Foundation for Ethnic Understanding president and founder Rabbi Marc Schneier says yesterday’s speech by the president was a "needed boost to ease the strain between the West and the Muslim world.
Schneier, who has been working on Muslim outreach, said the speech is "only the beginning of extensive grassroots outreach and inter-religious dialogue that is needed between the United States and the Muslim world to create real change."
The full press release is after the jump:[[READMORE]]
President Obama’s speech this morning was a needed boost to ease the strain between the West and the Muslim world, says a leading American rabbi engaged in U.S./Muslim outreach.
Rabbi Marc Schneier is one of the United States’ leaders in outreach to the Muslim world. He is working hand-in-hand with a number of prominent imams and other Muslim officials — including King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia — to establish peaceful coexistence between all peoples.
“The President’s speech today is only the beginning of extensive grassroots outreach and inter-religious dialogue that is needed between the United States and the Muslim world to create real change. For those of us who have been involved in these efforts for many years, we welcome the president’s entry into this forum. It is no secret that in recent years tensions between the West and the Muslim world have increased. I applaud the president for his willingness to work to reverse this trend and I encourage other world leaders to take similar steps towards peaceful coexistence.”
Rabbi Schneier is president and founder of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding; international vice president of the World Jewish Congress; and chairman of the World Jewish Congress United States Section. This summer, he will bring 30 imams and rabbis from Europe together for a weeklong twinning program that builds on his work with more than 100 mosques and synagogues in the United States.
