Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on February 20, 2015

If he were alive today, German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing would have to smile about what's planned to take place in Oslo on Saturday, as a group of socially networked Muslims prepare to stand guard in front of the capital's synagogue in response to a recent wave of anti-Semitism in western Europe.

Two-hundred-thirty-six years ago, Lessing wrote a play called "Nathan the Wise," in which characters from the world's three major monotheistic religions put aside their differences in a display of tolerance during a time of unparalleled religious division, the Third Crusade.

This is the sole message behind the Fredens Ring, or peace ring, which is planned to follow the Sabbath service at the synagogue on Saturday evening. "Islam is to protect our brothers and sisters regardless of what religion they belong to," reads an English translation of the manifesto atop the event's Facebook page. "Islam is to rise above hatred and never sink down on the same level as the haters. Islam is to protect each other."

Two thousand people have confirmed they will be in attendance outside the quaint building in a narrow Oslo street - a mixture of Muslims, Christians, and Jews all with one overarching message.

"We are all the same, the same blood. No group of miscreants can divide us," wrote one user Rashid Rashid. In response, the user Lena Andreassen wrote: "It makes me so proud that Norwegians stand together against terror. We are all the same: Muslims, Christians, Jews. Together we are strong."

'Common ground'

"The media has been referring to the peace ring as a show of solidarity, but what it seems more to be from the outpouring on Facebook is a show of love," Rune Berglund Steen, director of the Norwegian Center against Racism, said in an interview with DW.

That "show of love" comes in a country with a rich history of anti-Semitism that actually extends to the present day.

According to a 2012 representative study, one in three ethnic Norwegians said they wouldn't want a Jew to marry into the family, concluding that 12 percent of Norwegians harbored "manifest prejudice" against the 1,400 Jews in the country.

And when it comes to prejudice against Islam, two out of three ethnic Norwegians said they would be against a Muslim marrying into the family.

See more here:

Norwegian Muslims to embrace, guard Jews at Oslo synagogue

Category: Synagogue
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