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Justpeace Blog
A forum for those interested in Justpeace discussions.Monday, September 21, 2009
Muslim, Jewish communities share worship space
Muslim, Jewish communities share worship space
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
By Jessica Gresko ASSOCIATED PRESS
On Friday afternoons, the people coming to pray at this building take off their shoes, unfurl rugs to kneel on and pray in Arabic. The ones who come Friday evenings put on yarmulkes, light candles and pray in Hebrew.
The building is a synagogue on a tree-lined street in Northern Virginia, but for the past few weeks - during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - it has also been doubling daily as a mosque. Synagogue members suggested their building after hearing the Muslim congregation was planning to rent a place for overflow crowds.
"People look to the Jewish-Muslim relationship as conflict," said All Dulles Area Muslim Society Imam Mohamed Magid, adding it's usually disputes between the two groups in the Middle East that make news. "Here is a story that shatters the stereotype."
Mr. Magid, who grew up in Sudan, said he did not meet someone who was Jewish until after he had moved to the United States in his 20s, and he never imagined having such a close relationship with a rabbi. But he said the relationship with the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation has affected him and his members. Beyond being tolerant, the synagogue and its members have been welcoming.
He said one member of the mosque told him, "Next time I see a Jewish person I will not look at them the same."
Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, who leads the Reform congregation of about 500 families, said the relationship works both ways.
"You really only get to know someone when you invite them into your home ... you learn to recognize their faces. You learn the names of their children," Mr. Nosanchuk said.
The prayer gatherings are held in the building's social hall, which is used by the synagogue for a range of activities from educational programs to dance classes and receptions.
Both the synagogue and the mosque have a history of sharing space with other religious groups. People coming to Friday night services at the synagogue sometimes park in an adjoining church's parking lot; on Sundays, sometimes churchgoers park behind the synagogue.
And the mosque has rented space from others since it was founded in 1983. Members have prayed in a recreation center, a high school, an office building and, for a long time, a church. As the mosque has grown, however, it has needed more space. In 2002 the community opened its own building in Sterling, Va. It holds 900 people for prayers, but the community has satellite locations to accommodate more people: a hotel, a banquet hall and even a second synagogue, Beth Chaverim Reform Congregation, in Ashburn, Va.
The community began renting space at the two synagogues in 2008. They began holding daily prayers at the Ashburn synagogue and prayers on Friday afternoons, the week's main prayer service, at the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation.
This is the first year, however, they have rented space at the synagogue for the daily prayers for Ramadan, which began at the end of August. More than 100 people come to the daily services, which are held from 9 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. except for Friday, when the services are in the afternoon. The society pays the synagogue $300 a day.
The partnership isn't entirely new. The two communities have held occasional events together going back a decade, including dialogues and community service. Still, some members of both communities were unsure of how things would work at first.
"When they rented the place, I was surprised. But then after that, when I came here and saw how nicely everything is set up and how well done it is ... I am very happy with it," said mosque member Ambreen Ahmed.
AP videographer Tracy Brown contributed to this report.
Story: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/17/muslim-jewish-communities-share-worship-space-duri/
Story: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/17/muslim-jewish-communities-share-worship-space-duri/
posted by cbs # 9/21/2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Statement on the call for suspension of peace talks with MILF
Statement on the call for suspension of peace talks with MILF by Senator Rodolfo Biazon
The large scale displacement of people due to the resumption of the armed conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in August 2008, has been reported by the Geneva based Internal Displaced Monitoring Center as the highest number of newly displaced people in the world and the most neglected (internal displacement situation) in 2008. Of the 700,000 IDPs more than 250,000 still remain displaced after a year of renewed hostilities.
Situations of burned houses, meager belongings and farmlands destroyed, and many of their children no longer in school has created deep wounds and made the lives of the civilians miserable. Also, cases of human rights violations occurring everywhere have added to the worsening scenario. In effect, IDPs still spending their second Ramadan in evacuation centers in deplorable conditions with limited access to food and livelihoods make their observance of fasting most difficult.
The recent SOMO of the government and the MILF's SOMA, have raised hopes for the IDP's to safely retun to their villages and starts a new life.
However, with the Senate Resolution No. 1281 introduced by Senate Defense Committee chair Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon (if approved by the senate) these renewed hopes and the excitement of IDPs to return home will be in vain. And all the efforts of the civil society who worked long and hard for the resumption of the peace talks will all be trashed. The proposed Suspension of the Resumption of the Peace Talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is counter productive to the on going peace efforts of both the government and the MILF including the efforts of the peace advocates that gained tremendous support from several peace groups in the country and abroad.
The alleged treachery shown by the MILF, which led to the death of 23 soldiers in an encounter in Basilan province on August 12, 2009 as bases of the Hon. Senator to suspend the peace talks, is an allegation that needs to be proven through an impartial investigation by an independent fact finding body. This problem will be addressed if the ceasefire mechanism that has been already emplaced in the ground will be activated.
History tells us that this conflict in Mindanao cannot be resolved through the use of force; in less than a year, the government spent almost 2 billion pesos in its recent military operations against the so called 3 rogue members of the MILF but the subjects of the manhunt are still at large.
With this, we challenge the good senator to demonstrate his alternative to peace talks should his proposal be adopted in the senate. Does he mean to go to war? And cause more destruction of lives and property? More hungry mouths to feed and more children deprived of education and a normal life? If that is so, then the good senator will be isolated as the world denounces violence as a solution to any conflict particularly the political and sovereignty based problem, such as the Bangsamoro problem in Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan.
Abdulbasit R. Benito
Executive Director
Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Phil's. Inc. (BCJP)
Int. 003-c, Don S. Sero Street
Rosary Heights 4
Cotabato City
Philippines
Tel. N o. (064) 390 2726
Executive Director
Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Phil's. Inc. (BCJP)
Int. 003-c, Don S. Sero Street
Rosary Heights 4
Cotabato City
Philippines
Tel. N o. (064) 390 2726
posted by cbs # 9/16/2009
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