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Abraham Divided: An Lds Perspective on the Middle East
Abraham An Lds Perspective on the Middle East
374 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 22, 2009
Initially, the book read rather more folksy than academic which I had expected, yet I have found it of value. It is written for an LDS audience. What I was looking for primarily was a better understanding of the Arabic culture as well as a LDS Arabic scholars view. 1992 edition. One fringe benefit has been that Peterson has pronunciation footnotes for Arabic terms.
p. 29
Regarding Jewish blindness "to the possibility of ongoing communication from heaven, it nonetheless served a useful function. The Law, in fact was the Jews' earthly salvation. It was the Law that allowed them to survive, unlike many other ancient nations . . . ."
p. 31
"'oral law' the traditions that had been gathering about the text of the Torah for centuries. This was the next layer, the next level of sediment in the mounting deposit of what would come to be modern rabbinic Judaism," culminating in the completionof the Mishnah, around 200 A.D. ". . .one of the earliest documents of what can properly be called Jaudaism in the modern sense."
p.33
The Talmud--scholars' comments on the Mishnah.
p. 60
"The general spirit of the pre-Islamic Arabian ideal is that of Tennyson's hero: 'To strive, to seek, to fin, and not to yield. . . .Revenge, therefore, was considered a virtue."
p. 64
"Ancient Semetic peoples, saw words themselves as sacred, as containing a power of their own, independent of the intentions of those who utter them. The story of Isaac's blessing of Jacob, which could not be undone even though it was given to the wrong person. Gen 27.
p. 78
" . . . the Mahometan race were the descendants of Abraham. . . through the loins of Ishamael, the son of Abraham, and inthis dominion there certainly ws a recognition of the dominion of the sons of Abraham." Elder George A. Smith, 1855.
p. 106
Reference to the Muslim custom not to discuss a prophet after Muhammad in their home.
p. 107
"From its earliest years, leaders of the LDS church have had good things to say about Muhammad . . . the concept of prophet.
p. 110-111
Origin of Shiites. "Ali, the prophet Muhammad's, cousin and son-in-law who had distinguished himself by heroci deeds on behalf of the faith in earlier military conflicts, felt that it was his right as kinsman to Muhammad to succeed him in the rule of the community." Ali's supporters became known as Shiites. Their opponents later became known as the Sunnis. "Where once the dispute had been political, it came to include differences over theology and law. The political disagreement festered. The Shiites grew more and more embittered as their leaders were harassed and kept form power. (This one of the reasons, I suspect, that Shiite rule can be so harsh when they finally do come to power.) . . . a deep sense of grievance, of having been usurped, abused." [Muhammad was born in 570 CE. The lack of trust we are currently aware is very deep seated.:] There are rituals designed to keep this distrust alive. [Reading this reminded me of the "troubles" we were aware of in Ireland when David traveled there for work from our home in Scotland.:]
p. 119-122
"Muslims are virtually unanimous in insisting that the Quran cannot be translated. [Anyone who knows a second language knows that there are words in one language that simply do not translate because they lack the feeling of the words.:] What is available to us in English "they say is merely language, its 'poetry,' its powerful emotional impact, cannot be conveyed across the language frontier. In teh Muslim view, there is saving value in reciting the actual words of God, spoken to Muhammad. And those words were in Arabic, not in English or Turkish or any other language. . . . "There is, according to Muslims, no trace of Muhammad's personality or environment in the scripture that was revealed through him. He was the transmitter, nothing more.. . . No where in the book does Muhammad speak. . . . This is why I (Peterson) prefers to compare the Qua'ran--if I must compare it to anything in our own more familiar experience--to the Doctrine and Covenants....the 114 suras of the Qur'am are arranged in roughly chronological order. ...Specifically listed with the Qura'an [in Muslim theology:] itself among the revelations of God to mankind are the Torah and the gospel."
p. 125-126
...the Qur'an does not bring any new truths. It does not claim to do so. It is merely a restoration of those truths that had been revealed from the beginning. It carries forward what was written in the books of Abraham and Moses, confirming the earlier scriptures and particularly the Torah and the gospel. 'Nothing is said to you, that has not been said to other Messengers before you.' ...the Qur'an addresses the heairs of the former prophets, the Jews and Christians of Muhammad's day, directly: 'People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to reveal to you Our will after an interval during which there were no Messengers, lest you should say: 'No one has come to give us good news or to warn us.' Now a prophet has come to give you good news and to warn you.'"Rejected by Christians and Jews, " the Qur'an announced that it was a restoration of the faith of Abraham, who was an 'excellent example' for the believers. . . before human intervention and rebelliousness gave rise to the historical deviations known as Judaism and Christianity."
