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Prominent imam and rabbi visit NYC campuses together to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia [1]
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Date: 2023-11-18
Amid rising tensions on campuses across the country over the Israel-Hamas war, a prominent rabbi and imam have been meeting with Jewish and Muslim student leaders at New York City campuses on a mission to combat both antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali, whose friendship dates back nearly 20 years, have been working to promote tolerance among students at colleges and universities that are part of the City University of New York system. They said they were concerned about the rise in threats against Jewish and Muslim students at college campuses and universities, such as the Cornell University student who was arrested on Oct. 31 on federal charges for posting warnings to kill or injure Jewish students.
RELATED STORY: Antisemitism surges as Jewish college students across the US face hate and violent threats
Add you name here to combat Islamophobia and here to combat antisemitism.
Rabbi Schneier is the founder and senior rabbi at The Hampton Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation, in Westhampton Beach, New York. In 1989, the rabbi established the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. The group’s original mission was to rebuild the historic Black-Jewish alliance forged during the Civil Rights movement, but later expanded its work to building Muslim-Jewish relations globally. He is also the former chair of the U.S. branch of the World Jewish Congress.
Imam Ali, who was born in Indonesia, is the director of the Jamaican Muslim Center in Queens, New York, one of the largest mosques in New York City. A few days after the 9/11 attack, New York City chose Imam Ali to represent the Muslim community on President George W. Bush’s interfaith visit to Ground Zero. He has received numerous awards for his efforts to foster interfaith dialogue.
Their efforts to build Muslim-Jewish relations led to Rabbi Schneier being named honorary grand marshal of the 2017 Muslim Day Parade in New York City—the first time in the parade’s history that a Jewish leader was granted this honor.
That the two could work together is remarkable given their backgrounds, which were detailed in a 2013 book they co-authored titled “Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues that Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims.” Former President Bill Clinton wrote the foreword, saying that he was “inspired by their example.” A description on Amazon describes the authors’ unlikely beginnings due to distrust:
Rabbi Marc Schneier, the eighteenth generation of a distinguished rabbinical dynasty, grew up deeply suspicious of Muslims, believing them all to be anti-Semitic. Imam Shamsi Ali, who grew up in a small Indonesian village and studied in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, believed that all Jews wanted to destroy Muslims. Coming from positions of mutual mistrust, it seems unthinkable that these orthodox religious leaders would ever see eye to eye. Yet in the aftermath of 9/11, amid increasing acrimony between Jews and Muslims, the two men overcame their prejudices and bonded over a shared belief in the importance of opening up a dialogue and finding mutual respect. In doing so, they became not only friends but also defenders of each other’s religion, denouncing the twin threats of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and promoting interfaith cooperation.
And the Israel-Hamas war has given the imam and rabbi a new mission to meet Muslim and Jewish students on college and university campuses, especially as tensions and safety concerns rise. On Nov. 2, the rabbi and the imam visited Lehman College in the Bronx to speak with Muslim student leaders, New York’s CBS 2 News reported. A few days earlier, the two had met with Jewish students from six CUNY colleges at a Kosher bakery owned by a Muslim in Westhampton Beach.
x Thanks Dr. @CraigCons and thanks to my friend @RabbiMSchneier of @FFEUnyc for sticking to our common humanity and shared values.
https://t.co/HzJXfRaLaJ — Imam Shamsi Ali (@ShamsiAli2) November 4, 2023
Ali told CBS, “We feel as religious leaders in our communities, both communities, Jewish and Muslims, we feel a sense of responsibility to bring together students.”
Schneier said, “In the midst of this raging war in Gaza, we cherish our freedoms to protest and demonstrate, but we cannot cross the line when it comes to violence, when it comes to intimidation, when it comes to harassment, when it comes to confrontation.”
The rabbi added, “Antisemitism is rising, Islamophobia is also on the rise. And that’s the reason why we feel that we must come together because this is our common enemy.”
Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali also were interviewed on Nov. 10 by Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s “The11th Hour.” The rabbi said their initial visits to speak with a few students have resulted in the pair being invited to go to more CUNY campuses in the upcoming weeks.
x YouTube Video
RELATED STORY: Prosecutors say man fatally stabbed 6-year-old Muslim boy after listening to conservative talk radio
Add you name here to combat Islamophobia and here to combat antisemitism.
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