Muslim & Jewish Women Bridge the Gap

"We live in a multicultural society and are both members of religious minority communities that nationally
 number about the same. We have many common religious, cultural, and social concerns that can unify 
us and will be helpful in establishing positive partnerships and trusting relationships."

These are the words of Nahid Khan, a Sunni Muslim and active member of the Islamic Center of Minnesota. She also represents the 
American Muslim Council, Minnesota Chapter on the Board of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC). Nahid has expressed her 
concern that Muslim and Jewish women have not experienced opportunities to get to know each other and to share stories. The time is 
right and the opportunity should be taken to develop this thought.

Nahid and JCA organizer Louisa Hext have initiated a project to bring women together to talk about their shared experiences as women and to 
reflect on their similarities and differences as Jews and Muslims. This opportunity is exciting and has quickly caught the attention of others both 
within the Jewish and Muslim communities. Manijeh Danespour, a Shia Muslim, active at Anjuman-E-Asghari in Maple Grove most recently 
joined our discussions. Manijeh is a licensed therapist and serves as coordinator of the Marriage and Family Therapy Post-Masters Program at 
Saint Cloud State University. In a recent editorial published in the Star Tribune, Manijeh clearly shares her reasons to participate: "Understanding 
each other through our ability to open our minds a bit is just like taking our well-needed vitamins. It gives you the extra boost you need everyday 
to hit the world head-on with all it’s oppression, unfairness and chaos." She continues, "…maybe we can use our cultural sensitivity to push us 
one step further, to a world where open-mindedness is just another term for honesty, just another way to understand each other in depths 
we never imagined we could." Other Jewish women are eager to participate in this initiative together with interest from the Community 
Relations committee of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Women’s Division.

Why are we committed to come together and share our stories and experiences?

Discussions such as ours will serve to create lasting relationships and to forge strategic alliances. They are essential in keeping vital lines of 
communication open between two communities so often perceived as being at odds with one another. Our vision is to converse and share our 
common experience as well as confront existing tensions. We hope to build bridges through dialogue about religious identity and community.

Our aim is to reach out to include women from two diversely different faith traditions and to promote increased understanding, respect, and 
harmony. Such relationships will demonstrate signs of solidarity among people of faith and will encourage others to join us. Plans are to
introduce one woman at a time from within our own circle of acquaintances and communities. We hope to participate in comfortable 
discussion in neutral environments. Later this year our core group will sponsor a larger event to further promote the sharing of traditions, 
principles and values among Jewish and Muslim women.

Please contact Louisa at 651.632.2184 or louisa@jewishcommunityaction.org if you would like to know more about this initiative or would like to participate.