This is a copy of an open letter sent to Amena Khan, from Nisa-Nashim co-founders, Julie Siddiqi and Laura Marks OBE. Please contact Julia Hicks, Project Manager at Nisa-Nashim for more information.
Dear Amena
We have known since we started Nisa-Nashim, the national Jewish and Muslim Women’s Network, that although the main focus of our work is on the UK, what happens abroad and particularly in the Middle East, has impact here. Both the Muslim and the Jewish communities feel connected and passionately tied to what is happening there. We have also learned that most Jews and Muslims don’t know each other, don’t have friends that they can talk to from the other faith and therefore there is little trust and understanding.
Maya Angelou said on an interview just before she died recently, “Words are powerful, they can start wars but used correctly words can also bring people to believe that peace is really possible”. We have a responsibility to use our words well.
Nisa-Nashim is looking, specifically, at how we can tackle prejudice against each others’ communities, together. The L’Oreal campaign provides role models for young women and helps us as women of all backgrounds, to celebrate our diversity and focus on what we have in common. Seeing you this week as part of the L’Oreal campaign made many of us feel so proud, smashing stereotypes, being visible in a way that many would not imagine could happen.
Words can hurt, words can divide, words can offend. And the tweets that you sent a few years back have done just that. There are people who question Israel’s policy regarding the Palestinians and those who don’t, and we are lucky enough to live in a country where a multiplicity of opinions is welcome. The language used to do this is important. To say that Israel is a country full of “child murderers”, praying for its destruction, and to say “it is only a matter of time” does spread fear, animosity and division.
Anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred are very real and happening on the streets of Britain as we speak. Anti-Muslim hatred in particular is mostly perpetrated against women, particularly hijab wearing women, who you, so inspirationally support. We must understand this better and stand in solidarity together as we saw, in person, thousands of women doing during the Women’s March Rally in London on Sunday. Our aim is to bring people together and not to allow those who prefer to drive hatred and division the space to flourish. There are people, particularly on the far right, who wish harm on both of our communities and have now targeted you, but instead, they actually make us want to work together more.
We are writing to invite you to meet us, and in particular to meet a group of Jewish women because, sadly, most Muslim and Jewish women in the UK have little, if any social contact with one another. From our own discussions with Israelis and Palestinians we also know that what so often happens among ‘activists’ in the UK and online does not help them in any tangible way. The last thing most of them want to see is their painful and seemingly never-ending conflict played out here too.
We believe that you have been, and will continue to be, a force for good, for inclusion and for diversity, and an icon for young women but we do encourage you to reflect, and to consider why your words really do matter.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Julie Siddiqi and Laura Marks