Michigan Muslims join Jews for Christmas Day Mitzvah

[Bluebear]

DETROIT – Many Jews consider Christmas Day an opportunity to serve their community while Christian neighbors celebrate their holiday. This year, what's also known as Mitzvah Day in southeast Michigan is getting an added boost from Muslims.

For the first time, about 40 Muslims are expected to join 900 Jews for what they call their largest annual day of volunteering. Leaders say it's a small but significant step in defusing tensions and promoting good will between the religions — particularly on a day that is sacred to Christianity, the third Abrahamic faith.

Mitzvah Day, a nearly 20-year tradition in the Detroit area also practiced in other communities, is so named because Mitzvah means "commandment" in Hebrew and is generally translated as a good deed....

Muslim and Jewish volunteers will work together at the Gleaners Community Food Bank in Pontiac, about 25 miles north of Detroit. "We felt it was a perfect activity for people to be getting together like this because you work side by side with one or two other people as you're moving the boxes," Cohen said. "The grass-roots connection builds relationships on a personal level."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091224/ap_on_re_us/us_a_muslim_mitzvah

[Ken Burch]

1. This is great! Those people are an example to us all.

n/t.

[rockymountaindem]

13. What do you mean "those people"?

;)

Happy belated Festivus :toast:

[Cirque du So-What]

2. That's terrific N/T

[marmar]

3. A nice holiday story ..... and a positive Jewish-Muslim relations story for a change.

Joyeaux Noel, Bluebear. :hi:

[Bluebear]

4. Et vous, mon frere!

[Bluebear]

12. .

[elleng]

5. as well as in my home!

[old mark]

6. This is one of the really good things about the US - stuff like this happens .

Much better idea than killing each other for god.

mark

[Nikki Stone1]

7. I was just thinking that too.

This is why we can't let the assholes in Congress have America. There are too many decent things here to lose them to whores, thieves and warmongers.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Not just in the US

in Mexico every year Mexican Jews work at hotels, the Red Cross (no, not just us silly medics) and other places.

[LeftishBrit]

9. k&r for some very good human beings!

[madrchsod]

10. good for them....

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. kick and recommend

[Bozita]

14. Great stuff! ... Recommended

[GrantDem]

15. Too bad we don't see more of this type of harmony.

The world could sure use it.

:grouphug:

[DavidDvorkin]

16. Jews and Moslems often seem able to cooperate outside the Middle East

No governments to get in the way, I guess.

[LatteLibertine]

17. Very glad to see this

I commend them and encourage them.

[Occulus]

18. On the tolerance hand, yes, but

I shudder to wonder at the potential power and actions of the 'dominance hand' were all three Abrahamic religions to decide to unite in common purpose.

Never mind; I just realized that's an OP all by itself. I really don't mean to derail this thread; tolerance among religions as well as of religion (or its lack) is what we strive for in this country. It's good to see this sort of inclusion.

[Douglas Carpenter]

19. another kick for the holidays

[Vidar]

20. K&R.

[Dorian Gray]

21. Aww....

Happy Stories. Peace and Harmony, and today is the perfect day for it. (Though any day would be the perfect day for something so positive!)

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. another kick for peace and good will to all!!

[LeftishBrit]

23. Another kick

[Ikonoklast]

24. A lesson here, for those willing to learn.

The religious extremists of all types should be shamed by the good works done by these people.