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Jews and Muslims cook for peace
16/03/2008 23:33 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Extremists have to be excluded from dialogues between Muslims and Jews, said SA Union for Jewish Students councillor Ilan Solomons during a Cook for Peace event held at the University of Johannesburg on Sunday.
"Extremists are always those small vocal percentages that create the stereotype of an entire nation," said Solomons.
"We have to find that large moderate community among us - the majority - and exclude the extremists that don't want to sit down and discuss our issues."
Cook for Peace was jointly organised by the SA Union for Jewish Students (Saujs) and the Centre of Islamic Studies (Cis) at the university.
About 35 Jewish and Muslim students from UJ and Wits got together to prepare a meal that was both kosher and halaal.
The goal of the event was to create understanding between the two groups about each other's religions.
Jewish student Chaya Singer said the experience had been fun.
Connecting as South Africans
"We've been running in the rain together, joking on the bus together, cooking and chopping together," she said.
"It is really nice to come in here, have fun and just respect each other as people and respect the fact that we can have different opinions."
She said she hoped these kind of projects would spread to other facets of society so that students of all different religions and races would be able to connect as South Africans.
Muslim student Tope Olasoju said he learned the meaning of the kippah (Jewish cap).
"Its meaning fits into Islam, because is symbolises that there is always someone above you, which is God," he said.
"When you don't know something, you come up with your own assumption.
"Before, I believed that it just showed they were Jewish. Today, I get to know the clear picture, which is good."
Core initiator Waleed Majiet recognised that the students who had responded to the invitations were already broadminded members of their communities.
"But we were being broadminded within our own community," he said. "This is an initiative to bring these two broadminded groups together so they can be an inspiration to those around them."
"We are trying to create a multicultural society, but we can't build that in the sense that we are walking by each other the whole time.
Compromise
"We are trying to break down the barriers and say like: 'Hey, come over to my house for supper. We'll be making the stuff we made at Cooking for Peace'."
Initiator and Saujs' chairperson Caylee Talpert said it had been difficult at times to find the right ingredients for the meal.
"We couldn't find parmesan cheese that was both halaal and kosher, so we got cheddar cheese. But, I think that is what it is all about: compromise."
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