Washington Jewish Week, MD
May 5 2005
Starting a journey Iranians join Jews, Christians for interfaith
dialogue
by Eric Fingerhut
Staff Writer
A delegation of Iranian religious leaders strongly endorsed
interfaith dialogue last week. Less clear was whether such dialogue
might signal a change in the Islamic republic’s attitudes toward the
United States and Israel.
The nine-man Iranian group — Shiite clerics and academics, an
Armenian archbishop and the only Jewish member of the county’s
parliament — came to the area for an “Abrahamic” dialogue with
American Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law hosted the event,
reciprocating the visit of an American delegation to Iran in 2003.
During a public discussion and dinner, the Iranian Muslims emphasized
the importance of studying comparative religions. Ayatollah Mostafa
Mohaghegh Damad, dean of Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University and head
of the Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Islam, said true dialogue can
only occur when “nobody wants to convert anyone else to their
religion” and everyone can talk about his or her own way to God.
The Jewish and Catholic representatives noted that minorities are
treated well in Iran, receiving government funds to help run their
schools and other projects.
Issues such as Iran’s hostility toward Israel and the United States
did not come up, although the program came after more than three days
of meetings.
Delegates had participated in a two-day seminar on “Islam and the
Political Order” hosted by the law school that featured sessions on
freedom and democracy, as well as a Temple University professor and
rabbi who spoke about Maimonides.
Delegation member Marshall Breger, a longtime Jewish community
activist and professor of law at the Columbus School of Law, called
dialogue a gradual process.
“You start a journey at the beginning,” he said. “It’s important for
Iranians and Jews to understand the nature and character of their
religious faith. I think that’s a positive in itself [and] can lead
to broader understanding.”
For instance, he cited a program last Friday on “Modesty in the
Abrahamic Religions” with women representing all three faiths. The
Iranians, he said, may not have realized that Islam and Judaism would
have such a “common attitude” on that issue.
This is not Breger’s first experience with Iran. Three years ago, he
was invited to that country to give lectures at eight Iranian
universities about the U.S. Constitution.
“The constitution got standing ovations everywhere,” he recalled.
Then in 2003, he was asked to be part of an “Abrahamic delegation” to
Iran led by Washington’s Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
“It was an extraordinary trip. We met with the highest officials in
the country because of the cardinal,” Breger said, recalling a
meeting the group had with the leader of the Iranian parliament.
When the legislator asked the cardinal to begin the gathering with a
prayer, McCarrick asked a Jewish member of the delegation, Rabbi Jack
Bemporad, to do the honors.
The trip “was premised on the view that if we engaged Iranians as
religious people … we could have honest conversations that would be
difficult otherwise,” Breger said. “In my view, if people are able to
talk about religious tradition, this means they [won’t] see the other
party as a caricature,” and that can lead to “important conversations
in a wide variety of areas.”
Most of the Iranian delegates were religious leaders, but Breger
explained that with Islam holding such sway in Iran, such clerics are
influential in government policymaking.
Among the members of the Iranian delegation were Ayatollah Mahmud
Mohammadi Araghi, president of Iran’s Organization of Culture and
Islamic Relations and an active member of the Supreme Council of
Cultural Revolution; Reza Davari-Ardikani, president of the Academy
of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and Gholam Reza Avani, a
philosophy professor at Shahid Behesti University and director of the
Iranian Research Institute of Philosophy.
Breger also noted that the Washington visit gave the Iranians an
opportunity to meet United States Muslims, which “allowed them to see
the extent to which Islam is recognized in America.”
Some of those who attended last week’s discussion, though, were
skeptical that the dialogue would lead to substantial achievements.
Ephraim Isaac, director of the Princeton, N.J.-based Institute of
Semitic Studies, said talking was nice, but “where is the action?”
“[They are] very nice people of good will, but it’s not enough to
have good will,” he said, hoping that such religious discussions
could lead to more concrete achievements.
Marc Gopin — director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy
and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University — conceded that
the public program avoided delving into important issues.
Still, he thought the visit was a positive step, and said he was
confident Breger and other members of the delegation had frank
exchanges behind closed doors.
Last week’s program was considered sensitive by some in attendance,
who did not want their organizations identified as participants in a
dialogue with Iranians.
As for whether Iran would be willing to soften its opposition to the
existence of Israel, Ayatollah Damad told WJW that his government
“cannot recognize” the Jewish state because “Israel has occupied the
land of Muslims.”
But if the Palestinians were to agree on a “contract” with Israel,
then Iran could go along.
Mouris Motamed, the only Jewish member of the Iranian Parliament,
said that the Iranian government made a distinction between Jews and
Zionists.
“They think Zionists are not real Jews,” said Motamed, who discussed
his government’s position on the issue, but declined to comment on
his own feelings about Israel other than his hope for peace in the
Middle East.
He also claimed that Iran “doesn’t support terrorists because Iran
has … been damaged by terrorism.”
Motamed said Iran’s 25,000 person-Jewish community was well-treated
in the Islamic republic. It has its own schools, newspaper and
synagogues, and faces no discrimination, he said.
“Everthing is OK,” he said.
Breger’s impressions during his 2003 trip to Iran were similar —
that the Jewish community, while facing some social discrimination in
a Muslim-dominated country, was generally free of legal
discrimination at this time.
During his Constitution lectures, he noted, the government provided
him kosher food daily. He also pointed out that just last month,
Motamed, speaking during a session of parliament, had criticized an
anti-Jewish television show on Iranian television and was backed up
by the speaker of the parliament.
Breger did cite problems. There is also “tremendous support for the
Palestinian cause,” from a huge sign at the airport calling for
“justice” for the Palestinians to a park bench that had a sign
proclaiming “Down with Zionists.”
But Breger said a religious dialogue could help to change those
attitudes.
“This is a positive first step,” said Breger. “It encourages viewing
other religions and other people with dignity. … It’s foolish to
say dialogue will get rid of … problems,” but it can “change the
atmosphere.”