Thursday, March 28th | 18 Adar II 5784

Subscribe
December 16, 2016 9:16 am
0

ZOA Concerned Over Jewish Organization’s Partnership With ‘Radical Islamist’ Group

× [contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

avatar by JNS.org

Muslim reformer Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. Photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

Muslim reformer Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. Photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has criticized the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) recent formation of an interfaith initiative in partnership with what the ZOA described as a “radical Islamist” organization.

In a Dec. 14 press release, the ZOA raised concerns about the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, launched jointly last month by the AJC and the Islamic Society of North America, over the latter’s alleged links to US-designated terror group Hamas and its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood.

“ISNA was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, involved in funneling money to Hamas,” the ZOA wrote, citing a January 2011 article from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs think tank. “ISNA convention speakers delegitimize Israel, justified the Holocaust as punishment for the Jews’ ‘disobedience to Allah,’ and ‘featured Mavi Marmara flotilla participants, representing them as innocent peace activists who merely responded to Israeli brutality’.”

The ZOA also quoted Muslim reformer Dr. Zuhdi Jasser’s statement that the AJC-ISNA alliance “is very concerning. The AJC, long we thought an ally of anti-Islamist reformists, appears to have now joined the mainstreaming of established American Islamists and their organizations and ilk.”

When announcing the interfaith program, the AJC said the council “brings together recognized business, political and religious leaders in the Jewish and Muslim American communities to jointly advocate on issues of common concern.” The council’s priority list includes highlighting the contributions of Muslims and Jews to American society, developing a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and antisemitism in the US and protecting and expanding the rights of religious minorities in America.

Following the launch, Stanley Bergman, the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council’s co-chair and AJC’s former president, said that, “Our two communities share much in common and should find ways, where possible, to work together for the benefit of the entire country.”

ISNA’s stated mission is “to foster the development of the Muslim community, interfaith relations, civic engagement, and a better understanding of Islam.”

Share this Story: Share On Facebook Share On Twitter

Let your voice be heard!

Join the Algemeiner

Algemeiner.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.