WASHINGTON (RNS) More than two dozen rabbis and imams from nine European nations pledged to jointly fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in their home countries at a meeting at the White House Thursday (July 23).
The visit came at the conclusion of a four-day tour of New York and Washington that was organized by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
In a signed declaration, the delegation pledged “with God’s help” to “do everything we can to prevent the spread of extremism in the name of any faith — including our own.”
The clerics agreed that “sustained and ongoing contact is vitally important for both the Muslim and Jewish communities in the societies in which we live…”
The trans-Atlantic trip is part of the foundation’s push to expand their American interfaith dialogues in Europe.
While in Washington, the leaders met with the two Muslim members of Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., as well as Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who is Jewish. They also toured the Holocaust Museum and the State Department; in New York, the group visited Ellis Island, the United Nations and Ground Zero.
The next round of cooperation will take place in November, when the clerics join the foundation’s “Weekend of Twinning” that matches local mosques and synagogues for interreligious programs. Last year’s inaugural twinning program involved 50 mosques and 50 synagogues in the U.S.
“By expanding to Europe what has already been a successful and groundbreaking twinning initiative in the United States, we together will combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism to promote mutual understanding and productive cooperation through dialogue,” Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the foundation, said in a statement.
The foundation was started 20 years ago to promote good relations between ethnic communities. The Jewish and Muslim leaders came to the event from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
