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Last update - 11:47 08/02/2007
Orthodox rabbi, hip-hop mogul join forces to fight Islamophobia
By Shlomo Shamir

Marc Schneier, an Orthodox rabbi in New York, and hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons have joined forces to produce a short film to combat negative stereotypes of Muslims.

The film, which will be shot in the coming weeks under Schneier's direction, will also feature the legendary Jewish hip-hop group the Beastie Boys.

Several months ago Schneier and Simmons, the founder of Def Jam records, produced a short film on anti-Semitism which was shown in schools across the United States. The film featured appearances by rap stars such as Jay-Z, and was widely considered a success.
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Schneier said the film against anti-Semitism, which has been featured on CNN, will soon be shown on screens in certain European countries.

"It was Russell Simmons who suggested we take the success of the film against anti-Semitism as a model to be imitated in the struggle against racism, and that we make a similar film against Islamophobia," Schneier told Haaretz.

Schneier and Simmons are co-presidents of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which works to improve relations between Jews and other minorities in the United States.

Since its founding in 1989, the foundation has been particularly successful in improving relations between American Jewish and black communities.

According to Schneier, the fund has since turned its focus to improving relations between American Jews and Hispanics.

"The fund has succeeded in changing the nature of relations between Jewish and black people from conflict to cooperation in several areas," Schneier said.

"Now we are asking to create an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation between Jews and Muslims in the United States," he said
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  1.   Talk about naive... 23:53  |  bob 07/02/07
  2.   Hip About Hip-Hop 00:07  |  Tony Anthony 08/02/07
  3.   Marc Shneir and the Foundation 00:09  |  Ariel 08/02/07
  4.   @bob 00:21  |  blub 08/02/07
  5.   Marc Schneier and Olmert are both left wing defeatists 00:23  |  DAN ROSENTHAL 08/02/07
  6.   Not a bad idea except that... 00:27  |  SLAVO 08/02/07
  7.   Kol ha-kavod le-kvod ha-rav 00:30  |  Shlomo from Tel Aviv 08/02/07
  8.   To Shlomo from Tel Aviv 00:58  |  leon 08/02/07
  9.   Badly needed for the Zionist cause 01:01  |  Slibovitz 08/02/07
  10.   to SLAVO 01:03  |  yeshiva chick 08/02/07
  11.   Bob, Shlomo and others 01:14  |  Hany 08/02/07
  12.   Response to Shlomo #5 01:19  |  Harry D 08/02/07
  13.   #1 and #4 01:30  |  Reuben Jacobs 08/02/07
  14.   What if stereotypes were true? 02:44  |  Jon 08/02/07
  15.   fighting isamophobia 02:48  |  sam 08/02/07
  16.   Great idea 03:05  |  Democratic American 08/02/07
  17.   THESE GUYS ARE NUTS 03:24  |  Meir Weinstein 08/02/07
  18.   Quite appropriate for America, but weird in rest of world 03:56  |  Voice of Reason 08/02/07
  19.   Islamophobia is sick and evil 04:45  |  Sammy 08/02/07
  20.   Best of luck 05:01  |  anti-racist 08/02/07
  21.   Who Is Going to Fight Islamic Judeophobia? 07:35  |  Ben Israel 08/02/07
  22.   Islamophobia--A smokescreen term invented by Sharia-pushers 07:57  |  Danny Alexander 08/02/07
  23.   Islamofaciats everywhere, under my bed! 09:05  |  lutotek 08/02/07
  24.   #10 - Gee, I wonder where Islamophobia comes from... 12:33  |  Yael G 08/02/07
  25.   THE RAP MOGUL AND THE JEW 12:36  |  LARRY 08/02/07
  26.   Anti-Semitism or Anti-Zionism? 13:13  |  R P 08/02/07
  27.   Dany Alexander 14:29  |  rich 08/02/07
  28.   no good deed goes uncriticized 15:22  |  xyz 08/02/07
  29.   There is no need for this piece of dreck 16:14  |  Antonio 08/02/07
  30.   Original Motivation of Judaism, Christianity and Islam 16:33  |  Student of Man 08/02/07
  31.   Simmons and Schneier in Mecca? 18:17  |  Richard 08/02/07
  32.   Martin Luther King`s version 19:26  |  Walter 08/02/07
  33.   MUSLIMS? JEWS? OR RACISM TOGETHER... 20:24  |  RYAN 08/02/07
  34.   To Ya`el #10 20:35  |  Harry D 08/02/07
  35.   Yeshiva Chick 20:39  |  Jane 08/02/07
  36.   Re: Hany 21:09  |  Ralph 08/02/07
  37.   Great job Russell 21:11  |  Geo 08/02/07
  38.   Getting serious (#21) 21:56  |  Paul 08/02/07
  39.   Schneier was used by Muslim clerics 22:08  |  McQueen 08/02/07
  40.   Smart 22:24  |  Ari Ginsburg 08/02/07
  41.   TWO FILMS. AMERICAN SCHOOLS. EUROPE. CNN 22:27  |  THE JACKAL 08/02/07
  42.   Islamophobia 12:44  |  Bashy Quraishy 09/02/07
  43.   To Hani 19:52  |  David 09/02/07
  44.   To Bashy Quraishy 04:44  |  Simon 10/02/07
  45.   Islamophobia 07:32  |  Bibi 17/02/07
  46.   Islam and the Jews 01:55  |  Shel Has 25/02/07
  47.   This is the reason why... 07:50  |  Bryan 25/02/07
  48.   This is the reason why... 07:50  |  Bryan 25/02/07
  49.   you have to be kidding 20:11  |  miri 01/03/07
  50.   The Left`s opinions are much closer to Torah 19:51  |  Dani 02/03/07
  51.   He`s a Rabbi like I`m a the queen of England 21:48  |  Yisroela 12/03/07
  52.   IS Torah on the left, right or center? 21:49  |  Y 12/03/07
  53.   IS Torah on the left, right or center? 21:52  |  Yisroela 12/03/07
  54.   To Yisroela - Our sages tell us what caused 05:06  |  Dani 14/03/07
  55.   Exactly right, Samy # 19 06:47  |  Dave from Canada 19/04/07
  56.   islamophobia sham 10:18  |  aviram elior 27/11/07
  57.   Islam and the jews/Shel Has 20:31  |  Gary 31/01/08
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