May 21, 2003
By
Staff Writer
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
On May 21, 2003 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "two prayer books --- one written in Arabic, the other in Hebrew and English
--- brought Huma Faruqi and Jason Burn together, each struck at that moment more
by the similarities in their religions than the differences... The Muslim and Jewish metro Atlantans were among those gathered in a hallway
at Congregation B'nai Israel in Jonesboro, surrounded by others from their
faiths, as they pored over the prayer books --- the air punctuated by
exclamations of surprise each time a common phrasing or character was found... The visit was part of a program designed by Soumaya Khalifa, director of the
Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, and the Islamic Community Center in
Fayetteville to break down barriers between the Muslim and Jewish communities.
It follows a somewhat similar program earlier this year when Jewish and Muslim
youths met at the center to discuss similarities and differences in their
religions."