Raheel Raza on Muslims and Jews in an Age of Tension

What do you make of the relationship between Jews and Muslims today?

Well, today it's appalling [chuckles] because of, you know, b- after October 7th and then, uh, you know, following the, the current war that's going on.

But that challenge between Jews and Muslims, it's not religious.

And for me, it's really important to always say this is not a religious war.

The extremists would like to present it as a religious war between Judaism and Islam, but it's not, because Judaism and Islam have more in common than people really know.

And I've studied both.

You know, I often call Islam Judaism Lite because Islam has taken a lot from the first Abrahamic faith, you know, adapted it to the culture and the place of that time.

But the political aspect of it has really created silos where people don't want to debate and discuss.

They don't want to talk.

And this is one of the reasons that I created the organization that is now very active in fighting antisemitism, and this is called the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism.

And it sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but we have an entire Muslim board and steering committee, and there are many other people like me who are speaking out against extremism, against Hamas, and supporting Israel's right to exist and defend itself.

Can you tell me a little bit more about this organization? What are the kinds of initiatives you've supported throughout the years? What should people know about it?

Well, the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism was actually launched way before October 7th, and this is because we had seen the rising tide of antisemitism.

And it's very unfortunate that it has come to where it has today, especially in Canada.

But we have been warning about those signs.

So let me explain that for the last three decades, in my work, I have been fighting radical Islamism And fighting radicalization has a very deep connection to fighting antisemitism because both are connected by the same agenda.

And if we are able to defeat radicalization to some extent, then we have-- we are able to defeat antisemitism.

But until radical political Islamism exists, it's very difficult to fight antisemitism because it thrives on the ideology of hate of another, and that is something that, uh, we in our organization do not accept at all.

We believe that everybody has a right to political differences, but we do not perpetuate hate and violence on one particular community.

It's actually-- what you said has become kind of an, uh, something I hear increasingly from both Jewish and non-Jewish guests alike, this notion that if you want to reduce antisemitism, if you reduce radical Islamism first-

Yes

... antisemitism will be reduced as a second-order effect.

Well, absolutely.

So in our organization, I mean, you know, I'm literally on my feet twenty-four/seven, especially after October 7th.

We put out press releases.

What do you make of the relationship between Jews and Muslims today?

Well, today it's appalling [chuckles] because of, you know, b- after October 7th and then, uh, you know, following the, the current war that's going on.

But that challenge between Jews and Muslims, it's not religious.

And for me, it's really important to always say this is not a religious war.

The extremists would like to present it as a religious war between Judaism and Islam, but it's not, because Judaism and Islam have more in common than people really know.

And I've studied both.

You know, I often call Islam Judaism Lite because Islam has taken a lot from the first Abrahamic faith, you know, adapted it to the culture and the place of that time.

But the political aspect of it has really created silos where people don't want to debate and discuss.

They don't want to talk.

And this is one of the reasons that I created the organization that is now very active in fighting antisemitism, and this is called the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism.

And it sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but we have an entire Muslim board and steering committee, and there are many other people like me who are speaking out against extremism, against Hamas, and supporting Israel's right to exist and defend itself.

Can you tell me a little bit more about this organization? What are the kinds of initiatives you've supported throughout the years? What should people know about it?

Well, the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism was actually launched way before October 7th, and this is because we had seen the rising tide of antisemitism.

And it's very unfortunate that it has come to where it has today, especially in Canada.

But we have been warning about those signs.

So let me explain that for the last three decades, in my work, I have been fighting radical Islamism And fighting radicalization has a very deep connection to fighting antisemitism because both are connected by the same agenda.

And if we are able to defeat radicalization to some extent, then we have-- we are able to defeat antisemitism.

But until radical political Islamism exists, it's very difficult to fight antisemitism because it thrives on the ideology of hate of another, and that is something that, uh, we in our organization do not accept at all.

We believe that everybody has a right to political differences, but we do not perpetuate hate and violence on one particular community.

It's actually-- what you said has become kind of an, uh, something I hear increasingly from both Jewish and non-Jewish guests alike, this notion that if you want to reduce antisemitism, if you reduce radical Islamism first-

Yes

... antisemitism will be reduced as a second-order effect.

Well, absolutely.

So in our organization, I mean, you know, I'm literally on my feet twenty-four/seven, especially after October 7th.

We put out press releases.