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77 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Jews of Islam, Bernard Lewis, April 9, 2000
This book examines the presence and role of the Jews in Islam, with a treatment that spans not only through the text of the Quran, but also an application of the laws and injunctions contained in the the practice of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, by the Islamic jurists. While the book attempts to dispel the notion of muslims as being intolerant, it does not shy away to bring about a factual realization embodied in texts, particularly historical texts, that formed the basis of records maintained by the islamic governments, particularly during the Ottoman regime. The role of the Jews, not only as a presence among the muslim communities, but also a treatment of the various traditions that served to be shared and transmitted in both the religions, is treated at length. While the discussion of Jews as a religious minority forms the basis of the book, it is nevertheless impossible to treat them alone, since Christians and their attitude towards the Jews as well as Muslims, served to demonstrate the intricacy of the social fabric existent between them, interwoven with the many realities that spanned beyond the frontiers of the Islamic state. Growing tensions between Islam and Christianity and the relation and influence it exercised on the treatment of the Jews would amply support the later statement. Over all, it is a book that offers a much needed outlook on Islam's position on minorities, with ample bibiliography for further research. A must read! -- Ali Abbbas
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
generally well done, January 23, 2005
I was always vaguely aware that Jews sometimes got better treatment from Muslims than from Christians. But this book explains the roots in Muslim theology of Muslim/Jewish relations (under which non-Muslim monotheists were tolerated as second-class citizens), and shows how large some Jewish communities were.
I was surprised to learn that in the 15th century, Turkey was so attractive for Jews that Jewish writers wrote about Turkey as glowingly as later writers wrote about America. For example, Isaac Zarfati, a refugee from Germany, wrote: "I proclaim to you that Turkey is a land wherein nothing is lacking, and where, if you will, all shall yet be well with you . . . Here every man may dwell at peace under his own vine and fig tree. Here you are allowed to wear the most precious garments. In Christendom, on the contrary, you dare not even venture to clothe your children in red or in blue, according to our taste, without exposing them to the insult of beaten black and blue, or kicked green and red . . . O Israel, wherefore sleepest though? Arise! And leave this accursed land forever!" (p. 136)
Similarly, in the 16th century Portuguese refugee Samuel Usque described Turkey as "a broad and spacious sea which God opened with the rod of His mercy as He opened the Red Sea at the time of the exodus . .. here the gates of liberty are always open for the observance of Judaism" (Id.)
But the situation deteriorated in the last several centuries: it is not altogether clear why, and maybe Lewis isn't completely sure himself. Lewis speculates that Jews lost contact with Europe, and thus (unlike Christians in Islamic lands) no longer had trade connections or language skills to offer to the national economy, and were thus more easily persecuted because of their poverty and uselessness. But why did the Jews lose touch with the rest of the world? What went wrong? It is not quite clear.
A side note: the unfavorable reviews of this book attack Lewis for being too pro-Muslim, while the unfavorable reviews of "Semites and Anti-Semites" attack him for being insufficiently pro-Muslim and anti-Israel. If Lewis is getting shot at from both sides, he must be doing something right.
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Jews of Islam, February 18, 2002
A very enlightening account of not only the Jewish experience in Islamic lands, but also of the overall treatment of non-Muslim subjects within Muslim territories. This historical background is essential to the understanding of present relations between Islam and the West, as well as Israel and its surrounding Muslim neighbours. Lewis writes in a style easy to read, and yet still academically rigorous. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to get beyond current media headlines and dwelve deeper into the roots of contemporary unease between the West and Islam. As for Jews like myself who grew up in Muslim countries, it is essential reading.
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