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EDITORIAL: Not very inclusive: Religious leaders mishandled a trip to Israel, but the Islamic Society should remain active in interfaith affairs.
Nov 26, 2009 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Some of Milwaukee's religious leaders owe their Muslim neighbors an apology for the clumsy way they have handled a trip to Israel, and they need to more forcefully demonstrate their willingness to include all people of faith in their activities. But the Islamic Society of Milwaukee would best serve its community by not withdrawing from the larger community of faith through a suspension of its participation in the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.
What's needed, especially now, is more interaction between people of faith, not less.
The Islamic Society suspended its participation in the conference after Islamic leaders were asked to leave a recent informal breakfast meeting so their interfaith colleagues could confer privately about the trip -- a move the Islamic leaders called insulting and offensive. And it was. The other religious leaders should have included their Islamic colleagues in the discussion.
The trip is being organized and subsidized by the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations. The Interfaith Conference is not involved in the trip but some of its members -- including some who were at the breakfast -- are going on the trip, which leaves Saturday.
Islamic leaders say the trip itself is suspect, arguing that it's a "one-sided examination" of the issues. We disagree. From what we know of past trips, organizers try to present participants with a balanced itinerary that includes visits with Palestinians and Israelis.
But including a local Islamic leader on the trip would have been helpful. And a good message. Kathy Heilbronner, interim executive director of the Jewish Council, said it tried to accommodate Muslim participants, "but for a variety of reasons that was not possible." Perhaps a more intensive effort next time will yield more positive results.
Islamic Society Executive Director Isa Sadlon said he believes the Interfaith Conference and its executive committee are "trying to do the right thing," but he raised concerns about the exclusivity of the breakfast group. The breakfast group should see what it can do about being more inclusive.
But the Islamic Society in turn should re-examine its stance on participation in the Interfaith Conference. Withdrawing from the conference hurts Milwaukee's religious community as a whole. There are better ways of handling this.
To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper,
go to http://www.jsonline.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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