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What's life like as a Muslim-Jewish couple in Germany?
DW (English)
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10/4/2024
Saba-Nur Cheema, from Germany, is Muslim, and Meron Mendel, from Israel, is Jewish. The two are married, have two children and live in Frankfurt.
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Transcript
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00:00
Saba Nurcima, a Muslim, and Maren Mendel, who's Jewish, have been happily married since
00:07
2020.
00:08
They visit the Berlin Zoo like any other family.
00:11
And they're living proof that peaceful coexistence is possible in spite of different nationalities
00:17
and religions.
00:20
People are always asking, how can you live together as a Muslim and a Jew?
00:24
Are you compatible?
00:25
Don't the religions clash?
00:28
In our daily lives, that doesn't really play any part.
00:31
We celebrate Jewish holidays, we celebrate Muslim holidays.
00:36
We speak Hebrew and Urdu at home, and somehow it's a good thing, at least for us.
00:44
Maren was born in Israel and came to Germany as a student.
00:48
Now he's director of the Anne Frank Educational Center in Frankfurt and a consultant to Deutsche
00:53
Welle on antisemitism.
00:55
Saba Nurcima grew up in Frankfurt as the daughter of Pakistani refugees.
01:00
Now she's a political scientist doing research for the German Interior Ministry on issues
01:05
of Islamophobia in Germany.
01:07
Their union is one of love.
01:11
Often people see us as a symbol of hope for the Middle East conflict, but we're sorry
01:15
to disappoint them.
01:17
Our marriage is not a peace project.
01:19
It's really just a normal marriage.
01:25
No matter how open and liberal the two communities may claim to be, for many on both sides, marriage
01:31
between Jews and Muslims goes too far.
01:36
The couple's parents also struggled to accept it.
01:43
Of course they weren't jumping for joy.
01:45
Neither of our families are free of these stereotypes and prejudices that are so prevalent.
01:50
Not about the Middle East conflict, either.
01:54
Meron's family are directly affected by the conflict, and each side has preconceived notions
02:00
about the other.
02:01
So at first it was hard work, but what really made a difference was simply a first actual
02:06
meeting.
02:13
The couple traveled to Jerusalem and visited both Jewish and Muslim holy sites.
02:18
Papa got to know Meron's family in Israel.
02:26
We met up with the couple in a Berlin hotel.
02:28
Since 2021, they've been writing a column entitled Jewish-Muslim dinner for a major
02:33
German newspaper.
02:35
They also talk about their children in it.
02:38
Actually when it comes to the children, the question of Judaism or Islam is a far more
02:42
important one.
02:45
Many people warned us that it wouldn't work, and they'll end up deciding on neither of
02:48
them, or they'll take one over the other.
02:51
In our daily lives, we have no problem saying everyone follows their own religion, and then
02:56
we experience other things together, and it's even nicer for us.
02:59
It enriches our lives.
03:03
Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent military
03:09
escalation in the Middle East, the couple have been more focused on peace than ever.
03:15
In the aftermath of the Gaza war, even if it looks as if Jews and Muslims can only be
03:19
enemies, that's just not true.
03:21
Of course, every community is made up of very different people, and it's these nuances that
03:25
we try to find.
03:29
Now the couple has turned their column into a book.
03:32
At readings around Germany, they've discovered how curious many people are about their lives
03:36
together, and about their perspective on the Middle East conflict.
03:43
What's also encouraging is that working together just feels very good for us, and it's well-received,
03:47
too.
03:48
Both of these aspects motivate us over and over, along with our private circumstances
03:53
and our families.
03:55
So many new things have taken shape.
04:01
Saba Nourchima and Maren Mendel intend to carry on devoting their efforts towards greater
04:06
dialogue and understanding between Jews and Muslims, both professionally and privately.
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