-As Jewish-Muslim interfaith efforts intensify, critics say that Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is selective in which acts of terrorism it condemns. Some wish to forge ahead in Muslim-Jewish ties without CAIR. (The Jewish Week)
-New York’s largest and most prestigious mosque, the Cultural Center of New York, gets a new Imam who has been involved with interfaith dialogues with HUC-JIR and JTS. (The Jewish Week)
-Although cautioning that “We should not kiss every hand extended to us, nor expect every initiative to be successful� Rabbi Alan Brill argues, “American Jews who fail to see an immediate purpose to any interfaith encounter with Islam must remember that dialogue is a long-term process. They should also know that extremists on either side are not part of dialogue; rather, dialogue aims to remove the ground from beneath extremists.� (NJ Jewish News)
-Villagers in the Galilee Arab-Israeli town A-Taibeh have painted the dome of their mosque in Israel’s national colors, blue and white. (Haaretz)