CAIR-Chicago executive director Ahmed Rehab stands with other faith leaders to voice support for immigration reform.

The Jewish Muslim Community Building Initiative is looking for artists for the upcoming Cafe Finjan on Thursday, March 15, 2012. This year's Cafe Finjan will feature art that explores the theme “New Roots Chicago: Digging our past and branching into our future.” Apply Today!

CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director Ahmed Rehab spoke on an interfaith panel at St. Michael Parish church in Orland Park on September 18th. The event, entitled “Extremism and Violence in the Name of Religion,” featured Christian, Muslim, and Jewish speakers.

"Israel is often dubbed “the Jewish State” by its supporters, so it is not out of left field to question whether its actions should be taken as a reflection of Jewish values," writes Ahmed Rehab.

Amina Sharif writes, "The conflict in Israel and Palestine is political, not religious. It is not between Jews and Muslims; it is between the government of Israel and the people of Palestine (who are Muslim and Christian). "In reality, many Jews -- even in Israel -- sympathize with the Palestinians and criticize their own government's policies toward Gaza and the West Bank."

Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson presented a workshop to a Jewish Youth Group at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue in Evanston. Hankerson provided and introduction to the concepts of Islam and a profile of the Muslim-American community. The workshop served as the kick off to an educational and interfaith program between the synagogue and the Muslim Educational Center (MEC) in Morton Grove.

In his op-ed Nasatir highlights the amazing efforts by Jews in America and Israel in the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and for this, I truly commend them. But what about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine? Israeli checkpoints violate Palestinians' basic human rights by denying medical vehicles and services. This contrasts sharply with Israel generously building a hospital in Haiti.

According to Gallup, more than 4 in 10 Americans (43%) admit to feeling at least "a little" prejudice toward Muslims. This is more than twice the number who say the same about Christians (18%), and almost three times more than that of Jews (15%) and Buddhists (14%). The poll questioned Americans about knowledge of Islam, to which 63% of Americans said they have "very little" knowledge or "none at all."

On Friday, November 27th, Muslims all over the world and in America will mark the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, with communal prayers and celebrations. Each year, some two million Muslims, including thousands of American Muslims, go for the Hajj pilgrimage. This Islamic holiday is called Eid ul-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), or “festival of the sacrifice” and it commemorates the Prophet Abraham's faithfulness in willing to sacrifice his son (who was then spared) at God's command, an important historical event in Christianity and Judaism as well.

JMCBI is hosting a discussion group that will explore the future of health care in the U.S., and what Judaism and Islam say about this topic.

Ignorance is the real enemy, and in an effort to mend fences and grow relationships Muslims and Jews in Chicago have been part of the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative for several years now.

Can Jews and Muslims play and pray together? When Ramadan and Rosh Hashana overlapped in September 2007, members of a Chicago interfaith group came together at a local synagogue to practice their respective rituals of prayer and feasting.

I read with great interest your article entitled "How to Deal with American Muslims" (The Jewish Week, 09/10/04). The same points could have been made by an American Muslim asking how we should deal with American Jews. How ironic is it that our differences are so similar. In a way, that comforts me. There is hope.