Effective dialogue is based not on words alone, but should be manifested in actions which further mutual understanding and cooperation. One such action between faith communities is to show solidarity in the face of hostility, such as when a place of worship is attacked.

That was the reaction of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation in March 2009, when news reached them of vandalism against Edinburgh’s synagogue, apparently by two young Muslims who may have considered it some sort of ‘revenge’ on behalf of victims of Israel’s recent brutality against the people of Gaza.

Muslim leaders offer to guard synagogue (The Scotsman)

I am proud to say that by expressing solidarity in the way they did, SIF managed to shift the way newspapers would have otherwise covered the crime, as it could have been portrayed as a sign of overt tensions between Muslims and Jews in Scotland, which is of course far from the truth.

They also underlined the key fact of the distinction between Judaism and Zionism. Not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. And even if particular Jews can be defined as Zionists, not all Zionism is the same, and it certainly doesn’t justify any sort of violence against them.

They proved with actions what they also stated with clarity. I helped to draft the guidance notes which were distributed to Edinburgh’s imams, several of whom made a point of condemning the crime in their sermons or announcements, and clarifying Islam’s stance on the issue.

While the private response from the synagogue was positive, unfortunately a rather negative comment appeared in the Jewish Telegraph from the spokesman of the Community Security Trust, which “provides physical security, training and advice for the protection of British Jews”.

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