Often times whenever Islam and Judaism are mentioned in the same breath, people highlight differences and hatred between two peoples. But on the Emory University campus, another story lies - attempting to spread peace and harmony. One which highlights that not only the two religions have so much in common, but also how their followers are committed to working together to break barriers, stereotypes and extend a hand to those who need help.
Muslim and Jewish student leaders from the university's Hillel and Muslim Student Association (MSA) have created the Emory Children of Abraham (COA) initiative. "It aims to bring students from both faiths together through dialogue, shared values, and social action projects," Asad Abdulla of Emory's MSA told AtlantaMuslim.com.
The program was established 5 years ago in the height of the political tensions in the Middle East.
"Whereas other groups were debating the political situation in the Middle East, COA was meant to be a collaborative effort that would build upon the commonalities between the two religions through organizing a solid mix of religious, educational, service, and social events," Abdulla said.
"To kind of even attempt to resolve years-long worth of conflict, you need to kind of start at a very local level," Jessica Ginsberg of Emory Hillel said. "And part of that is just establishing friendships and doing activities like these," Ginsberg said as she packed food with 34 other Muslim and Jewish students on November 20th before going to Clarkston to distribute the food to the needy.
The students started their day with a tour of Masjid al-Farooq and was followed by a service event, Project Downtown, an Emory MSA program that helps pack, deliver, and feed over 150 refugees in Clarkston. The afternoon ended with a visit to a Jewish temple to watch a documentary created by David Micley, founder of Emory COA.
"It is critical for us to build deep-rooted friendships with Jews and Christians and use our religious heritage and shared values to address societal problems together," Abdulla said.
"In Judaism and Islam, there are so many similarities and common values. and it is important of kind of highlight those," Ginsberg added.
Pictures from the event are shown below:
Check out the video titled "Children of Abraham: Breaking Barriers" below:
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