Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God's Prophetic Plan for Ishmael's Line

Rating:
Summary: Arabs in The Shadow of Israel: An Unbiased Look
Review: Arabs in The Shadow of Israel: A Book Review


After slogging through Arabs in the Shadow of Israel by Tony Maalouf one must first ask, what was his point and what was his purpose in writing? The answer is quick, concise, and simple. His point is that he believes that Arabs and Jews ought to get along and will be able to do so only by mutual application of the gospel. If that is his opinion, he should have so stated and left it at that.



Analysis of his writing also shows that his overshadowing purpose is to elevate the position of "Arabs" in the minds of his readers. No one would deny that Mr. Maalouf ought to have pride in his ancestry. However, one would deny that it ought to be embellished to the point of superiority. This is a temptation to which many ethnic groups have succumbed, and it may help individuals feel good about themselves and thereby give them inspiration to strive to be successful.



Mr. Maalouf also treads on and off of the turf of Islam in his writing. He realizes that in the world at large the religion of Islam and Moslems has become synonymous with Arabs. This is not correct, of course, but the end result, and this may well have been Mr. Maalouf's primary intention, is that he indirectly ends up giving an apology for Islam.



How is this possible, one may legitimately ask. First, you need a gifted and intelligent writer. Indeed Mr. Maalouf is both. However, his application of intelligence is such that it makes one feel that his stated purpose is not his real one and that he does indeed intend to play upon the misunderstanding now extant in the world that all Arabs and Moslems are one and the same and that therefore the good things he has to say about Arabs apply to all Moslems. Again, this is a very surreptitious, intelligent, and ingenious way of making a positive apology on behalf of all of Islam, whether radical, traditional, or moderate.



Mr. Maalouf approaches this task with one primary method. That is that he takes one well-attested fact, interprets it as he wishes, and then ties it in with four or five specious sources to come out with a conclusion that suits his purposes. This is pretty tricky. He first must violate all of the laws of logic along the way. Second, he must take the most rigorously authenticated documents available to us today, namely the New and Old Testament documents, and put them on a par with documents and writings that have little or no credence or attestation. He does this masterfully.



Mr. Maalouf is concerned that instead of being anti-Semitic that the world is becoming anti-Arab (read that anti-Islam in his purview). Has he not read the statistics regarding Islam being the fastest growing religious system in the "civilized" world, be it right or wrong? Of course he has, he is simply subtly revealing his prejudice and overall hidden agenda.



To make a successful case Mr. Maalouf must also take references in the biblical text and interpret them as no other credible theologian has. He then must, of course, assume that everyone else is in error. The reader, unless he or she has the ability to check the original languages, must then choose whether or not to believe the somewhat attractive arguments put forth by Mr. Maalouf. And, many readers will be conned into doing just this if they are either untutored in theology themselves or are unable to check his linguistic scholarship.



It is unfortunate, indeed, that our society has hit such a low ebb in scholarship and intellectualism that Mr. Maalouf can get away with such a book. One can only hope that he will inspire his readers to investigate on their own and that they will thereby come away with a much more informed and balanced view of history. Alas, in our society, that is probably a pipe dream.



While one might take the time to develop a point-by-point answer to Mr. Maalouf another question is again raised. That is, "who cares?" Why should one spend time refuting the points made by a book that certainly did not beg to be written in the first place? However, this would prove to be good fodder for a doctoral candidate in theology. Such an answer would require some research, but would be easy to accomplish. I will, however, leave that up to someone else since I have no need to write such a thesis.





Some Important Points of Deviation.



Mr. Maalouf thinks Moslems have always been and still are monotheists in the same way as Jews and Christians. This is incorrect.


Mr. Maalouf does not understand or chooses to misrepresent the development of the Palestinian problem.


Mr. Maalouf feels that Abraham, Isaac and indeed Israel are all technically Arabs.


Mr. Maalouf either purposefully or with the application of exceedingly poor scholarship incorrectly characterizes the original Hebrew as it describes the situation between Isaac and Ishmael.


Mr. Maalouf wishes to identify the Magi as Arab kings, because of poorly researched tradition, not because of historicity.


Mr. Maalouf characterizes the refuge sought eschatologically by the Jews in Petra as the Jews running to Arabia for help in their time of need.




If it were not for the subtle point Mr. Maalouf is trying to make, his attempt to convince readers, whom he hopes will be uneducated, would be laughable in it's false reasoning and ludicrous thought processes.








