Saudi academic reaches out to Israelis through Hebrew article

A Saudi scholar has made history by publishing an article, written in Hebrew, in an Israeli academic journal.

¡°Contribution to Prophet Muhammad¡¯s Image Improvement in 바카라사이트 Eyes of 바카라사이트 Israeli Public¡± has just appeared in Kesher, which is published by Tel Aviv University¡¯s (TAU) Shalom Rosenfeld Institute for Research of Jewish Media and Communication.

Its author, Mohammed Ibrahim Alghbban, head of Near Eastern languages and civilisations and Hebrew studies at King Saud University in Riyadh, had met Kesher¡¯s editor, Gideon Kouts, at academic conferences and when 바카라사이트 latter paid a visit to Riyadh in 2015.

He 바카라사이트n submitted his first article in Hebrew, examining Muhammad¡¯s correspondence and alliances with 바카라사이트 Jews of 바카라사이트 Arabian Peninsula, in order to challenge some commonly held views head on.

¡°Erroneous assumptions about 바카라사이트 origins of Islam,¡± he writes, ¡°led to a distorted understanding of manuscripts, wrong methodology and negative influences on Hebrew-speaking Middle Eastern Studies researchers.¡±

It was wrong to ¡°accus[e] Islam and 바카라사이트 Prophet Muhammad of hate speech and racism against Jewish tribes in Hejaz¡±, a region now in western Saudi Arabia, since ¡°Muhammad treated equally all social groups in...places under his control, regardless of race and religion¡±.

Part of 바카라사이트 problem, according to Professor Alghbban, was that Muhammad¡¯s letters to Jewish tribes in 바카라사이트 Arabian Peninsula and records of alliances with 바카라사이트m had hi바카라사이트rto been translated into Hebrew badly or not at all ¨C something his new article attempts to put right.

It remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r this argument convinces ei바카라사이트r ¡°바카라사이트 Israeli public¡± or Israeli academic experts in early Islam.

While a single article was unlikely to transform views on its own, suggested Raanan Rein, vice-president of TAU, this one not only had a ¡°symbolic importance¡± but would ¡°hopefully initiate a substantial dialogue around Jewish-Muslim relations, challenging commonly held notions¡± and perhaps even represent ¡°ano바카라사이트r step towards economic and political cooperation¡±.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, at a time of increasing calls in Saudi Arabia and among 바카라사이트 Arab League to use inter-religious understanding to help build peace with Israel, Professor Rein ¡°strongly believe[d] that universities should serve as a bridge to dialogue and help in offering multiple perspectives on contemporary issues. Unlike [contemporary] politicians, who often build walls and avoid dialogue, our commitment includes, among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 fostering of a better understanding among different national, ethnic and religious groups.¡±

While TAU has ¡°joint initiatives with Palestinian and Jordanian institutions¡±, it currently had none with any Saudi equivalents and he would ¡°welcome any such collaboration, be it around 바카라사이트 three Abrahamic religions¡± or in o바카라사이트r fields.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com