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Last update - 22:55 31/08/2007 Reform leader to Muslim Americans: Together we will fight the opportunists who demonize you Tags: Eric Yoffie, Rosner Rabbi Yoffie told the Islamic Society of North America "for Christian fundamentalists, media figures, politicians "it has been far too easy to spread the image of Islam as enemy." Rabbi Eric Yoffie, leader of the Reform movement, spoke this afternoon to the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America. The leadership of ISNA and the Union for Reform Judaism are planning a joint dialogue and education program for synagogues and mosques, Yoffie said. He asked the ISNA to help solve the Middle East crisis. This is a compilation of his remarks plus some commentary. Image Advertisement "There exists in this country a huge and profound ignorance about Islam," Yoffie said. Hard to argue with that. Yoffie added that it is "not that stories about Islam are missing from our media; there is no shortage of voices prepared to tell us that fanaticism and intolerance are fundamental to Islamic religion, and that violence and even suicide bombing have deep Koranic roots". Thus, "it has been far too easy to spread the image of Islam as enemy". How did this ignorance happen? Yoffie asks and does not hesitate to name names. "How did it happen that Christian fundamentalists, such as Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham, make vicious and public attacks against your religious tradition?" "How did it happen that when a Muslim congressman takes his oath of office while holding the Koran, Dennis Prager suggests that the congressman is more dangerous to America than the terrorists of 9/11?" "How did it happen that a member of Congress, Tom Tancredo, now running for President, calls for the bombing of Mecca and Medina?" How? His explanation could be a matter of some debate: He mentions the "profound ignorance" towards Islam in the U.S., but finds fault both with "the terrorists who too often dominate the media, subverting Islam?s image" and with the "opportunists in our midst ? the media figures, religious leaders, and politicians who demonize Muslims and bash Islam". Profile Yoffie calls for an end to "racial profiling" and "legal discrimination." While these concepts both deal with race, they are not necessarily the same: Profiling is a tool, problematic but sometimes almost unavoidable. Discrimination is always bad. He says that "the dialogue" the organizations will be conducting "will not be one way, of course. You will teach us about Islam and we will teach you about Judaism. We will help you to overcome stereotyping of Muslims, and you will help us to overcome stereotyping of Jews". "As a Jew I know that our sacred texts, including the Hebrew Bible, are filled with contradictory propositions, and these include passages that appear to promote violence and thus offend our ethical sensibilities. Such texts are to be found in all religions, including Christianity and Islam", Yoffie admits. However, he says, "the overwhelming majority of Jews reject violence by interpreting these texts in a constructive way". He believes that similar dynamics work in all religions, but falls short of a full-fledged comparison. In the Jewish faith, he says, there is "a tiny, extremist minority". For Islam he chooses somewhat broader definition: "as we know from the headlines, you have what I know must be for you as well as for us an alarming number of extremists of your own." Mission Yoffie concluded with a few words about the situation in the Middle East: "American Jews", he told the crowd, "Have a deep, profound, and unshakable commitment to the State of Israel" ? a statement that probably did not come as a shock to the audience. At the same time, he said, "we understand the ties of Muslim Americans and Arab Americans to the Palestinian people." He preached against importing "the conflicts of the Middle East into America", and suggested Jews and Muslims "work toward the day when a democratic Palestinian state lives side by side, in peace and security, with the democratic State of Israel." How can this be done? According to Yoffie, we must first "urge our government