Stuff for the Spirit

New Book Answers Jewish Questions about Islam
 
An Introduction to Islam for Jews by Reuven Firestone

What does the Qur’an really say about Jews? Why is Jerusalem so important to Muslims? Is hallal the same thing as kosher?

Jews have today, as never before, a pressing need to understand the history, theology, and practice of Muslims and Islam. In An Introduction to Islam for Jews Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shi`a, Sufi, Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel, and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and integrity, and he writes with language, symbols, and ideas that make sense to Jews. An Introduction to Islam for Jews is both readable and reasoned, presenting to Jewish readers for the first time the complexity of Islam and its relationship towards Jews and Judaism.

Reuven Firestone is professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and director of the Institute for the Study and Enhancement of Muslim-Jewish Interrelations (ISEMJI), a program of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. An ordained rabbi, he received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic studies from NYU.  Firestone is the author of Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam (Oxford University Press); Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims (Ktav); Jews, Christians, Muslims in Dialogue: A Practical Handbook, with Leonard Swidler and Khalid Duran; (Twenty-Third Publications) and The Revival of Holy War in Modern Judaism (forthcoming).

Price: $18   
Binding: Paper; 304 pages; 6″ x 9″
ISBN 0-8276-0864-1
Publication Date:  August 2008

For more information or receive a press kit please contact Arielle Levites (800)-234-3151 ext. 5601 or email: alevites@jewishpub.org

      If we are truly all one in GOD, then what difference does it make what religion one choses to beleive in.  If your religions gets you though the day, and to the next side, then who am I to tell you what you should or shoud not beleive in.

      The core of many religions is the belief that we are all of GOD, made of in his likeness.  We may have different earthly bodies that we use to live here on earth, but our spirits are from one source.  I sometimes hear many religions taking offense at the beliefs and interpretation of another religious group, with a feeling of there religion be superior to all others. 

      In the end we will all die….bodies returning to dust, and spirits returning to GOD.

     An Islamic friend of mine recently asked me if I’d read “The Arrogance of Faith”, which is a book about how Christianity has been used to oppress African Americans
and Native Americans from the very beginning of this country.

 I told him that I had purchased the book, and had began reading it, but after the first couple of chapters, I got this overwhelming feeling that said, Okay so what…..
 I remember when I started reading it,  thinking in the first few chapters,
“yeah, okay, but what is after that. 

For example:

Using a Belt as the Christianity and remembering that from the time you were a child you were whipped with a belt….. and that was what the belt was used for. You saw it hanging on the wall, you knew what it was for, and you began to dreaded “The belt”.

Over the years you decided that you wanted nothing to do with that dreadful belt,
so you devised ways of holding up your pants, by putting pretty little shoe strings
in the loops.

Then one day you grew up, and you realized that the belt was used in a way that
made you dislike it, but the belt really had a significant use….it was to hold
your pants up.  So, do you continue to use the shoe string to hold up your pants?

I suppose it was my way of saying yes to “The Arrogance of Faith”, because it can not be refuted that europeans tarnished Christianity, aka….”The Good Ship Jesus”.  But, does that say that Christianity is bad?

That was kind of my feeling.

At some point in our lives the urge to seek a deeper connection to GOD, by whatever name we may call him, becomes alive in us. During my awakening I was discontent with accepting the religious and spiritual thought of others, or becoming consumed with the ideas familiar to me. I felt that this awakened was much to important to take lightly. Therefore, during my spiritual journey I became open to learning and evaluating many concepts, ideas and religious thoughts. A muslim friend of mine asked me many years ago, if I thought that I, or some of the Christian mega churches were profiting from the poor or on the back of Christianity. He would watch and read about many of the churches selling books, tapes and other learning materials and would question why. He was a muslim trying to understand the thoughts of a Christain. Stepping outside of Christianity, I asked him if he’d ever been so excited about something that he just had to share it with his freinds. He responded, “yes, that is why I wanted to share Islam with you. I wanted to feed your soul with the words of the Quran.” I replied, by telling him that, that is the very same idea. Christian want to feed the souls of everyone they come into contact with, and even though the Bible remains the same, each persons walk will be different…filled with fresh, new, exciting revelation as they grow in there walk with GOD. It becomes alive and the need to express this revelation becomes apart of everything that they are about. It reflects in there life, in there work, and in all that they touch. Christianity profits from the Christian that has allowed GOD’s presence to absorb thoughout their entire life. Therefore when you see someone that has chosen to earn there living by doing what they enjoy, and that thing that they enjoy happens to be in a religious package. It may not be a conscious decision as much as it may be a “heartfelt”, “there’s nothing more that I’d rather do in life” decision then anything else.

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