Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Coexistence in the Middle East [Hardcover]

Zachary Karabell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

The story of conflict and confrontation between Islam and the West has become daily news, but throughout the ages Muslims, Christians, and Jews have shared more than enmity and war: there is also a rich and textured history of coexistence that has all but disappeared from our collective memory. In this timely and revealing book, Zachary Karabell traces the legacy of tolerance and cooperation from the advent of Islam to the present day.

In an extraordinary narrative spanning fourteen centuries, Karabell introduces us to the court of the caliphs in Baghdad, where scholars of various faiths engaged in spirited debate. He evokes the wonders of medieval Spain, where Jewish sages, Muslim philosophers, and Christian monks together deciphered the meaning of God and the universe. He offers a portrait of the Crusades that goes beyond the rivalry of Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, and shows how Christians and Muslims lived side by side. And he paints a vivid picture of religious autonomy in the Ottoman Empire.

As he explores the growing tensions of the modern era, Karabell traces the rise of Arab nationalism, the redrawing of the Middle East map in the wake of World War I, and the increased hostilities following the creation of the state of Israel. Through it all, he reminds us that dialogue and friendship have always punctuated times of war and discord. Today, while some Muslims, Christians, and Jews engage in confrontation, others—in Dubai, in Turkey, and around the globe—find common ground. Remembering the legacy of coexistence and recognizing its prevalence even today is a vital ingredient to a more stable, secure world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conventional wisdom says that Christians, Jews and Muslims cannot get along and have never gotten along; the Crusades, the Inquisition and September 11 have all fueled the flames of constant religious intolerance. In a pedantic and frustrating study, journalist Karabell (The Last Campaign) challenges this view by pointing to numerous but little-known periods of peaceful coexistence among the three religions. For example, he points to John of Damascus's condemnation of Islam as a Christian heresy as a powerful indication of the close connection between the two faiths in the early Middle Ages. During the Crusades, Christian rulers often adopted the policies of the Muslim governments they had supplanted, while in the 19th century, some Muslim nations attempted to emulate the progress of Europe and to coexist more peacefully with European nations. Karabell points to Dubai as an area in which such ironic coexistence still occurs and wonders whether Dubai holds the key to the future. Regrettably, the moments of peaceful coexistence are hard to spot in Karabell's narrative, since the largest portions are occupied with the ways that Christians, Jews and Muslims have failed to get along. (Mar. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Historians have so often focused on religious conflict--crusades, jihads, pogroms--that Karabell fears many readers have forgotten how often the devout have lived in peace with those of different faiths. To dispel this unfortunate forgetfulness, he develops a wide-ranging narrative highlighting epochs of interfaith toleration and cooperation. Readers visit, for instance, ninth-century Baghdad, where a Muslim caliph invited Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist theologians to compare beliefs; later, the tour moves on to thirteenth-century Toledo, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians collaborated in translating important classical texts; and, still later, Karabell turns to mid-twentieth-century Beirut, where disparate religions hammered out a national pact for sharing governance. Karabell concedes that some regimes have pursued ecumenical harmony merely to secure economic and political advantage, but he insists that such harmony actually reflects peace-fostering doctrines central to all of the Abrahamic faiths. Applying such doctrines, Karabell concedes, has grown more difficult in a modern world transformed by the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism. But he understands that Fundamentalists can pursue their bloody aims only by reducing the past to a litany of grievances crying out for vengeance. A book restoring to that past the complexities of peace and cooperation greatly enhances the prospects for the future. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 2nd edition (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400043689
• ISBN-13: 978-1400043682
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,261,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God may be great, but man eventually corrupts....., May 8, 2007

By 

Dennis R. Jugan (Johnstown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Coexistence in the Middle East (Hardcover)

The author's stated thesis for this book is "peaceful coexistence among the monotheistic, Abrahamic religions has been more the norm rather than the exception since the recognition of the Prophet Mohammed and the inception of Islam." Although the book makes a strong case for Islam as the more tolerant of the trio when in power, my take on the real contribution of this book is a bit different.

This book succeeds best as an objective account of the turbulent history of the Abrahamic religions over the past 1,400 years. It examines the potent effects of religion on the social, political, and economic fabric of the times as a succession of influential patriarchs or local, self-appointed charismatic leaders adjusted belief systems and popular perceptions to accommodate their agendas within and among the three religions. Hardly surprising, in this age of 'future shock' propelled by technological advances in communications and the management of information, we are witnessing these same machinations in overdrive today.

This is a well-researched book with generous notes and bibliography. The author ostensibly has no axe to grind, which frees this book from the usual polemics found in many books on religion. Although it's not written in a strictly chronological manner, the book maintains historical continuity.

If you are first a thinker then a believer, in search of the lessons of the past to better understand the present, "Peace be Upon You" is a recommended read.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a helpful reminder of peace, March 25, 2007

By 

Careful Reader (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Coexistence in the Middle East (Hardcover)

For anyone who's wondered if the only thing Muslims, Christians and Jews can do is fight, this book reminds us that there have been many moments in the past when they haven't. Zachary Karabell makes a strong case that coexistence is just as much part of the history and that it shouldn't be overlooked. He also points out moments in today's world where coexistence is more the norm than most people thing, such as in Dubai or Morocco. While he doesn't avoid talking about conflict, he does show that coexistence is possible and has more often been the case than people think.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A world view about peace, July 31, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Coexistence in the Middle East (Hardcover)

Peace Be Upon You surveys Muslim history from the seventh century to the present day. As the title suggests, Karabell focuses on those historical episodes, and where pluralistic society is highlighted, there is peaceful co-existence among people of different religions, and genuine religious tolerance. Woven into the narrative is Karabell's interpretation of the events and the reader is reminded to view these events not from the twenty-first century perspective, but from the perspective of the period.

In the introduction, Karabell states that "... the pages that follow present stories of both conflict and corporation." As a survey, it is necessary to focus only on the highlights of the era. The issue becomes deciding which events merit representing that era and here seeps the narrator's bias. Karabell's bias minimizes the role of religious doctrine as a driver for violence, and this view may be regarded as understating the rational for conflict in some eras.

The work explores primarily Muslim societies for examples of co-existence. This may be due to its scope. Examples are non-Muslim societies, where religious tolerance was the norm, are not given much exposure. Hence, the Norman king Roger II is not given a lot of exposure.

Civil society is composed of non-governmental organizations. These organizations have molded their respective society's outlook and in turn shaped official policies. In understanding religious tolerance, this aspect needs to be more fully explored. While there are some examples (such as the Order of Cluny), the influence of the Ottoman guilds or contemporary NGOs (such as AKDN) is not thoroughly explored.

Peace Be Upon You seems to have two objectives. The first is to convey the message that we need to live in peace with other societies that are difference from our own. The second is that history is complex and contains examples of peace as well as conflict. How we choose to look at it defines our present attitude, and shapes future events. In achieving these objectives, Karabell does an excellent job. In his words: "Peace is woven in our collective past; it is there to be seen in our messy present; and it will be there in or shared future."

Armchair Interviews says: Peace be upon you.