A delegation of American Muslim community leaders plans to visit two of the Abraham Accords countries, Bahrain and Israel.
Sharaka—a Middle-East-based NGO that promotes people-to-people peace and engagement—and the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) said in a statement they are partnering to bring the delegation to promote women’s leadership and the role of faith leaders in peacebuilding.
The delegation members will learn about Israel and the Jewish people from various perspectives to better appreciate Israel’s challenges in the region, the statement said.
Imam Talib Shareef, a prominent imam from Washington, DC, will speak about the role of religious leaders in promoting peace. He will participate in a panel discussion at Shalem College in Jerusalem along with Rabbi Yaakov Nagen and Fr. Piotr Zelazko.
Shareef said, “This is an important trip because it affords the opportunity to bridge relationships as well as gaps in our understanding and perspectives of how we view the situation in the Middle East and the ‘other,’ so we can be proponents of positive change, peace, and global stability.”
AMMWEC President Anila Ali, a Pakistani-American interfaith activist, stated, “It is an honor for me to accompany my imam from my mosque in DC, my brother Talib Shareef. Many times we have stood together against antisemitism and hate and it gives me pleasure in taking him on our delegation along with other Muslim American women leaders.”
