An Introductory Course on Muslim-Jewish Relations
The aim of this course is to cover the long history of Muslim-Jewish relations. It will cover theology, Islamic law, relations in the medieval period and compare experiences of both communities to the onset of modernity.
Students will be recruited from across mosques and Muslim-led organisations. The course is aimed at those who wish to develop a deeper understanding of the theology and history of Muslim-Jewish relations. Course cohorts will vary between 25 and 50 participants.
The course leaders have chosen to work with the Woolf Institute as it is uniquely placed with experience in online education and expertise in the field of Muslim-Jewish relations.
- Course Leaders
The course is convened by Dr Atif Imtiaz, Lecturer in Criminology at Bradford University and former Academic Director of the Cambridge Muslim College.
It will be taught as a series of weekly one-hour sessions led by Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra. Shaykh Mogra is an imam from Leicester and until recently was a Student Mentor and Chaplain at Cambridge Muslim College. Amongst his many appointments, he is the Muslim Chaplain for Canary Wharf.
- Guest speakers and other information
For some classes, guest speakers will be invited in to discuss their area of expertise. If successful, it will be developed for Arabic and Urdu-speaking audiences. Lectures from the course will be filmed and may be used as core materials for future Muslim-Jewish Relations courses.
- Course sessions
The course sessions are as follows:
Session 1: What is antisemitism? An overview
Session 2: Fiqh in relation to the Jews – halal and kosher
Session 3: Jews in the Qur'an – looking at the way in which the Quran describes Jews
Session 4: Jews in the seerah – the tribes in Madinah and the relationship of individual Jews to the Prophet
Session 5: Maimonides and other Jewish scholars in Islamicate civilisation
Session 6: Rabbinical law and Islamic law – the interconnectedness of the scholarly tradition
Session 7: Jewish experiences across the Muslim world, look at three countries: Iraq, Turkey and Morocco
Session 8: Examples of poor treatment of Jewish communities in Muslim countries through the medieval period
Session 9: Muslim helpers of Jews in the Holocaust
Session 10: Antisemitic tropes in the Muslim world today
Session 11: History of British Jews and the experience of prejudice
Session 12: Jewish and Muslim theologians responding to modernity
Session 13: Israel and Palestine
Session 14: How to foster better Muslim-Jewish relations?
- 2022 Course Dates, Application Form and Fees
The course in 2022 will run from Wednesday 14 September 2022 for 14 weeks. The timings are 8pm to 9pm.
The application form can be downloaded here.
Please email muslimjewishrelations@woolf.cam.ac.uk for further details.
Prior to applying, please read the Booking Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy.
The course fee is £50. Bursaries on request.