p. 161
"The Qur'an does not deny the concept of the Virgin Birth; in fact, it speaks emphatically of 'Mary, ....who preserved her chastity and into whose womb We breathed of Our spirit.' But this does not make Jesus the son of God, according to Islamic views, Rather it simply makes Jesus the only human being in history born to only one parent;.... Jesus haas a special place in Islamic thought and in Islamic expectations for the last days....
p. 172
"...in the late seventh century, Arabic was made the language of administration. ...Fluency in Arabic now became the passport to social advancement and prestige.... It is probably for this reason that Aramaic essentially died out...simply absorbed into the dominant language. Persian, on the other hand, is a language utterly unrelated to Arabic. ...led to a clear distinction between the native language and the learned second language that prevented Persian from assimilating to Arabic...."
p. 242
"Muhammad, Muslims affirm, is the last of God's messengers, 'the seal of the prophets.' Islam is the last revealed religion. Islam is superior to other religions and is destined to triumph."
p. 247
"Even while the Soviet Union was butchering Muslims in Afghanistan, it was American embassies that were destroyed by...in Pakistan. ...rumors of American activities allegedly against Islam were enough to bring out tens of thousands of angry protesters, while the brutally real activities of the Soviets brought very little response. ...the lifestyle of the West is tempting. It is seductive. And the people of the Near East are subjected to it constantly."
p. 255
"The hard truth is that the fate of a people is generally in its own hands. ...To deny this basic truth means that nobody will lift a finger to do anything, since to do so would be futile. But the first step that must be taken toward regional recovery is the awakening of a sense that the fate of the region is in the hands of the people of that region, very much as the first step in recovery from alcoholism is the recognition that one is...an alcoholic and that the problem is one's own."
p. 269
"...the French and the British ... determined to restructure the Middle East [after WWI, following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire:] in the only fashion that, by then, made any sense to them. They got out their maps and, based on what seems amazingly limited knowledge and understanding of the area divided it into nation-states. The ethnic, linguistic, and religious realities of the region were by and large ignored, and the diplomatic and economic interests of the imperial powers were allowed to dictate how the region should be restructured. Modern Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon,...Persian Gulf [states:] all owe their borders to this rather artificial and arbitrary process."
p. 345
The author discusses "how to harmonize an ancient heritage with modern insights, values, and ways of thought"--an issue faced by Judaism and Islam. A middle ground puts a person open "to attacks from both extremes. To the fundamentalists, he is an apostate; to the secularists, he is either a fundamentalist himself or a coward,...."
p. 352
Regarding the return of hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world to Palestine, Peterson suggests that "the scriptures do not commit us to it. Rather, they clearly teach that unbelieving Jews will be upon the land of Palestine when the Lord returns." D & C 45:48,51-53.
p. 361
Peterson rejects the sympathy for Israel by Western Christians who feel compelled to support Israel because "that government is the leadership of God's chosen people....We are under no obligation to be more supportive of whatever Israeli prime minister happens to be in power than are the Israeli opposition parties themselves."
p. 363
"Leaders of the [LDS:] Church ... takes absolutely no position on the Arab-Israeli conflict.... 'We do not need to apologize nor mitigate any of the prophecies concerning the Holy Land. We believe them and declare them to be true. But this does not give us justification to dogmatically pronounce that others of our Father's children are not children of promise.... The Church has an interest in all of Abraham's descendents...' (Ensign,June 1979, 72.)"
p. 364-365
God's "justice and mercy extends to all peoples of the earth." Isaiah 2:2-4, Michah 4:4-5
p. 366, concluding statement.
"So long as we are separated from Muslims by a wall of mutual incomprehension, and by a mutual hostility ...."
