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| Brad Blog March 7, 2008 |
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| Friday, 07 March 2008 | |
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A lesson from Egypt: A U.S. rabbi meets members of the Muslim Brotherhood
Posted by Brad Hirschfield
I returned from a State Department-sponsored trip to Egypt six weeks ago, having developed more acquaintances in both the security services and the Muslim Brotherhood than I ever imagined I would. And the lessons of that trip are very much related to the political/religious issues that occupy everyone from our sitting president who is looking for a legacy in that region, to the candidates who seek his office, to so many of us who will make the choice about who that should be.
The combination of faith and politics, of political and religious identity is more powerful right now than perhaps at any time since the Crusades. Unless we find better ways in which to think about this new/old reality soon I fear that all of us will suffer, regardless of whatever side of whichever divide we find ourselves on. None of us is well served when the dominant thinking is either militantly secular or defensive about the decency and goodness of religion. My recent trip to Egypt, itself a country deep in the throes of a religious revival, provided many opportunities to reflect on the challenges of the increasing role of religion in national politics, and while Egypt is not America, this American brought back lessons that might help all of us here at home. None of those lessons was more powerful than that learned in the family home of a young Islamist journalist and political activist, whose name I will not use out of concern for his safety. Raised in a medium-sized village about 90 minutes out of Cairo, far from the typical tourist stops of the pyramids, the Khan el-Khalili market and the National Museum, he wanted me (the only rabbi in the group) and the Muslim and Christian community leaders with whom I traveled to meet his parents to better understand why he works so hard to turn Egypt into an Islamic republic. Not exactly sure how I would be welcomed into their home, I got into the white van that was waiting for our little delegation in front of the Nile Hilton, followed by members of the security services, who were none too comfortable about our trip. Greeting me at the door, the journalist’s father embraced me warmly, fully aware that I was the “Jewish rabbi” (is there any other kind?) his son had told him about. Taking my hand, he led me and the rest of the group into the cluster of cement rooms that made up his very modest home. With my hand still in his, he brought me into their living room, which was free of any furnishings other than a large rug and the floor cushions on which we were invited to sit. As the rest of the group filed in, I looked up to see the only decoration in the room -- a single poster that was pasted to the wall directly across from me. On it were the faces of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, the now deceased leaders of Hamas, an organization that has orchestrated the murder of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents in their pursuit not only of an independent Palestinian state but the destruction of the state of Israel. There they were, staring down over an image of the golden dome capping Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock -- the place where two Jewish temples once stood and from which Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven -- placed over a caption in Arabic. Seated to my left, a Sudanese-American imam for whom I have the greatest respect noticed my gaze and casually asked if I knew who those men were. I explained that I knew all too well, knowing people who were their victims. He asked if I would like to leave, offering to walk out with me if that would make it easier. I told him no, but that I needed him to translate the Arabic caption. While I can sit down with almost anybody, including those whose actions I detest and whose views I oppose, for our conversation to have any integrity or purpose we must not hide or sugarcoat our real intentions. The caption read, “Take heart Jerusalem, the night of your torture is ending, the dawn is breaking, your redemption is near.” I swallowed hard. Again, the imam asked if I wanted to step out. I told him that to the contrary, this is why I came to Egypt. And over the next two hours, I had the most honest and direct conversation of the entire trip with a group of men whose political-religious vision is about as different from my own as one can imagine. It was also the place in which my religious needs as a traditional Jew and my personal comfort were of greatest concern to my hosts. I was an honored guest, despite having views that were as problematic for some of them as theirs were for me. By holding together both the truth of my pain sitting in front of that poster and the warmth of my welcome in that room, I was able to participate in an unprecedented conversation. And it is by holding together the insights of opposing parties or perspectives that we can fashion a new conversation about faith and politics in this country. We must all make room for the insight and the goodness that are found among even those with whom we most deeply disagree. We must create a culture in which the wisdom of one point of view is not demonstrated by denigrating the views of others. When that happens, the public square, both nationally and globally, will be big enough to include the most piously religious and the most militantly atheist. Whether in Egypt or here at home, the ideology we value most, religious, secular, conservative or liberal, must be in constant conversation with the ideas we most oppose, and when that conversation yields ongoing learning on both sides, both our beliefs and our nation will be healthier and stronger. |
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| Oct 2008 - Present |
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Defining Loyalty and Betrayal in the Episcopal Church
“Jami Floyd: Best Defense,” Tru-TV, 12/17/08
“Communication 360,” (Webtalk radio), 12/16/08 (Deals with his book-
You Don’t Have to be Wrong for me To Be Right)
JTA, 12/08/08
KTAR Radio The God Show 12/07/08
Detroit Jewish News, 12/4/08
Cable Radio Network, AM Show, 12/1/08
The Louie Free Show, WASN-AM Cleveland, 11/25/08
This Thanksgiving, what do we have to be thankful for?
