Language:
English
Year of publication:
1994
Titel der Quelle:
Israel Oriental Studies
Angaben zur Quelle:
14 (1994) 227-240
Keywords:
Islam Relations Middle Ages, 500-1500
;
Judaism
Abstract:
In the Islamic realm, suspicion and occasional violence, though not entirely absent with regard to the Jews, were centered on the greater threat, the primary "Other, " the Christian minority within the realm. The Muslim attitude toward Jews was one of constant ambivalence. This is reflected in Arabic literature of the 10th-15th centuries. Compares the generally negative view of the Jews found in literature based on the central religious texts of Islam, the Qur'an and the Hadith - especially the "Tales of the Prophets" ("Qisas al-anbiya'") - with the more positive view found in the "adab" literature ("literature of entertainment"), which was a truly humanistic literature in the early Abbasid period. Relates to stories and poems in which the Jews are described derogatorily - they are accused of being liars, scoffers, jealous of the Arabs or Muslims, and often identified with animals (dogs, swine, and especially apes).
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