PREJUDICE – WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? Religious prejudice and racial hatred must be learned emotions. They would have to be acquired at stages in a person’s emotional development because it just seems anathema to human nature to house such baseless, vile behaviour.

This thought was brought home during an Armed Forces Iftar Reception at the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday evening. Commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the WWI Battle of the Somme, the evening attended by the Rt. Hon Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence, also paid tribute to the overlooked contribution of 400,000 Muslim soldiers during WWI.

After the speeches and presentations, a small group of soldiers and guests from the mixed audience attended to their evening prayers, and then we all joined as they broke their fast for the day. Among them were Muslim soldiers who had already served in Afghanistan.

From where do we get our views of the ‘other/ the outsider’, especially when they’re negative? The Torah often informs that the law for the resident is the same as the law for the stranger.

In many cases our values are acquired first from our homes, from friends and during our education.

Not to draw any parallels but growing up in a Jewish area and attending Jewish schools until finishing secondary education can leave our children with a set of values that may go against the pluralist norm. To what extent such schools succeed in teaching respect, tolerance and acceptance is a topic being debated in the USA of recent. (See this Times of Israel article by Yigal M Gross on the problems of Yeshiva Day Schools).

Here in the UK in the week since Brexit, racial violence and hate crimes have spiked considerably. It might just be useful to remind ourselves that people of ‘good will’ must do more to make our voices heard over and above the voices of hate. For those who haven’t seen the Guardian article on Faith Leaders speaking out against prejudice, here are some quotes.

Justin Welby, the leader of the Church of England, said people of “evil will” were using the referendum result as an excuse to vent their hatred.

“The privilege of democracy is to vote, to campaign vigorously, to have robust and firm discussion. It is not a privilege of democracy to express hatred, to use division as an excuse for prejudice and for hate-filled attacks,” the archbishop of Canterbury said at an iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast with the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on Monday.

A common stand against intolerance, discrimination and hatred was “absolutely crucial for the future of this country, and for rebuilding this country with a new vision of what it means to be outward-looking, generous, hospitable, powerful in doing good, strong in resisting evil”.

Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, said: “Sadly, we know only too well that when political and economic uncertainty strike, discord and hatred are often not far behind. We must heed this warning that even here in the UK, where we treasure diversity, we are not immune to the scourge of prejudice.”

It is our duty to convey these messages loud and clear within our own communities and to those who may be targets of such discrimination. It’s no longer enough to wait for others to act on our behalf.

A TROUBLING TREND
Friday morning, the British electorate is going to wake with a terrible hangover.

Months ago when it was first announced, there seemed to be a healthy excitement over the European Union In/Out Referendum. And, while undoubtedly it’s good the country has gone through the exercise of defining and examining its priorities, we were naïve not to anticipate how fractiously intolerable the discussions would become.

For the past weeks, other than the 2016 European Champions Cup, the main subject of media focus, in the UK (and briefly around the globe), seemed to be which side was Right. Swings in financial markets were attributed to the uncertain result, and even the Queen was alleged to have shown a subtle interest. It’s almost to the point that one can’t be sure if any other work in this country was being done. Finally, today historically, all that effort will come to a head.

But putting aside what the successful outcome of today’s vote will be, tomorrow and going forward, some will look back in disgust at what we’ve become – a country polarised nearly to the breaking point. Tragically, at the extremes, Member of Parliament Jo Cox, was murdered by a white, middle-aged, mentally-deranged, killer shouting nationalistic slogans. So, the bigger question should be, not ‘who won?’, but ‘what comes next?’!

And, to be fair, this polarising politic is not limited to the UK. In the USA there’s an equally growing division unfolding. Regardless of how one defines the policies & personalities of the designated US presidential candidates, a troubling trend among leading democratic nations is an unbending, inflexible struggle for power, combined with an unwillingness to engage the disenfranchised opposition. This may eventually be linked to an increased class divide in the West.

‘Winner takes all and let the rest be damned’ was never Democracy’s intention. Giving a voice to and representing the needs of the widest public was as much the basis of those cherished late-18th century revolutions as was the desire to escape the tyranny of kings.

Sadly, we may be witnessing in our generation a teetering on-the-verge-of-collapse of a system that’s lasted several hundred years but has now become so fractious that it can’t correct its own faults. Efforts to look more at what we have in common than what separates us are being made at the grassroots level. And the public is in wide support. Proof is in how quickly the charities connected with Jo Cox’s death have drawn in over £1 million – in contribution amounts of £5 each.

The British electorate on Friday morning will wake to hear the results of their historic vote, but to face ourselves in the mirror after the past months of political infighting, name calling, misinformation, abusive behaviour and immigrant intolerance will require a much greater concentration on our shared humanity – the values-in-common we must protect and celebrate rather than those which divide us.

It is hoped we’ll recognise in revulsion that it wasn’t worth the tragic loss of a young woman who dedicated herself to making life better for people in this country and beyond. There’s no turning back time to return an energetic wife and mother to her family nor words that can lift the grievous feelings of bereavement many of us felt.

We learned last week that Kedusha (sanctity) can only exist where there’s an absence of Tumah (ritual impurity). Perhaps this idea can also be extended to mean that Love and Tolerance can only exist where there’s an absence of Hatred and Resentment.

The clever politicians who survive the fallout of an agitated populace (nearly 50% of whom will be disappointed) will need to begin focusing on healing-the-hurt rather than gloating over their victory.

Referendums – really not my cup of tea.

Sadly, again this week we begin with condolences to those innocently murdered recently in Orlando and in France, by lone wolves who inflict pain and give birth to further hatred – in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Would gun control be a sufficient deterrent, most likely not! Is crying out for the ban of Muslim immigrants into the USA a solution – definitely not. But both play well as media sound bites to ‘control’ the news flow and create the illusion that the news readers have any more wisdom than we do.

Earlier this week, there was a concert at Central Hall Westminster in support of refugee children living alone in Europe. Performed by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, now Dr Yusuf Islam, the charity event attracted nearly 1,600 fans – younger and older alike – to listen to familiar tunes from a by-gone period.

The concert was in aid of 3 charities –Small Kindness, Penny Appeal & Save the Children. They operate under the tag line #You Are Not Alone. On Tuesday, the Evening Standard interviewed Yusuf to ask about his work.

Perhaps the first high-profile musician to convert to Islam, at the height of his career his religious convictions took Cat Stevens out of the 1970s music world for over 2 decades. And, though he’s returned to produce 3 records with a 4^th due out by the end of this year, the concert focused on his earlier hits; Wild World, Morning has Broken, Moon Shadow, Father & Son and Peace Train.

Members of his charitable foundation attest to the sincerity of a man who hasn’t lost focus of the personal. His philanthropic educational work in the British Muslim community and beyond is well-known. For a period in the late 1980s, he was drawn into controversy (responding with libel suits) relating to accusations about religious statements and beneficiaries of his charity. He’s since been granted 2 honorary doctorates and is largely recognised today as a visionary who supports countless worthy causes.

Those interested in assisting the nearly 95,000 children displaced by Syria’s civil war, can click here for more information (http://www.smallkindness.org.uk/about).