In Ishmael's House: A History of Jews in Muslim Lands“In this epic examination, [a] celebrated historian explores the evolution of Judaism and Islam through a lens of Middle Eastern stability.” (Publishers Weekly) The relationship between Jews and Muslims has been a flashpoint that affects stability in the Middle East with global consequences. In this eloquent book, Martin Gilbert presents a fascinating account of the hope and fear that have characterized these two peoples through the 1,400 years of their intertwined history. Harking back to the Biblical story of Ishmael and Isaac, Gilbert takes the reader from the origins of the fraught relationship—the refusal of Medina’s Jews to accept Mohammed as a prophet—through the ages of the Crusader reconquest of the Holy Land and the great Muslim sultanates to the present day. He explores the impact of Zionism in the early twentieth century, the clash of nationalisms during the Second World War, the mass expulsions and exodus of 800,000 Jews from Muslim lands following the birth of Israel, the Six-Day War, and the political sensitivities of the current Middle East. Ishmael’s House sheds light on a time of prosperity and opportunity for Jews in Muslim lands stretching from Morocco to Afghanistan, with many instances of Muslim openness, support, and courage. Drawing on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources, Gilbert uses archived material, poems, letters, memoirs, and personal testimony to uncover the human voice of this centuries-old conflict. Ultimately Gilbert’s moving account of mutual tolerance between Muslims and Jews provides a perspective on current events and a template for the future. “A reliable source and a pleasure to read.” —Herman Wouk, Pulitzer prize winning author of The Caine Mutiny “Moving and important.” —The Independent |
Contents
Protection or Persecution? | |
The First Four Hundred Years Under Islam | |
The First Years of the Twentieth Century and the Emergence of Zionism | 9 |
The First World War and After | 10 |
The Nineteen Thirties | 11 |
A Time of Danger | 12 |
Towards Liberation and an Uncertain Future | 13 |
The United Nations Palestine Partition Resolution | 14 |
The Creation of the State of Israel 14 May 1948 | 21 |
Egypt 19511961 | 25 |
Jews and Muslims in the Age of the Crusades | |
The Ottoman Sultans and Other Muslim Rulers 1324 0151699 | |
The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries | |
Towards the Twentieth Century | 8 |
The Exodus Continues 19501967 | 32 |
The SixDay War of 1967 and Its Aftermath | 19 |
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Abraham Aden Afghanistan Allah anti-Jewish Arab Countries Arab Lands arrested attacks Aviv Baghdad Bat Ye'or British Cairo Caliph Century Chief Rabbi Christian Cohen column convert to Islam Damascus David dhimmi editor Egypt Egyptian Jews emigration Encyclopaedia Judaica exodus Ezra forces Government Haim Hebrew History homes hundred immigrants Iran Iranian Iraq Iraqi Jews Islam Israel Israeli Jerusalem Post Jewish Quarter Jewish refugees Jews living Jews of Arab jizya Keter Khaibar killed King Koran later leader leave Lebanon letter Libya London Maimonides Medina Mohammed Mohammed's Moroccan Morocco Moshe Muslim lands Muslim rule newspaper North Africa November Office Omar Ottoman Empire Palestine Palestinian Arab Pasha persecution Persia prison quoted religious Renzo De Felice reported Robert Satloff rulers Shlomo Hillel Six-Day War Solomon Spain Stillman Sultan synagogue Syria Syrian Jews thousand Jews tribe Tripoli Tunisia United Nations Volume wrote Yemen Yemeni Jews York Zionist