Holocaust in the Middle East, and Muslim-Jew Relations Essay

Holocaust in the Middle East, and Muslim-Jew Relations - Essay Example It might seem rather surprising but Jews and Muslims were not so hostile to each other in the earlier centuries, rather they lived peacefully and harmoniously with each other but something transpired in between that vitiated their mutual relations and ties to a point of no return. At a first glance it seems Jews and Muslims are poles apart and there is absolutely nothing in common between them, rather they are so disparate that possibly mutual hatred is the only shared thread that binds them. But, a deeper look at these two religions would, quite surprisingly, bring out certain common strains that indicate these two religions have much similarity with each other. Both these religions have a common origin in Abraham. While Jews consider Muslims as true followers of ‘Seven Laws of Noah’, it might be a revelation to many that Quran refers to the inhabitants of Israel at least forty three times with Exodus of Jews led by Moses being given special importance. Judaism and Islam also share several broad common perspectives about religious outlook and practice and this theological proximity has over the last 1400 years, notwithstanding last ninety or so years’ hostility, woven certain bridges that neither Muslims nor Jews can ignore. Thus it seems more perplexing that these two religious groups that share the same geographical origin have become bitter enemies of one another (Prager and Telushkin). The most common similarities in religious practices between these two religions are circumcision, prohibition of homosexuality and consumption of pork. While Islam prescribes five times a day prayer, Judaism also insists on five times a day prayer that might however be reduced to twice daily under certain specific circumstances. Any honest student of history must admit that while there have been aberrations in the course of centuries, Jews have by and large lived peacefully and prospered under