Islam and the Jews: Myth, Counter-Myth, History

Abstract

In this chapter we begin to narrow focus onto Muslim lands. Mark Cohen, Professor of History at Princeton University, presents a comparative overview of the conditions of Jews under medieval Islam and under Christianity. In particular Cohen discusses the contrasting political, economic and religious settings, and argues that these led to more favorable situations for Jews under Islam than under Christianity. Cohen participates in this paper in a discussion that has long engaged scholars of many disciplines, as well as other social commentators, for contemporary political as well as scholarly reasons.