(Times of Israel) Prominently perched on the coffee table in the Toronto condominium of Raheel Raza is “Israel 60,” a 336-page volume chronicling the country’s first six decades of history, culture, politics and aspirations for peace. For some of Raza’s fellow Pakistani Muslim family and friends who visit, seeing the book is shocking — and she makes sure to seize the moment.
“They’re always curious: ‘Why are you supporting Israel?’” says Raza, a Sunni Muslim who is a seasoned activist for peace, human rights and gender equality. “It provides an opportunity to discuss the rampant conspiracy theories distorting what Israel is — a conversation that is desperately needed.”
Sparking productive, fact-based dialogue about Israel and the extremist forces within Islam that demonize the country and Jews is central to Raza’s work with the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism (CMAA), a nonprofit she founded in April of 2021 with her husband, Sohail Raza, and other progressive Muslims.
