Far-right Rise Unites EU Muslims, Jews [View all]

[Behind the Aegis]

ANKARA – Raising concerns of followers of both faiths, the sweeping victory of far-right parties in the European parliament elections has led to an unlikely unity between European Muslims and Jews against anti-immigration, xenophobic parties.

“We must learn to work together effectively on the both grass roots and leadership levels," Imam Ahmed Miktar, president of the Association of the Imams of France and a member of the Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, told Reuters on Tuesday, May 27.

"Muslims and Jews Our communities can no longer afford the luxury of standing apart."

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After the vote, the Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders, an interfaith group affiliated with the American Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, vowed to “work closely together to fight Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and xenophobia and prevent the far right parties from realizing their goal of passing a common legislative agenda in the European Parliament severely restricting the rights of religious minorities," FFEU founder Rabbi Marc Schneier explained.

“Just as European Muslim and Jewish leaders joined forces in recent months in successfully combating an effort by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to outlaw circumcision and to protest Denmark’s new law banning kosher and halal slaughtering, we will now stand together and speak with one voice against efforts by the extremist parties to implement their hateful agenda."

more: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/472977-far-right-rise-unites-eu-muslims-jews.html