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chairman donald trump The “Abraham Accords” were repeatedly publicized. middle east The visit on Monday seeks to build on 2020 agreements that expanded the number of Arab states with diplomatic ties with israel,
The term is loaded with religious and cultural connotations, referring to the revered biblical patriarch as the founding figure in the three major religions whose followers comprise more than half the world’s population – Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Anyone trying to build bridges between faiths is liable to invoke Abraham – known to Muslims as Ibrahim – as a figure they hold in common.
But this legacy can also be a source of division as some religious groups portray themselves as his true heirs.
Bruce Feiler, author of “Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths,” said, “Everyone has tried to claim Abraham as their own, but really Abraham is everyone else’s.”
“Even in the last two years, we have seen this fight play out the same way it has for 4,000 years,” he said. “Everyone is trying to say, ‘This is my story, my perspective is the only perspective that matters.'”
But, he said, “the story belongs to all of us, the land will need to be shared, and the legacy will need to be created, a shared legacy for all of us.”
Abraham Accords as a template
The Abraham Accords were a series of diplomatic and commercial agreements made under US influence between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco in 2020 during Trump’s first term. A permanent settlement in Gaza could help pave the way for negotiations with other majority Muslim countries.
From the Bible to the headlines
Abraham first appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Genesis, described as a childless elderly man whom God promised would be the father of a great nation. God sends Abraham on a journey that leads to the area of present-day Israel and the Palestinian lands.
Abraham first had a son, Ishmael, from a slave woman, Hagar. Then Abraham’s wife, Sarah, who was past childbearing age, miraculously became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael are exiled, although Ishmael returns after Abraham’s death to help Isaac bury their father.
In an important story from the Bible – retold marking each Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year – God orders Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham agrees, ties Isaac to an altar and kills his son before he is stopped by an angel who says that Abraham has passed the test of faith.
According to Genesis, Isaac and his son Jacob became the ancestors of the Jews.
Christianity acknowledges Abraham as an example of faith – someone willing to trust and obey God.
Islamic and Jewish traditions depict a young Abraham breaking his father’s idols as he worshiped the one, almighty God.
Muslims, however, place Ishmael (Arabic for Ishmael) rather than Isaac at the center of the binding story. They revere Ismail as a righteous prophet who, according to tradition, is an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that the rock on which Abraham sacrificed his son is located within the Dome of the Rock, a gold-domed temple in Jerusalem.
Abraham is a divisive man – and a unifier
Each of the three monotheistic religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – has claimed to be the true heir of Abraham at various points in history, including through crusades, terrorist attacks and other violence.
Also, because all three religions revere Abraham, he is invoked in efforts such as the diplomatic agreement brokered by the majority-Christian United States between the Jewish state of Israel and majority-Muslim Arab states.
“We see in Islam a religion that has its origins in God’s call to Abraham,” said then-President George W. Bush said at an iftar (breaking the fast) dinner with Muslims shortly after the 9/11 attacks that he sought to differentiate mainstream Muslims from terrorists claiming to act in the name of Islam. “We share your belief in God’s justice and your insistence on man’s moral responsibility.”
The term “Abrahamic faiths” is also used to promote dialogue between religions.
The United Arab Emirates is home to an Abrahamic Family House, which consists of a church, mosque and synagogue.
In the United States, many involved in interreligious dialogue consider the term to be more inclusive than “Judeo-Christian”, which was often used in the 20th century. Although “Abrahamic” does not encompass all religions, it reflects an attempt to broaden the tent.
Such efforts come amid growing religious divisions on other fronts. Anti-Semitism has increased with the current Middle East war. Anti-Muslim sentiment has risen as New York looks set to elect its first Muslim mayor.
Context is important with words about Abraham
During his speech in the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Trump emphasized specifically the Jewish tradition around patriarchy. He gave thanks to “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” – a central Jewish formulation. He was applauded when he said he preferred to call diplomatic agreements “Avraham Agreements”, using the Hebrew pronunciation.
At the same time, he praised Arab and Muslim leaders whose countries were involved in the agreements, some of whom gathered at a summit in Egypt on Monday.
It may seem strange that this is the same Trump who was first elected by calling for a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” after responding to the 2015 terrorist attack. His current administration has begun a crackdown on foreign students and others who advocate for Palestinians.
But this is less puzzling if one focuses on Abraham’s “last 4,000 years, when everyone remains in tension with the story”, Feiler said.
The story of Abraham, his two sons and their two mothers is one of “tension, inviting people in and pushing people out,” Feiler said.
He said, it is an eternal story of relationships and rivalries between family members, neighbors and others.
“We want it all for ourselves, but we keep being reminded that we can only have it with another.”
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Associated Press religion coverage is supported by the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.