Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims

Having read its most unimpressive sister book, "Introduction to Islam for Jews" by Duran, I approached this book with trepidation but I was soon pleasantly proven wrong! Firestone's work clearly shows his grasp of Islam by liberal and appropriate use of quotes from the Quran; his compassionate and intellectual approach when making comparisons between the two faiths and his grasp of Hebrew and Arabic etymology, is refreshing and inspiring. He demonstrates that teaching Muslims about Judaism goes much further if one draws from both faiths and Firestone does this very well. Indeed, the parallels between the two faiths and their common origins are wonderful and instructive! Firestone's approach to faith, Judaism and Islam, showed a rare, admirable spirituality that is seldom found even in books about faith. He easily managed to expound on Judaism without going into the quagmire of Israel politics; this helped me study the subject without defensiveness. One issue I have with the book is the note on "The Pact of Umar". According to Firestone, this was a treaty between Caliph Umar and some unknown but presumably Jewish leaders. Apparently, this so-called "Pact" put Jews in a menial position, forcing them to be abjectly fawning towards Muslims as well as banning them from holding any key public offices or even repairing their synagogues. In reality the earliest and only known example of this "Pact" is a translation of a supposed early letter from some unknown person who wrote a letter to some European figure. This unearthing came in the form of a hand-out by a Professor in Edinburgh in the 1970s; the origin of this letter still remains unknown. Even in this first exposure to the "Pact", it is a treaty between Caliph Umar and Christians of Syria...no mention of Jews at all. The "Pact" also fails the logic test. In Firestones excellent book, Jews are described as holding many public offices even to the rank of Vizier (Prime Minister). The "Pact" also cannot explain why Muslim houses of worship were in the same state of repair or disrepair in the early 20th Century, as those of Judaism and Christianity. Nevertheless, mention of this "Pact" was the only distraction in an otherwise superb work. Throughout the book, Firestone teaches an immense amount about Judaism without preaching, a virtue that is a rare gift. He reserves the final section ("Chronology") on listing significant events in the history of Jews and Israelites. Regardless of how one may feel about the politics of Israel and Palestine, one cannot finish reading this book without developing a deep understanding and respect for the seemingly endless string of persecutions that Jews suffered and an admiration of how Judaism overcame all of it while maintaining a compassionate outlook towards the world. In any study of Judaism or comparisons of Judaism with Islam, this book has to be on the "must read" list. Even for Christians, this is most valuable. Very well done indeed!

Khalid Duran is a wonderful guide, able to speak of his religion in a relaxed, honest, informed and non-defensive way. Here he writes a companion volume to Jewish scholar Reuven Firestone's "Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims", and the two books form a genuinely civilized exchange. Duran shows no fear of discussing awkward truths from the past or the present. It seems he has only interest in what can be gained by openness. For example, "... women who join Islam often do so for diametrically opposed reasons. Some believe that Islam, rightly understood, elevates women more than any other religion. Others convert because they prefer confinement in the home and a position of childlike dependence; they wish to opt out of the rat race of modern life ... Many of these are well educated, professional women; their catchword is `shelter' and their arguments constitute a counterrevolution to feminism. It is difficult to imagine viewpoints more divergent than the two extremes found among female converts to Islam. Each camp, of course, claims to have the right understanding." (pp. 217-218) Duran's descriptions of different tendencies in Islam can be humorous, and they easily relate to similar tensions in Jewish tradition: "The alim/faqih [or legalist] tends to be a communalist, a separatist. He is fond of erecting barriers between groups, such as followers of different religions, people of different generations, men and women - so that everything is in its right and proper order. The sufi/wali [or mystic] loves to break down barriers and bring all creatures together: animal and human, old and young, men and women, Moses and Muhammad, making them exchange seats." (p.202) This romp through Islamic history and culture is good enough to have earned Duran at least one death threat, from a fanatical jihadist who evidently believed it God's will that the various children of Abraham must fight to the end.

In this book Khalid Duran reveals many fascinating aspects of Islam including how the female head scarf, the hijab, which is meant to prevent marital infidelity, actually promotes it, and what the true meaning of female circumcision really is. Although Khalid made took great pains not to offend Islamic sensibilities when he wrote this book, on June 6, the Jordanian Arab language weekly newspaper Al-Shahed called for Duran's "blood to be shed". Duran is in hiding because as he told the Jewish week "I am certainly not taking this lightly--I have had so many friends and associates assassinated". The only problem with this book is that Duran does not tell enough because of his fruitless efforts to avoid offending Muslims. This brave man may pay with his life for telling the truth, it is the least we can do, to buy his book and read it.