Muslim and Jewish Dialogue

The challenge:
The Israeli Palestinian Issue has generated opinions so strong that they cut across languages, borders, and cultures. We believe, as most experts do, that solving this crisis (or, at the very least, improving the situation) is the key to improving the relationship between the Muslim world and the West.

Our role:
In November 2007, Randall Butler was invited to facilitate a dialogue among leaders in the Jewish and Muslim communities who sought to build bridges of understanding between them. The group is comprised of senior leaders living in Houston from both communities, including nationally recognized individuals within each.

Randall began by meeting with the group on a regular basis and once for a two-night retreat. The members of the group learned and began to apply principles and practices for generative dialogue enabling them to build a relational container strong enough to hold their differences.

The results:
After meeting together regularly for over a year and a half, the participants developed a strong fellowship. One breakthrough occurred in a meeting during the recent war in Gaza. Despite strong opinions and intensely held feelings on both sides, the members were able to listen, with great respect, to the narratives of each. Having built strong bonds of trust and understanding they are now able to engage in productive conversations on the most divisive issues facing their two communities.

The Israeli Palestinian crisis didn't happen overnight, and we don't expect that our efforts will solve the actual crisis, but we strongly believe that the members of the Muslim-American community and the Jewish-American community can play a key role in the peace process by serving as ambassadors within and between their respective communities. Greater understanding of the narratives of each side is one of the keys to lasting peace. Additionally, we believe that dialogue between these two groups is vital to ensuring that the conflict in the Middle East as well as the battle against terrorism do not result in increased hostilities between Muslim and Jewish communities here at home.