A Muslim from India who does Hebrew Caligraphy!

Thoufeek Zakriya, a Muslim caligrapher who does hebrew caligraphy in Cochin, India, recently emailed me about his work. His work seems fascinating, and I urge you all to check out the following two links about what he does (one also goes into Jewish-Muslim relations in India, another interesting topic).

http://thoufeekzak.blogspot.com/

http://thoufeekzak.blogspot.com/2010/10/hebrew-quran-manuscript-from-cochin.html

-Sam

Another interesting article

Hey JAM,
Check out this interesting opinion piece from the Washington Post I came across. It's from a little while back, but it has some great insights.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/08/AR2006050801388.html

Jews and Muslims Praying Together

"Rabbis, imams and priests gather to pray for the end of seven-year drought in a valley near Jerusalem." - http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Article.aspx?id=195209

Discussing Dialogue

Hey JAM,
Check out an interesting article below that can help us all think about the best ways to go about dialogue. Have a great Thanksgiving!

http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=13841

New book on Jewish and Muslim mysticism

Hey JAM,
Check out this new book, which provides an interesting examination of Jewish and Muslim mystical traditions. This book examines the close ties between Kabal and Sufiism, and through an examination of the ties between our religions, we can begin to conceive of the peaceful relations Jews and Muslims have enjoyed over time, and will hopefully enjoy everywhere in the near future.

As Mr. Block wrote to me recently, "By popularizing this little-known tale of mutual respect and spiritual love, a narrative of peace – so unusual in these difficult times in the Middle East – can begin to resonate between these children of Abraham."

We're Back

Hey guys! JAM at Yale is excited to be back this year! We've already had some pretty awesome events and we have many more planned. Feel free to email us at jam@yale.edu with questions, ideas, or even blog posts. We hope to see you soon!

-JAM Board

6 imams and 6 rabbis walk into a television studio...

Stop me if you've heard this one before.... But I bet you haven't! Check out the article below about a new anti- anti-Semitism and Islamophobia commercial featuring a dozen imams and rabbis. As they mention in the article, one of the things that's great about this little group is that it recognizes the difficulty inherent in starting Jewish-Muslim dialogue. To quote the headline, there's "no 'kumbaya'" in this group!

Read the article here.