OPINION: A heartfelt plea for Muslim moderates for good faith dialogue
We don't have to agree to start talking but we must accept each other's existence, writes entertainment boss Leo Pearlman
The recent desecration of the Muslim cemetery at Carpenders Park is a vile, cowardly act. My heart goes out to the families whose loved ones are buried there. This wasn’t just vandalism, it was an assault on memory, dignity and a community’s sacred space.
As members of the Jewish community, we know this pain too well. Our cemeteries have also been defaced, our dead targeted in acts of hate that aim not just to intimidate but to dehumanise. These crimes stem from the same dark place, a hatred of difference.
These acts are not “Muslim” or “Jewish” issues, they are human issues. And if we are serious about fighting racism, we must stand together. Jewish and Muslim communities share more than people realise, & when it comes to hatred, we are too often its mutual targets. That said, this is not about drawing false equivalences, Islamophobia & antisemitism are not the same. They come from different histories, take different forms and affect communities in different ways. Conflating them doesn’t help, it risks diminishing both. What we need is solidarity, not
simplification.
Now imagine if this moment, this awful shameful act, were to be turned into a moment of connection, of courage, inspiring us to step outside of our echo chamber and have difficult conversations with people who don’t see the world as we do.
I still believe in the right of the Palestinian people to live with freedom, dignity and self-determination in a state of their own. That belief isn’t a betrayal of my Zionism, it’s a practical expression of my desire for peace. The massacre carried out by Hamas on Oct 7th, a group who rejects not just a Jewish state, but the very existence of Jews in the region, did not change this, although it did make it almost impossible to see it happening in my lifetime.
It may be hard to hold on to hope, but that’s all we have. My hope is that there exists moderate Muslim voices who will stand & unequivocally say, “I believe in the right of a Jewish state in Israel”. This is not about agreeing on borders, Jerusalem, elected governments, leaders or flags. It’s about a principle, do we both believe that the other has a right to exist?
Without that, we are shouting into a void. But with it, just that shared foundation, we can start to talk. We can build understanding, even in disagreement. We can hold space for one another’s grief and fear, even if our narratives are different. We can begin to heal.
To those who desecrate graves and try to destroy the symbols of our existence, we will not let you define us. Out of this tragedy we still have the chance to do something bold and to show that we will not be driven apart by racists and extremists.
For those brave enough to say, “I believe in your right to be here, even when I disagree with you”, that’s where conversation begins and remains our only hope of reaching a lasting peace.
- Leo Pearlman, is co-CEO of Fulwell Entertainment. Fulwell 73, the production company he co-founded, was behind BBC documentary Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again.
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