President Donald Trump repeatedly touted the ‘Abraham Accords’ Monday trip to the Middle Eastseeks to build on a 2020 agreement that expanded the number of Arab countries with diplomatic relations with Israel.
The term is filled with religious and cultural meanings, with followers citing revered Biblical patriarchs as the founders of a wide range of three major religions. more than half World population – Christianity, Islam, Judaism. Anyone trying to build bridges between faiths tends to cite Abraham (known to Muslims as Ibrahim) as a common figure.
But this legacy can also be a source of division, as some faith groups claim to be his true successors.
“Everyone tried to claim Abraham as their own, but in reality Abraham is everyone’s,” says Bruce Feiler, author of “Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths.”
“Even in the last two years, we have seen this battle unfold in a way that has been going on for 4,000 years,” he said. “Everyone is trying to say, ‘This is my story, and only my perspective matters.'”
But, he said, “The story belongs to all of us, the land needs to be shared, and the heritage needs to be a shared heritage for all of us.”
Abraham Accords as a template
of Abraham Accords It was a series of diplomatic and trade agreements concluded between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain through the influence of the United States. sudan and Morocco in 2020during President Trump’s first term. A durable agreement in Gaza could help pave the way for negotiations with other Muslim-majority regions.
From the Bible to headlines
Abraham first appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Genesis, where he is described as a childless old man whom God promised to father a great nation. God sends Abraham on a journey that leads to the area of present-day Israel and the land of Palestine.
Abraham has a son, Ishmael, with Hagar, a slave woman. Later, Abraham’s wife Sarah, who was past childbearing age, miraculously became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael are exiled, but Ishmael returns after Abraham’s death to help Isaac bury his father.
In an important Biblical story told every Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham agrees and ties Isaac to the altar, but just before he can kill his son, he is stopped by an angel who tells him that Abraham has passed the test of faith.
According to Genesis, Isaac and his son Jacob are the ancestors of the Jewish people.
Christians accept Abraham as a model of faith, someone who willingly believes in and follows God.
Islamic and Jewish traditions depict young Abraham breaking the idols of his father while embracing the worship of one, almighty God.
However, Muslims place Ismail (Ishmael in Arabic) at the center of the story, not Isaac. They revere Ismail as a righteous prophet who, according to tradition, was an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that the rock to which Abraham sacrificed his son is located within the Dome of the Rock, a golden-domed temple in Jerusalem.
Abraham is both a divider and a uniter.
Each of the three monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam has claimed to be Abraham’s true successor at various points in history, including crusades, terrorist attacks, and other violence.
At the same time, because all three faiths worship Abraham, he has been invoked in initiatives such as the diplomatic agreement between the Jewish state of Israel and majority-Muslim Arab states brokered by the majority-Christian United States.
“In Islam we see a religion that traces its origins to God’s call to Abraham,” then-President George W. Bush said at an iftar dinner with Muslims shortly after the 9/11 attacks, trying to distinguish between mainstream Muslims and terrorists who claim to act in the name of Islam. “We share your belief in divine justice and your insistence on human moral responsibility.”
The term “Abrahamic faiths” is also used to promote interreligious dialogue.
The United Arab Emirates is home to the Abrahamic Family House, which includes a church, mosque, and synagogue.
In the United States, many people involved in interreligious dialogue consider the term to be more inclusive than “Judeo-Christian”, which was often used in the 20th century. “Abraham” does not encompass all faiths, but it does reflect efforts to expand the tent.
These efforts come at a time when religious divisions are becoming sharper on other fronts as well. a A surge in anti-Semitism This is happening with the current war in the Middle East. anti muslim New York City appears poised to elect its first Muslim mayor, and sentiment is running high.
Context matters when it comes to words about Abraham.
In his speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, President Trump highlighted a particularly Jewish tradition regarding patriarchs. He expressed gratitude to “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” a central expression of the Jewish people. There was applause when he said he likes to refer to diplomatic agreements as the “Abraham Accords,” using the Hebrew pronunciation.
At the same time, he praised the Arab and Islamic leaders of the countries that took part in the agreement, some of whom gathered at the rally. Summit meeting in Egypt Monday.
It may come as a surprise that this is the same Mr. Trump who was elected for the first time after the war. Response to the 2015 terrorist attacks It called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” The current government has begun a crackdown on international students and those who defend Palestinians.
But if we pay attention to Abraham’s “last 4,000 years of everyone living in the tension of the story,” Feiler says it becomes less confusing.
The story of Abraham, his two sons, and their two mothers is one of “the tension of inviting people in and pushing people out,” Feiler said.
It’s a timeless story about relationships and conflicts between families, neighbors and other people, he said.
“We want to have everything to ourselves, but we keep being reminded that we can only live with others.”
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