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Introducing Ranya Idliby
I
n an effort to answer her
children's post-9/11 questions
about life, death and religion,
Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim
of Palestinian descent, began the
Faith Club with Priscilla Warner, who
is Jewish, and Suzanne Oliver, a
Christian. They were determined to
speak openly and honestly, without
a hint of political correctness, and to
continue no matter what. Their book,
The Faith Club (Free Press; $25),
describes these meetings and provides
guidance for others wishing to start
their own groups.
Q: Perhaps at first glance the
idea of three women of dif-
ferent religions, interested
in speaking openly, wouldn't
seem such an extraordinary
event. Yet it was just that.
How did you come to be the
kind of person willing to initi-
ate such a dialogue?
A: From the perspective of the Muslim
mother, the notion of three women of
different religions talking openly was
actually extraordinary. This is because
the need for the dialogue was a direct
result of the terrorist attacks our
country suffered on 9-11. In the after-
math of that attack, Islam in America
felt like a condemned religion.
As a mother of two American-born
children, I was deeply anxious about
the future of my children as both
Americans and Muslims. I knew one
thing: I needed them to be proud. It
seemed to me that Islam in America
had become more of a burden than a
privilege. As a mother, I could not ask
my children to honor that faith tradi-
tion and its challenges unless I had
clear reasons and convictions.
My responsibility as a parent chal-
lenged me out of my apathy. It chal-
lenged me to pick up the Quran and
read it for myself. When I reconnected
with what I believe are the universal
truths within Islam, my heart was rac-
ing with excitement. I so wanted to
share this newfound knowledge with
the rest of the world to counter the
negative stereotypes and dominant
voice of Islam: the fact that Muslims
believe in the Torah and the Gospels,
the fact that Muslims are supposed to
believe in all the Abrahamic prophets,
including Moses and Jesus equally, and
the fact that Muslims believe in the
manna that came down from the sky
to save the Israelites.
This need inspired me to reach out
to a Christian mother and a Jewish
mother with the idea of doing a project
that would help highlight the com-
monalities between the three faith
traditions.
Q: What was the most dif-
ficult moment in your con-
versations with Suzanne and
Priscilla?
A: There were many difficult moments.
That is why our dialogue was invigo-
rating and challenging.
Though initially we were strangers
to each other, as we became friends,
shared chocolate and cups of tea, we
were able to push the boundaries of
our dialogue. We were able to nudge
ourselves out of our comfort zones
and push ourselves into unfamiliar
lhtee
WOrnen Skard)
territory where real
growth was required.
The only rule we fol-
lowed was honesty
and respect.
In this manner, I
was able to have some
very difficult conver-
sa-
tions with Priscilla about the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and some difficult
conversations with Suzanne about the
violence and stereotypes associated
with the religion of Islam in the West.
fot
opportunity to be one
such voice.
Q: In your book
you offer guide-
lines for others
wishing to start
their own faith clubs. Do
you believe, then, that most
religious difficulties can be
worked out through open dis-
cussion? What is the greatest
obstacle to creating such dia-
logues?
A: At the Faith Club, we are passion-
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Q: It was your children's
questions after 9-11 that
prompted the creation of the
Faith Club. What was it like
for you on that day?
A: That day was challenging not only
in the horror, shock, disgust we all
shared as Americans; but as a Muslim
family there was also this sense of
guilt by association. It was in the name
of our religion, Islam, that the terror
and crimes were committed. Part of
me wanted to hide in the shame and
horror of it all. But the parent in me
could not afford to do so.
I knew that apathy or silence was
not an option. I wanted to help rescue
Islam from the abuse it has suffered
in the hands of violent criminals. The
more I read, the more I was motivated
by a sense of duty for the major-
ity of the 1.6 billion Muslims around
the world who truly live spiritual and
peaceful lives.
In America, I am often asked where
are the Muslim voices condemning
the violence? I am truly honored and
privileged to have been given the
ate about the need for open dialogue.
We are not for editing our language
but for enlightening our thoughts. The
most effective way to achieve this is
through a "grass-root people" dia-
logue.
We are not theologians, nor are we
scholars or politicians. We are just
people who have learned that for the
safety of our children and yours, the
world would be better served when we
stop and recognize that at the end of
the day, we are all humans and that we
cannot afford to vilify an entire reli-
gion, race or culture.
The greatest obstacle for achiev-
ing this type of dialogue is the fear of
pushing ourselves out of our comfort
zones. But complacency has never
been a positive component of change.
We must have the courage to face the
fear of discovering that our "truths"
may not always be certain but that
doubt, open minds and hearts are
great breeding grounds for positive
growth and change in our world.
- Elizabeth Applebaum
Introducing Meir Shalev
M
eir Shalev is known
throughout Israel for his
satiric columns, often
aimed at the government, in the news-
paper Yediot Ahronot. Who might have
imagined he could have produced the
tender, poignant A Pigeon and a Boy
(Schocken; $25)?
The book is the story of Yair
Mendelsohn, an Israeli tour guide; a
homing pigeon handler, "the Baby";
and a poignant love story that flies
on the wings of birds. The winner of
Israel's highest award for literature, A
Pigeon and a Boy shows Shalev to be
one of Israel's finest writers, an author
who, according to the New York Times,
"delivers both startling imagery and
passionate, original characters."
Q: Please tell us a little about
your process of creating char-
acters. Do you imagine every
aspect of the men and women
who inhabit your books, from
the way they look to their
favorite foods, much like
some actors might approach a
role? Or do you just sit down
and begin writing and let
the characters sort of create
themselves?
A: It is both. I have an idea of their
look and behavior before I start writ-
ing, and the final details
are described later, and
never fully.
Q: A theme run-
ning throughout
your book is the
importance of
home. What do you
like best about the
house in which you live and
about living in the State of
Israel?
A: Israel is where I was born and raised;
living there is my natural situation. I
never thought of leaving. It is also the
only place were people talk and read
the language I write. The
thing I like most about my
home is me inside it.
Q: What prompted
you to tell a story
that featured
pigeons? Is this a
subject you already knew
something about, or did you
have to do some research?
A: I did the research for the book. I
knew nothing about homing pigeons
before, but I was attracted to the
pigeon's obsessive passion to go back
home.
- Elizabeth Applebaum
October 25 • 2007
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