Sir Martin Gilbert is one of the world's most influential historians. Noted as Winston Churchill's official biographer, Gilbert is the author of more than 80 books, such as “The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust”; “Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century”, and “Atlas of the Second World War.” His latest work is an examination of the uneven relationship between Jews and Muslims over the past 1400 years. It is an ambitious study designed to “encourage a better understanding of the past, and help to make possible a future that emulates only the best aspects of the past.” Gilbert's narrative begins in seventh century Arabia with the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Madina. Initially, the city's Jewish clans were offered equality and protection in exchange for loyalty and allegiance by the “Constitution of Madina” or “umma document.” A core Islamic ambivalence toward Jews is the central thread of Gilbert's book. He offers excellent illustrations of flourishing Jewish communities under Muslim rule. The Ottoman Empire is a prime example. In its vast territories, Jews found a refuge from Christian persecution in countries such as, Spain and Portugal. This was a social and economic benefit for Jews and Muslims alike. However, Gilbert reminds us that the Ottoman umbrella did not always protect Jews from the rain of religious discrimination: “No matter how far the Ottoman Empire stretched,” he writes, “Jews who lived within its borders remained under the ominous shadow of dhimmi status.” The dark shadow of second class citizenship for Jews would diminish in the middle of the twentieth century. The creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 was a Jewish dream, but an Arab nightmare. “The Muslim world,” Gilbert states, “inspired by Arab nationalism but inflamed by Jewish nationalism, still considered Palestine as an Arab country and part of the Muslim patrimony, in which Jews could live only as a subject people.” The cause of Jewish self-determination sparked a wave of anti-Semitism in Arab territories. He records that 850,000 Jews were forced to abandon their homes in Arab lands after Israel was founded. 580,000 of these made their way to the new Jewish state, as well as 100,000 Nazi Holocaust survivors. He also notes that the upheaval of 1948 created 726,000 Arab refugees, “who lost their homes, their lands and their livelihoods.” Today, only 50,000 Jews live in Muslim lands. What will their fate be in the twenty-first century? Can they live in peace and security? In the Kingdom of Bahrain, a Jewish woman – Houda Nonoo – serves as the country's Ambassador to the United States. “I'm an Arab,” she declared. “I describe myself as an Arab Jew. I'm proud of it.” Gilbert believes that Houda Nonoo recalls the best of times for Jews in Muslim lands and a symbol of what is possible in an open and tolerant Islamic society. To read Gilbert's brilliant and original book is to experience how history should be written. The relationship between Jews and Muslims is a long and complicated story, punctuated by the light of tolerance and the darkness of persecution. Gilbert's book carries a strong message of reconciliation between these two peoples. Only they can write the next chapter in their relationship. Hopefully, it will be a story of harmony, cooperation and fraternity. – SG Martin Gilbert, “In Ishmael's House: A History of Jews in Muslim Lands” (Yale University Press, 2010) __
