Muslims and Jews: Building ties over friendship and trust

At this historic moment of mutual embrace between Muslims and Jews, we share a euphoric sense that there is nothing we cannot accomplish

Contrary to long-standing conventional wisdom, there are no two faith communities in the world that have more in common than do Muslims and Jews.
I first became aware of this profound truth in 2006, when I visited a Muslim school in New York City, and held a life-changing discussion with the students and faculty about the astonishing similarities in Islam and Judaism. As we discovered in our wide-ranging conversation, these include an emphasis on modesty in dress and behaviour, a shared commitment to helping people in need through giving of charity, known in Hebrew as tzedakah and in Arabic as sedekah; and strikingly similar dietary, circumcision, wedding and funeral rituals, and customs.
As I got to know Islam and Muslims better by forming relationships with imams, community leaders, and monarchs across North America, Europe, the Gulf, and around the world, I learned that our respective faiths share a reverence for life, commitment to doing justice, and compassion for all human beings, regardless of background. I also found out that our two peoples share an intertwined history going all the way back to our common Patriarch Abraham/Ibrahim and many of the central figures of the Torah (Old Testament). Indeed, the prophet Moses (Moussa) is mentioned more times in the Quran than even the Prophet Muhammad.
In my 2013 book, Sons of Abraham, co-written with Imam Shamsi Ali, I noted that Islam and Judaism are each suffused with the moral imperative to Welcome The Stranger - a term generally used to refer people of backgrounds different from our own. Leviticus 19:34 stipulates that Jews must treat the stranger "as one born among you, and thou shall love him as thyself, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." For their part, Muslims vividly recall the Hegira when Prophet Muhammad and his follower Abu Bakr fled religious persecution in Mecca and were pursued through the desert by enemies intent on killing them. Thankfully, at that pivotal moment of history, the people of Medina welcomed and gave refuge to the Prophet and Abu Bakr; allowing Muhammad to preach his message and build a flourishing Muslim community. Ever since that day, Muslims have manifested a similar tradition of welcoming the stranger into their homes and treating him or her with the same hospitality and kindness they extend to members of their own communities.
We see this sublime principle in motion today with a rebirth of Jewish communal life in the Gulf with the support of the enlightened and hospitable UAE government. This will include the opening of a new synagogue - alongside a church and mosque - in Abu Dhabi as part of the utopian Abrahamic Family House project, which will become a powerful symbol of understanding, co-existence and peace. Because of our similar focus on respect towards religion and religious values, we have seen some wonderful examples and new opportunities result from this new friendship between the UAE and Israel. For example, understanding how important kosher food is to Jewish travellers, the Abu Dhabi government mandated that all hotels in the Emirate must offer kosher food and beverage options. Similarly, Emirates airlines announced that they will be offering kosher food on all outbound flights from the UAE. While this is incredibly exciting, it also speaks to the UAE's deep commitment to its Islamic values and appreciation towards other religious practices and rituals.
At this historic moment of mutual embrace between Muslims and Jews, with the accompanying signing of a mutual recognition agreement between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain; we share a euphoric sense that there is nothing our two communities cannot accomplish together, from turning the deserts green to vanquishing Covid-19 in the Middle East and beyond.
All of this would have seemed inconceivable a few short years ago, yet it is important to remember that this is not the first time our two peoples have reconciled after a period of estrangement. According to the Torah, upon the passing of our common forefather Abraham, his two sons Ishmael and Isaac came together to bury their late father at the Cave of the Patriarchs or Machpela in Al Khalil/Hebron. In that spirit, let 21st Century Muslims and Jews follow in the path of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs and build vibrant ties of cooperation, friendship and trust as they fulfil the common destiny foretold in our foundational texts.
Rabbi Marc Schneier is President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding