully moving. There to support our Muslim neighbors, it was clear that all were there to support each other, and that each would be there at the other’s time of need. Stretching across the grand steps of the mosque, it seemed to me that we were all the candles of a beautiful menorah, each one raising up the light of another.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Victor H. Reinstein