Imams and rabbis from across Europe are touring interfaith centers in the US to learn from the track record of success of their American counterparts in fostering inter-religious dialogue and Muslim-Jewish relations.
“Our success in America has given us the faith and confidence to reach out to Europe,” Sayyid Mohammad Syeed, national director of interfaith and community alliances for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), one of three hosts for the tour, told the Washington Times on Monday, July 20.
“We need them to witness firsthand what we are doing. I have been working toward this all my life.”
Twenty eight imams and rabbis from 10 European countries will be touring interfaith centers and meetings American counterparts and experts in interfaith relations.
The aim is to get ideas and instructions on breaking new ground on Muslim-Jewish relations in their societies.
They will begin their visits on Monday in New York, where they will meet Imam Mohammad Shamsi Ali, head of the Islamic Cultural Center who will talk about the experience of New York’s largest mosque.
During their two days in New York, the European imams and rabbis will also meet prominent political, civic and religious leaders, and be hosted by the United Nations.
They will then travel to Washington, where they will be received by Muslim congressmen Keith Ellison and Andre Carson and two leaders of the unofficial Congressional Jewish Caucus, Jerrold Nadler and Robert Wexler.
The delegation will also visit an exhibit at the US Holocaust Museum.
In addition to ISNA, the tour is also sponsored by the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), a national organization dedicated to strengthening ties between ethnic and religious communities in North America.
Success
The tour is the first of its kind to show how American-style ecumenism works on the ground.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the FFEU and chairman of the WJC American Section, says the tour came after requests to learn from the American experience.
“We received calls from faith leaders in England, Sweden and Australia who want to take part in that,” he told the Washington Times.
Interfaith ties between American Muslim and Jewish leaders have a history of successes.
Two years ago, the FFEU convened the first summit of rabbis and imams in New York.
Religious leaders from both faiths joined forces in early 2008 for a public service announcement on CNN that denounced both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
In November 2008, imams and rabbis launched a week-long national initiative “twinning” a synagogue with a mosque in 25 cities and towns across the country to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
A second weekend of twinning mosques and synagogues is planned next November.
ISNA, the biggest Muslim umbrella group in North America, has also launched an unprecedented outreach to American Christians and Jews at its annual conference earlier this month in Washington.
It sponsored a private interfaith reception for 400 leaders from various religions.
Rabbi Schneier, who co-founded the FFEU 20 years ago, believes there have been breakthroughs in the relation between US Muslims and Jews particularly.
He hopes the model spreads worldwide.
“The great challenge of the 21st century in inter-religious dialogue is to find the path to narrow the gap between Muslims and Jews worldwide,” he said.
“But I appreciate the fact this is a very long process.”