Peace Be Upon You: The Story Of Muslim, Christian, And Jewish Coexistence (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
If this book was simply a pangloss of history it would be pretty boring; luckily however it is nothing of the sort. Tracing the vicissitudes of history and the changing relations between Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities (mostly in relation to Europe and the Near East), it is like a very enjoyable walking tour through history. He makes a strong case for treating these three religions like siblings: the times of animosity and harmony are woven into one another. There is no black-and-white narrative and if you really want to search for a history of conflict you can find that, but if you want to search for a history of peace you can find that as well.There were lots of interesting historical episodes and events which I wasn't aware of that are narrated here, including the story of Sabbatai Sevi the Jewish messiah and the scholar/warrior Usama ibn Munqidh who wrote a story of his life living during the time of the Crusader states (added to my list to read). The book as a whole is written very engagingly and is a pleasure to go through. He doesn't belabor the minutiae of history (thankfully because most of it would be a retread) but focuses on the grand narrative of intercommunal relations. To surmise it, in times of security people are more tolerant and in times of insecurity they are less. When Muslim states were secure and confident they were sometimes exemplary in their treatment of minorities, in their modern age they have largely been neither. Same with Christian (or formerly Christian, states).This is a good book to give the long view of things once more, the title makes it seem like it'll be a boring pamphlet but its really nothing of the sort. It makes a rational and sober case that coexistence is not just possible but has been the norm, even when Muslims have been fully Muslims, Jews fully Jews, and so forth. Recommended even to people who are familiar with contemporary and medieval Islamic history.
As a history, it's fascinating. Near the end, though, it jumps the boat. I found the author abandoned intellectual responsibility, and was eager to make everything appear rosy. He assumes, in a desperate bid for peace, that the intentions of all parties are decent enough. This is not accurate: he underestimates the a-religious element, such as power-hungry dictators and ferociously greedy foreign corporations. Real religious people do not kill each other, since virtually no religions condone that; those who do usually want to create excuses to get around the issue which their leader finds desirable. The facade of piety appeals to those who would exploit people for their own profit. Karabell ignores these motives in the Middle East altogether. So, though I find the history in most of the book enlightening, I also found a willful naivety near the end which will only hinder those who work for peace. The problems in each area must be discussed, and not grouped together to be attributed to religious differences and then whitewashed away. That will only perpetuate the violence.
What do You think about Peace Be Upon You: The Story Of Muslim, Christian, And Jewish Coexistence (2007)?
A great read. In this troubled world we live in, where we hear stories of inter-religious conflicts almost everyday, this book reminds us of times where people of various faiths used to live peacefully. Granted, maybe they didn't always live happily with each other, but nonetheless willing to coexist with one another and just get along with their lives. Who would've thought that Muslim sultans during the Umayyad Empire regularly held court sessions with scholars of different faiths to hold interfaith talks, Christians would fight side-by-side with Muslims to fight invaders from threatening their homeland, the chief doctors of a lot of Muslim sultans were Jews, and Jews were some of the most successful businessmen during the whole era of Islamic civilization.Yes, the history of Jew-Christian-Islam relations is not always peaceful, what with the Crusades and anti-semitic massacres, but if there were periods of peace between these Abrahamic faiths in the past, then the followers of these religions today can learn to develop trust with each other, and again create long-lasting peace.
—Azzam Syafiq