to commit itself to active, high-level engagement." Second, we are obligated "to do everything in our power to prevent a political battle from being transformed into a holy war." Finally, we must condemn all forms of "terrorist attacks." Today on Rosner's Domain: What To Read: Future of Conservative Judaism Previous blog: Olmert and Abbas are talking. But who's listening? In Rosner's Mailbox: The world of Walt and Mearsheimer, Israel and Darfur, the cost of jewish education Updated The Iran Time Saver: Features, opinion, interviews, studies Bookmark to del.icio.us   Independence day Kosovars rejoice as Kosovo declares itself an independent and sovereign state. Settling the score 1/3 of W. Bank settlements are on Palestinian land seized for 'security purposes.'   1.   Like Mencken said about............. 03:49  |  Bill Pearrlman 01/09/07   2.   IT`S NOT A QUESTION OF RELIGION BUT OF OIL GRAB AND DOMINATION 07:13  |  Mohamed Malleck 01/09/07   3.   # 2, MOHAMAD MALLECK 09:22  |  indrajaya 01/09/07   4.   HAARETZ IS FAIR ENOUGH ON ISLAM 09:27  |  indrajaya 01/09/07   5.   #3 AND # 4 -- LOOK AT REALITY 12:49  |  Mohamed Malleck 01/09/07   6.   Mohamed Malleck 14:41  |  Joseph Goldman 01/09/07   7.   THE WAY TO PEACE 15:36  |  Mohamed Malleck 01/09/07   8.   Car accident 18:49  |  Serge 01/09/07   9.   WHAT IS THE POINT? 20:08  |  indrajaya 01/09/07   10.   Eric Yoffie 21:19  |  Bill 01/09/07   11.   Yoffie keeps showing why Reform is dead 04:33  |  Baruch 02/09/07   12.   Ignorance knows no boundaries 05:14  |  Denton 02/09/07   13.   To Denton of Ozark 11:11  |  Advocate 02/09/07   14.   # 9, FAKE INDRAJAYA 11:19  |  indrajaya 02/09/07   15.   Reform Jews at risk 13:31  |  Kay 02/09/07   16.   # 13 Advocate 16:07  |  Lynn 02/09/07   17.   Like Mencken said 2... 16:58  |  W 02/09/07   18.   Response 19:19  |  Philip Timko 02/09/07   19.   # 18 Philip Timko 22:18  |  Mohamed Malleck 02/09/07   20.   # 19 APOLOGIES 23:34  |  Mohamed Malleck 02/09/07   21.   #13, Advocate 23:56  |  Denton 02/09/07   22.   Rabbi Eric Yoffie is a deluded fool 02:47  |  FLLegal 03/09/07   23.   More Reform Hubris 07:59  |  Mireya Siquieros 03/09/07   24.   # 14, FAKE INDRAJAYA 08:01  |  Indrajaya 03/09/07   25.   EX MUSLIMS 16:31  |  Sandra 03/09/07   26.   #25 Sandra on EX Muslims 17:11  |  Lynn 03/09/07   27.   On the contrary, ex-Muslims are enlightning 20:15  |  Denton 03/09/07   28.   # 25, 26, 27 -- Lynn, Sandra, Denton 22:58  |  Mohamed Malleck 03/09/07   29.   Reform Judaism Demonized in Isreal 08:31  |  ghostoflutherblisset 04/09/07   30.   Thanks, Mohamed 09:04  |  Denton 04/09/07   31.   I`ll Tell You Something About Christian Fundamentalists 09:04  |  Yosemite 04/09/07   32.   Not to beat a dead horse, but fo rthe sake of clarification 09:35  |  Denton 04/09/07   33.   Abolish all religions 15:23  |  Muslim 04/09/07   34.   #32 POOR DENTON -- HIT A RAW NERVE, DID I? 18:01  |  Mohamed Malleck 04/09/07   35.   #33, a stupid point of view 18:12  |  Baruch 04/09/07   36.   Muslim 33, that wouldn`t work 18:30  |  Denton 04/09/07   37.   You didn`t hit anything, Mohamed, a nerve or the truth! 18:50  |  Denton 04/09/07   38.   Religion is for the simple-minded like yourself 18:55  |  Muslim 04/09/07   39.   Mohamed Malleck on Hatred 19:16  |  Lynn 04/09/07   40.   # 37 Then why call YOURSELF Muslim? 19:21  |  Lynn 04/09/07   41.   #38, another stupid comment 20:18  |  Baruch 04/09/07   42.   The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions 23:31  |  massaraksh 04/09/07   43.   #40 Lynn You`re Right! 23:32  |  Yosemite 04/09/07   44.   To Joseph Goldman 00:37  |  Persian Kitty 05/09/07   45.   Rabbi Yoffie is right 03:16  |  Geoff 05/09/07   46.   To Persian Kitty:We`re Not Enemies of the Great Iranian People 06:13  |  massaraksh 05/09/07   47.   To Geoff and Persian Kitty 06:58  |  Denton 05/09/07   48.   We don`t want to know anymore about Islam 07:09  |  Steve D. 05/09/07   49.   Sheer Lunacy 18:37  |  Sojourner 06/09/07   50.   more jewish lies 07:31  |  sean 09/09/07   51.   Rabbi Yoffie and the ISNA 23:30  |  Marla 12/09/07   52.   Yoffie - This Guy Speaks for Himself 00:24  |  Tod Zuckerman 18/02/08

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