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JEWSANDMUSLIMS2.ppt
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JEWS AND MUSLIMS—WHY SO ALIENATED AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

Historical & Personal Perspectives

COMMONALITIES

  • Unitary monotheism
  • A divinely revealed scripture (Hebrew Bible, Qur’an which have some common material, e.g., Abraham).
  • Stress on religious practice (vs. doctrine) and on a complex system of legal interpretation (Halakhah/Talmud, Sharia)
  • Prayer at set times (Muslims 5x, Jews 3)
  • Reverence for some common prophets (e.g., Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, et al.)
  • Ritual circumcision
  • Periods of fasting (Yom Kippur, etc.; Ramadan)
  • Dietary laws (Kosher, Halal)
  • Centrality of Jerusalem

Differences

  • Muhammad has no standing in Judaism.
  • Judaism monogamous, Islam polygamous (4 wives allowed, but not common in most places)
  • Alcohol: permitted in Judaism, not in Islam
  • Qur’an presents mixed picture of Jews: “people of the book,” but “…they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth” S. 5:67
  • Demographic anomaly: 1.4 billion Muslims, 14 million Jews, i.e., 1,000:1!

A Mixed Beginning

  • The Constitution of Medina (ca. 622) “Their relations shall be guided by mutual sympathy, wishing each other well…”
  • The “Christ killer”/deicide charge never part of Muslim teaching—Muslims don’t believe Jesus was crucified
  • But, after showing some initial interest, the Jews of Medina rejected Muhammad’s message and eventually were expelled from the city.
  • As the Muslim conquerors burst out of Arabia and into the Christian lands of the Mideast, N. Africa, & Spain, Jews sometimes welcomed them as an improvement on their Christian rulers.
  • Forcible conversions of Jews (and Christians) by the Muslim conquerors were unusual.

The Spanish “Golden Age”

  • From ca. 800-1046, Jews in Muslim Spain (Andalusia) enjoyed considerable freedom and some served in high positions (e.g., Hasdai ibn Shaprut, vizier/Prime Minister of Cordova,& R. Samuel ibn Nagrila, vizier of Granada). Jewish culture flourished, inspired by that of the Moors .
  • But it was a gold-plated age with second-class status for Jews (& Christians):

No public religious ceremonies

No construction of new synagogues

No attempts to convert Muslims

No appointment to government positions (in theory!)

No carrying weapons, riding horses, or building houses larger than Muslims’

  • And the Golden Age was followed by a period of fanatical Muslim rule by the Almohads from Morocco.

Jewish Expulsion from Spain

  • Both Jews and Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492 (Portugal in 1496)
  • Some Jews found a haven in Holland but many others were welcomed to the Ottoman Turkish—and Muslim—Empire, esp. to Salonika in Greece.

The Zionist Movement and the Beginning of 100+ Years of Conflict

  • After Dreyfus affair in France, Theodor Herzl called First Zionist Congress in Basel,1894. A Jewish homeland in Palestine is envisioned.
  • Increased Jewish settlement leads to Arab riots in 1920s and 30s.
  • Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al Husayni, formed alliance with Nazis to thwart Zionism.
  • British closed doors to Jewish immigration in 1939 on eve of Holocaust.

Israel Becomes a State

  • UN approves a Jewish state in Nov., 1947.
  • For Jews, a miracle, for Arabs a catastrophe.
  • 700,00 Palestinians either fled or were forcibly removed from their homes & villages during the war that followed in 1948. Ironically an almost equal number of Jews were forced to leave the Arab states in subsequent years.
  • Six wars ensue with Israel’s survival at risk in four. But the Six-Day War of 1967 radically changes the equation. Israel takes control of Sinai Peninsula & Gaza (Egyptian), Golan Heights (Syrian) & W. Bank (Jordanian). Sinai is returned in 1978 as part of peace treaty with Egypt; the rest become Israeli-occupied territories.
  • Over the next 40 years (1967-2007), Israel builds settlements in these regions at a steadily increasing rate (though Gaza settlers removed in 2005). About 400,000 Jews in W. Bank today;16, 500 in Golan.

INTERTWINING DESTINIES

Palestine Becomes a Quasi-State

  • Palestine Liberation Organization formed in1964 with an international governing body, and a strategy of protest including terror (guerrilla--?) tactics. Cp. Jewish Irgun
  • Oslo Accords of 1993 put Israel and Palestinian Authority (PA) on path to permanent peace. Perceived violations by each party (esp. new settlements built by Israel & continued terror attacks by Palestinians) helped scuttle the pact.
  • Palestinian intifada (uprising) in 2000 threw the peace process into disarray.
  • The unofficial Geneva Accord of 2003 provided a spark of hope for peace but remains in Limbo.
  • Under pressure from the USA, Israel and PA had been meeting in past years, but now the talks are off.

The Stumbling Blocks to Peace

  • The settlements & calls by the US & others to dismantle many of them vs. extremist Israeli settlers in W. Bank convinced that God has given all of “Biblical Israel” (Judea & Samaria) to the Jewish people .
  • Failure of Fatah (elected to govern the PA in 2006) & Hamas (that now controls Gaza) to recognize Israel, coupled with Hamas and Hezbollah terror.
  • Repatriation of, or compensation for, Palestinian refugees.
  • The final status of Jerusalem: two capitals or one?
  • The emotional factor: Profound mistrust, resentment and even hatred on both sides.

The Feelings of the Wider Jewish and Muslim Communities

  • Jewish contempt of radical Islam prompted by statements and actions of Muslim politicians: “Israel must be wiped off the map” (Ahmadinejad of Iran). “Israel is a tumor which needs to be removed” (Khaled Mashal, Hamas spokesman).
  • Significant anti-Semitism in the Muslim world (Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Blood Libel, etc.) and Holocaust denial still exists.
  • Muslims’ deep resentment at Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
  • The perception by Muslims that the U.S. favors Israel, which gets linked to feelings of Muslim resentment, reaching back to the Crusades, and is further complicated by U.S. invasions of Afghanistan & Iraq .

Tilting at Windmills for Solutions

  • Israelis, U.S. Jews, & all Americans must distinguish radical Islam from moderate, peace-seeking Islam.
  • Jews (and Americans generally) must study Islam; Muslims must study Judaism. Misinformation and stereotyping is massive & toxic.
  • Muslims must stop equating Jews with all that is evil: sexual license, control of banks and media, etc.
  • Jewish-Muslim dialogue and cooperation is indispensable, e.g. the courageous views of R. Eric Yoffie, Pres., Union for Reform Judaism, in a speech to the Islamic Society of N. America (ISNA). Other Jewish leaders should follow Yoffie’s example.
  • The fatwa issued recently by ISNA against suicide terror was commendable, but must be followed by more concrete efforts to reach out to the Jewish community.
  • Muslim leaders need to condemn persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority nations.
  • The U.S Jewish & Muslim communities must do more to convince our government to press for a comprehensive Mideast peace.
  • Jews and Muslims need to find common philanthropic projects to pursue, e.g., AIDS relief in Africa, homelessness in America.