This is the reason I continue to read nonfiction such as this as well as fiction by foreign writers and also view foreign films--to better understand from a variety of voices and to hopefully make better dialogue as well as more informed political choices.
p. 29
Regarding Jewish blindness "to the possibility of ongoing communication from heaven, it nonetheless served a useful function. The Law, in fact was the Jews' earthly salvation. It was the Law that allowed them to survive, unlike many other ancient nations . . . ."
p. 31
"'oral law' the traditions that had been gathering about the text of the Torah for centuries. This was the next layer, the next level of sediment in the mounting deposit of what would come to be modern rabbinic Judaism," culminating in the completionof the Mishnah, around 200 A.D. ". . .one of the earliest documents of what can properly be called Jaudaism in the modern sense."
p.33
The Talmud--scholars' comments on the Mishnah.
p. 60
"The general spirit of the pre-Islamic Arabian ideal is that of Tennyson's hero: 'To strive, to seek, to fin, and not to yield. . . .Revenge, therefore, was considered a virtue."
p. 64
"Ancient Semetic peoples, saw words themselves as sacred, as containing a power of their own, independent of the intentions of those who utter them. The story of Isaac's blessing of Jacob, which could not be undone even though it was given to the wrong person. Gen 27.
p. 78
" . . . the Mahometan race were the descendants of Abraham. . . through the loins of Ishamael, the son of Abraham, and inthis dominion there certainly ws a recognition of the dominion of the sons of Abraham." Elder George A. Smith, 1855.
p. 106
Reference to the Muslim custom not to discuss a prophet after Muhammad in their home.
p. 107
"From its earliest years, leaders of the LDS church have had good things to say about Muhammad . . . the concept of prophet.
p. 110-111
Origin of Shiites. "Ali, the prophet Muhammad's, cousin and son-in-law who had distinguished himself by heroci deeds on behalf of the faith in earlier military conflicts, felt that it was his right as kinsman to Muhammad to succeed him in the rule of the community." Ali's supporters became known as Shiites. Their opponents later became known as the Sunnis. "Where once the dispute had been political, it came to include differences over theology and law. The political disagreement festered. The Shiites grew more and more embittered as their leaders were harassed and kept form power. (This one of the reasons, I suspect, that Shiite rule can be so harsh when they finally do come to power.) . . . a deep sense of grievance, of having been usurped, abused." [Muhammad was born in 570 CE. The lack of trust we are currently aware is very deep seated.:] There are rituals designed to keep this distrust alive. [Reading this reminded me of the "troubles" we were aware of in Ireland when David traveled there for work from our home in Scotland.:]
p. 119-122
"Muslims are virtually unanimous in insisting that the Quran cannot be translated. [Anyone who knows a second language knows that there are words in one language that simply do not translate because they lack the feeling of the words.:] What is available to us in English "they say is merely language, its 'poetry,' its powerful emotional impact, cannot be conveyed across the language frontier. In teh Muslim view, there is saving value in reciting the actual words of God, spoken to Muhammad. And those words were in Arabic, not in English or Turkish or any other language. . . . "There is, according to Muslims, no trace of Muhammad's personality or environment in the scripture that was revealed through him. He was the transmitter, nothing more.. . . No where in the book does Muhammad speak. . . . This is why I (Peterson) prefers to compare the Qua'ran--if I must compare it to anything in our own more familiar experience--to the Doctrine and Covenants....the 114 suras of the Qur'am are arranged in roughly chronological order. ...Specifically listed with the Qura'an [in Muslim theology:] itself among the revelations of God to mankind are the Torah and the gospel."
p. 125-126
...the Qur'an does not bring any new truths. It does not claim to do so. It is merely a restoration of those truths that had been revealed from the beginning. It carries forward what was written in the books of Abraham and Moses, confirming the earlier scriptures and particularly the Torah and the gospel. 'Nothing is said to you, that has not been said to other Messengers before you.' ...the Qur'an addresses the heairs of the former prophets, the Jews and Christians of Muhammad's day, directly: 'People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to reveal to you Our will after an interval during which there were no Messengers, lest you should say: 'No one has come to give us good news or to warn us.' Now a prophet has come to give you good news and to warn you.'"Rejected by Christians and Jews, " the Qur'an announced that it was a restoration of the faith of Abraham, who was an 'excellent example' for the believers. . . before human intervention and rebelliousness gave rise to the historical deviations known as Judaism and Christianity."
