If you read “A Message From God,” you’ll come to understand that I flat out refuse to believe that God only spoke to one group of people and everybody else is going to hell. I think God is speaking to all of us right where we are — and that there are things that Christians, athiests, Buddhists and Native Americans can learn from one another. And of course, there are things Muslims can learn from Jews and vice versa . . . if we can just get reasonable people of faith to just sit down and talk to one another.
Well, that’s what’s happening right now in New York and Washington, DC — a conference that’s brought together Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis for a discussion on combating the anger and fear between the two. Check out these different links for perspective from U.S. journalists, as well as those from Jewish and Muslim news sites.
Haaretz (which may show how peace efforts can be so easily derailed by one person making a harsh remark).
What got me onto this story was a piece I read by Russell Simmons on the Huffington Post. I love to hear celebrities talk about things we’re not used to hearing them talk about . . . particularly things of substance, and even more particularly, issues of faith.
Russell Simmons, literally the kingmaker behind the original hip hop Kings of Rock RUN-DMC, has gone on to be successful in a variety of other fields, including fashion (Phat Farm, baby phat), television (Def Comedy Jam) & music (Def Jam Records). With so much street cred and connection to young pop culture, it can be easy to overlook that Russell Simmons is also a 52-year-old successful businessman with a wealth of life experiences. And he writes pretty eloquently, I might add:
It is a simple fact that all human beings have the same aspirations, wants, needs and desires. I believe that when leading men of faith get in a room to discuss tolerance and respect, it’s easy to make great progress. The hard part is getting them in the room.
So what else does “Rush” have to say about this effort among European imams and rabbis? Well, in addition to helping coordinate this meeting of the minds . . . read for yourself:
