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In Search of Smiling Islam
(Ha'aretz) David Landau - • The basic long-term interest of the State of Israel is to integrate peacefully into the Muslim world while zealously safeguarding its "membership" in Western culture. •A fascinating attempt is being made in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, to improve the position of the Jewish people and Israel in the intercultural alignment now taking shape. •The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has gathered here, with the active encouragement of the White House and the U.S. State Department, for a series of political and economic discussions with high-ranking officials from all countries in the region. •A religious dialogue is also taking place between Jewish leaders, including several rabbis, and members of the local Muslim clergy who believe in moderation and open-mindedness in relations between monotheistic religions. •In the same way that the Jews of America maintain cultural and humanistic ties with Christian churches in their country, they are now seeking out another Islam - an Islam with a smiling face - with which to weave a tapestry of kinship.