Working with Muslims a laughing matter? Maybe….
An Australian Jewish community will hold a comedy debate with its Muslim counterpart.
David and Nail get the show on the road
The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) will hold the “Not So Holy Comedy Debate” in Melbourne early next month.
The topic will be “Sport is Not a Religion”.
Father Bob will act as Umpire for the Debate which will feature Jewish and Muslim celebrities as panellists, such as Bram Presser (musician and lawyer), Mohammed El-Leissey (Amazing Race, standup and community worker), Steve Bedwell (comedian, author and radio celebrity), Rev Howard Langmead (Anglican reverend and comedian) and Dr Nasya Bahfen (journalist and communications lecturer).
David Marlow, Executive Director of the JCCV said that he was excited to show an example of how Jews and Muslims can work together in good faith and with good humour, as they do in many parts of the world.
Nail Aykan, General Manager of the ICV said that he welcomed the opportunity for the Muslim and Jewish communities to have some fun together in support of multiculturalism.
Nail and David thanked the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) for their support of the event and said that people of all faiths and cultures were welcome.
The “Not So Holy Comedy Debate” will be held on Sunday 2 June The topic of the comedy debate will be “Sport is Not a Religion” and it will take place in the Swanston Hall of the Melbourne Town Hall.
Not fair, Gil. I am really excited about this event, because we Jews need to have a middle ground of encounters of the civilised kind. And what best way but humour. I have prepared earlier a list of subjects, themes if you wants, complete with charcters and happenings to roll over on the shule and/or mosques isles. Howz about you put your funny yarlmulke on, or why not a turban and join me in merryment and you Mr. Jwire may use with discretion my ideas commission free (kinda);
Funny ideas/jokes and yourse guys fill in the dots
a. A Jew, a Muslim and a Hindu enter a pub……………….
b. A Jew, a Muslim and a Hindu exit a pub……………………….
c. A Jew, a Muslim and a Romanian cross a bridge at approx. 2 a.m………………….
I suggest the JCCV debates these people not in comedy but in the reality of life.
By all means debate them next time there is a conflict in the Middle East and see how these same people justify their defence of the mainstream Muslim viewpoint of their co-religionists who will no doubt spew forth the usual hate filled anti-semitic/anti-Israeli diatribe.
Unfortunately, the facts of life are that while there may be moderate Muslim individuals, the religion of Islam is not and never will be moderate in its views towards Jews and continuing a dialogue with them is an exercise in futility.
Only when the moderates have the courage to take on, both privately and publicly, the extremists who take over and dictate the agenda will there be any hope of a positive outcome. Until this happens, the dialogue with the Muslim community needs to be treated with a degree of benign neglect.