Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Conflict and Cooperation

It is a well written, unbiased book that holds your interest throughout various chapters. I personally finished the book within a weekend. The author describes the historical coexistence that has occurred between various religious rulers of the Abrahamic faith, and their treatment of their subjects. There is also a good deal of information related to current conflicts in the world, detailing the formation of current middle eastern countries, including saudi arabia, jordan, israel, iraq to name a few. A must-read

Peace Be Upon You: The Story of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Coexistence charts not another course of conflict and confrontation between Islam and the West, but its cooperative coexistence - which has all but been forgotten in light of modern events. Fourteen centuries of history are covered here to assure this history of cooperation isn't forgotten: chapters discuss early Baghdad scholars who engaged in spirited debate with various faiths, medieval Spain where Jewish and Muslim philosophers and sages debated the meaning of God, and even a Crusades where Christians and Muslims lived peacefully side by side. PEACE BE UPON YOU is much needed in a modern world which has come to associate Islam with violence and war, and is a recommended pick for all levels of libraries, from public lending collections to college-level holdings strong in history and social issues. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Zachary Karabll has written a factually accurate and delightfully readable account of a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and worked together. It is an important telling of time we need to remember and how fortunate for the reader that a serious scholar is able to present material in such an engaging manner. A gift for our time that is needed.

The author's stated thesis for this book is "peaceful coexistence among the monotheistic, Abrahamic religions has been more the norm rather than the exception since the recognition of the Prophet Mohammed and the inception of Islam." Although the book makes a strong case for Islam as the more tolerant of the trio when in power, my take on the real contribution of this book is a bit different. This book succeeds best as an objective account of the turbulent history of the Abrahamic religions over the past 1,400 years. It examines the potent effects of religion on the social, political, and economic fabric of the times as a succession of influential patriarchs adjusted belief systems and popular perceptions to accommodate their agendas within and among the three religions. Hardly surprising, in this age of 'future shock' propelled by technological advances in communications and the management of information, we are witnessing these same machinations in overdrive today. This is a well-researched book with generous notes and bibliography. The author ostensibly has no axe to grind, which frees this book from the usual polemics found in many books on religion. Although it's not written in a strictly chronological manner, the book maintains historical continuity. If you are first a thinker then a believer, in search of the lessons of the past to better understand the present, "Peace be Upon You" is a recommended read.

For anyone who's wondered if the only thing Muslims, Christians and Jews can do is fight, this book reminds us that there have been many moments in the past when they haven't. Zachary Karabell makes a strong case that coexistence is just as much part of the history and that it shouldn't be overlooked. He also points out moments in today's world where coexistence is more the norm than most people thing, such as in Dubai or Morocco. While he doesn't avoid talking about conflict, he does show that coexistence is possible and has more often been the case than people think.