Judaism and Islam: A Conversation

Sunday I went to an event as titled above. I also helped a bit ushering the audience and handing out flyers for the next event. Two scholars conversed, as you?ll see from the official information in the next paragraph. As a requirement for my current ‘Judaism’ class I was supposed o write up a one page paper, summarizing three points from the event. I did and that consists the majority of this entry.Rabbi A. James Rudin, Senior Interreligious Adviser, American Jewish Committee, New York City and Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations, American University, Washington, D.C. will engage in a conversation on “Judaism and Islam” moderated by Rev. Anne S. Howard, Associate Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara. Judaism and Islam are often described as two of the three great Abrahamic religions. But what does it mean today to affirm a common ancestor in a world so divided along religious lines? This conversation will explore the shared anchor points of these two religious traditions which have had such enormous transformative power in our collective histories. How can Jews and Muslims better understand one another and how can Muslims and Jews work together to deepen mutual respect for their traditions and their contemporary American situations? For me the key lesson of the conversation was what both speakers emphasized: If we, Jews and Muslims, are to have a successful relationship we have to get to know each other. Professor Ahmed suggested that we have to read about each other, visit each others’ sites, explore the cultures, and strive to understand it. For example, on the personal level, he contacted the father of Danny Pearl (the journalist killed in Pakistan) and started to have a meaningful conversation with him. Rabbi Rudin gave a demonstration of what he means by getting to know each other. He subjected the audience to a short quiz, asking questions like: When/where was Mohamed born and when/where did he die; (Mecca 570, Medina 632); where was it better for a Jew to live in 1300: Baghdad or Berlin? (Baghdad); what are the five pillars of Islam? (Allah is one, compassion, charity, keeping Ramadan, and once in a lifetime pilgrimage ‘ the haj); what country has the largest Muslim population (Indonesia.) Another learning point was the significance of discovering what is common in us, in our traditions. Professor Ahmed;s list included these items: the notion of God and values, the prophets, holy books, and most importantly the idea to be good. Rabbi Rudin’s catch phrase for the afternoon was to ‘go beyond.’ He recommended that we go beyond the surface; strive for a deeper understanding of our commonalities that included these concepts for him: Children of Abraham, Golden Age in Spain, and being People of the Book. Finally I would like to mention Rabbi Rudin’s findings in his Altruistic Personality research. He and his team had set out to find the common elements in the characteristics of the individuals who saved Jews during the Shoah. They came up with two themes, applicable to every one of those individual. Each of them had previous, personal, face-to-face contact with Jews before World War II started. Furthermore they all learned to respect Jews from their parents and not (just) from a priest or outside figure.