Source: Haaretz:
By Yael Miler.
With the emphasis on good cheer, charitable giving and improving family ties, Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to quit the Jewish-Muslim mudslinging, and focus on improving our relationship.
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All year long, there’s a perpetual family fight between Jews and Muslims: ad wars on subways, food fights, and arguments; rhetoric, turf battles and in fighting that resembles high school cliques rather than civilized adults having nuanced political discussions. Why, during the holidays, isn’t the media full of symbols of unity? Wouldn’t it be lovely to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu breaking a Ramadan fast with a Muslim leader? How about the King of Jordan joining a Rosh Hashanah meal? Think of how powerful it is to see U.S. President Barack Obama sitting at a White House Passover seder each year.
My Arabic teacher, who was a Jordanian Muslim, often referred to Jews as “cousins,” and I have heard Jewish Israelis referring to Muslim Arabs in the same way. Why don’t we try treating each other like family – and take the holidays as a time for reconciliation, charity, and communal meals?
Fortunately there are multiple reports reflecting such unity:
Israeli ambassador breaks fast with Muslims and Jews, but to what effect?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/israeli-ambassador-breaks-fast-with-muslims-and-jews-but-to-what-effect/2013/07/19/c8f4b75e-f093-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html
Church’s diverse Iftar dinner event binds religions
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130719/NEWS01/307190124/Church-s-diverse-Iftar-dinner-event-binds-religions?nclick_check=1
Jewish, Muslim groups break fast together in Lynnwood
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130720/NEWS01/707209963
Non-Arab Muslims are not semitic, even not all Jews are.
Thanks!
Yes, the Wikipedia defines Semites as follows:
The term Semite means a member of any of various ancient and modern Semitic-speaking peoples originating in the Near East, including; Akkadians (Assyrians and Babylonians), Eblaites, Ugarites, Canaanites, Phoenicians (including Carthaginians), Hebrews (Israelites, Judeans and Samaritans), Ahlamu, Arameans, Chaldeans, Amorites, Moabites, Edomites, Hyksos, Arabs, Nabateans, Maganites, Shebans, Sutu, Ubarites, Dilmunites, Bahranis, Maltese, Mandaeans, Sabians, Syriacs, Mhallami, Amalekites, Arabs, Sabians, Syriacs, Palmyrans and Ethiopian Semites. It was proposed at first to refer to the languages related to Hebrew by Ludwig Schlözer, in Eichhorn’s “Repertorium”, vol. VIII (Leipzig, 1781), p. 161. Through Eichhorn the name then came into general usage (cf. his “Einleitung in das Alte Testament” (Leipzig, 1787), I, p. 45). In his “Geschichte der neuen Sprachenkunde”, pt. I (Göttingen, 1807) it had already become a fixed technical term.[1]