Jews & Muslims: Origins (610-721)

Filmmaker Karim Miské's Jews & Muslims is a four-part series detailing the long and often tortured relationship between Jews and Muslims across the Middle East and Europe. The initial episode, Origins, traces the birth of Islam to the year 610 in Arabia, where a multicultural network of tribes managed to coexist with some measure of good relations. Into this mix arrived Muhammad, whose vision for a new religion found favor among many polytheistic Arabs. The documentary relies heavily on stylized animation to depict historical events, with Muhammad presented as a shadowy figure whose face is never seen (in keeping with Muslim traditions). As Muhammad's followers increased in number, tensions arose among Jewish tribes who could not accept Muhammad's claim of being a holy prophet. While Jews in Medina initially allied themselves with Muhammad's people against an attack from enemy forces out of Mecca, their union was eventually destroyed as the Muslim majority banished, enslaved, or killed their one-time allies. The narrative has some curious gaps—especially in the lack of detail about pre-Islamic Arab religions—but it also offers solid historical insight into the rocky relationship between two major world religions. The other titles in the series are The Place of the Other (721-1789), The Separation (1789-1945), and Narratives at War (1945 to Present Day). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)