p. 161
"The Qur'an does not deny the concept of the Virgin Birth; in fact, it speaks emphatically of 'Mary, ....who preserved her chastity and into whose womb We breathed of Our spirit.' But this does not make Jesus the son of God, according to Islamic views, Rather it simply makes Jesus the only human being in history born to only one parent;.... Jesus haas a special place in Islamic thought and in Islamic expectations for the last days....
p. 172
"...in the late seventh century, Arabic was made the language of administration. ...Fluency in Arabic now became the passport to social advancement and prestige.... It is probably for this reason that Aramaic essentially died out...simply absorbed into the dominant language. Persian, on the other hand, is a language utterly unrelated to Arabic. ...led to a clear distinction between the native language and the learned second language that prevented Persian from assimilating to Arabic...."
p. 242
"Muhammad, Muslims affirm, is the last of God's messengers, 'the seal of the prophets.' Islam is the last revealed religion. Islam is superior to other religions and is destined to triumph."
p. 247
"Even while the Soviet Union was butchering Muslims in Afghanistan, it was American embassies that were destroyed by...in Pakistan. ...rumors of American activities allegedly against Islam were enough to bring out tens of thousands of angry protesters, while the brutally real activities of the Soviets brought very little response. ...the lifestyle of the West is tempting. It is seductive. And the people of the Near East are subjected to it constantly."
p. 255
"The hard truth is that the fate of a people is generally in its own hands. ...To deny this basic truth means that nobody will lift a finger to do anything, since to do so would be futile. But the first step that must be taken toward regional recovery is the awakening of a sense that the fate of the region is in the hands of the people of that region, very much as the first step in recovery from alcoholism is the recognition that one is...an alcoholic and that the problem is one's own."
p. 269
"...the French and the British ... determined to restructure the Middle East [after WWI, following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire:] in the only fashion that, by then, made any sense to them. They got out their maps and, based on what seems amazingly limited knowledge and understanding of the area divided it into nation-states. The ethnic, linguistic, and religious realities of the region were by and large ignored, and the diplomatic and economic interests of the imperial powers were allowed to dictate how the region should be restructured. Modern Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon,...Persian Gulf [states:] all owe their borders to this rather artificial and arbitrary process."
p. 345
The author discusses "how to harmonize an ancient heritage with modern insights, values, and ways of thought"--an issue faced by Judaism and Islam. A middle ground puts a person open "to attacks from both extremes. To the fundamentalists, he is an apostate; to the secularists, he is either a fundamentalist himself or a coward,...."
p. 352
Regarding the return of hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world to Palestine, Peterson suggests that "the scriptures do not commit us to it. Rather, they clearly teach that unbelieving Jews will be upon the land of Palestine when the Lord returns." D & C 45:48,51-53.
p. 361
Peterson rejects the sympathy for Israel by Western Christians who feel compelled to support Israel because "that government is the leadership of God's chosen people....We are under no obligation to be more supportive of whatever Israeli prime minister happens to be in power than are the Israeli opposition parties themselves."
p. 363
"Leaders of the [LDS:] Church ... takes absolutely no position on the Arab-Israeli conflict.... 'We do not need to apologize nor mitigate any of the prophecies concerning the Holy Land. We believe them and declare them to be true. But this does not give us justification to dogmatically pronounce that others of our Father's children are not children of promise.... The Church has an interest in all of Abraham's descendents...' (Ensign,June 1979, 72.)"
p. 364-365
God's "justice and mercy extends to all peoples of the earth." Isaiah 2:2-4, Michah 4:4-5
p. 366, concluding statement.
"So long as we are separated from Muslims by a wall of mutual incomprehension, and by a mutual hostility ...."
This is the reason I continue to read nonfiction such as this as well as fiction by foreign writers and also view foreign films--to better understand from a variety of voices and to hopefully make better dialogue as well as more informed political choices.
December 1, 2012
Obviously dated in it's references to the Middle East, it was still very relevant. It was nice to read about Judaism and Islam from a Mormon perspective, and I was particularly pleased when this scholar of Islam and Arabic who is also an active member of our church gave the same opinion about Muhammad that I hold. Was he a prophet or not? "I don't know." or "Yes and no."
The section that gave a broad review of history from an "Arab" and eastern perspective (which we often miss) was fascinating, and I have greater appreciation for how much our culture has been influenced by the ancient Arab culture (although I never realized it since it came via European channels).
