British Muslim leader moves towards reconciliation with Jews

[Behind the Aegis]

LONDON (EJP)---One of Britain’s most controversial Muslim leaders has declared that there is "an enormous amount" that Muslims could learn from the way Jews have integrated into the UK.

He also has demanded an end to Islamic anti-Semitism, in what is being viewed as a remarkable move towards reconciliation between the two communities.

Inayat Bunglawala made his claims in an exclusive interview with the European Jewish Press (EJP) on Tuesday after becoming the first Muslim Council of Britain representative ever to address a major Jewish movement, when he spoke to the Jewish Community Centre for London (JCC) in the suburb of Hampstead on Monday night.

It marks an extraordinary turnaround for a man whose controversial rhetoric has left him accused of anti-Semitism in the past. His new attitude has been described by British Jewish community leaders as "ground-breaking".

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[leftynyc]

1. Brave man

Hope he's not living with a target on his back now.

[rockymountaindem]

2. That's a refreshing change

The problem with things like this is that everybody has to make these decisions for themselves, and although I hope this leader's change of heart will cause his followers to change their opinions about Jews as well, it may not happen. There is no shortage of leaders or would-be leaders to listen to in religious communities, and if you don't like what your current leader says, it's easy to find one who agrees with what you already believe. That's the case in Judaism, and I'm sure the Muslim community is probably more fractious because of its large size. It's up to each member of the community to decide if they want to hate or not, nobody can tell them to stop hating.

I hope this has a positive impact though, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.