On a quiet California morning in May, a group of Jews and Muslims came together on a Los Angeles beach to pray. The worshippers laid out prayer mats and the sounds of their chanting, in both Hebrew and Arabic, mingled with the crashing of the waves. “We were just so surprised that we could do this together and it’s very similar,” said participant Maryam Saleemi. “It was kind of like an ‘Aha Moment’ that we’re praying to the same God, why aren’t we doing this all the time together?”…. The day of joint prayer was part of an initiative called Two Faiths One Prayer, which guided the group of 20 Muslims and Jews to five different public spaces across the city on May 3. The group traveled together on public transportation and had plenty of opportunities to find common ground. 4” vspace=”4” class=”mt-image-none” style=”border:2px solid black;” />It seems such a simple idea- people praying to God together. That the two groups believe in different flavors of Supreme Being doesn’t seem as if it should be a big deal…except that we’re talking about Jews and Muslims, separated by hundreds of years of hatred, misunderstanding, enmity, and repression. Yet there they were, Jews and Muslims joined in prayer, without words of anger or hatred being passed among them.
The sad thing, of course, is that this sort of thing is newsworthy because of the constant drumbeat of conflict and bloodshed between Jews and Muslims. It becomes easier to demonize The Other when you can deny their basic humanity and view them as evil, bloodthirsty caricatures who care for nothing but their own narrow self-interest. When you’re unable to view your adversary as real, flesh and blood people, it becomes easier to hate them…and ultimately destroy them. Both sides have excelled at this. No longer does either side truly speak with the other; they rage at them and spout invective…not exactly a recipe for peace and coexistence.
The conflict between Muslims and Jews normally gets filed under the “religion ruins everything.” Of course it should…it’s about the silliest thing imaginable to be fighting and dying over different flavors of the same Imaginary Friend. Too much blood and far too many tears have been shed over something that, at least from where I sit, seems patently absurd. Religion should be about peace and coexistence, not political power theological oppression under force of arms. Jews and Muslims in general, and Israelis and Arabs in particular, have perfected the art of talking at and/or past one another. It’s never been about talking TO one another and really LISTENING to what someone says. Such a simple thing, you might be thinking…but in practice it’s been virtually impossible to bring both sides to a meeting of the minds, even over things reasonable people could readily agree upon.
This historical background is why Two Faiths One Prayer impresses me so much. It wasn’t about politics or land; it was about meeting each other where they live, about recognizing that Jews and Muslims pray to the same God. It’s not going to solve the conflict between Muslims and Jews…but if you believe as I do that every journey begins with a single step, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
"muslims are all 9/11 terrorists so why bother meeting them and risk tasting some milk of human kindness, q.e.d." pic.twitter.com/re5nlcmNax
— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) May 30, 2015
This effort was not without its detractors, so there was understandably a prudent effort made to maintain security by keeping a low profile. There are still too many with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. They can’t stand the idea of compromising their principles even one iota…because GOD IS ON THEIR SIDE. Except that God, if you believe in Him or Her, doesn’t take sides. God isn’t Jewish or Muslim or Democrat or Republican. No one gets to claim God- though far too many do, with often disaster and bloody results. I don’t believe in God in part because religion as it’s practiced today too often has little in common with the teachings it’s predicated upon. Mankind doesn’t want religion that’s about peace, love, tolerance, and inclusion. More often than not, they want religion that supports their fears, prejudice, and hatred. They want religion that buttresses and supports their desire to destroy those who are different- those who may think, believe, live, and/or love in a manner they either cannot or refuse to comprehend and accept.
Jews and Muslim praying together will not change the world…but it’s certainly a positive movement away from the status quo of hatred, bloodshed, and tears. The journey towards peace will very likely not begin with negotiations between tired old men over long conference tables. Far more likely is the reality that peace will begin when Jews and Muslims stop treating each other as caricatures and begin dealing with one another as human beings who differ only in the version of God they believe in and pray to.
I’d like to think that peace is possible- if not today, then perhaps tomorrow or the day after. As long as there’s hope for peace, there’s hope for mankind. If the 20 Muslims and Jews involved in Two Faiths One Prayer demonstrated anything, it’s that hope endures and peace is still possible. It’s going to take far more than 20 people, of course, but it has to start somewhere.
Because when you get right down to it, aren’t Islam and Judaism really supposed to be about peaceful coexistence?
