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May 28, 2004
Muslims, Jews get together
Commonalities, not the current conflict, top talks for new group.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
A Muslim cleric has invited Vancouver's Jews to join him and his
congregation for a special teaching on One God, Universal Message.
The gathering is part of a struggling but ongoing effort by a small
cluster of local Muslims and Jews to come together and build relationships
at a time when their two faiths are racked by mutual distrust and
suspicion.
Imam Fode Drome is inviting all interested Jews to visit the Masjid
ul-Haqq next Sunday, June 6. The imam and several of his congregants
have been meeting with Rabbi David Mivasair and some of his congregants
in recent months, attempting to bridge the divisions between the
two communities. Mivasair is the spiritual leader of Vancouver's
small, progressive shul Ahavat Olam.
The rabbi, the imam and their fellow organizers had planned to have
a peace march of Muslims and Jews together, but as a group decided
the turnout – and the meaning – would be greater if they
continued to meet together and share ideas before making a public
demonstration.
However, the public meeting between Jews and Muslims, which will
be followed at a later date with Muslims being invited to visit
a Jewish congregation, is part of what Mivasair says is an attempt
to heal spiritual pain.
"I have thought for many years that one of the greatest areas
of brokenness and pain in the Jewish world is the very, very broken
relationship with the Muslim world," Mivasair said, adding
that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has eclipsed areas of shared
interest. "There's a lot of mutual hostility, suspicion and
alienation and I think it's largely unnecessary. There's a small
part of the Muslim world that's in conflict with part of the Jewish
world, but the rest of us don't need to be in conflict with each
other. We share a lot of history, a lot of theology, we have a shared
destiny to the future."
Mivasair believes the divisions that exist between Muslims and Jews
are overwhelmingly due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and
do not represent a larger theological conflict. He stressed, however,
that solving the Middle East conflict – or even addressing
it – is not a top priority.
"Honestly, there are many, many other forums for working on
the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict," Mivasair said.
"If we never get to it, and all we do is build good relationships
with each other as Jews and as Muslims, I'll feel very successful.
If, in that relationship, we do talk about it and we come to a better
understanding of each other, then all the better, but that's not
the goal."
If not addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leaves some in
the group feeling like there's a two-ton elephant they're not talking
about, so be it, said the rabbi.
"It might leave people feeling that way, but sometimes that's
a smart way to proceed," he said. "We know it's there.
We totally know it's there. That's why we need to do this. I'm not
doing this with the Sikhs or the Buddhists or the Hindus. I'm not
even doing it with the Christians. There's a brokenness, there's
pain [in Jews' relationship with Muslims]. That's why we need to
do it."
The international conflict is like a toothache, he said.
"If you have a toothache and 99.9 per cent of your body is
functioning beautifully, you're healthy and your liver, your kishkes
and your heart, everything's going really well, what does your attention
go to?" Mivasair asked. "The toothache. That's how it's
been for Jews and Muslims. We need to heal that toothache, we need
to do something about that, but I'm trying to create a space where
we can look at the whole rest of what we're about.
"We are trying to build positive relationships between two
groups of thoughtful, intelligent, sensitive, caring people, some
of whom are Jews, some of whom are Muslims," said Mivasair.
"Addressing that conflict is not the first thing on our agenda."
Higher on the list, he said, are issues like what it means to be
a Jew, and what it means to be a Muslim.
The event takes place on Sunday, June 6, from 2 to 5 p.m. The Masjid
is located at 4162 Welwyn St., just north of Kingsway near Victoria.
Women and men are asked to dress modestly. Refreshments will be
served. For more information, phone the Masjid at 604-873-1787.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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