Muslim groups raise funds, rebuild Jewish cemetery

[Shadows]

Less than a week ago, Tarek El-Messidi, a Muslim activist, helped organize a fundraiser to help with the cleanup of a desecrated Jewish cemetery near St. Louis. It raised more than $130,000, garnering widespread media attention and tweets from celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and J.K. Rowling.

Because it brought in considerably more than expected, El-Messidi vowed to use the remaining money strictly when needed to counter anti-Semitism.

But on Sunday night, El-Messidi read the news of yet another vandalized Jewish cemetery. This time it hit closer to home, just miles from where he lives in Philadelphia. He called fellow Muslim activist, Linda Sarsour, and they agreed to use the remaining funds to help with repairs and restoration. Then El-Messidi immediately drove to the cemetery to see how he could help.

There he found a team of diverse people, including many local Muslims, at work doing their best to erect what he said were several hundred toppled headstones at Mount Carmel Cemetery in a neighborhood in the northeast part of the city. Police have said they counted about 100 overturned.

“Seeing this in person was very devastating,” El-Messidi said in a Facebook post. “Many people there were embracing one another in tears due to what they saw. I want to ask all Muslims to reach out to your Jewish brothers and sisters and stand together against this bigotry.”

[Blackacre]

It warms my heart whenever I hear of just how good Jewish-Muslim relations are in Americaa

[The_Doctor]

This is called "America has successfully assimilated Muslims." And they're now demonstrating that they're valuable social elements and will demonstrate even further (if Trump doesn't act like the moron he is and start turning them against us) that they are valuable geopolitical allies in the war on Radical Islam.  

This, by the way, is also why you allow refugees to come in, why you engage the Middle East, and why you don't put up a Muslim ban.

You don't allow refugees to come in for the sake of humanitarian grounds. That's an awful reason. You allow them to come in so they can become geopolitical weapons against radical Islam. You allow them to experience the vastly better life of the West and then tell their relatives "America is a great nation, and we need to stand up for America."

Their relatives kvetch around the next major wedding (it's a big thing in the Middle East and Asia) or whenever they get together. They discuss the issue. Someone says "You know, cousin x and her family, is having a great life and they're allowing refugees. We have some options and the Americans are at least - it's a better life," and they stand up for America because their cousins are having a great time in America, they can visit, they enjoy things, etc etc. Then when the next radical Imam mouths off in the mosque, the mosque goers don't say "This guy is right. Down with America!" They remember the conversation and go "This guy may be complete bullcrap."

This is how the war on radical Islam is won. Curiously enough, it's also how the Cold War was won.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is called "America has successfully assimilated Muslims." And they're now demonstrating that they're valuable social elements and will demonstrate even further (if Trump doesn't act like the moron he is and start turning them against us) that they are valuable geopolitical allies in the war on Radical Islam.

Yes the destruction and annihilation of culture is working.

[The_Doctor]

This is called "America has successfully assimilated Muslims." And they're now demonstrating that they're valuable social elements and will demonstrate even further (if Trump doesn't act like the moron he is and start turning them against us) that they are valuable geopolitical allies in the war on Radical Islam.

Yes the destruction and annihilation of culture is working.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing? Not sure if snarky or serious, either.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm agreeing. Muslim culture is being destroyed in the US via assimilation.

[Devout Centrist]

I'm agreeing. Muslim culture is being destroyed in the US via assimilation.

Hardly, unless they convert en masse to another faith. Even if they quickly became nonreligious, their cultural identities don't perish in the process.

Besides, you're the one arguing to convert refugees to Mormonism.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I'm agreeing. Muslim culture is being destroyed in the US via assimilation.

You sound like an inbred. Muslim culture = killing and hate Jews? k, thnx.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

This is a good sign. I question the sincerity on the part of Linda Sarsour, but there's no question that this was an act of solidarity just like the ones the usually liberal American Jewish community has been performing against Trump's immigration ban.

[Crumpets]

Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with BRTD on this one. One doesn't simply "assimilate" one culture into another culture, and completely destroy it. The beauty of America is that we combine two cultures into something entirely new, and don't waste effort trying to make absolutely sure something as dynamic as a whole culture stays totally stagnant for centuries. It's like genes and sex: you want to keep things constantly mixing together.

Also, the notion that liking to have Jewish things destroyed is somehow inherently Islamic is terrible.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm agreeing. Muslim culture is being destroyed in the US via assimilation.

Hardly, unless they convert en masse to another faith. Even if they quickly became nonreligious, their cultural identities don't perish in the process.

Not immediately, but it will for the next generation.

Besides, you're the one arguing to convert refugees to Mormonism.

Uh, no. I want them to convert to emergent Christianity, or really any actual form of Christianity.

[pbrower2a]

Islam and Judaism may recognize the same enemy in America. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have much the same dynamic.

[Associate Justice PiT]

This is a good sign. I question the sincerity on the part of Linda Sarsour, but there's no question that this was an act of solidarity just like the ones the usually liberal American Jewish community has been performing against Trump's immigration ban.

     The gesture is impressive, though it would be preferable that Linda Sarsour not be within a country mile of it. Still, a good thing is a good thing.