Jewish-Muslim in MidEastNAfr

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course dissects past experiences and narratives of Jews, Arabs, Africans and Muslims that impact upon our present and future. 'We do not live in the past, but the past in us,' declared historian U. B. Phillips. The future of Jewish-Muslim coexistence depends on how we understand historical narratives from Moses to Mohammed and then to our times. The future of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, for example, depends on our understanding of competing historical narratives. Similarly, the Abraham Accords were named and implemented based on a shared Jewish-Muslim legacy of Abraham. What does this mean for future peace agreements between Israel and Arab or Muslim nations? We will traverse through Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Syria, Iran and Arabia. Drawing on a depth of history and culture, we will study policy implications for the U.S. government, its allies, and the directions to be taken at the contemporary crossroads of Jewish-Muslim relations in the Middle East. By studying a different interpretation of history and consciousness, away from conflict theories, this course charts how Israel, Jewish, Arab and Muslim relations can be changed for the future.