Concise History of the Arabs (9781595589507) by Mchugo John

Author:Mchugo, John [McHugo, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781595589507
Publisher: Perseus Book Group

III

The tragedy of Palestine in the late 1940s put the Jewish populations of Arab countries in a very exposed position. Ever since the coming of Islam in the seventh century there had been an uneasy multiculturalism. Muslims, Christians and Jews rubbed along together but, at a crucial level, felt very much apart and this became increasingly so as time passed. They often lived in self-contained worlds which hardly interacted, although it should never be overlooked that the authorities were Muslim and had at their disposal a coercive power which the leaderships of the other two groups generally lacked.

This state of affairs showed itself in mutual disdain, a snapshot of which can be seen in the poem The Jewish Wine Seller by Abu Nuwas, the Abbasid hedonist and literary genius. It tells the story of how the poet and his not very devout Muslim chums arrive at a tavern. The owner scowls at them because he does not like Muslims. They assume he is Christian, but he considers this an insult. Abu Nuwas realises he is

a Jew who appears to love you

Yet secretly harbours betrayal25

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