The Message of the Ring

What is so striking about the demonstration that took place on Motzoei Shabbos in front of the Main Shul in Oslo, Norway, wasn’t the fact that it took place. Europeans often react to upsetting events by holding rallies, and as indicated by the massive recent gatherings in Paris and Berlin, there has been concerted effort by many on this continent to condemn the rash of terror attacks that sent shockwaves throughout the globe.

What was unusual was who the organizers were. Unlike the far larger rallies in Germany and France, this “ring of peace” wasn’t organized by government officials; it was the initiative of a group of young Muslims.

“We want to demonstrate that Jews and Muslims do not hate each other,” co-organizer Zeeshan Abdullah told the crowd standing in a half-circle before the white synagogue. “There are many more peace mongers than warmongers,” he added.

As the civilized world continues to wage war against terror, it is imperative that Mr. Abdullah’s message is amplified and spread. While it is foolish and unhelpful to try to avoid the undeniable fact that the most serious terrorist threat facing mankind today is Islamic terror, it is both untrue and counterproductive to portray this battle as a war between religions or of the West vs. Islam. The overwhelming majority of the world’s billion Muslims do not support terror, and insinuations to the contrary only serve to aid the intentions of those promoting terrorist ideology. Furthermore, when the war on terror is wrongly cast as a war against a religion, it provides a cover for those who wish to squelch religious liberties across the board, endangering rights such as shechitah and bris milah.

At the same time, Muslim leaders, organizations and individuals need to do much more to actively combat the anti-Western and anti-Semitic ideology that is fueling acts of terror. The organizers of this gathering, as well as the sentiments expressed by the Muslim hero who saved Jewish lives in the Paris supermarket, should be commended for their courage and for the message they sent the world.

This article appeared in print in the February 25th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.