Muslim-Jewish relations have been discussed throughout the past 1300 years. They are discussed in the Quran and the Hadith as well as in many texts written by Jewish spiritual leaders. The alleged enmity between Islam and Judaism and between Muslims and Jews, proclaimed by some radical voices does not do justice to the rich and complex history and to today’s reality of Muslim-Jewish relations. Generalizing Muslim-Jewish relations as either a relation of mutual hatred and war or as one of harmony in the pre-modern era seem to be largely rooted in politicized views. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has often overshadowed Muslim-Jewish relations and has added to such a politization and polarization. However, there seems to be an increasing interest to look at Muslim-Jewish relations beyond that conflict. Some initiatives of Muslim-Jewish dialogue have been established in the European and American diaspora. More recently, ties between Israel and some Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, have warmed with signing of agreements aimed at normalizing relations. The latter has been controversial because there is fear that they forego Palestinian interests. However, they have led to new discussions in the Middle East and beyond about improving Muslim-Jewish relations. This might be related to another trend in some Muslim countries to rediscover their Jewish heritage.
We invite scholars to reflect on today’s relations and trends of Muslim-Jewish relations. This issue will be focused on areas where Muslim-Jewish relations seem to be improving but we also welcome submissions that are more skeptical in their outlook. However, we hope to receive well-argued pieces (5,000 to 10,000 words) that help us to identify trends and factors that determine Muslim-Jewish relations today. We especially welcome case studies that look at projects that rediscover the local or regional Jewish or Muslim heritage and case studies of interfaith projects.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/Muslims-Jewish
The College of Arts