American conciliation-seekers stunned / disillusioned encountering conflicting, Islamist world view.

Could the West evolve to "Two worlds, too far apart to bridge," quickly enough to defeat the "One world, indivisible, under Allah" political movement?

The article by Walter Ruby, in NY's 'Jewish Week', depicts a conciliation turned actualization by participants in an Evening of Dialogue (on 28 Oct) between NY's prominent Imam Omar Abu Namous (of NY's Islamic Cultural Center), Rabbi Marc Schneier of the New York Synagogue, and moderator Mr. Joel Cohen.

"To the evident mystification of the audience, Abu Namous asserted that “the Arabs never rejected independence or sovereignty for Israel in 1948,” and that the Arab states did nothing to pressure Jews from Arab countries to leave for Israel.

Several congregants said afterward that the dialogue left them more pessimistic than before about hopes for Jewish-Muslim reconciliation. “The imam’s words left me feeling that we are even farther apart than I had imagined,” said one woman, “so far apart that we really have nothing to say to each other.”...

Rabbi Schneier said he came away “concerned, frustrated and deeply disturbed by [Abu Namous’] misinformation and misinterpretation of the facts about Israel … He is more extreme in his views than I had understood.”

But he insisted the dialogue was worthwhile. “I could have gotten someone else if I wanted a polite dog-and-pony show, but it seemed to me important for our people to hear what the head of the most prominent mosque in New York City is thinking.”

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=13219&print=yes