Peace Treaty Between the UAE And Israel: Muslims And Jews Have A History of Coexistence
By
Noura S. Al Mazrouei
September
04, 2020
Noting the
appreciation of diversity among the people who live in the UAE, His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the
UAE and Ruler of Dubai, says, “When the region was in its brightest times
tolerant of the other and receptive to the other, it prevailed and led the
world from Baghdad to Damascus to Andalusia.
The UAE, US and Israeli flags sway in the wind in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Image Credit: AFP
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We were
beacons of knowledge, science and civilisation because we were based on real
values that govern our relations with all civilisations, cultures and religions
around us.”
Based on
this statement of Sheikh Mohammed, I am going to take you on a quick journey of
Islamic history that abounds with examples of tolerance. The example of
Andalusian society, when Muslims ruled Spain for close to eight centuries,
comes to mind.
Historians
assert that the Muslim caliphs in Andalusia embraced all religious sects.
Muslim caliphs depended on Jews and Christians, who were highly qualified and
skilled in performing tasks in the name of the Caliph.
For
example, Abd al-Rahman III, ruler of Cordoba, appointed a Jew “Hasdai bin
Ishaq” as ahead of the state finance. Gradually, he rose to the point of being
a political representative of the Caliph. Later on, Hasdai became one of the
most important diplomats and contributed to translating books into Arabic.
Convergence
of Faiths
This
convergence between the sects of the Andalusian people led to the imprinting of
the Muslim language and customs while preserving their own religion. This group
was known as “the Arabists”. The Arabists translated books of Muslim scholars
from Arabic into Hebrew and Latin.
Later on,
the Islamic heritage (literature, arts, thoughts and science) was transferred
to the Europe world. Many Jews played an essential role in translating Arabic
books into Hebrew. Notables include “Ya’qub Ibn Mary” who translated Ibn
Rushd’s books.
Musa Ibn
Taboun translated 30 books, including “Arjouza fi Al-Hamat” by Ibn Sina, and
“Al-Tariq” by Abu Bakr Al-Razi. Judah Bin Sulaiman translated the book “Maqamat
al-Hariri,” and many others who were known as pioneers of the translation
movement, such as Ibrahim Ibn Ezra, Abraham Beriha Hanse etc.
Another
example of tolerance can be found in the Ayyubid state. A Jew known as Musa bin
Maimon became the most important physician in the state, so Nur al-Din Ibn
Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, rule of Egypt, made him his own physician after that
Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi appointed him as ahead of the Jewish community to be a
responsible for the Jewish community in Egypt.
He received
knowledge from three prominent Muslim scholars, namely: Ibn Al-Aflah, Ibn
Al-Sayegh and Ibn Rushd and he was found of Ibn Rushd’s thoughts.
He studied
Ibn Rushd’s book for thirteen years. Jewish historians affirmed that most of
Mosa Ibn Maimun’s writings were influenced by Islamic philosophers’ thoughts. A
case in point is his book “The Significance of the Perplexed.”
UAE has
followed our ancestors’ steps by hosting a historic meeting in Abu Dhabi
(February 2019) when two prominent religious figures — Pope Francis, head of
the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican and the Grand Imam Ahmed Al
Tayyib Shaikh of Al-Azhar signed a document of human fraternity that prompted
values of tolerance and coexistence.
Closeness
between East and West
The document
concludes: “This Declaration may be a sign of the closeness between East and
West, between all who believe that God has created us to understand one
another, cooperate with one another and live as brothers and sisters who love
one another. This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a
universal peace that all can enjoy in this life”.
The
historic meeting was a prelude to the Jewish community’s recognition and their
right to live side by side with Muslims and Christians and their right to
practice their religion freely.
Abrahamic
Family House
In 2019,
UAE sent a firm message of religious unity to the world by establishing The
Abrahamic Family House, a place of worship that embraces all three different
religions Muslims, Jews and Christians to practice their own religions.
The
Abrahamic House will highlight the rights of other religions to live, and
dialogue on a peaceful land that rejects all means of hatred and racism. It
gives everyone the right to live in dignity side by side.
Notably UAE
deeply believes in coexistence and respect for people’s faith. This message of
tolerance culminated recently with the signing of a peace treaty between the
UAE and Israel. As Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum says, “We will provide
an outstanding example to our neighbours.”
While some
Arab countries have been fighting for whatever reasons — hatred, sectarianism,
discrimination etc — UAE has put all its means and effort to make the nation a
peaceful place that embraces one and all.
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Dr Noura
S. Al Mazrouei is a writer, academic and artist
Original
Headline: Muslims and Jews have a history of coexistence
Source: The Gulf News
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/peace-treaty-between-uae-israel/d/122794
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