Christian Science Monitor, 11/25/08 WERE-AM Maury Feren Show, Cleveland, 11/22/08 Brad discusses his book WBEZ, Worldview, Chicago Public Radio, 11/17/08 Cleveland Jewish News, 11/14/08 Tru-TV, “In Session,” 11/14/08
On the Disney World assault trial
KPHX The Jeff Farias Show (Nova M Radio) 11/13/08 The Busted Halo, Sirius Radio, 11/12/08 KERA Think (NPR, Dallas) 11/10/08 KMOX The Carney Show (CBS affiliate St Louis) 11/6/08 St. Louis Beacon 11/2/08 The Washington Post 10/11/08 When Judging Guilt By Association, Look Deeper |
| May 2008 - Sept 2008 |
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Religion News Service 9/23/08
Christian Science Monitor 9/11/08
NPR “Tell Me More” 8/22/08
Topic: The Obama McCain debates at Saddleback Church—what was missing? Philadelphia Jewish Voice 8/08 Parents as Life Coaches
Christian Science Monitor 7/29/08
"State of Belief" 7/27/08
Christian Science Monitor 7/18/08
CNN Radio “The Paula Gordon Show” 6/21/08
PBS TV: The Jewish People: A Story of Survival, an original one-hour film explores these themes of resilience, fortitude and achievement of the Jewish people, moving chronologically over four millennia. Featuring Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, it is hosted by Martha Teichner, Senior Correspondent for “CBS News/Sunday Morning.”
5/7/08 WLIW NYC
6/1/08 WETA DC
6/2/08 WHYY, Philadelphia
6/4/08 KOCE, LA
6/5/08 WTTW, CHI
WORT-FM (Madison) “A Public Affair” 5/8/08
KPBS (San Diego) “These Days” 5/22/08 |
| April 2008 - Present |
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NBC's The Today Show, 12/25/08
How do We Celebrate Christmas this Year? NBC's The Today Show, 12/23/08 Are Miracles Possible? 
NBC's The Today Show, 11/25/08
The Journal News 11/6/08 Obama narrows 'God gap' WJBC-AM (Central Illinois) “The Drive,” 11/4/08 Dayton Daily News 10/18/08 Financial difficulties lead followers to church Wisconson Public Radio 9/26/08 LISTEN: At Issue with Ben Merens The Jewish Week, 9/12/08
Baltimore Jewish Times 8/22/08
The Jewish Game of Being a Tribe is Over, Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle 8/22/08
"Lake Effect" Milwaukee Public Radio 8/11/08
Irwin spoke about “transitioning religion”
The Jeff Farias Show, Nova M Radio Network (Phoenix) 8/7/08
“At Issue” Wisconsin Public Radio, 8/5/08
The Detroit Jewish News Online 6/13/08
Voice of America 6/11/08
“In the Spirit” WRPI- FM (Albany) 6/5/08
The Mitch Albom Show WJR-AM, Detroit 6/2/08
KOOP-FM (Austin) Soul Talk 4/17/08
The Drive with Steve Fast on WJBC (Central Illinois) April 14
Maria Sanchez Show on KVTA (Ventura, CA) April 14
Irwin ranks #7 in Newsweek's 50 most influential Rabbis in America 4/11/08
The Jeff Farias Show, on Nova M Radio Network (Phoenix) April 10
The Pope’s visit with the Jewish community, and the sacredness of paying our taxes on the Louie B. Free Show Tuesday, April 8 at 2:05 pm EST, WASN, WRBP, and WGFT (all in the Cleveland/Pittsburgh area)
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| Arizona Daily Star 3/7/08 |
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Brad & Irwin in the Arizona Daily Star 3/7/08 |