Our discussions should focus on this main point. Nations may have weak memories, but states and intellectuals must have stronger memories. Jews and Muslims are close neighbors. They are members of the same family separated for some reason. For this reason, actions by terrorist organizations or by states controlled by radicals should not be blamed on Jews or Muslims.
Since the early days of Islam, Muslims and Jews have lived together and with solidarity in the Middle East, Andalusia, the Ottoman Empire, the Caucasus and Central Asia. These sister religions, which contain numerous similarities, have, through the ages, developed common attitudes toward threats. Together, they fought against the crusaders. During the expansion of the Muslim states, Muslims and Jews acted in unison. For instance, the cities that Muslims conquered during the era of the Four Caliphs or during the time of the Ottoman Empire (Bursa, Edirne, İstanbul, etc.) were settled not only by Muslims, but also by Jews. As Muslims retreated, Jews were sent back to more secure regions in the center. Following the collapse of Andalusia, not only Arabs, but also Jews sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, Muslims as well as Jews coming from the Balkans, the Caucasus and Crimea were settled in the secure provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Actually, it is Europe that Jews have always contended with. Europe's hatred for the Jews reached its peak after the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and massacred many Jews in A.D. 70, and the Jews in Europe, especially in central Europe, were subject to pressure and genocide until the end of World War II. The reason why Jews developed the desire to create a secure homeland for themselves in the 19th and 20th centuries is that they found no resting spot in Europe. The anti-Semitism that started to take hold among Muslims, beginning in the 20th century, can partially be attributed to central European racism. Ahead of World War II, fascism grew in influence in Europe, organizing Palestinian Arabs against Jews, trying to disseminate anti-Semitic attitudes in the Middle East and translating many anti-Semitic books from German into Arabic. Since World War II, neo-Nazi movements have worked hard to prevent the rebuilding of the Muslim-Jewish brotherhood.
In the post-Cold War era, Muslims and Jews have found themselves fighting blindly against each other. Central European racism has sown seeds of hatred among the two religious which have been living in peace side-by-side for the last 1,400 years. In order break free from this trap, we need to develop new strategies to promote Muslim-Jewish solidarity. This is the responsibility of intellectuals.
Then what should we do? We can quickly start by creating new cooperative mechanisms in the Middle East. For instance, we can take steps toward initiating a project to develop a Middle East stability and cooperation platform. In parallel to the Middle East stability and cooperation platform, a Middle East round table initiative that will serve as a platform among Middle Eastern intellectuals and nongovernmental organizations could be proposed. A "Middle Eastern club" could be established, with the participation of former heads of state in the Middle East.
By keeping the doors of dialogue open at a high level, this may serve to put an end to emerging conflicts in the Middle East. A Middle Eastern cooperation action plan might be signed among Middle Eastern countries. These initiatives may boost cooperation in economic, cultural and educational issues in the Middle East; moreover, an organization for economic cooperation in the Middle East might be established to increase the welfare of the region.
Both Muslims and Jews have suffered great tragedies during the last century. Now it is high time that we forget divisions and conflicts and work together to improve the brotherhood.
