Manifestations of hatred of Jews and Israel have risen over the last few decades in the Arab and Muslim world. This hatred is demonstrated in many ways: in speeches and writings of religious, intellectual, and political leaders; in school textbooks and mass media; and in horrific suicide bombings and other terrorist actions. Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, al-Qa'ida leader Osama Bin Ladin, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hizballah all have repeatedly called for Israel's destruction. But is such hatred the result of Islamic anti-Semitism, as widely claimed? Or does it have other roots and reasons? This book sets the record straight by explaining that while anti-Semitism is the credo of fanatic groups and regimes, such an attitude is not representative of traditional and contemporary Islam. For centuries, Muslim attitudes to Jews were ambivalent - contempt and antagonism alongside tolerance and cooperation. In fact, Jews under Islam were better off than their Christian neighbors, and much better off than their Jewish brethren under Christianity. A similar pattern of relations has developed over the last several decades between Muslim nations and the Jewish State of Israel - hostility and violence, mostly by Muslim Arabs, but also dialogue and cooperation by and with many other Muslims. These complex relations are discussed by Muslim and Jewish scholars - from Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the US, Palestine, and Turkey - who analyze the religious, cultural, political, and economic factors that have shaped Muslim attitudes to Jews and Israel. Ideas and suggestions are put forward to improve Muslim-Jewish relations, the theme of which was first conceived at an international conference organized by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Divinity School of Harvard University. Read Less