AJC and ISNA Launch Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a new national group of leading Muslim and Jewish Americans, was launched this month at a meeting convened by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). 

The Council brings together recognized business, political, and religious leaders in the Jewish and Muslim American communities to jointly advocate on issues of common concern. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, and Farooq Kathwari, President and CEO of Ethan Allen, are the Council's co-chairs, and the initial members are listed below.

At the group's inaugural meeting, the Muslim and Jewish participants met for two hours to get to know one another, discuss the Council's mission, and identify and agree on a domestic policy agenda. Among the Council's initial action items are:

• The Council will highlight the contributions of Muslims and Jews to American society, and aim to celebrate their contributions in the best traditions of American democracy.
• The Council will develop a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the U.S.
• The Council will work to protect and expand the rights of religious minorities in the U.S., as enshrined in the Constitution, so they may practice their faiths in full freedom and security.

"Our two communities share much in common and should find ways, where possible, to work together for the benefit of the entire country," said Stanley Bergman, Co-Chair of the Council.

"The Council aims to provide a model for civic engagement by two communities, vital to American society, that agree to work together on issues of common concern and overlapping interest," said Farooq Kathwari, Co-Chair of the Council.

The initial members of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council are:

Ms. Raheemah Abdulaleem, KARAMAH
Ms. Shakila Ahmad, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
Chaplain Tahera Ahmad, Northwestern University
Imam Shamsi Ali, Nusantara Foundation
Ms. Roberta Baruch, AJC Commission on Interreligious Affairs
Mr. Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein Inc.
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue
Ms. Rabia Chaudry, United States Institute of Peace
Senator Norman Coleman, Hogan Lovells
Mr. Steven Collis, AmerisourceBergen
Rabbi Joshua Davidson, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York
Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, Covington & Burling LLP
Imam Plemon El-Amin, World Pilgrims
Mr. David Harris, AJC
Mr. S.A. Ibrahim, Radian Group
Congressman Steven Israel, United States House of Representatives
Mr. Farooq Kathwari, Ethan Allen Interiors
Mr. Suhail Khan, Microsoft Corporation
Ms. Daisy Khan, Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality & Equality (WISE)
Mr. Farhan Latif, El-Hibri Foundation
Mr. David Levin, McGraw Hill Education
Mr. Moses Libitzky, Libitzky Property Companies
Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, Emory University
Imam Mohamed Magid, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)
Mr. Talat Othman, Grove Financial, Inc.
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, New York University
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the Rabbinical Assembly
Imam Talib M. Shareef, The Nation's Mosque, Masjid Muhammad
Dr. Sayyid Syeed, ISNA
Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles

SOURCE The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council