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New York Times - October 6, 2007
Boston Jew and West Bank Muslim build a temple
By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas - Just before the school year started in August 1971, Bill Feldman steered his Volvo amid the pickup trucks and horse trailers of small-town Arkansas, bound for his first job as a math professor. He was coming to the Bible Belt as a Jew reared in a Boston suburb, a scholar educated in Canada and Europe. To ease the culture shock, an uncle had given him three jars of kosher pickles for the trip.
The same month, 19-year-old Fadil Bayyari boarded the first plane of his life, carrying falafel from his mother for the journey from Tulkarem in the West Bank to Roosevelt University in Chicago. He handed a taxi driver at O’Hare the college’s address and was relieved of a month’s spending money when the cabby took the naïve newcomer downtown more or less by way of Indiana.
All these decades later, destiny or providence or something has delivered Mr. Feldman and Mr. Bayyari to the same acre of land at the bottom of one of Fayetteville’s many hills. There Mr. Bayyari, now a general contractor, will build the first permanent temple for the Reform Jewish congregation in Fayetteville, of which Mr. Feldman is president. And Mr. Bayyari, a Palestinian-American Muslim, is doing the job at no charge. Without his sacrifice, the congregation probably could not afford the project at all.
“To me, it’s a place of worship,” said Mr. Bayyari, 55. “In my mind and in my religion, I believe in Judaism as part of Islam. We believe in Abraham. We believe in Moses. In the Koran, there’s lots of talk about Isaac and Joseph. I am always fascinated by this, and I always feel I have a relationship with this faith. And knowing what’s happened in the Middle East, what better way to build bridges?”
For Mr. Feldman, the bond with Mr. Bayyari felt especially resonant during Rosh Hashana. One of the Torah readings told of God’s protection of Hagar and Ishmael in the desert, after Sarah had banished them as rivals for Abraham’s love. Muslims, of course, trace their lineage back through Ishmael.
“The humanity of it is thrilling,” Mr. Feldman, 62, said of Mr. Bayyari’s gesture. “We’re thinking not only of our temple but of continuing the relationships with Muslims. We hope to accomplish an understanding. We hope to ultimately bring peace.”
By coincidence, the congregation was named Temple Shalom — “peace” in Hebrew and linguistically close to “salaam” in Arabic — from the time of its founding in 1981. Now the Web site for its permanent building is atempleofpeace.com, and the congregation has committed to raising a million dollars to endow programs with an emphasis on interfaith efforts. Mr. Bayyari’s decision to forgo payment will save Temple Shalom at least $250,000……..
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/06religion.html
Ann Arbor News - October 06, 2007
Jews, Muslims meet to discuss their faiths
Sometimes it takes a coincidence to spark a good idea. That's why a group of Jews and Muslims gathered Friday evening at the Ann Arbor (Michigan) home of Aaron and Aura Ahuvia to pray, break bread and learn about what their faiths have in common.
The coincidence was the starting dates this year of one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah (or the Jewish New Year), and Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and spiritual reflection.
Ramadan started on Sept. 13. The celebration of Rosh Hashanah started on Sept. 12, followed by Yom Kippur Sept. 22. We wanted to jointly have something together since it's the peak spiritual season for both our faiths,'' said Dawud Walid of Detroit, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan, who attended the gathering.
Both groups offered prayers Friday, and Muslims at the gathering broke the fast they had been keeping since before sunrise.
"I think I want to be where people are making a bridge between different communities,'' said Odile Hugonot-Haber of Ann Arbor, another participant at the gathering. "We have more in common than we have apart.''
Tammam Alwan, a Michigan State University student who grew up in West Bloomfield, said getting together to discuss the similarities between the two religions would "further understanding between two very important faiths in (America).''
While political conflict between Jews and Muslims in the Mideast may be a backdrop to Jewish-Muslim relations in this country, the focus Friday was on the spiritual commonalties. In particular, the group planned to focus on the story of Moses and the Jewish captivity in Egypt, Walid said…..
http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1191652877278860.xml&coll=2
New York Daily News - October 2, 2007
Jews and Muslims join to oppose McCain remarks
By Richard Sisk
WASHINGTON – Jewish groups lined up with Arab and Muslim organizations yesterday to hammer Sen. John McCain for calling the U.S. a “Christian nation” that should have a Christian President.
