By Akbar Ahmed, Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, and Stuart Weinblatt,  Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Tzedek

Why would a senior rabbi and a Muslim scholar engage in dialogue at this moment in history, at a time when relations between Jews and Muslims have reached dangerous levels of tension around the globe?

Barely a day goes by when we do not read of some incendiary terrorist attack by a Muslim claiming to act in the name of Islam. Sometimes the victims are fellow Muslims, and at other times, the acts of violence are perpetrated against Jews or Christians. Muslims have attacked Jewish supermarkets, museums, synagogues and schools, in part causing more and more Jews to leave France and other European countries, where their roots run deep, for Israel for fear of their safety. These acts are neither sanctioned by Islam nor are motivated by the nobler aspirations of humanity.

This article originally appeared in the World Post, a partnership between the Huffington Post and the Berggruen Institute. Read the full article here...