Daughters of Abraham encourage you to respect your neighbors' faith traditions

We represent an organization of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women founded in the Boston area after the events of 9/11. All of us were deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic and senseless bombings at the Boston Marathon and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families.

We were moved to write this letter because of references in many media outlets that implied that being "devout" or "praying five times a day" was somehow an indicator of a person's terrorist inclinations. We find this to be offensive and misleading. Those who practice their faith with "devotion" should not be lumped together with those who commit acts of violence and terror.

In ten years of building personal relationships and learning about each other's faith traditions, it is evident to us that all three Abrahamic religions espouse peace and that anyone who acts otherwise is distorting a key value of their tradition. We encourage people to follow our example and become more knowledgeable about their neighbors' religious practices.

Daughters of Abraham Steering Committee:  Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox, Saadia Husain Baloch, Maria Wilson-Portuondo, Mary Lou Loveccio, Safura Hussain, Sheila Goldberg

on behalf of The Daughters of Abraham Women's Interfaith Book Groups
www.daughtersofabraham.com