Blog #3

For this week, I focused on an article by the New York Times which chronicles the work of Mehnaz M. Afridi, a teacher for Manhattan College, who focuses on teaching about the Holocaust and Islam.  As noted in the article, Mehnaz M. Afridi is considered a valuable intermediary between Jews and Muslims due to the fact that she is a practicing Muslim who is deeply knowledgeable about the Holocaust.The Holocaust Is a catastrophic event which is often denied or ignored in the Middle East due to the antagonistic relationships between Muslims and Jews regarding the state of Israel. Furthermore, Mehnaz M. Afridi has been criticized by many conservative Muslims for her work surrounding the Holocaust since it can be viewed as supporting the state of Israel and the activities of Israel in the United States. This particular story really highlighted how historical conflicts can continue to influence divides between groups of people based on religious beliefs and how intermediaries who can reach across both sides of the issues are extremely important.

Ashley Rydzfski

2-20-2015 11:24pm