Where Islam and Judaism Join Together: A Perspective on Reconciliation

232 Pages·2014·3.221 MB·English

by  Shai Har-El (auth.)

Where Islam and Judaism Join Together
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Where Islam and Judaism Join

Together
A Perspective on Reconciliation
Shai har-El
where islam and judaism join together
Copyright © Shai Har-El, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-39100-1
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978–1–349–48283–2 ISBN 978–1–137–38812–4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137388124
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
H a r- El, Shai, author.
Where Islam and Judaism join together : a perspective on
r ec onciliation / Shai Har-El.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Islam—Relations—Judaism. 2. Judaism—Relations—Islam. I. Title.
BP173.J8H36 2014
297.282—dc23 2013050455
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: July 2014

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
I dedicate this book to all those who work diligently across
the religious divide to promote understanding and fellowship
among the children of Abraham and who see Jerusalem, the
City of Peace, as a place of their reconciliation and a beacon
for the prophetic vision of peace: “For mine house shall be
called a house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:7).
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Contents

List of Illustrations ix
Prefatory Notes xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: Jerusalem’s Gate of Mercy as a Context 1
Prologue: Our Father Avrahām/’Ibrāhīm 11
Part I Two Religions, One Faith
1 The Gate of Unity: We Are Bound Together—an Appeal
to Muslims 21
2 The Gate of Discourse: Holy Tongue—a Cultural Commonality 35
3 The Gate of Practice: Rituals and Rites—Closer than Apart 49
Part II Two Communities, One Ancestor
4 The Gate of Legacy: The Religion of Abraham—a Common
Ground 69
5 The Gate of Ancestry: Abraham and Ishmael—a Scriptural
Reconstruction 87
6 The Gate of Morality: The Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael—Some
Forgotten Lessons 103
Part III Two Issues, One Resolution
7 The Gate of Peace: Rights to the Holy Land—a Theological
Reexamination 125
8 The Gate of Humanness: The Problem of Truth—the Truth
of the Problem 149
viii Contents
Epilogue A Poetic Conclusion 163
Appendix 1: Parallels between Jewish and Islamic Systems of Law 171
Appendix 2: Seeking Unity in Diversity Article 173
Appendix 3: The Chapter on Peace: A Jewish Sacred Text 175
Appendix 4: First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious
Leaders of the Holy Land, January 21, 2002 179
Appendix 5: A Muslim’s Commentary on Qur’ānic Support of
Intolerance and Violence 181
Notes 187
Glossary 209
Selected Readings 219
Index 223
Illustrations

Figures
0.1 Image of the Gate of Mercy, Jerusalem 2
7.1 Map of the British Mandate of Palestine 143
Tables
2.1 Cross-Language Comparison of God’s Names 42
4.1 Comparison of Universal Sets of Commandments 82