Menachem Mendel

A number of years ago the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Publication Society published two books for Jews and Muslims. One was by Khalid Durán, Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews. I haven’t read the book, but it seems that some Muslims weren’t very happy about it.

A companion book was written by Reuven Firestone, Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims. I also haven’t read that book, but it seems that a recent Arabic translation of the book has gotten some Muslims angry. Firestone discusses from Islamic sources in his book, he is a scholar of Islam, and apparently it is sheer hutzpah for a Jew to talk about Islam.

Now Israel is taking a new step in this regard, or to be more precise, an unprecedented audacious step (even for Israel!) A book has been published in Israel in Arabic by the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding of the American Jewish Committee entitled: ‘Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims,’ by Reuven Firestone.

The author claims that Firestone is misrepresenting Islam and trying to make it seem as if Koranic texts support Jewish claims to the Land of Israel. Who knows, but the book is sure getting someone upset.

The book’s “dangerous” introduction aims to give an Islamic smokescreen to the Jewish claim to Palestine by misinterpreting certain Quranic verses and presenting an explanation to history that corresponds with the Jewish Zionist vision of the right to the Promised Land (whilst completely ignoring Quranic verses that criticize this). The book bases its argument on a mix of religion, history, politics and law but its points are weak and fragile and can be refuted. However, Israel is randomly sending hundreds of copies to Arab addresses in an attempt to gain new solid ground among Arab masses. It uses Islam as a pathway to achieve its goals and plays on the profound influence of religion on Arabs and Muslims. They are trying to send a malicious message here; that Israel’s existence in Palestine – by virtue of it being a “divine right” – is not only a Jewish belief but also an Islamic one.

I don’t know much about the Koran or Islamic texts, and any book is open to criticism, but I wouldn’t be surprised that between Firestone and the author of the above-cited column, Firestone is the more knowledgeable one. Not surprisingly, the column is from Asharq Alawsat, a Saudi-funded newspaper, a country known for tolerance of other religions and freedom of thought.

For an discussion about Jews writing on Islam, see Martin Kramer’s The Jewish Discovery of Islam.

Posted on February 21st, 2010 under Israel, Jewish-Gentile Relations • RSS 2.0 feed • Both comments and pings are currently closed