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part of its 9/11 response. It appointed a reference group with a series of
working groups, hosted and funded a series of conferences broadly la-
belled National Security for a Diverse Community, and provided funding
to other groups working in this area. Other important initiatives in inter-
faith dialogue include the New South Wales–based Women’s Interfaith
Network, the government-sponsored Australian Partnership of Ethnic
and Religious Organizations, and the “Living in Harmony” projects.
The National Dialogue at the federal level aims to build bridges and
create a better understanding of key issues during this period of increased
ethnic and religious tension. Peta Jones Pellach outlined the three main
areas of discussion as follows: “Matters of national importance where
a religious perspective is pertinent; matters of theological interest that
are of significance to all the partners in the dialogue; religious ideas and
Jews and Muslims “Downunder”: Emerging Dialogue and Challenges · 113
practices that are unique to one of the participants in the dialogue and re-
quire explanation in order to create understanding.”
54
Possibly the most
challenging of the three discussion areas relates to exploring religious
concepts that are unique to one faith group such as Evangelism, the Exo-
dus, the Trinity, Jihad, and the Jewish concepts of Israel and the love of
Zion, meaning Jerusalem, which is the basis of modern Zionism.
Living in Harmony grants from the federal government aim “to de-
velop grassroots projects to promote Australian values and help people
to realize the opportunities of living in Australia.”
55
The program allo-
cates priority to projects that promote interfaith activities; assist new and
emerging communities; develop understanding in schools; and assist in-
digenous Australians. In 2006 the federal government allocated 1.5 mil-
lion AUD for this program.
One key program that has received ongoing support, initially called
the “Goodness and Kindness Program” and then renamed “Together for
Humanity,” brings a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew together to do pre-
sentations in primary schools demonstrating the common moral basis of
the three Abrahamic faiths. This program has prepared a list of twenty-
two actions that students from all three faiths should aspire to do, such
as “Get to know someone who seems different from you.”
56
The main
educational force behind this program is a Chabad rabbi, Zalman Kastel,
who has moved from his Chabad upbringing in Crown Heights, largely
isolated from the secular and non-Jewish worlds, to devoting almost all
his energies to this project.
57
“Together in Humanity” is run by a board
with representatives from the three faiths, and Rabbi Kastel is the main
employee. He initially worked with Kuranda Seyit, who is the founder
and director of the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations (FAIR) in Syd-
ney, which seeks to meet the needs of Muslims and publishes a regular
newspaper.
Project Abraham is another program that has received Living in Har-
mony grants. It started in Adelaide, again as a Jewish initiative, and has
sought to reach out across the different states of Australia, including New
South Wales, Victoria, and the North Territory, as well as South Australia.
It explores the religious and historical commonalities between Christian-
ity, Islam, and Judaism with the aim of creating a model for peace and
respect and has produced a workbook that outlines the basic attitudes of
the three religions toward central beliefs, holy texts, religious holidays,
114 · Suzanne D. Rutland
and life cycle events.
58
Project Abraham has taken a different approach
from “Together for Humanity,” as the latter does not seek to explain each
of the religions but rather takes basic moral principles and shows their
commonality across the faiths.
The Living in Harmony program has a number of strengths. It draws
on grassroots support and expertise, with each project being sponsored
and operated by specific some paid workers, but each project also draws
on the organizations that foster community building and social cohe-
sion. The government funding provides the possibility of principle of
volunteerism. At the same time, the government’s approach is really one
of minimalism and tokenism. The total amount allocated is tiny in pro-
portion to the overall federal budget, but at the same time the concept is
effective “pork barreling,” as the government wins support from com-
munity groups and appears to be dealing with the problem of racism.
A major problem of this approach is that funding is allocated on an
annual basis and there is a less than 10 percent success rate each year.
Each group that plans to apply has to start work in February, submit
the application by the middle of the year, but only find out in October
whether the application has been successful. Thus a lot of time is spent on
applying for funding. In addition, each group does not know until close
to the end of the academic year whether the funding will continue. The
pressure of the annual process of grant application results in burnout,
with groups deciding not to continue. In this way, effective programs and
the cumulative knowledge are lost. Another problem is that the Ministry
for Immigration and Citizenship is not a popular post, and there has been
an ongoing changeover of ministers, with most having little knowledge,
understanding, or commitment to the program.
59
Individual religious and ethnic associations have also worked to
sponsor Jewish/Muslim dialogue. Within the Jewish community, this
has been done through the Jewish Boards of Deputies and Community
Councils in each state. For example, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
runs a program with Affinity Interfaith Dialogue called “Youth Encoun-
ters” that brings students from religious-based schools of the three Abra-
hamic faiths together for an intensive day after undertaking an educa-
tional program in their own faith, as well as “Journey of Promise: YOU,
ME, aUStralian,” which was a joint program of ten Jews, ten Muslims,
and ten Christians, also sponsored by a Living in Harmony grant. As
Jews and Muslims “Downunder”: Emerging Dialogue and Challenges · 115
one student commented on the advantage of these programs: “Living
in a multicultural society, it’s completely necessary to understand other
religions.”
60
After September 11, 2001, a sector of the Muslim community formed
the Affinity Intercultural Foundation to counter prejudice against Mus-
lims in New South Wales and promote interfaith dialogue. It is led by
Mehmet Ozalp, who has a Turkish background. Largely supported by
Sydney’s Turkish community, Affinity supports an annual Interfaith
Dialogue Conference and Women and Interfaith Dialogue and has links
with the Pitt Street Uniting Church and some Catholic organizations, as
well as the Jewish community. The formation of Affinity is an important
initiative, but the road to dialogue is not straightforward. The organiza-
tion has held functions on Friday nights, effectively excluding Jewish
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