The section highlighting similarities and differences between Islam and Mormonism were among my favorite of the whole book and it would be worth picking up the book for these alone.
A few things I learned that surprised me: The Qu'ran doesn't claim that Abraham sacrificed Ishmael. Popular tradition holds that interpretation but the Qu'ran never specifies which son was almost sacrificed and it speaks of Isaac in higher terms (prophet) than Ishmael (good man). The Qu'ran is adamant that Jesus was not the son of God. I thought that this was more a matter of interpretation but it's declared repeatedly in very strong language.
I once asked a Muslim friend how her religion "worked" without a Savior- I've so long believed in a Fall and the need for an Atonement that I couldn't see how things could function without Jesus as a redeemer. She was very perplexed by my question, and in reading this book I finally understood her perspective.
"God doesn't need to sacrifice somebody in order to buy himself out of a need to punish us." The doctrine of Christ Crucified does appear "a stumbling block" and "foolishness" (1 Cor 1:23) to those who have been raised to believe that God is omnipotent- even over justice and eternal laws.
I could go on for a long time, but the kids are begging for my attention. In short- great book. Check it out, particularly if you are LDS and interested in gaining better understanding of Islam and some of it's related history.
The section that gave a broad review of history from an "Arab" and eastern perspective (which we often miss) was fascinating, and I have greater appreciation for how much our culture has been influenced by the ancient Arab culture (although I never realized it since it came via European channels).
The section highlighting similarities and differences between Islam and Mormonism were among my favorite of the whole book and it would be worth picking up the book for these alone.
A few things I learned that surprised me: The Qu'ran doesn't claim that Abraham sacrificed Ishmael. Popular tradition holds that interpretation but the Qu'ran never specifies which son was almost sacrificed and it speaks of Isaac in higher terms (prophet) than Ishmael (good man). The Qu'ran is adamant that Jesus was not the son of God. I thought that this was more a matter of interpretation but it's declared repeatedly in very strong language.
I once asked a Muslim friend how her religion "worked" without a Savior- I've so long believed in a Fall and the need for an Atonement that I couldn't see how things could function without Jesus as a redeemer. She was very perplexed by my question, and in reading this book I finally understood her perspective.
"God doesn't need to sacrifice somebody in order to buy himself out of a need to punish us." The doctrine of Christ Crucified does appear "a stumbling block" and "foolishness" (1 Cor 1:23) to those who have been raised to believe that God is omnipotent- even over justice and eternal laws.
I could go on for a long time, but the kids are begging for my attention. In short- great book. Check it out, particularly if you are LDS and interested in gaining better understanding of Islam and some of it's related history.
January 7, 2025
It's not exactly a page-turner (slogfest), but I "knew what it was when I picked it up . . . " (LDS folks will know what I am quoting there. ) I've had this book on my shelf for a few decades, and recent events in the Middle East finally led me to start reading it in search of a more balanced perspective within my own faith tradition.
Given the LDS Church's historical fixation on the gathering of Israel ("10 separate dedications (as of this writing in the 1990s) of the Holy Land under apostolic authority" - pg. 327), I appreciate Peterson's attempt to represent a broader perspective and his sincere efforts to give space for the Palestinian/Arab voice.
There is a lot of insightful information presented here, but I wouldn't say this is particularly well-written (part of why it took me 15 months to finish it).
Given the LDS Church's historical fixation on the gathering of Israel ("10 separate dedications (as of this writing in the 1990s) of the Holy Land under apostolic authority" - pg. 327), I appreciate Peterson's attempt to represent a broader perspective and his sincere efforts to give space for the Palestinian/Arab voice.
There is a lot of insightful information presented here, but I wouldn't say this is particularly well-written (part of why it took me 15 months to finish it).
August 3, 2020
Interesting take on the division in the Middle East, but it seems that you need at least a basic knowledge of the situation/history in order to follow this one.
February 25, 2015
This helped me understand the dynamics of the Jewish/Arab conflict better than any book I've read because it used my own culture and religious understanding to explain it. It was reccommended by two separate political geography professors.
April 1, 2008
Interesting book
January 16, 2013
I liked the fact that I was able to read a book from someone that wasn't out to pick sides in the Middle East.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews