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Jewish committee welcomes Muslim call to dialogue |
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By InFocus News Staff
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NEW YORK — In an historic first, the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, which represents world Jewry to other world religions, has issued a call for dialogue between Muslims and Jews. The statement follows the call to peace, dialogue and understanding issued by Muslim scholars on Feb. 25.
The statement, entitled “Seek Peace and Pursue It” addresses those voices speaking “from a stance of moderation, love of God and respect for the dignity of all people. We recognize the great need in our time to allow religion to serve as an inroad between our communities rather than as a divisive wedge.”
Acknowledging “a dangerous and widespread misconception that an innate hostility exists between Judaism and Islam,” the Jewish leaders stressed that “it is important to affirm the dynamic history of interaction that our communities have shared with one another.”
The statement adds that the “leaders of our respective religious communities have a particular mandate to highlight the common repudiation in Judaism and Islam of murder, violence, injustice and indignity.”
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