Muslims against anti-Semitism: ways to promote common values.

• Author: Ramadan, Tariq
• Position: Thinking Aloud

The situation in our societies is becoming more and more difficult insofar as the increasing public expression of anti-Semitism and racism. We all know--Governments, official institutions, as well as citizens--that if we remain passive, the situation will worsen and drive us towards a new troubled era of racist and ethnical stigmitizations.

There are many ways and strategies to try to face the problems of anti-Semitism and racism in our societies, but one can say that at the global level there are two main choices: either to let the Jews alone struggle against anti-Semitism while advocating that every ethnic or religious community should protect itself (even though it is against the others), or to call on all people of goodwill, from every community, to commit themselves within a global movement, acting against all kinds of racism in the name of common universal values. The latter perspective is, in my view, the only efficient way, even though it is a very demanding task at both intellectual and practical levels.

In order to find and build this shared ground of common values and proactive commitment, every one of us, from his or her respective Jewish, Christian, Muslim, agnostic or atheist background, must put into motion a twofold process: first, one has to try to extract and promote from one's religious or cultural tradition the values that are universal and common in order to be able to reach out and act and work with people of other belongings and faiths; second, one has to distinguish between the greatness of the message she/he believes in and the less noble use of it that is made by fellow-practising Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc. Self-criticism is an imperative prerequisite.

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As we address the issue of anti-Semitism, it is urgent and necessary from a Muslim viewpoint to commit ourselves to promote from within our communities two concomitant intellectual stances: objective self-criticism and promotion of common values. As the relationships between the Muslim world and Jews are influenced and disturbed by the the perpetual reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is also crucial to differentiate the two problems and focus on this specific question: how to struggle with anti-Semitism from a Muslim viewpoint?

We should start by saying that the responsibility of Muslims and Jews in the West is tremendous: living together, both citizens of the same countries, they should raise their voices in the name of...