Jewish, Muslim Leaders Respond to Attacks on Religious Liberties
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Circumcision Ban European Jews European Muslims Germany Circumcision israel Israel News Jewish Jewish circumcision Jewish News Jews Muslim Circumcision
European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor (pictured) said "recent attacks against our religious practices in Europe are an assault on all people of faith and they are indeed an attack on freedom of expression, the very basis for a free, democratic and tolerant European society." Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Amid attempts to ban circumcision in Germany and ritual slaughter in the Netherlands, Jewish and Muslim leaders are uniting to fight what they call an ongoing attack on religious freedom in Europe.
The European Jewish Press (EJP) reported that the European Jewish Congress (EJC), the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and the Great Mosque of Paris hosted a gathering of Jewish and Muslim leaders from 18 European countries Sept. 4-5, with the goal of determining ways of responding to religious bans in their continent.
“The recent attacks against our religious practices in Europe are an assault on all people of faith and they are indeed an attack on freedom of expression, the very basis for a free, democratic and tolerant European society,” European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor said, according to EJP.
Kantor said that while the practices Jews and Muslims have already been targeted, “tomorrow it could be Christians.”
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It is very common for Jews to try to discuss anti-semitism with anti-semitic people. It is a myth that logic can convince anti-semites to changes their views. Those opposed to circumcision, whether by Jews or Muslims, are bigots. Their position is logical from their perspective, since their initial assumption is that Judaism and Islam are something evil that needs to be rooted out – once you make that assumption, their position is quite logical.
They find it amusing when Jews (or others) argue with them. The Germans found it amusing when Jews tried to debate their racial theories. They didn’t find it amusing when the Americans, Russians and Brits levelled their cities and occupied their country.
The correct Israeli response should be to curtail relations with any country that bans Jewish religious practices (Bris, kashrus, Shabbos, etc.). Make it clear that we regard them as anti-Jewish bigots, and we will have as little to do with them as possible.
Religious Zionists should note that proposals to do such things as ban Bris milah, ban kosher slaughter, close down yeshiovos, etc., have never come from the Muslims – and perhaps they should reconsider the desire of the Zionist to model Israel on European civilization.