"Judging Islam based on the behavior of Osama bin Laden and the Bataclan terrorists is equivalent to judging Catholicism based on the actions of Al Capone and pedophile priests or even Judaism based on the violence of settlers in the West Bank or the dishonesty of banker Bernard Madoff." (Yakov Rabkin)
With humility and humanism, Yakov Rabkin offers an unconventional introduction to Judaism and its relationship with Islam and modernity. Its clear, precise and accessible presentation is far from the monolithic visions of monotheisms presented by the various diversions of religion for political ends. Drawing on impressive erudition, he highlights the points of convergence between Judaism and Islam, whether in terms of their fundamental principles or their relationship to modernity, science or even ecology.
Yakov Rabkin is professor emeritus of history at the University of Montreal. His work has been recognized by many great international thinkers such as Edgar Morin, Shlomo Sand, Noam Chomsky, George Corm and Joseph Agassi. His essay In the Name of the Torah , a history of Jewish opposition to Zionism, has been translated around the world and is available in fifteen languages.
Description :
"The fruit of several years of work and exchanges, this collection is an unpublished work by Yakov Rabkin. An author with an international audience and a renowned historian of science, he brings together a synthesis of his work on Judaism enhanced with stories of his travels and meetings in Asia and Africa. As such, it constitutes a work of primary importance both with regard to Judaic spirituality and its contemporary history.
The result is a text that can be of interest to scholars as well as everyone else. Throughout its chapters, it highlights the points of unity between monotheistic religions, recalling that the essential traditional values of Judaism are close to those of Islam.
This book is divided into three parts: the first constituting an introduction to Judaism and some themes related to ethics such as shame or forgiveness, a second on the relations between Judaism and Islam and a third on the relations of Judaism with modernity, whether scientific or political.
The studies that make up this collection develop a historical approach that avoids controversy. His analysis highlights the instrumentalization of history for political purposes in continuation of his previous essay, In the Name of the Torah .
As in all essential works, the whole reveals new extensions on each page. Each chapter is an invitation to deepen your approach and refine your perspective in an enriching and stimulating intellectual openness. This book opens up a perspective of exchange, dialogue and tolerance with others, whether or not we share their ideas or beliefs. Which is not the least of the uses of this book."
