Jews, Muslims seek to partner in community service in Ohio

Monday 28 Mar 2016 - 13:14 Makkah mean time-19-6-1437

Noor Islamic Cultural Center. Image from internet

Ohio, (IINA) - A group of central Ohio Jews and Muslims gathered on Sunday to consider working together to serve the community at large and create awareness about the ways in which they view and practice their faith traditions, The Columbus Dispatch news reported.
About a dozen people at Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Hilliard discussed recent anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim comments from U.S. presidential hopefuls, the history of discrimination against Jews, terror acts attributed to Islam, and other topics.
"We're all just Americans," said Gordon Hecker, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Columbus. "We happen to be Muslims and Jews, but we're Americans, and really the question in my mind is always 'How do we make America live up to everything it's always lived up to and can live up to?' Because this is an amazing country based on this incredible premise that all people are created equal."
"If some people aren't feeling that way at certain times, how do we deal with that?"
Noor already has collaborated with the Jewish community on a number of projects, said Imran Malik, chairman of the board, as have other central-Ohio Muslim organizations.
"The relationship is already there," he said. "I think it's about time that we take the charge of the situation that's been devolved on social media and also in the media in general. The only way we can change the rhythm is by having this common dialogue where the bridges are being built between the communities."
Farouki Majeed, Noor board member, said recent anti-Muslim political comments brought support from the central-Ohio interfaith community. But he understands why some Americans might be fearful in the face of attacks in the name of Islam.
"Just as you try to make some efforts, then you have to reset the button and you're back to square one," he said. "I react with a lot of pain and anguish, and I go through a process ... of thinking to myself 'Am I a Muslim? Do I want to be a Muslim? How do I want to recommit myself to be a Muslim?'"
Joining hands with the Jewish community would be a powerful way to fight xenophobia and hatred, said Noor volunteer Ronney Abaza.
"One of the ways we can probably combat that most is to show that ... we see ourselves as an integral part of the greater community, the greater Columbus community, that we don't consider ourselves different, that we are part of the same fabric, and that we see our responsibility in our smaller communities to serve that greater community," Abaza said.
SM/IINA

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