Originally posted by PDM:
I have noticed, though, an affinity between Roman Catholics and Moslems.
That's odd, outside of the Middle East, I've actually found a strange sort of affinity between Jews and Muslims.
I remember when I lived in Panama, there is quite a large community of Sephardic and "Oriental" Jews who come from the Middle East, and there is also a substantial Arab community. The two often concentrate in the same neighbourhoods, socialise together and do business with each other. When you take the politics out of it, they basically come from the same part of the world and have a lot in commmon.
Also I remember going to Stamford Hill in London, an area famous for its Hassidic population. There is also a large (and devout) Muslim population there, and apparently they were attracted to the area by the devout and religious atmosphere which already existed there thanks to the Hasidim.
There are similar areas in New York, too. It seems that wherever you find Hasidic and Orthodox Jews concentrated in a particular district of NY, you will almost certainly find a large Muslim population nearby.
About the Catholic schools: I attended several, and I recall there being some Muslims and even more Jews. Maybe it's just because Catholic schools generally have a good reputation for quality education. Schools run by the Jesuits, particularly, also have a reputation for being quite open to other faiths.
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