Rating:
Summary: Overcoming Evangelical Prejudice Toward Arabs
Review: How can American evangelicalism wholeheartedly discard its antipathy toward the Arab world? Simple-read Dr. Tony Maalouf's book. He starts his discussion by noting that before the modern era, Jews and Arabs lived side by side in harmony for centuries. In reality, conflict between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael has been the exception rather than the rule. It has only been since the rise of Western imperialism effectuated through the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations that tensions have risen to the point we observe today.
Yet he is quick to bring us to the biblical text to uncover some of the long-standing misconceptions that have clouded the thinking of Western Christians regarding Arab people. The central passage he tackles is Genesis 16:12, "He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers." Contrary to popular opinion, this prophecy by the God of Abraham was actually a blessing rather than a curse. Although Hagar was enslaved, her son, Ishmael, will be free as a donkey to roam the desert in pursuit of his own destiny. Unlike his subjected and powerless mother, he will be independent and strong, able to hold his own in the fierce Bedouin culture of the day. And he will dwell "before the face of his brothers" the Jews (p. 73). As such, Ishmael and his descendants are granted the unrivaled position of inhabiting a region of the world where they could be observers and recipients of the unfolding revelation of God to the nation of Israel throughout redemptive history. Hence, this prophecy would have been nothing but beautiful music to Hagar's ears.
But did not Ishmael mock (Gen. 21:9) and even persecute Isaac (Gal. 4:29), causing him and his mother to be driven from the house of Abraham at Sarah's initiative? Yes, but look closer. As Dr. Maalouf insightfully explains, "[f]rom God's perspective, his plan for Isaac is incompatible with his purposes for Ishmael. No matter how severe Sarah's demand was, and no matter how serious Abraham's concern for his firstborn, God saw it better for Hagar and her son Ishmael to be dismissed to the wilderness and live under his care than to be kept in Abraham's house and live in rivalry with Sarah and her son Isaac. The patriarch had a limited inheritance, and it was ordained to go to the promised seed. . . . This is the primary reason for his summoning of Abraham to listen to Sarah's voice, and not because of any cursing of Ishmael" (p. 92).
The New Testament shows, however, that in an act of divine reversal the Magi (tribal chiefs of Arab descent as Dr. Maalouf convincingly argues) are accorded the privilege of returning to witness and worship the true seed of Abraham, namely, the Messiah (Mt. 2:1ff.). Moreover, Arabs were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and no doubt were counted among the 3,000 baptized (At. 2:11, 41). Surprisingly, they were even given priority in the missionary program of the Apostle Paul (Gal. 1:15-17). And in the future, at the pilgrimage of the Gentile nations to Israel in the Messianic Age, Arabs are first in line to offer their homage (Isa. 60:5-7).
All this confirms Dr. Maalouf's belief that "the religious fate of biblical Israel as a nation and that of the Arabs" are divinely and inextricably linked (p. 223). Accordingly, "this should create among Christians [in the West] a desperate burden to refrain from political agendas and invest in the spiritual awakening predicted among both the Arabs and Jews" (p. 223). Indeed, by "[r]emoving unwarranted biases against Arabs, which neither the Bible nor history sustains, [we can] play a healing role in the Middle East conflict" (p. 223). May it be so!

Rating:
Summary: Overcoming Evangelical Prejudice Toward Arabs
Review: How can American evangelicalism wholeheartedly discard its antipathy toward the Arab world? Simple-read Dr. Tony Maalouf's book. He starts his discussion by noting that before the modern era, Jews and Arabs lived side by side in harmony for centuries. In reality, conflict between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael has been the exception rather than the rule. It has only been since the rise of Western imperialism effectuated through the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations that tensions have risen to the point we observe today.
Yet he is quick to bring us to the biblical text to uncover some of the long-standing misconceptions that have clouded the thinking of Western Christians regarding Arab people. The central passage he tackles is Genesis 16:12, "He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers." Contrary to popular opinion, this prophecy by the God of Abraham was actually a blessing rather than a curse. Although Hagar was enslaved, her son, Ishmael, will be free as a donkey to roam the desert in pursuit of his own destiny. Unlike his subjected and powerless mother, he will be independent and strong, able to hold his own in the fierce Bedouin culture of the day. And he will dwell "before the face of his brothers" the Jews (p. 73). As such, Ishmael and his descendants are granted the unrivaled position of inhabiting a region of the world where they could be observers and recipients of the unfolding revelation of God to the nation of Israel throughout redemptive history. Hence, this prophecy would have been nothing but beautiful music to Hagar's ears.
But did not Ishmael mock (Gen. 21:9) and even persecute Isaac (Gal. 4:29), causing him and his mother to be driven from the house of Abraham at Sarah's initiative? Yes, but look closer. As Dr. Maalouf insightfully explains, "[f]rom God's perspective, his plan for Isaac is incompatible with his purposes for Ishmael. No matter how severe Sarah's demand was, and no matter how serious Abraham's concern for his firstborn, God saw it better for Hagar and her son Ishmael to be dismissed to the wilderness and live under his care than to be kept in Abraham's house and live in rivalry with Sarah and her son Isaac. The patriarch had a limited inheritance, and it was ordained to go to the promised seed. . . . This is the primary reason for his summoning of Abraham to listen to Sarah's voice, and not because of any cursing of Ishmael" (p. 92).
The New Testament shows, however, that in an act of divine reversal the Magi (tribal chiefs of Arab descent as Dr. Maalouf convincingly argues) are accorded the privilege of returning to witness and worship the true seed of Abraham, namely, the Messiah (Mt. 2:1ff.). Moreover, Arabs were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and no doubt were counted among the 3,000 baptized (At. 2:11, 41). Surprisingly, they were even given priority in the missionary program of the Apostle Paul (Gal. 1:15-17). And in the future, at the pilgrimage of the Gentile nations to Israel in the Messianic Age, Arabs are first in line to offer their homage (Isa. 60:5-7).
All this confirms Dr. Maalouf's belief that "the religious fate of biblical Israel as a nation and that of the Arabs" are divinely and inextricably linked (p. 223). Accordingly, "this should create among Christians [in the West] a desperate burden to refrain from political agendas and invest in the spiritual awakening predicted among both the Arabs and Jews" (p. 223). Indeed, by "[r]emoving unwarranted biases against Arabs, which neither the Bible nor history sustains, [we can] play a healing role in the Middle East conflict" (p. 223). May it be so!

Rating:
Summary: What the Bible Says about the Arabs
Review: Where did the Arabs originate? What does the Bible say about the Arabs and their future? Do God's promises to Israel mean that there are no blessings for Arabs? Were the Magi from Persia or Arabia? These and related questions are answered in a scholarly and readable way by Tony Maalouf, an Arab Christian scholar from Lebanon. This book presents insightful information on the place of Ishmael and his descendants, which is often overlooked by Bible students. Anyone interested in the Midde East and the Arab world will benefit from this excellent study.