NE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Muslim-Jewish Relationship Examined
By TRUDE WEISS-
ROSMARIN
•
J
(Editor's note: The
author is the publisher of
the California quarterly
"Jewish Spectator." This
article is an excerpt from
an analysis published 'by
the Institute for Jewish
2olicy Planning and Re-
search for the Synagogue
Council of America.)
In March 1919, while the
delegates to the Paris Peace
Conference debated the
Mandatory system to be es-
tablished in the Middle East
countries tincluding Pales-
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rtzlic-nnr5
BOBBI COHEN & JERRY CHESS
wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year
We wish our family and friends a
very healthy. happy and prosperous
New Year
GORDON &. BELLE FRUITMAN & FAMILY •
nzrizn
msuc rtrr5
SHEL SILVER
wishes all his friends and family
a happy and healthy New Year
We wish our family and friends a
very healthy. happy and prosperous
New Year
NEIL, BARB & BARI WATNICK
1 1Z T1211
rI3V 5
MR. & MRS. BERNARD BENKOFF & FAMILY
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
rizno ruir5
SHIRLEY & EDDIE PERSIN
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
JERRY & BETSY RUDIN
Wish Their Family and Friends
A Happy & Healthy
New Year
tisnzn islet ruet5
MR. & MRS. JOSEPH WEINMAN
& FAMILY
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
• DR. & MRS. LIONEL B. KATCHEM
(Penny), Sid, Michele & Robyn
wish all their family and
friends a year filled with
health, happiness, joy
and peace
tine) which were taken from
the Ottoman Empire in
World War I, the Emir Fai-
sal, head of the Hedjaz dele-
gation and the most re-
spected spokesma'n for the
Arabs, addressed "a re-
markable letter," as Dr.
Chaim Weizmann described
it, to Justice Felix
Frankfurter, a member of
the American delegation at
the peace conference.
In this letter, Faisal ex-
pressed the hope that Arabs
and Jews would live peace-
fully together in Palestine
hecasue "Arabs and Jews
are cousins in race."
The notion of Arab-
Jewish "cousinhood" is
based on the Muslim belief
that Abraham, the father of
Ishmael, his first-born by
Hagar, is the physical prog-
enitor of the Arabs and the
spiritual father of all those
who confess Islam, which is
- the faith of Abraham," ac-
cording to the Qur'an (Sura
2:1301.
The Muslim belief in Is-
lam's Abrahamitic authen-
ticity is based on the follow-
ing verses of Genesis:
And Hagar bore Abram a
son; and Abram called the
name of his son, whom
Hagar bore, Ishmael.
(Genesis 16:15).
And Abraham was 90
years old, when he was cir-
cumcised in.the flesh of his
foreskin. And Ishmael his
son was 13 years old, when
he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin. In the
selfsame day was Abram
circumcised, and Ishmael
his son. (Genesis 17:24-26).
And Abraham breathed
his last and died in a good
old age, an old man and full
of years, and was gathered to
his people. Isaac and
Ishmael his sons buried him
in the cave of Machpelah in
the field of Ephron. (Genesis
25:9).
The site of the traditional
burial ground of the Hebrew
patriarchs and matriarchs
was among the hotly-
contended holy places of
Muslims and Christians
during the Crusades. The
Muslim shrine which
marked the Cave of
Machpelah was twice con-
verted into a church and
twice restored as a Mosque.
After the fall of the
Frankish Kingdom, the
shrine was restored as a
Muslim sacred place, and
Christians and Jews were
forbidden to enter it, until
Hebron was conquered by
the Israelis in the Six-Day
War (1967). Now Jews and
Muslims worship in the
Mosque, at different times,
and visitors are freely ad-
mitted.
Muhammad identified
physically and spiritually
with Abraham. The convic-
tion that religion and
peoplehood belongingness
should be identical is a be-
lief Muhammad took from
Judaism.
To be a Muslim meant
for Muhammad — and
this belief has not been
changed — to be of Arab
spiritual nationality.
Founded on Judaism,
which fuses religion and
national peoplehood in
inseparable oneness,
Islam is a national reli-
gion. Its sacred city,
Mecca, and its most sac-
red shrine, the Ka'ba; are
in the Arab peninsula.
Muslims are commanded
pilgrimage to Mecca, so
as to identify with the
roots of their faith.
Islam also assimilated
from Judaism the idea com-
plex connected with a sac-
red language. Arabic is the
holy tongue of Islam. It is
the language of the Qur'an
and of Muslim prayer and
religious literature. How-
ever, whereas Judaism
authorized translations of
the Hebrew -Bible, Islam
prohibits reading its scrip-
tures in translation and
Muslim religious services
and prayers must be in
Arabic.
Faisal referred to "race"
as the bond uniting Arabs
and Jews. Anthropology has
disowned the concept of
"race" and "the pseudo-
scientific myth of the Semi-
tic race has no basis in
reality. But there is "a fam-
ily of nations" whose mem-.
bers are related because
they speak a Semitic Ian- -
guage.
Muslim-Jewish affinity
predates the rise of Islam
because Arabic and Hebrew
are closely related as Semi-
tic languages.
Council of Eur ope to Hold
Annual' Meet]. ng in Israel
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Council of Europe, an
interparliameritary forum
embracing 21 democratic
European parliaments, will
hold the annual meeting of
its political committee in
the Knesset in Jerusalem in
1982.
This was decided at the
committee's session in
Vaduz, Liechtenstein, last
week and is seen here in Is-
rael as a noteworthy — even
surprising — success for Is-
rael.
Israel's Knesset has ob-
server status at the Council
of Europe and two Knesset
members, Shlomo Hillel
Labor) and Sarah Doron
(Likud) attended last
week's committee session
and fought for the
Jerusalem venue.
Hillel told reporters
there had been stiff op-
position — on political
grounds — from Greek
and British parliamenta-
rians. He mentioned
especially Lady Fleming,
widow of penicillin dis-
coverer Alexander Flem-
ing, who is a member of
the Greek Parliament
and is "consistent in her
stand against Israeli
policies."
During the committee
session a majority of 15
delegations supported the
resolution to hold the politi-
cal committee meeting in
Jerusalem next March or
April, Hillel said.
Friday, October 2, 1981 55
tlzrizn ;Ism rur,
PHILIP & LORRAINE BAUM & FAMILY
wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Yea'
We wish our family and friends a
very healthy. happy and prosperous
New Year
MR. & MRS. BERNARD BENOVIC & FAMILY
nzrizn ?Ism row5
DR. & MRS. LEONARD H. GABA & FAMILY
wish all their friends and relatives
a happy and healthy New Year
We wish our family and friends a
very healthy. happy and prosperous
New Year
DR. & MRS. WILLIAM SOLOMON & JEFFREY
ilZ11Z11
rInr5
MR. & MRS. MAX BRUMER
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
DOLORES & MIKE FELDMAN
Wish Their Family and Friends
A Happy & Healthy
New Year
tizrizri mzlio rotr5
MR. & MRS. RICHARD S. GUNSBERG & FAMILY
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
KENNETH, NANCY & AARON UPSON
Wish Their Family and Friends
A Happy & Healthy
New Year
nsrizin risuo rutr5
HENRY & WALLY MARKUS
would like to wish all our family
and friends a healthy and happy
New Year
RUTH & JACK SCHWARTZ
& FAMILY
wish all their family and
friends a year filled with
health, happiness, joy
and peace