DOHA โ Taking a stand against politics of fear, one of the most influential rabbis in the US has been battling anti-Muslim hate crimes, participating in many initiatives across the country to combat Islamophobia and support Muslim refugees.
โAs a rabbi of the Reform Jewish Movement and a faith leader, I see it not only as my job, but also as my religious duty to foster interfaith dialogue and understanding, as well as break down stereotypes about race and religion,โ Jonah Dov Pesner, the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, told Aljazeera in an interview published on Monday, February 22.
Seeing his position as a โreligious dutyโ, Rabbi Pesner has given many speeches against anti-Muslim hate crimes.
โPrior to my time as the Director of the Religious Action Center, I witnessed attacks on the Islamic Society of Boston from members of the Jewish community,โ he said.
โThey tried to label members of the Muslim community as terrorists and used every possible method to condemn the mosque, including speaking out against a rabbi who stood with a Muslim leader.
โIt was unacceptable for me to witness members of my own community attack our Muslim neighbors, and furthermore criticize a rabbi for showing support to the Muslim community.
โTherefore, I feel it is my duty to stand up against this hateful rhetoric and convey the Reform Jewish response, which is that of understanding and community building,โ he added.
In the American community, Pesnerโs Reform Jewish community has taken many initiatives against Islamophobia.
โSpeaking for the Reform Jewish community, congregations across North America have been working diligently to uphold our moral call to โwelcome the strangerโ by welcoming Syrian refugees into their houses of worship and their communities,โ he said.
โParticularly, Reform congregations in Canada have taken great strides in their response to this crisis.
โI believe there could always be more support behind the efforts to combat religious intolerance, but I have been very impressed with how Reform clergy have been united on this issue and have a clear message that we will not stand for Islamophobia in any form.โ
United Faiths
The renowned Rabbi added that combating negative stigma associated with Muslims was urged by all Abrahamic faiths.
โIf weโre going to be the family of Abraham, we must work together to call out Islamophobia,โ he said.
โAs I said at a mosque in Tennessee last month, we have to beat back the forces of bigotry, whether itโs anti-Jewish bigotry, anti-Muslim bigotry or bigotry in any form in America.โ
Pesner added that both Islam and Judaism are closely connected to each other.
โAll religions hold a message of tolerance and acceptance of others, of which I believe Judaism and Islam share. Perhaps just as importantly, there is so much brokenness in our society, from our treatment of immigrants to climate change to racial injustice, and we must work together as religious communities to repair the world,โ Pesner said.
โWe can only do this if we come together as people of different faith toward a common goal.
โWe must also work as an interfaith community to stand up against religious bigotry, because an attack on one faith is an attack on all faiths,โ he added.
The West has seen a spike in Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims following attacks in Europe and the US that have been blamed on supporters of the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).
Republican presidential candidates, such as Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson have been accused of flaring anti-Muslim sentiments.
Trumpโs views on immigration have sparked controversy nationwide, especially his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the US.
On the other hand, Bernie Sanders, a popular US presidential candidate who is Jewish, launched a campaign known as #AmericaTogether, in which he posted a tweet in Arabic saying: โAmerica becomes a greater nation when we stand together and say no to racism, hatred and bigotryโ.