Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement
Encyclopedia
The Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement(CMJE) is a faith-based coalition
whose stated mission is to "promote dialogue, understanding and grassroots, congregational and academic partnerships among the oldest and the newest of the Abrahamic faiths while generating a contemporary understanding in this understudied area and creating new tools for interfaith
communities locally, nationally and beyond."
(HUC), the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation and USC
's Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The foresight of USC President Steven B. Sample
and his actions of increasing harmony amongst USC and its neighbors was necessary for CMJE’s inception. The project began with a friendship between Mr. Dafer Dakhil, Dr. Donald Miller, Ms. Brie Loskota, and Reuven Firestone back in 2002. Since 2005, the quartet has been responsible for holding two international conferences, educating visiting Islamic scholars, hosting programs with collegiate scholars, and creating a pathway for USC, HUC and members of Masjid Omar Ibn Al-Khattab to interact. It was officially created in 2008.
CMJE is a hub of resources, experience and expertise aiming to improve the understanding of Muslims and Jews about each other’s religion
and find common ground in order to engage with one another on mutually important issues and concerns. It also specializes in training for inter-religious outreach professionals, is an on-line resource center for materials on Jewish-Muslim relations, and is an academic think tank
. The Center’s vision is to serve as a model for respect and partnership world-wide, while advancing the understanding of the shared history of these two peoples. Its belief is that a common vision is possible and the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement works to ensure that mutual understanding becomes the norm.
in order to portray perspectives from both religions. Topics by these authored scholars include Abraham
, women, human rights
, Religious Holy War
, Sharia
, and much more. In addition, there is information about heritage, shared traditions and values. The goal of these resources is to provide a solid one-stop reference for Muslims and Jewish people who are interested in learning about one another. In addition, the CMJE site has a robust compendium of the Qu'ran, Hadith
, Talmud
and Hebrew Bible
. English translations are available. It has become the leading source for English translations for the Qu'ran and the Hadith, being cited throughout the internet.
The Center has also released its own study based on survey results taken during November 2009. The study demonstrated the exponential increase in the number of Muslim-Jewish dialogue groups following the 9/11 tragedies. These emerging groups are operated primarily by volunteers and many of the groups fail to raise more than $250 dollars annually.
Recently CMJE has opened up a YouTube
channel and have stocked it with videos containing short interviews and addresses from Dr. Firestone and Dr. Osman. The videos address topics such as Apostasy, Interfaith Friendship, Historic relationships between Islam
and Judaism
, Medieval History etc.
This expansion in multimedia
is taken as a sign of what CMJE has in store for the future, which includes a more interactive website containing videos.
at various synagogue
s and mosque
s in fall/winter 2010. This is based on earlier pilot programs that were successful.
These text-studies will address the following topics: Creationism
, the story of Moses
, prayer, the afterlife
, and gender
. CMJE's goal here is to create a network - composed of individuals from both faiths - who work together to find common understandings within their religious texts that will be long-lasting.
came to USC in order to voice his discontent in regards to the alleged presence of Islamofascism
on the campus. His primary point of concern was a verse from the Hadith which was found on the CMJE's website in their compendium of Muslim Texts. The verse that Horowitz had an issue with was “The hour of judgment will only come when Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, when the Jews hide behind the rocks and the trees, and the rocks and the trees cry out, ‘O Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.'."
The verses remain on the site, because of CMJE's policy on presenting authentic translations.
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
whose stated mission is to "promote dialogue, understanding and grassroots, congregational and academic partnerships among the oldest and the newest of the Abrahamic faiths while generating a contemporary understanding in this understudied area and creating new tools for interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
communities locally, nationally and beyond."
