Several prayers in our synagogue liturgy refer to “a world torn by violence and pain.” Recent events in which unspeakable atrocities are committed by groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram and their various hydra heads of terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa make that reference painfully real.

A refrain that is often heard in response to events like the beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya by an ISIS offshoot and the literal burning alive of a captured Jordanian pilot by ISIS often leads to questions as to why more Muslim leaders do not speak out against such events.

In fact, in the aftermath of the recent ISIS atrocities, numerous major Islamic scholars, imams, grand muftis and mullahs did speak out to forcefully denounce these crimes against humanity. The Muslim nations of Jordan and Egypt have responded with air strikes against ISIS targets.

In the midst of all of the finger-pointing about whether Islamic leadership denunciations have been sufficiently strong or whether the White House and State Department are fearful to describe such actions as “Islamic extremism” in order not to be branded as “Islamophobic,” came a powerful gesture by a group of Muslims in Norway. They  formed a “Ring of Peace” to protect a synagogue in Oslo this past Shabbat — both to protect the synagogue and its worshippers and to show solidarity with European Jews and victims of recent anti-Semitism. Some commentators noted that the number of Muslims forming the ring was much smaller than some media outlets reported, and that the “ring” was more of a line in front of the synagogue. An interfaith crowd of about 1,000 people participated and one of the organizers told the Times of Israel that the number of Muslims participating was “in the hundreds.”

Whatever the numbers, the act was a major ray of sunshine breaking through the dark clouds of despair of recent months. Unfortunately — sadly — since the Ring of Peace this past Shabbat, an unfortunate “dent” has surfaced which does darken that ray of sunshine, but which should not take away from the positive aspects of the event.

JTA on Monday reported that the widely applauded “Ring of Peace” was marred by the revelation that one of its principal organizers, Ali Chishti, had admittedly made statements in 2009 against both Jews and Israelis in connection with the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the terrorist attacks in Mubai, India.  By his own admission, those statements,  based on long-discredited canards, were both “anti-Semitic” and “unacceptable.”  Indeed they are, and it would have been better for him to have admitted his past statements and apologies prior to the Ring of Peace demonstration.  Nonetheless, the concept of the “Ring of Peace” and its large number of participants who came together to repudiate anti-Semitism and to publicly demonstrate solidarity with the Jews of Europe was still worthwhile. 

Ervin Kohn, head of the Oslo Jewish community, despite the revelation about Chishti’s remarks, applauded the actual event and said it should be a model for interfaith cooperation and solidarity as a humane and positive gesture against hate and in favor of interfaith understanding and mutual support.

The Oslo Ring of Peace comes in the aftermath of the almost identical twin attacks in Paris and then Copenhagen, self-identified ISIS-influenced terrorists murdered more than a dozen people at a free speech meeting and at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, four Jewish patrons at a kosher market and a Jewish man standing outside a synagogue in Copenhagen.