First Jewish/Muslim
Professorship to be Launched in Chicago
By Susan Bradford
In a global community
in which an ill-spoken word or careless action on one side
of the planet can ricochet to the other, Jews and Muslims
must come together to dialogue, forge understandings, and
work collaboratively towards peace. In an effort to enhance
Jewish-Muslim relations, the world’s first visiting
professorship in Jewish/Muslim Dialogue will be launched
jointly next month by the University of Illinois at Chicago
and the Chicago-Kent School of Law.
This position follows the public diplomacy of Undersecretary
Karen Hughes and a number of symbolic and substantive developments
in Jewish/Muslim relations, which have been initiated by
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Chair of Islamic Studies at
American University who has been described by the BBC as
“the world’s leading authority on contemporary
Islam.”
Having served as a catalyst for this initiative, Ahmed will
deliver two inaugural lectures on the “importance
of Jewish/Muslim dialogue” November 28 and 29 in Chicago.
“This comes at a critical time in world history when
the world religions cannot afford to have conflict,”
Ahmed said. “A rumor of the Qur’an’s desecration
at Guantanamo Bay can easily foment riots, killings, and
terrorism in other parts of the world.”
Therefore, Ahmed said, there is a need to build bridges
between Muslims and Jews. As Ahmed points out, messengers
in the Old and New Testament, including Abraham, Moses,
and Jesus, are highly revered and provide a theological
foundation for Islam.
The new initiative builds on Ahmed’s work in interfaith
dialogue, which led to the unity march in the nation’s
capitol. On the anniversary of 9/11, Ahmed was joined by
his colleagues, Washington Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Bruce
Lustig and Washington Bishop John, and followers of various
faiths, for a reverential walk to churches, synagogues,
and mosques. “The message to the world from Washington,
DC needs to be one of peace, unity, and compassion,”
Ahmed said.
Ahmed’s journey has not been an easy one. When he
first initiated interfaith dialogues in the United States,
Ahmed received death threats and hate mail. Lustig and Chane
were similarly maligned.
However, Ahmed persevered, joining UCLA Professor Judea
Pearl - the father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter
Daniel Pearl -- in a series of public Muslim-Jewish dialogues
across the country and abroad, dramatically impacting relations
between Israel and the Muslim world.
At one of Ahmed’s recent dialogues with Pearl in Ottawa,
for example, the Pakistani and Israeli ambassador were publicly
seen sitting side by side. Israeli and Pakistani Counsel
Generals - representing predominantly Jewish and Muslim
countries respectively - participated in another interfaith
dialogue. At the United Nations Summit, moreover, Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon shook hands, even though neither country has formal
ties with the other. Undersecretary Karen Hughes has also
expressed interest in joining Ahmed, Chane, and Lustig in
interfaith dialogue.
Ahmed has met President Bush, the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, and Hughes and is helping shape America’s
public diplomacy towards the Muslim world. Notably, during
her recent listening tour to the Middle East, Hughes stressed
interfaith dialogue. “As the world’s superpower,
the United States must set the moral standard on how other
countries treat and perceive Muslims,”Ahmed said.
While Ahmed is working tirelessly to improve interfaith
dialogue and the way in which countries and individuals
of other faiths engage Islam, he also has appealed to his
fellow Muslims to categorically condemn violence and marginalize
those in their communities who support terrorist activities.
A highly sought speaker in Muslim circles, Ahmed is unique
in that he delivers the same message of compassion and dialogue
to both Muslim and Western audiences. He reminds Muslims
of the peaceful, loving core of their faith, exemplified
by the 13th-century Sufi poet Jalauddin Muhammad Ar-Rumi,
who extols both the Prophet Muhammed and Jesus. “We,
as a global community, are at crossroads and can either
choose the path of violence or the path of peace,”
Ahmed said.
Ahmed noted with humility the honor he felt as a Muslim
when he was described by Chief Rabbi of the UK, Dr. Jonathan
Sacks, as a “role model of supreme grace and dignity”
for Muslims. This unprecedented recognition by a Jew towards
a Muslim is not something Ahmed takes lightly. Once a solitary
voice urging interfaith dialogue, Ahmed is finally realizing
the fruits of his efforts. “My mission is far from
over,” he said. “I appeal to Jews, Muslims,
and Christians alike to work with us, to help us.”
The newly minted Jewish/Muslim professorship is a step in
that direction.
(Susan Bradford is a prominent journalist and writer who
has worked for Fox News Channel, CBS News, PBS Red Car Film
Project, City News Service, and the European Review)
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