The horrific acts of anti-Western and anti-Jewish terrorism carried out
by Muslim fanatics during the last decades have been labelled by
politicians, religious leaders and scholars as a ‘Clash of
Civilizations’. However, as the contributors to this book set out to
explain, these acts cannot be considered an Islamic onslaught on
Judeo-Christian Civilisation. While the hostile ideas, words and deeds
perpetrated by individual supporters among the three monotheistic
civilisations cannot be ignored, history has demonstrated a more
positive, constructive, albeit complex, relationship among Muslim,
Christians and Jews during medieval and modern times. For long periods
of time they shared divine and human values, co-operated in cultural,
economic and political fields, and influenced one another's
thinking.This book examines religious and historical themes of these
three civilising religions, the impact of education on their
interrelationship, the problem of Jerusalem, as well as contemporary
interfaith relations. Noted scholars and theologians—Jewish,
Christian and Muslim—from the United States, Canada, Egypt,
Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey contribute to this
book, the theme of which was first presented at an international
conference organised by the Weatherhead Center for International
Affairs, and the Divinity School, Harvard University.