Religious Jewish and Muslim Women in Interfaith Dialogue in Israel: Intersectionality of Faith, Gender, and Conflict

Abstract

In this article, we examine the intersectionality of religion, gender, and peacebuilding in interfaith dialogue in Israel. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the influence of religion on conflict resolution; however, the distinct contribution of religious women to such initiatives remains under-recognized. We focus on religious Muslim and Jewish women involved in these initiatives by tracing their motivations, the dynamics of their encounters, and their perceptions of peace. We also examine the way in which religious identity shapes the dialogue by highlighting issues important to religious women, such as modesty and head covering, as part of an experience that empowers the women, and the way in which religious education influences the discourse between the women.

Drawing on qualitative field research and in-depth interviews conducted between 2018 and 2020, we examine the complex experiences of 14 religious Jewish interviewees and 11 religious Palestinian–Muslim women (Israeli citizens) who participated in interfaith dialogue. These women are driven by humanistic and political motivations and emphasize that their religious duty drives them toward peace, and that religion is not an obstacle to reconciliation but a tool for achieving it. We show that their efforts represent religious feminism and that they constitute a transformative force that challenges conservative religious interpretations of women’s roles in resolving national conflicts. The findings indicate that although the participants’ political positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not change, they reported a significant shift in their attitudes toward the Other, which they expressed as the breaking down of barriers of fear and prejudice. The women draw on their religious common ground and personal experiences to create empathy. These encounters are a form of grassroots peacebuilding and demonstrate their importance despite the failures of official peace efforts. In this context, religious women constitute important agents for change.

However, we also uncover disagreements and complex gaps between the participants: mistrust rooted in gender, tension between individual and collective voices, and differences in emphasis on the religious experience relative to the political experience. Gaps in formal religious education and status also stood out between the groups.