The men who weren’t there
This week in the New Jersey Jewish News:
I want to know: Am I man enough for synagogue?
State leaders applaud Congressional bill recognizing the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
Soccer moms, Reform Jews, Chabadniks, Jewish mothers, teenagers, and yoga instructors get the once-over in a new novel by Baristanet founder Debra Galant.
Rabbi Alan Brill sees promise in Muslim-Jewish dialogue:
American Jews who fail to see an immediate purpose to any interfaith encounter with Islam must remember that dialogue is a long-term process. They should also know that extremists on either side are not part of dialogue; rather, dialogue aims to remove the ground from beneath extremists.
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JustASC is written by Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of the 
April 5th, 2008 at 2:24 am
The reason that Jewish-Christian dialogue has been so successful is that Jews and Christians share many of the same values. Where there has been Christian anti-Semitism, Jews could appeal to Christians to act more “Christian.” This is similar to blacks during the civil rights movement pushing whites to live up to the values stated in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
Ultimately Christians can’t obey the command to love their neighbor if they tolerate hatred toward the Jew next door. Americans couldn’t declare all men to be equal while denying that equality to men with black skin.
Unfortunately, interfaith dialogue will not result in changes to Muslim attitudes toward Jews. There is no basis within Islamic values for treating the infidel, whether Jewish or Christian, with respect, dignity and equality.
While Christians are implored to love their neighbor and Americans to treat all men equally under the law, Islam demands its followers fight the Infidels until the whole world submits to the supremacy of Islam. The most important act for any Muslim male is participating in Jihad. Only someone killed fighting for Allah is guaranteed a place in heaven. Sharia law codifies both gender and religious apartheid.
So then, why does someone like King Abdullah seek interfaith dialogue? He fears that many in the West are learning about Islam and the societies of the Middle East, discovering the hatred taught in Saudi-sponsored Western mosques and becoming more aware of bigotry and incitement to violence found in the media and scholastic text books in Arab countries.
The Saudis certainly don’t want to lose access to American universities, doctors and financial investments. They also know that by sponsoring interfaith dialogue, Western governments will be less likely to take the necessary defensive measures to prevent the continuing spread of Islam throughout the bilad al-kuffar at a time when said dialogue brings hopes of better relations.
What better way for the Gulf Arabs to portray moderation than in reaching out to Jews. They know that there are many Jews, so eager to be loved and accepted, who will jump at the opportunity to meet the Saudis despite not the slightest shred of evidence of sincerity. Then those same Jews tell their fellow Americans, including Jews in newspapers like this, what wonderful progress is possible in solving Middle East conflicts and reducing Muslim anti-Semitism. Heck, some Rabbis and newspaper editors, so thrilled to be indulged by despotic Saudi bigots, might even explain the “Arab narrative” to other Westerners, including all the wonderful things the Saudis are supposedly doing to modernize their country, promote moderation and give women more rights.
Meanwhile, the Saudis and friends will keep right on teaching their children not to take Christians and Jews as friends, honoring suicide bombers and funding hate literature for mosques around the world. They will continue to publish and broadcast genocidal anti-Semitic material in their media. King Abdullah’s government will still fund Muslim student groups on US college campuses to demonize Israel and advocacy groups such as CAIR that continue to defend the Islamists and slander Israel.
And then the Saudis will back off from the dialogue after it serves its public relations purpose, but before the Muslim masses accuse them of apostasy, without any positive gains for the Jews. Nothing will change, except that the charade caused the US, Western Europe and Israel to let down their guard a little more, not based on Saudi/Arab actions, but because of a few false promises and a few pleasing (but untrue) platitudes about the peaceful nature of Islam.
In the event this dialogue ever takes place, you can come back and read this comment. Things will not turn out any other way.
One more thing: let’s say the Saudis were genuinely interested in showing a little more respect for Judaism. Should we really be running to embrace a society that executes gays, treats women as less than fully human, cuts off limbs from people who steal a loaf of bread, stones to death women who have the misfortune of being raped or accused of adultery. shows no generosity toward its poorer Arab brothers who live in countries without oil and treats its foreign workers, particularly the non-Muslim ones, as little more than slaves?