Mission and history
The Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement (CMJE) is made possible through help from the Righteous Persons Foundation and the relationship between Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of ReligionHebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
(HUC), the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation and USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The foresight of USC President Steven B. Sample
Steven Sample
Steven Browning Sample was the 10th president of the University of Southern California . He became president in 1991 and was succeeded by C.L. Max Nikias on August 3, 2010.-Background:Sample holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D...
and his actions of increasing harmony amongst USC and its neighbors was necessary for CMJE’s inception. The project began with a friendship between Mr. Dafer Dakhil, Dr. Donald Miller, Ms. Brie Loskota, and Reuven Firestone back in 2002. Since 2005, the quartet has been responsible for holding two international conferences, educating visiting Islamic scholars, hosting programs with collegiate scholars, and creating a pathway for USC, HUC and members of Masjid Omar Ibn Al-Khattab to interact. It was officially created in 2008.
CMJE is a hub of resources, experience and expertise aiming to improve the understanding of Muslims and Jews about each other’s religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and find common ground in order to engage with one another on mutually important issues and concerns. It also specializes in training for inter-religious outreach professionals, is an on-line resource center for materials on Jewish-Muslim relations, and is an academic think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
. The Center’s vision is to serve as a model for respect and partnership world-wide, while advancing the understanding of the shared history of these two peoples. Its belief is that a common vision is possible and the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement works to ensure that mutual understanding becomes the norm.
Educational material
CMJE prides itself on an extensive resource library found on its website. On average there are 3,700 visitors daily. The website contains scholarly articles written by Dr. Reuven Firestone and Dr. Fathi OsmanFathi Osman
Mohamed Fathi Osman was an Egyptian author and scholar who advocated on behalf of cooperation between Islam and other religions and whose writings include an overview of the Koran for the general public....
in order to portray perspectives from both religions. Topics by these authored scholars include Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, women, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, Religious Holy War
Holy war
Holy war may refer to:* A religious war led with an exceptionally high grade of religious feeling* The Crusades, 11th, 12th, and 13th-century religiously sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against the Muslim Middle East....
, Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, and much more. In addition, there is information about heritage, shared traditions and values. The goal of these resources is to provide a solid one-stop reference for Muslims and Jewish people who are interested in learning about one another. In addition, the CMJE site has a robust compendium of the Qu'ran, Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. English translations are available. It has become the leading source for English translations for the Qu'ran and the Hadith, being cited throughout the internet.
The Center has also released its own study based on survey results taken during November 2009. The study demonstrated the exponential increase in the number of Muslim-Jewish dialogue groups following the 9/11 tragedies. These emerging groups are operated primarily by volunteers and many of the groups fail to raise more than $250 dollars annually.
Recently CMJE has opened up a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel and have stocked it with videos containing short interviews and addresses from Dr. Firestone and Dr. Osman. The videos address topics such as Apostasy, Interfaith Friendship, Historic relationships between Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Medieval History etc.
This expansion in multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
is taken as a sign of what CMJE has in store for the future, which includes a more interactive website containing videos.
Future projects
CMJE will be launching a series of text-study programs throughout Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at various synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s in fall/winter 2010. This is based on earlier pilot programs that were successful.
These text-studies will address the following topics: Creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
, the story of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, prayer, the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
, and gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
. CMJE's goal here is to create a network - composed of individuals from both faiths - who work together to find common understandings within their religious texts that will be long-lasting.
Controversy
On November 4, 2009 conservative political advocate David HorowitzDavid Horowitz
David Joel Horowitz is an American conservative writer and policy advocate. Horowitz was raised by parents who were both members of the American Communist Party. Between 1956 and 1975, Horowitz was an outspoken adherent of the New Left before rejecting Marxism completely...
came to USC in order to voice his discontent in regards to the alleged presence of Islamofascism
Islamofascism
The term Islamofascism is a neologism which draws an analogy between the ideological characteristics of specific Islamist movements from the turn of the 21st century on, and a broad range of European fascist movements of the early 20th century, neofascist movements, or totalitarianism.-Origins of...
on the campus. His primary point of concern was a verse from the Hadith which was found on the CMJE's website in their compendium of Muslim Texts. The verse that Horowitz had an issue with was “The hour of judgment will only come when Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, when the Jews hide behind the rocks and the trees, and the rocks and the trees cry out, ‘O Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.'."
The verses remain on the site, because of CMJE's policy on presenting authentic translations.
External links
- http://crcc.usc.edu/initiatives/cmje/
- http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/
- http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/