Re-imagining Resistance & Interfaith Allies

I met Lili (top centre) through a collaboration we worked on involving IMI, and the organisation that Lili volunteers with, Jewdas. Lili is almost always a ball of positivity, and totally unafraid to go against the grain. We can go get pizza or hot chocolate and will inevitably end up talking about how to push interfaith work so that it’s more effective and actually challenges injustices occurring within Jewish and Muslim communities. There’s racism, misogyny, homophobia and ableism in both groups and we try to find ways of addressing these things as well as celebrating the more positive similarities in our religious traditions. I’m grateful for the times we can bask in our Abrahamic history but there’s a lot of work to be done to actually challenge some of the exploitation and negativity that holds us back from being effective when we collaborate and it’s really great to volunteer with people like Lili who get that. The ways we work together are examples of resistance but they’re also really fun. We have no shame in spending whole afternoons finding a good place to eat, or making the most of a free iftar and that in itself can be something that holds back the tide for a while. Here’s to re-imaging resistance using happiness.

Naima Khan
IMI Trustee

• Activism