Jews, Muslims Work to Keep Local Dialogue Going

July 18, 2006

Author: Charles A. Radin

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/07/18/jews_muslims_work_to_keep_local_dialogue_going/

Local Jews and Muslims are working hard to keep their interfaith groups alive and communications open as the Middle East conflict deepens.

So far, leaders say, they are succeeding -- partly by concentrating on long-term, local goals rather than reacting to day-to-day developments in the region, and partly by keeping a low profile.

``From the Muslim side, the whole reason to establish a dialogue group was to . . . prevent hostilities and misunderstandings locally, at the grass-roots level," said Mahmoud Jafri , cochairman of the Muslim-Jewish Dialogue of Greater Boston , in a telephone interview yesterday. ``There are people coming out on the streets, demonstrating, taking positions, of course. . . . It would be a travesty for the dialogue to stop."