SYDNEY — Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders have announced October 25 as a National Day of Unity in response to reports of discrimination, violence and rising tensions within the Australian community. Standing together outside Pitt St Uniting Church, the religious leaders invited all Australians to take part in visible acts of
WASHINGTON — Two Jewish groups joined a friend of the court brief on behalf of a Muslim woman whose right to wear a headscarf in a retail job is under consideration by the Supreme Court. The court on Thursday agreed to hear the case, Politico reported. The American Jewish Committee and the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism joined an amicus with Christian, Muslim and Sikh groups.
by ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, Jerusalem Post — 2 October 2014
LOD, Israel — A unique gathering consiting of both chief rabbis, the head of the Shari’a court based in Jaffa and a number of Knesset members took place on Wednesday in Lod to call for tolerance and respectful celebrations of this weekend’s concurring observance of Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha. Yom Kippur coincides with the Muslim festival of Id al-Adha this year, with both falling on October 4, leading to concerns of intercommunal conflict. Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu,
LONDON — Jews and Muslims have formed an unlikely alliance to press for Britain to accept hundreds of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war. More than 140,000 Syrians fled to Turkey last week as they faced the triple threat of being targeted by President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces, murdered by ISIS terrorists or being caught in US-led bombing raids against Islamic extremists. British-based faith leaders will use next week’s Jewish festival of
by ANDREE WITHEY and LEONIE MELLOR, ABC News — 26 September 2014
BRISBANE, Australia — More than 20 Anglican, Baptist, Catholic and Uniting Church leaders joined Muslim leaders at Kuraby mosque to make a public stand against intolerance. It followed incidents including members of the Muslim community being verbally abused and vandalism at Mosques and Islamic centres in and around the Brisbane and Logan areas. The Kuraby Mosque was the site of a serious arson attack 13 years ago in the wake of the September 11
MAKENI, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone’s vaunted religious tolerance was on display in Makeni when Muslims and Christian worshipers came together at the Wusum Field to pray to God for mercy and for an end to the Ebola crisis in the country. What was originally envisaged as prayers for local Muslims came to include Christians as well after an invitation was extended to the Inter-Religious Council. Muslims and Christians converged to pray for God’s forgiveness for
by LAUREN MARKOE, Religion News Service — 24 September 2014
WASHINGTON — More than 120 Muslim scholars from around the world joined an open letter to the “fighters and followers” of the Islamic State, denouncing them as un-Islamic by using the most Islamic of terms. Relying heavily on the Quran, the 18-page letter released Wednesday (Sept. 24) picks apart the extremist ideology of the militants who have left a wake of brutal death and destruction in their bid to establish a transnational Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. Even translated into English, the letter will still sound alien to most
by MARY SCHMICH, Chicago Tribune — 24 September 2014
SKOKIE, Ill. — On Monday afternoon, Lori Lippitz and her little band of well-wishers pulled into the parking lot of the school they once thought of as theirs. They came bearing gift baskets — fruit, flowers, nuts, pencils, rulers — and a card that said, "We wish for you and your children many years of love, learning and laughter in the home that is now yours." They also came with some trepidation. How would it feel to
by LLAZAR SEMINI, Associated Press — 20 September 2014
DERVEN, Albania — The one-room, stone church of St. Nicholas has sat on the top of a hill here since the 16th century, destroyed three times and rebuilt in a testament to the Catholic presence in this region that dates to St. Paul. Its latest incarnation, however, is particularly poignant: 15 Muslim families chipped in to help rebuild it in a sign of the remarkable coexistence that exists in Albania
by CAROLINE KELLY, Christian Science Monitor — 19 September 2014
BOSTON — Peggy Stevens’s mind is clearly thinking ahead to a trip to Canobie Lake Park, the amusement park she is taking her Kids4Peace Boston brood to the next day. “Basically, it’s from 8 o’clock in the morning to 8 o’clock at night,” she says, laughing. “And I can’t wait! They’re really wonderful to be with, and I’m excited.” With her flashing bright eyes, and the constant cluster of children around her, Ms. Stevens is almost like Mother Ginger from “The Nutcracker” – that is, a
Our souls grieve after tragic news of shootings at New Zealand mosques Masjid Al Noor and Linwood Islamic Center. We mourn for the victims and weep with families of the faithful whose worship was ended by heinous violence. As stated in the Holy Qur’an, we will not speak of those slain in the way of God that they are dead. Nay, they are living, but we perceive it not (Surat al-Baqarah 2:154). As leaders around the world issue statements condemning both these barbarous acts and media that breeds a climate of fear mongering and Islamophobia, Abrahamic Alliance International is being flooded with condolence letters from Jewish and Christian communities who have delighted to build new friendships with Muslims while collaborating in compassion. Today’s violence reminds us of the urgency of our work to confront prejudice and counter the hate that has infected many hearts and minds with fatal consequences. AAi calls on all far and wide to show our solidarity with Muslim communities on Friday, March 22 during jumu'ah prayers. Whether you go alone to hold a placard of support, or join others to encircle mosques locking hands in a ring of protection, AAi calls on all to show their solidarity with Muslims at your nearest mosque on Friday, March 22.
WASHINGTON — Two Jewish groups joined a friend of the court brief on behalf of a Muslim woman whose right to wear a headscarf in a retail job is under consideration by the Supreme Court. The court on Thursday agreed to hear the case, Politico reported. The American Jewish Committee and the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism joined an amicus with Christian, Muslim and Sikh groups. 
LONDON — Jews and Muslims have formed an unlikely alliance to press for Britain to accept hundreds of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war. More than 140,000 Syrians fled to Turkey last week as they faced the triple threat of being targeted by President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces, murdered by ISIS terrorists or being caught in US-led bombing raids against Islamic extremists. British-based faith leaders will use next week’s Jewish festival of 