McCain’s remarks were “disappointing and disturbing to say the least,” said Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League. He called on the Arizona Republican to retract them.
“Absolutely nothing in the Constitution establishes that the U.S. is a Christian nation,” Foxman said, “nor is it accurate to say that this nation was founded on Christian principles.”
The American Jewish Committee also challenged McCain’s statements last week to the religion and faith Web site Beliefnet in which he said that while he wouldn’t rule out a non-Christian President, a Christian is preferable because, “I just feel that that’s an important part of our qualifications to lead.”
In a statement later, McCain Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker said the rights and values in the Constitution were “rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition.” That was all McCain was trying to convey, she said, “and it is hardly a controversial claim.”
A Jewish colleague, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), defended McCain, saying “he does not have a bigoted bone in his body.”
But American Jewish Committee general counsel Jeffrey Sinensky said, “To argue that America is a Christian nation, or that persons of a particular faith should by reason of their faith not seek high office, puts the very character of our country at stake.”
McCain’s comments earlier drew fire from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. James Zogby, head of the Arab American Institute, yesterday charged that McCain was following other GOP presidential hopefuls in pandering to the religious right. “They’re jumping all over each other to be the most Christian candidate,” Zogby said. He called McCain “Cheney without the nuance.”
http://www.aaiusa.org/press-room/3320/jews-and-muslims-join-to-oppose-mccain-remarks
San Francisco Chronicle - October 4, 2007
Annual Ramadan dinner:
Bush says U.S. stands with Muslims
By CHRISTINE SIMMONS
WASHINGTON - The United States has a proud history of standing with Muslims and "mainstream citizens across the broader Middle East," President Bush said Thursday during a dinner to mark the end of the daily fast during Ramadan.
Speaking to about 90 attendees during the White House's annual iftar dinner marking the occasion, Bush said the United States has supported Muslims seeking liberty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon and has stood with Muslims across the world facing hardship. He said violent extremists do not represent Islam.
"They believe that by spreading chaos and violence they can frustrate the desire of Muslims to live in freedom and peace. We say to them, you don't represent Muslims, you do not represent Islam — and you will not succeed," Bush told the attendees, who included Muslim leaders and ambassadors, as well as first lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
This is the seventh year Bush has hosted an itfar dinner, this year inviting American Muslim women who have made contributions in fields such as science, education, civil society and the arts and culture, according to the White House.
Lt. Cmdr. Abuhena Saifulislam, the second Muslim chaplain commissioned in the Navy, gave the blessing for dinner, which included roasted kabocha squash soup, spiced rack of lamb and mamoul cookies. The guests dined in the White House's State Dining Room.
"Let us celebrate the millions of Muslims that we are proud to call American citizens," Bush told guests. "And let us honor the many Muslim nations that America is proud to call friends."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/04/national/w184953D39.DTL
CAIR Bulletin - October 8, 2007
4 CAIR clients gain citizenship following delay
Chicago, Oct. 8, 2007 - The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced today that four of its clients have recently been sworn in as citizens following lengthy delays.
By law, the time between the final steps of the immigration process and naturalization should be no more than 120 days. However, even after successfully going through the standard process, an increasing number of cases are delayed for as long as three years. Government officials say that heightened security measures have led to a longer, more complex immigration and naturalization procedure.
One of CAIR-Chicago's clients applied for citizenship in December 2004. Although he was a U.S. resident for six years and successfully completed the naturalization interview and passed the exam, his application was delayed for almost three years beyond the 120 day mark.
In a similar case, about two years after successful completion of the citizenship exam in early 2004, another client turned to CAIR-Chicago. A case was filed on his behalf, followed by settlement negotiations with opposing council. The case was resolved on September 25, 2007. Soon after, on September 28, a third CAIR-Chicago client was sworn in after a similar delay of about two years.
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