Most liberal religious people would agree that the ideology that threatens Jewish communities, and the one that threatens Muslim communities, are the same. For generations, white supremacist movements have targeted Jews with conspiracy theories about power and control while portraying Muslims as dangerous outsiders with a hidden agenda — people who don’t belong in America. That same ideology has fueled attacks on Black churches, Sikh gurdwaras, immigrant communities and many others. It rejects the pluralistic democracy that both of our faiths depend on. White supremacy does not distinguish between the communities it seeks to intimidate. Our resistance shouldn’t distinguish between them either.

Jewish and Muslim organizations have stood together  after attacks on houses of worship. Rabbis visited mosques after acts of anti-Muslim hatred; and imams have stood beside Jewish congregations after anti-semitic violence. Together, our communities have partnered on feeding the hungry, welcoming refugees, advocating for civil rights and strengthening our democracy. Too much of our public conversation today rewards outrage over relationships. Social media amplifies the loudest voices. Every act of hate is met with more anger, feeding a cycle in which fear becomes normalized.

This moment calls for people of faith to have moral courage. Jewish leaders should continue speaking out unequivocally against Islamophobia — not because it’s politically convenient but because justice demands consistency. Muslim leaders should continue speaking out against antisemitism with equal clarity — not because every political disagreement has been resolved but because hatred toward Jews has no place in any movement for justice. And members of both communities must resist those who profit from keeping us divided.

People who hate religion in general, and Islam and Judaism in particular, often attack Jews and Muslims by claiming that circumcision is a cruel, barbaric religious ritual lacking any positive outcome. Others attack it on secular humane grounds as a needless, cruel procedure. And some attack circumcision for hidden political reasons of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

Islamophobia has reached record highs, with U.S. anti-Muslim complaints hitting an all-time high of 8,658 in 2024, a 7.4% increase from 2023 driven by geopolitical tensions. Over 60% of U.S. Muslims report experiencing discrimination, with 76.7% of women reporting personal experiences of Islamophobia.

And among Jews who were Mamdani voters, 84% supported a two-state solution, putting them at odds with their candidate, whose anti-Zionism would preclude a Jewish state as a two-state solution.

Jews and Muslims have always known that doing something that God wants Muslims and Jews to do must be good. But in the last few years scientists have discovered that a benefit of circumcision is that it provides heterosexual men with considerable protection........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)