Contributed by Susan Posey: Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, McLean
A friend of mine recently brought to my attention an initiative taken by the Muslim and Jewish Communities in Manchester, England this summer.
Concerned about the rise in hate incidents against both Muslims and Jews in the UK and in the world, and acknowledging that, “(t)he conflict in Israel and Gaza continues to be a source of distress and despair,” leaders from the Greater Manchester Jewish and Muslim communities met for months at meetings chaired by the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester.
These meetings, “…. allowed for honest and forthright opinions to be shared which in turn led to the building of mutual trust and a commitment to ensure foreign conflicts do not become an instrument of division within our diverse communities of Greater Manchester.”
The end result was the signing of a Declaration on July 28, 2025, that commits all parties to continuing honest and respectful dialogue. The Declaration reads in part:
“These conversations will not and cannot be expected to resolve, for example, the issue of borders, the status of Jerusalem etc. but will be about accepting that both communities have a right to hold strong views and opinions which need to be respected alongside the willingness to sit down and listen to each other’s views. If we can collectively agree on just this principle then, if nothing else, we are confident that we can begin to help reduce anti- Muslim and antisemitic hate incidents/ and crimes in our city region.”
I was encouraged by the steps taken by faith leaders in Greater Manchester and hope their actions can be emulated both here in the US and abroad.
The text of this Declaration in its entirety can be found: HERE.
As an interfaith community, Tyson’s Interfaith celebrates diversity of thought, cultures, and religious practices. We uphold the principle of the “Oneness of Humanity” which recognizes the value and inherent worth of every human life and our interconnectedness. An injury inflicted on a person anywhere in the world is an injury to us all. We pray for healing in this, our beloved world. We commit ourselves to promoting love, understanding and mutual respect among neighbors – for we are all neighbors.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
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