Muslims Reach Out To Jews

The Telegraph reports that "an international group of Muslim leaders have sent a letter to the world's Jewish community appealing for better relationships between the faiths."

The contents of the letter explain that the undesirable state of Jewish-Muslims relations is a product of misinformation and misunderstandings. Pointing to a common ground, the letter calls for reconciliation between the two faiths.

"There is more in common between our religions and peoples than is known to each of us. It is precisely due to the urgent need to address such political problems as well as acknowledge our shared values that the establishment of an inter-religious dialogue between Jews and Muslims in our time is extremely important.

"Failure to do so will be a missed opportunity. Memories of positive historical encounters will dim and the current problems will lead to an increasing rift and more common misunderstandings between us."

Writing in Jewcy, Ali Eteraz observes that while the letter is an important "baby step" in the right direction, the fight against anti-semitism among Muslims is going to demand a bit more.

"If there is a hope for a reduction to anti-Semitism among Muslims, there will have to be more letters of harmony until Arab, Iranian and Indo-Pak scholars feel emboldened enough to take a stand on the matter as well. However, there will also have to be genuine scholarly works that deconstruct the various anti-Semitic interpretations that scholars have assigned to Jews in the past. An honest and modern interpretation of texts is as necessary as conciliatory letters."