Faith Leaders unite To Condemn Anti-Semitism

by Justin Cohen - Tuesday 13th January 2009


Leaders of various faith communities in London last week came together to condemn the rise in anti-Semitic incidents during Israel's operation in Gaza, insisting that hate would not be tolerated and vowing to work to eliminate violence in the capital.

An attempted arson attack on Brondsbury Park Synagogue, anti-semitic emails and graffiti urging 'Kill Jews' are among around 100 incidents reported to the Community Security Trust since 29 December, most of which show a clear link to the Middle East crisis. The CST would normally expect to see no more than five incidents at the time of year.

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As the extent of the scourge began to emerge, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Zoroastrian figures and bodies are among those that have signed a United London Stands petition, which says: "We do not wish to see either the current economic downturn or recent international events in both India and the Middle East being used by those who wish to stir up racial and religious hatred within the City."

The petition, initiated by the London Jewish Forum in partnership with other groups, calls on all communities "to reaffirm respect for the other", adding: "In the light of the current events in the Middle East, community leaders are concerned about the recent spate of attacks on Jewish targets and will not tolerate anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or any other form of racial or religious hatred carried out in this city. Attacks on places of worship or identifiable members of a religious faith or a racial group cannot continue. As Londoners, we are determined to stand up to hatred and will work with our communities, the city and its public authorities to ensure the elimination of all violence in London."

Among the original signatories are Three Faiths Forum, Canon Guy Wilkinson and Alex Goldberg, the Church of England and Jewish representatives on the Faith forum for London and Dr Usama Hasan, Chief Executive of the Muslim group City Circle. In a joint article for the Guardian's commentisfree blog, two of the other signatories, the London Jewish Forum's Adrian Cohen and City Circle's Asim Siddiqui called on Jewish and Muslim leaders to engage more directly in meaningful dialogue, insisting now is the time to commence "an honest discussion on substantive political issues...(to) move to educate each other about the aspirations, religious, communal and national of each other...(and) to develop an empathy between us".

The Three Faiths Forum, meanwhile, said it feels "the pain and frustration of Israelis and Palestinians" and looked "to both sides to find the moral strength and courage to bring speedily an end to the killing and to return to the search for peace which both peoples so desperately need and deserve". Director Stephen Shashoua said: "At this time of turmoil and tragedy, we all feel the pull towards the security offered by our own communities. However, this is the time to act positively by engaging in dialogue and positive social action. If we do not acknowledge these difficulties, we will not be treating each other honestly and will not move forward together...I contend that we in the UK all wish to live our lives in harmony with our neighbours.

"We must speak as British Muslims, Christians, and Jews about how the conflict affects us and our communities. We are asking people to contact the Three Faiths Forum and to become part of this conversation."

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