TEL AVIV — Put an Israeli Jew, an Australian Christian and a Turkish Muslim together in a recording studio (or more accurately alone next to their own computers with file-sharing capabilities), and it may sound something like Three Waves Under the Bridge, the group effort of Ittai Shaked, Andy Bussuttil and Umit Ceyhan. The bridge of a musical composition often connects disparate sections or id
LONDON — A clash between Muslims and Christians in the Middle East is not inevitable, because of the “ample” examples of interfaith co-operation and the shared duty “to do good”. This was the message delivered by Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan, in her Friends of BibleLands annual lecture on Wednesday of last week. She is the first Muslim to give the lecture. “It is not correct to think of Judaeo-Christian values as distinct from Islamic values,” she said. “Yes, just as children from the same parents differ, we do differ . . . over certain doctrinal points and ritual practices. But we share what is most important — the belief in an all-powerful God, and, flowing from that, belief in the values of equality and practical compassion.” Given the instruction to “do good” as stewards of the world, it was “much more efficient” if members of the Abrahamic faiths “co-operate and strive to do so to-gether”. Princess Badiya described the “dwindling” number of Christians in the Middle East as “a tragedy for the region as a whole”. Many Christians in the region had come to fear
BEIRUT — Muslims and Christian leaders from across the Middle East and Denmark wrapped up a three-day conference on religious understanding Thursday in Beirut by highlighting values, such as mercy, respect and caring for the weak, which both faiths share. The conference, entitled “Building Greater Understanding between Christians and Muslims,” was organized by the Muslim-Christian Contact Group of the National Council of Churches in Denmark and the Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue. It was supported by
BEIRUT — On 13 April, 1975 Lebanon’s civil war began and continued for 15 years, instilling a "fear of the other", especially regarding religious and political differences. Now, more than three decades later, Lebanese youth are working to change this painful reality through a television series called The Team. Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an organisation dedicated to promoting non-violent solutions to conflict, is responsible for the 13-episode dramatic series which started on 14 April. It airs in Lebanon on
PETERBOROUGH, ONT. — There was a strong sense of togetherness at St. Andrew’s United Church Sunday. The ninth annual Abraham Festival was held and brought together three faiths, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, spiritual descendants of Abraham, to talk about their similarities and differences, and more specifically, explore the United Nations millennium development goals to help achieve a better world. These goals were written by the United Nations and adopted by the countries of the world in 2000 with the hope they would be realized by
SAN FRANCISCO — It started out as a late-night jam session in Tel Aviv, with the tape recorders rolling. It ended up as a hit CD and a world concert tour. Idan Raichel and Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré will recreate their “magical night” (as Raichel calls it) when the Touré-Raichel Collective comes to the Bay Area for a string of concerts, including a headlining April 26 performance at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre. Earlier that day, Raichel will perform at 5 p.m. during a Yom HaAtzm
WASHINGTON — Bassel Chokr, a 16-year-old exchange student from Lebanon, was pleased to learn he would be living with a Jewish family where there wouldn't be any pork or shellfish served. But since moving to Virginia to spend his school year in America, Chokr has learned a lot about both the similarities and differences between Muslims and Jews. "Everything definitely changed," he said of his previous view of Judaism. So has his stereotype of Israel. When asked
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has called on Muslims and Christians to use the Easter season to reflect on the situation in the country. He made the call on Saturday in Abuja in a letter addressed to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian Association of (CAN) to mark the Easter celebration. The letter was signed by Dr Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, Secretary-General, Nigerian 
INDIANAPOLIS — After the summons to worship, the Lord’s Prayer and the first hymn of the morning, the pastor of the South Calvary Missionary Baptist Church here asked the visitors to stand. Among the several hundred African-Americans in the pews on that Sunday last month, about a dozen elderly guests rose to introduce themselves as former neighbors, all of them Jewish. “I lived at 1145
ISLAMABAD — At the request of the Prime Minister, the government of Pakistan submitted an official nomination to the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Committee for a Pakistani humanitarian, Abdul Sattar Edhi, late last year. This is encouraging news, considering the political and economic instability which Pakistan continues to face. With such challenges, it’s important to keep Pakistan’s peace and human development on the agenda. Edhi has devoted his entire life to people’s well-being. His
When I moved to Egypt to study Arabic in 2004, I was amazed how often Muslims there said alhamdulillah (i.e., praise God). When I asked friends “How are you?”, they replied alhamdulillah (praise God). When I congratulated Mahmoud’s children for their high marks in school, they replied alhamdulillah. Even when Haala cut her hand deeply with a sharp kitchen knife, she repeated steadily alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, as we worked to stop the bleeding. To my amazement, she was genuinely thankful, mindful her
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