Muslim-Jewish relations: some Islamic paradigms

Abstract

There is, arguably, an urgent need today for a critical understanding of Islamic views and ideological stances with respect to Judaism in general and, inter alia, with regard to Israel and Jews in particular. This is necessary in order to seek ways of addressing salient and pressing socio-political and inter-communal, if not directly interreligious, issues. This article identifies and discusses some leading Islamic ideological leitmotifs that have been determinative for the history of Jewish-Muslim relations. They remain critically important with respect to the way in which, broadly speaking, the Islamic world of today perceives and relates to Jews and Judaism. Addressing the impact of negative paradigms of Muslim-Jewish relations, and the identifying and promoting of positive paradigms instead, constitutes a profound and urgent challenge facing contemporary Islam.