Vital Inroads to Understanding and Acceptance
Finally, a face-to-face attempt to understand that which is sufficiently a mystery to lead to the strife of misunderstanding. Through an exchange visit of firsts, with rabbis journeying to India and inviting a delegation of Indian Muslim leaders to visit Israel, a concord of greater awareness has become possible, where stereotypes are being expunged and replaced by an awareness of reality.On a visit to the border town of Sderot, additional misconceptions evaporated when the Indian delegation experienced first-hand what it is like to be bombarded by Palestinian Authority-affiliated terror rockets. But that was only one portion of the extensive tour undertaken by the Indian Muslim delegation, at the invitation of the American Jewish Committee.
Maulana Jamil Ilyasi, president of the All India Organization of Imams and Mosques is visiting Israel as the head of the Indian delegation. The group represents a half-million imams and 200-million Indian Muslims, a truly staggering Muslim presence representing some 40% of the Muslim worldwide population. The Indo-Asian News Service reports that the visit has caused a stir among Indian Muslims, as no doubt it would.
Imam Ilyasi is quoted as having said "The Jews I have met here say that we are all children of Abraham, part of the same family. This is something I didn't hear in India. The Muslims in India should come and see things for themselves." Well, obviously that's not quite possible. Millions of people don't travel en masse to see with their very own eyes, that preconceived notions of religious-based biases don't necessarily express reality.
But the fact that these representative clerics have made the trip, have seen and heard some rarely-expressed truths in their homeland, and now have come to a greater understanding that surface differences in traditions, cultures, historical antecedents needn't necessarily separate people and render them susceptible to hostilities advances hope. It is their experience and their new perceptions that must be conveyed to their flocks back home.
"My initial impression was that the Israelis are certainly dominating Muslims out here. Once I came here, that impression completely changed. I saw the reality on the ground, the mutual respect Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews have for each other. constant conflict is not the reality here", according to Imam Ilyasi. "In Jerusalem I saw that Muslims, Christians and Jews live side by side, not at each other's throats."
On the other hand, in the Negev, in Sderot the delegation was exposed to another type of Israeli-Arab interchange: "We heard a warning shot which was followed by a siren. We were immediately rushed to a shelter house where we heard the sound of a rocket attack", recounted a member of the delegation to the Times of India.
On the plus side again, an inter-religious dialogue took place between representatives of Israel's Chief Rabbinate and the Muslim Indian leaders, concluding with a joint declaration. "It is high time for the religious leaders of both sides to engage in dialogue and use their collective influence to stop the bloodshed of innocent civilians. Rather, we need to condemn killings, reject extremism, and the misuse of religion for acts for violence. Suicide is a forbidden act in Islam and therefore suicidal attacks can not find sanction."
Yes. Indeed. Tell that to Hamas, to Fatah, to Hezbollah, to Iran, to Syria. Above all, tell it to the assemblies of Muslims in India. Their great numbers, turned to the solving of this issue on the world stage could go far in attempting the persuasion of reason and the Islamic ideal of living in harmony with one's neighbour, of persuading their Arab counterparts that the most recent interpretations of the Koran leave much to be desired.
In the meanwhile, Israel is integrating and absorbing a different group of the Indian demographic, one which has a fabled and historic connection with the land of Israel, the Bnei Menashe community. The government of India has agreed to permit its nationals, recognized as members of the Bnei Menashe tribe to emigrate to Israel, where they will undergo formal Judaic conversion in recognition of their historic past and current wishes.
A total of over 1,700 Bnei Menashe have immigrated to Israel, with another 5,000 identified as wishing to make Aliyah. They differ in religious orientation from other Indians because they managed somehow, over the millennia to maintain ancient traditions bearing no resemblance to those practised in the Indian subcontinent. Their claim to descent from the tribe of Menashe was revealed and made public 30 years ago by Rabbi Eliyahu Avichayil.
All is not sweetness and light in the acceptance of the Bnei Menashe as some Israelis find it difficult to accept their presence, considering them to be nothing more than immigrants of convenience, interested in Israel for economic advancement. But in fact they are materially well off in India, and since they've been affirmed as descendants of Israel, it is generally accepted they should be welcomed into the fold.
It's not inconceivable that Israelis and Indians could draw closer, in a communal spirit of helpfulness one to the other. The two peoples do seem to have much in common, in their values and industrious characters, their religious adherence, their democratic spirit, their ancient histories.
Labels: Political Realities, Religion
posted by Pieface @ Friday, August 24, 2007
<< Home