How Muslims and Jews can promote tolerance
Jews began observing Passover on March 27, and Muslims will embark on another Ramadan journey on April 13. These holy days encourage the faithful to rekindle relationships with their family, friends and community members.
Passover is a celebration of Jewish freedom from slavery in Egypt.
Ramadan is when Muslims demonstrate their charitable nature and stand in unison with those who are less fortunate. The monthlong observance helps cultivate taqwa, a spiritual trip meant to heighten a sense of responsibility and to strive harder for justice in an unjust world.
The season of Passover and Ramadan presents a golden opportunity for Muslims and Jews to work together to address hate crimes, promote tolerance in our society and find other ways to help our communities.
Hate crimes are criminal offenses motivated by the race, color, religion of the victims or committed against people or groups based on their specific characteristics, such as perceived sexual orientation.
Federal and state laws have created hate crimes as a special category because they have a broader effect than most other crimes. Their impacts extend beyond the victims — to families, communities and other people like the victims.
Unfortunately, our country has a long, dark history of anti-Semitism and attacks against Muslims, which escalated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and again during and after the 2016 election.
The increase in acts of violence and intolerance directed toward minority communities over the past few years, including the recent mass murder of Asian Americans in Georgia, is alarming and can no longer be tolerated or brushed aside.
FBI data shows that in 2020, hate crimes reached the highest level in more than a decade. Last year, the nation also experienced the most hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting data in the early 1990s. The rhetoric of former President Donald Trump and his hostile political atmosphere appear to have emboldened people to express their biases publicly.
Muslims and Jews can support each other and join together to help all victims of hate and intolerance. Pittsburgh’s Muslim community showed us the way in its response to the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting that left 11 worshippers dead. It raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the synagogue and help its members recover from the aftermath of that terrible assault.
This effort highlights how forging bonds based on shared personal values can help combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other types of hatred and bias.
In addition to supporting victims of hate, we need to work together to develop better legal solutions. By strengthening hate crime laws, educating law enforcement and encouraging prosecutions, we can more effectively deter these attacks.
Another way to reduce hate crimes and bias incidents is to ensure that they do not go unreported. We can work with community organizations and news outlets to increase public awareness about these incidents and how they have a ripple effect on minority communities and society.
Awareness of intolerant acts can build community unity, better inform dialogues about tolerance and strengthen community resolve against bias.
Education is also a must because ignorance drives hate. We can join together to broaden open-mindedness by teaching tolerance. For example, the civil rights organization Learning for Justice provides free classroom and professional development resources to K-12 teachers, administrators, counselors and other staff.
By working together with leaders in education, the justice system and other fields, we can find solutions to help broader communities come closer together. We can switch the focus from our differences to our similarities and shared humanity. We can provide a positive model of understanding and cooperation for young people.
Muslims and Jews can do more than stand up against religious intolerance and crimes targeted against people of our faiths. We should work just as hard to embrace and defend people of all races, genders, national origins, sexual orientations. We can fight against ongoing injustice and celebrate the diversity of our communities.
As Philadelphia’s Sledge sisters famously sang, “We are family.” We are all in this together, and together we can make a difference.
Mohammed Khaku, who lives in Upper Macungie Township, is active in the Islamic community of the Lehigh Valley. Mark Pinsley is the Lehigh County controller.