Medieval Jewish History
Alanna E. Cooper
Fall 2012
SESSION 6: Living as Jews among Muslims
READINGS
NOTES
Marc Cohen published his article, "Islam and the Jews" in 1996 in the edited volume, Jewish among Muslims: Communities in Precolonial Middle East. For those interested in an expanded version of Cohen's article, see his book, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages.
Cohen begins this article by explaining that much of the scholarly work that deals with the Jewish experience in Muslim lands has been colored by contemporary political agendas. In contrast, Cohen claims to take a dispassionate approach, stating: “Any careful and systematic reading of the historical sources shows, despite the theological intolerance that Islam shared with Christendom, the Jews of Islam experienced far greater security and far more integration with the majority society than their brethren in Europe.” Cohen then goes on to ask, “What accounts for the relatively more favorable position of the Jews of the medieval Islamic world?” (p.52)
The remainder of his article addresses the question. The answer Cohen provides is structured around a discussion of the following factors: economic, legal, social and theological. We will review each of these in class.
Chapter 4 of Yehuda HaLevi
In this chapter, Halkin describe Yehuda Halevi’s longing for closeness to the Divine. This yearning is coupled with Halevi’s feelings of being an outsider with an insecure existence in the various places he lived.
Taking a break from the biographical narrative, Halkin pauses here to argue that Jewish life under Islam was not as comfortable as many historians have made it out to be. Although he does not address himself to Marc Cohen specifically, Halkin takes issue with his approach (see pages 109-111). What do you think? Is Halkin’s argument against Cohen’s a compelling one?
- "Islam and the Jews: Myth, Counter-Myth, History," by Marc Cohen
- Chapter 4 (Longing for God, Dreaming of Zion), p.101-138 in Yehuda Halevi, by Hillel Halkin
NOTES
Marc Cohen published his article, "Islam and the Jews" in 1996 in the edited volume, Jewish among Muslims: Communities in Precolonial Middle East. For those interested in an expanded version of Cohen's article, see his book, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages.
Cohen begins this article by explaining that much of the scholarly work that deals with the Jewish experience in Muslim lands has been colored by contemporary political agendas. In contrast, Cohen claims to take a dispassionate approach, stating: “Any careful and systematic reading of the historical sources shows, despite the theological intolerance that Islam shared with Christendom, the Jews of Islam experienced far greater security and far more integration with the majority society than their brethren in Europe.” Cohen then goes on to ask, “What accounts for the relatively more favorable position of the Jews of the medieval Islamic world?” (p.52)
The remainder of his article addresses the question. The answer Cohen provides is structured around a discussion of the following factors: economic, legal, social and theological. We will review each of these in class.
Chapter 4 of Yehuda HaLevi
In this chapter, Halkin describe Yehuda Halevi’s longing for closeness to the Divine. This yearning is coupled with Halevi’s feelings of being an outsider with an insecure existence in the various places he lived.
Taking a break from the biographical narrative, Halkin pauses here to argue that Jewish life under Islam was not as comfortable as many historians have made it out to be. Although he does not address himself to Marc Cohen specifically, Halkin takes issue with his approach (see pages 109-111). What do you think? Is Halkin’s argument against Cohen’s a compelling one?
