Hashlamah Project Study Circles
Local Jewish–Muslim gatherings built around prayer, source-based study, structured dialogue, and relationships strong enough to survive disagreement.
Why Study Circles?
Broad interfaith events can create goodwill, but they often lack the focus needed to address the specific historical and theological tensions between Jews and Muslims. HPSCs are deliberately narrower and deeper.
Who participates?
Everyone may attend, while each circle ideally has shared Jewish and Muslim facilitation. Participants may include Jews, Muslims, Sufis, students of religion, interfaith participants, and observers from other traditions.
What happens?
Prayer
Meetings may open with a brief prayer from one tradition and close with the other. The purpose is shared reverence, not a synthetic service.
Study
Participants work with Torah, Qur’an, historical sources on Jewish–Muslim interaction, Andalusian philosophy, medieval Judeo-Sufism, and modern conflict-resolution material.
Dialogue
Hard questions are welcome. Claims about either tradition should be sourced. Debate addresses ideas rather than attacking people.
Rules for respectful dialogue
- No proselytizing.
- No personal attacks.
- Document significant claims.
- Protect the dignity and security of participants.
- Do not confuse reconciliation with compulsory agreement.
Start a circle
- Create local contact information.
- Identify one Jewish and one Muslim co-facilitator where possible.
- Contact Foundation headquarters and register the circle.
- Use the facilitator reading list and Ten Acknowledgements as initial material.
- Begin small and meet consistently.
Building the facilitator toolkit
The redesigned site is being structured so future facilitators can download reading lists, flyers, discussion templates, sample meeting formats, and chapter-registration materials from one place.