ARGENTINA: Marking the beginning of Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah, Jewish and Islamic leaders celebrate the two occasions together

Leaders of Argentina's Jewish and Islamic communities stood side by side on Wednesday (September 12) in Buenos Aires in a show of religious tolerance between the groups. Argentine Jews and Muslims often meet at this time of year to show their desire for a peaceful end to the long-standing conflict in the Middle East. Sheikh Ibrahim Moustafa Gabr and Rabbi Shlomo Ben Hamu headed a joint ceremony at the Argentine Foreign Relations building, marking the beginning of both the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Speaking to an audience that included Muslims, Jews and even a Catholic priest, Moustafa Gabr gave a speech of acceptance. "People must understand that the principal objective of the heavenly message is that everyone accept their fellow man beyond their faith, race and nationality, whether rich or poor. It's our duty to have the liberty to choose our own beliefs," he said. Rabbi Ben Hamu also spoke across religious lines. "I want God to hear our prayers for the well-being of everyone in the world and in Argentina, that we find fraternity and peace. I want God to write is into the book of a long and prosperous life, that each person achieves their goal in life and it crowned on the pinnacle of success. Amen," he added. Argentina is home to Latin America's largest Jewish population, estimated at between 280,000 and 300,000. Despite a generally congenial relationship between Jews and Muslims in the country, the Jewish community suffered two terror attacks in the 1990s. In July 1994, a bomb levelled a Jewish cultural centre, killing 85 people. The attack came just two years after a blast killed 29 people at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires. While neither of the cases have been solved, the international community has long attributed the attacks to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah. Last year, the Argentine courts called for the arrest of several Iranian government officials for the 1994 bombing. Although official figures are not available, estimates put the local Islamic community at between 400,000 and 700,000. A large mosque complete with schools, a theatre, a library and a restaurant was inaugurated in Buenos Aires in 2000.

ITN Source | September 14, 2007

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