Dialogue Series in Long Island Helps Muslims, Jews Find Common Ground

March 7, 2006

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liislm074653231mar07,0,366844.story

On March 7, 2006 Newsday reported, "Their discussions ranged from polygamy to women's lib, but, through it all, Muslims and Jews found they had much in common. The dialogue on 'Women and Islam' at Temple B'nai Sholom in Rockville Centre was the first in a recent Sunday night series that runs through April 2 and is designed by Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz to build understanding between the faiths. The idea, he said, came from King Abdullah II of Jordan who invited 20 American rabbis to lunch in Washington in September and urged them 'to bring Muslims and Jews together.' The first guest a week ago Sunday, Dr. Kausar Zaman of Woodbury, a pediatrician at Winthrop-University Hospital and Mercy Medical Center and trustee of the Islamic Center of Long Island, sought to dispel the view that Islam subjugates women. She cited high-powered Islamic female doctors, lawyers, corporate executives, dancers and athletes."