Religion attempts to explain life and existence mostly through the use of what is referred to as “superstition” by the secular community. Furthermore, it is a system that once employed by a person, often tends to govern the life of the individual through set guidelines. Therefore it is a comprehensive system of ideology that, besides being a belief system, includes rules and regulations. The function of this practical component of religion is synonymous with that of a modern day government in that it attempts to govern the society through the maintenance of law and order.

Politics is a term that has developed a negative connotation in today’s society. The natural need of a society to be governed and managed through a set of guidelines requires politics. It is in fact innate at all levels of society including corporate, academic, as well as religious. Being a natural part of life, politics can and may exclude the influence of any particular religion. However, religion being such a comprehensive system cannot exclude politics. Therefore politics becomes a sub-constituent of religion.

Religion, being an individual’s connection with the divine, makes politics seem almost at a subservient level and not so much at a par. Politics appears to be only a materialistic tool for man. The phrase “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's,” makes this distinction precisely. Furthermore, when Jesus made a claim about religion by saying, “My kingdom is not of this world,” he clarified that politics is only a worldly measure that should not be allowed to influence religion.

-Syed M. Razvi

How do you think any of the Al-Iman students have changed their perceptions of you and your classmates since that first encounter?

I think something I understand now more than I did in the past was the blind faith that the Al-Iman students seemed to have. What seemed to draw the greatest divide between us and the Al-Iman students was the way in which they followed and practiced their faith and the way us Heschel students did. What I observed in that first meeting was that they did what they were told because the “prophet commanded it” and pray without really understanding the meaning of what they were saying. As I look back on it now I understand this blind faith a lot more. This feeling of obligation to God is something they are taught and something they learn to live with. One of their main practices is the belief in God and in the belief in Muhammad as his prophet and therefore it would not make sense for them not do what he commanded if they really believed in the words of the prophet. This type of thought is so different from what I know and understand of Judaism; at Heschel we are taught to question and challenge God and the text. We are instructed to challenge our beliefs and pre conceived notions about Judaism in order to make Judaism meaningful and understandable to us. I really feel that in the field trip I almost looked down on them for thinking that because I could not understand how they could follow something so blindly. Now I sort of see it as something beautiful and really powerful. They have so much faith and so much belief in God that they don’t need to question it. To them it is a way of life and a way of understanding their lives and gives them meaning. I find it so powerful to just be able to believe in something so strongly that they do it without challenging it and without questioning it. So now instead of questioning their faith and understanding I see it as something powerful. I still appreciate the fact that I can challenge my beliefs but wish that part of me could have as much faith as they do.

If Abraham is the patriarch of the three great religions of the world, then his wife would be the matriarch. It so happens to be that according to Islamic teachings, Abraham had two wives, and God promised both of them descendants that would comprise enitre nations. The Jewish people point to Abraham’s first wife Sarah as their matriarch. Judaism upholds that Isaac was the son of Abraham through Sarah, and that the Jews of Moses were his descendants. Yet, they remain inconspicuous on the subject of the descendants of the child through the second wife, Hagar.

On the other hand Islam contends that Ishmael, Abraham’s first born child through Hagar, was as essential as Isaac. The Islamic view is that Ishmael was almost sacrificed, as opposed to the Jewish view of Isaac being the only select child. While maintaining that through Isaac came Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and various other prophets, Islam asserts that the seal of the prophets was Muhammad who was through the lineage of Ishmael.

The Jewish doctrine of the covenant forms the grounds for the belief that the Israelites are God’s chosen people. Similar Judeo-centric views persist in the Jewish dogma, as Sarah and Isaac are depicted as select individuals while Hagar and Ishmael are portrayed in an understated manner. In fact, in Jewish texts, Hagar is mentioned as a surrogate mother rather than a wife, while Ishmael is also often viewed as being wicked.

According to Islamic tradition, Abraham conceives a son with Hagar as Sarah is unable to bear children. However, after Ishmael’s birth, Sarah also miraculously gives birth to Isaac. As a result, Abraham brings Hagar and Ishmael to Mecca and leaves them under God’s care, although visiting them from time to time. The objective of this journey is portrayed as to "resettle" rather than to "expel" Hagar.

After meeting with the Al-Iman students a couple more times since our initial introduction, I feel differently about who I represent. I initially felt that I would first be perceived as a “member of the other religion”, rather than as an individual, and I still feel that they initially thought of me in that sense. At that point, they simply did not know me well enough to think otherwise. I thought that once they got past that they would see me as a Jew of a certain sort (a tallit- and tefillin-wearing Conservative, Ashkenazi Jew), and after that they would see me just as a unique Jew who practices in a way that feels comfortable. I don’t think that the last two steps really happened in our relationship. I simply went from being “a Jewish kid” to “Sarielle, who knows a lot about Judaism because she practices it”.

The biggest barrier between the two groups during the meetings was the cultural divide. I couldn’t understand how they could be so sheltered, how they could have opinions (specifically about their practice of religion) that were unadulterated by western culture, or how they could live only within their community. Mostly, I was confused by the fact that two similar religious groups in the same culture would end up being so different from each other. During the classes that followed our initial meeting, we learned more about the Muslim-American population, mostly from various guest speakers. I discovered that the reason for the differences in the cultures of the communities could be traced back to the fact that the immigrant-based Muslim population (as opposed to the African-American Muslim community) was still relatively young. My Muslim peers were first- or second-generation Americans at most, as opposed to a fourth generation American Jew (like me). When I learned that, it was as if everything suddenly made sense, and I was able to see past the cultural differences and to better understand my Muslim peers.

Sarielle Luger

The Ka’aba is the black-draped block of granite in the center of Mecca where Ibrahim is believed to have tried to sacrifice Ismail. It is supposed to be where the aspirations and loyalties of all Muslims come together and the final destination on the traditional Islamic journey to Mecca. It is covered with a black cloth with gold embroidery and represents the holiest place in Islam.

If I was a Muslim and undertook the Hajj, I think the most meaningful part of the experience would be the ihram because it would be very peaceful and calming to be equal in the eyes of God. Furthermore, I think the power in numbers and the fact that we all would be wearing the same thing and there for the same purpose would have an extremely unifying effect on my being. I would feel as though I was a part of a bigger whole, which would give me great comfort in the questions I have about my existence. After all, we all exist on this earth together and are struggling to get by despite our differences.

-Robyn Spector