Grand
Muslim Ramadan Outreach
Expanding
Interfaith Circles, Creating Community
14 July 2015
"We have to
learn to live together. . .
side by side, but
not back to back."
~Daniel Barenboim (Conductor, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, 2015)
http://www.channel4.com/news/barenboim-israel-gaza-palestinians-east-west-divan
Some people told
me not to do it now, that it was not the right time.
"But I said
that when things get tense, it is exactly the right time."
~ Shoshana
Ben-David (Age 17, Jerusalem, 2015)
Today on
Earth is the
greatest historic explosion of suffering refugees -- 59.5 million souls --
being predictably driven from their cherished homes.
This is the dependable catastrophe wherever military arms are sold, sent, and
used -- solving nothing, disintegrating cultures, arresting and reversing our
ability to learn how to live together.
Journalist Robert C. Koehler -- http://commonwonders.com
-- reminds us:: ""Every murderer believes the violence he is wielding
is 'good violence.'"
Yet "we cant go to war without spawning
imitators."
The means is the ends in the making.
Fortunately the same principle applies to humankind's new warriors --
artisans of communication excellence who listen-to-learn, familiarize,
humanize, lower walls, build bridges to reunion.
At the same moment, the excellent listener and speaker are dignified --
re-uniting, creating community.
This is the integrating, neighborhood-building power greater than any
sanction, boycott, or bomb.
Called love -- nothing less -- this Dialogue allows fear to atrophy and
shared creativity to explode.
Here are living examples of 21st century warriors -- doing things "for
and with" others, not "to and against" them:
To begin, notice the wave of Muslim interfaith Ramadan outreach to invite
others into their circles -- their ceremonies, their humanity.
= = 1 = =
Ramadan
in the United Kingdom
THE BIG IFTAR
encourages people of all backgrounds to break the fast after sunset with
Muslims.
This year's iftars are increasingly being hosted by
mosques, churches and synagogues across the United Kingdom.
The British citizen-innovators are experiencing that sharing food and prayer
encourages community cohesion between different faiths during this Muslim
holy month of Ramadan.
Shabnam Mahmood of BBC News
went to one of them at the Alyth (pron
AY-LITH) Synagogue in Golders
Green, North West London.
The
Big Iftar: Muslims observe Ramadan in Jewish
synagogue.
BBC News - 26 June 2015 -- 2-
min video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGV9yRy_1Cc
= = 2 = =
Ramadan
in the Jerusalem
Across
Jerusalem, Muslim families hosted Jewish and Christian friends in their homes
-- part of ongoing community of Kids 4 Peace (K4P) -- http://www.k4pjerusalem.org
Nazira & Sami, parents of Youserf,
wrote from Beit Hanina:
" Their awareness of our holiday had brought joy to our hearts."
"We really felt very comfortable around each other. . .in our comfort
zone. . .shared personal stories as if we knew each other for a long time.
"We felt that they will be for sure part of our lives. . .We want our kids
to live this experience."
"We are all HUMANS We are all ONE to live together in peace, we need to
know each other better, respect and love one another.
"Those are the values we teach our kids. . .Together peace is
possible."
READ more and SEE photos:
Muslim
and Jewish Jerusalemites Break Bread Together
The Media Line - 25 June 2015
http://www.themedialine.org/top-stories/muslim-and-jewish-jerusalemites-break-bread-together/
Breaking
Bread Together: Ramadan Home Hospitality
26 June
20156
http://k4pblog.org/2015/06/28/1681/
6th Grade Iftar at the America House in
Jerusalem
03 July 2015
http://k4pblog.org/2015/07/03/6th-grade-iftar-at-the-america-house-in-jerusalem/
More shared community
Iftars were initiated by the Interfaith Encounter Association -- https://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/
A Jewish journalist wrote: "I spent the evening sitting with the
Muslims I never spoke to, and for that matter never thought I would have the
chance to speak to, and listened to their stories.
" I didnt want to leave."
Muslims
and Jews breaking the fast together
The Times of Israel - 08 July
2015
= = 3 = =
Ramadan
in Los Angeles USA
Iftar on July 10, 2015, was the
single-largest gathering of Muslims and Jews in Los Angeles, California USA,
sponsored by NewGround citizens who engage year-round
strengthening Muslim-Jewish relations -- http://mjnewground.org
Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across
North America, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people
for a celebratory Ramadan meal and to forge interfaith friendships.
Breaking
the Ramadan fast in the company of Jews
The Washington Post - 10 July
2014
In the
preceding months, these NewGround women and men were
making history in public prayers across Los Angeles, the second largest city in
America.
At beaches, rooftops, parks, and City Hall, the gatherings grew from hour to
hour.
This wasn't just about bettering themselves, but about building community to so
others could see how to do it.
Under the glow of the moon, they concluded their prayer expedition:
"Grant us courage to walk this righteous path, praying side-by-side and
yearning together for peace."
Two
Faiths One Prayer -- Muslims and Jews Pray Together in Los Angeles
NewGround - 28 May 2015 - 7-min video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWP1nvy5C_U
== 4 = =
Running Together
Except Ramadan
RUNNERS
WITHOUT BORDERS
-- https://www.facebook.com/runnerswb
-- is a new group of 80 Muslim, Jewish, and Christian teens dedicated to
fitness and uniting the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian
residents of divided Jerusalem.
Bravely they abstained from participating in the recent,
government-sponsored Jerusalem Night Run, after the city denied requests to
change the date so Muslim runners could observe Ramadan by fasting during
daylight hours and gathering for a large Iftar meal
after sundown.
Instead, 100 Runners Without Borders held its own 5-kilometer race at
the Train Track Park, a length of disused Ottoman-era rail line that crosses
the seam between Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem's east and Jewish
neighborhoods in the west.
The power of a single citizen is modeled in initiator 18-year-old Shoshana Ben-David, an avid runner born and raised in
Jerusalem.
"As a result of the lack of physical activity of many high school girls,
and of the violence and racism in Jerusalem since the events of and following
summer 2014, I decided to create a joint running group for both Jewish and Arab
youth.
"The group runs once a week with a professional trainer, with dialogue
once every two weeks with a dialogue facilitator.
"This group will run together towards the change, a better Jerusalem for
the future generations."
Ben-David was called a "traitor" on Facebook.
Some people told me not to do it now, that it was not the right time.
"But I said that when things get tense, it is exactly the right time to do
something like this and show everyone that there are youths who. . .can live
together."
Rozana Jaber, is a
17-year-old Muslim runner from East Jerusalem.
At first I did not think it was a good idea for me to join the group. .
.because there was a lot of conflict in the city."
But then I thought, why not? I have nothing to lose by being part of this. . .
You build relationships."
The
Jewish-Arab running club thats uniting some of Jerusalems teens
The Washington Post - 16 June
2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/06/16/the-jewish-arab-running-club-thats-uniting-some-of-jerusalems-teens/
Running for Peace in Jerusalem
3-min video - February 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz0z83tfUhY
Runners
without Borders" brings Israelis and Palestinians together through sport.
Running
Without Borders
2-min video
http://www.headstart.co.il/project.aspx?id=13629&lan=en-US
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This message is on the Web at http://traubman.igc.org/messages/686.htm
Hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm