Muslims are duty bound to live their life in accordance with the Qur’an. According to the directives of the Qur’an, Muslims are required to respect all those who are faithful and God conscious people, namely those who received divine messages. Muslims are asked to call upon the people of the Book for common terms, namely, to worship One God, and to work together for the solutions of the many problems in the society (3:64).

The Muslim's acceptance of the Jews and Christians (referred to in the Qur'an as people of the Book) as authentic religious communities is made clear in verse 29:46: “And dispute not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong and injury.” This verse orders Muslims that they should take all measures to avoid dispute, anger or other negative feelings between themselves and others.

Accordingly, Christians and Jews lived peacefully with Muslims throughout centuries in the Middle East and other Asian and African countries. Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and they were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Caliphate. They have even enjoyed positions of power and authority. Throughout the Muslim world, churches, synagogues and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. These places were protected by Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Middle East.

Hatred of the Jews became marked in the Muslim world only after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent loss of Arab Palestine, notes Karen Armstrong in her book ‘Islam: A Short History.’ Anti-Semitism was never part of the Arab, Muslim or Middle Eastern landscape until it was imported there toward the end of the 19th century and made worse by Nazi propaganda in the 1930s. Nevertheless, there's no denying that virulent anti-Semitism has been a common and repugnant part of the Middle Eastern landscape since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. It has been intensifying over the course of the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, and is often wrapped up with anti-Americanism.

Armstrong further wrote that, “In the Islamic empire Jews like Christians had full religious liberty; the Jews lived there in peace until the creation of the State of Israel in our own century. The Jews of Islam never suffered like the Jews of Christendom. The anti-Semitic myths of Europe were introduced into the Middle East at the end of the [19th] century by Christian missionaries and were usually scorned by the populace.”

This should be the reason why Sheikh Qardawi once remarked that he is not ready to share the dais with Jews. It seems that he has now realized the reality.

The Madinah document, which was a pact of different religious and ethnic groups, guaranteed the freedom of worship to various religious communities, including Judaism. This was the spirit of the Qur’an that shines into the hearts of all its perceptive readers: the spirit of tolerance and understanding.

God says in the Qur’an that He has made people into nations and tribes so that they can know and deal with each other in an equal temper of kindness and generosity (49:13).

Consider these explicit Qur’anic verses describing to the quintessential religion: “Say: We believe in God and that which is revealed unto us, and that which is revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was given unto Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have submitted.” (3:84). And whoso seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter (3:85).

Now this last verse is understood, from a theological point of view, as upholding the exclusive validity of “Islam”, defined as the religion revealed to God’s last Prophet, and, as abrogating other verses which point to a different conclusion, it can also be seen as confirming the intrinsic validity of all the revelations brought by all the prophets mentioned in the previous verse. “Islam” thus encompasses all revelations, which can be seen as so many different facets of essentially one and the same self-disclosure of the divine reality as another verse amply illustrates:

“And those who believe and do good works, We shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever — a promise of God in truth; and who can be more truthful than God in utterance?” (4:122). Lest one think that the category of “those who believe and do good works” refers only to the Muslims in the specific sense — one possible reading, admittedly — the very next verse establishes the universal scope of the promise. This verse, indeed, is of utmost importance for the perspective or “reading” being expounded here: “It will not be in accordance with your desires, or the desires of the People of the Scripture. He who doth wrong will have the recompense thereof” (4:123).

One can read this verse as implying that insofar as the Muslim “desires” that salvation be restricted to Muslims in the specific, communal sense, he falls into exactly the same kind of exclusivism of which the Christians and Jews stand accused: “And they say: None enter paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their own desires” (2:111). “I believe in whatever scripture God hath revealed, and I am commanded to judge justly among you. God is our Lord and your Lord. Unto us our works and unto you your works; no argument between us and you. God will bring us together and unto Him is the return.” (42:15)

If Muslims could have realized the fact that the real believers in Judaism are against formation of Israel as also against all atrocities of the Zionist forces, we could have easily solved the issue of Palestine through collective actions. Now the Palestinian issue is being taken as a 'communal issue' rather than a humanitarian one. This is the method of imperialists and religious supremacists: they cannot solve; rather they will exacerbate it!

It is apparent that the Muslim world, especially the Gulf region is under great threat created by internal and alien forces; nevertheless it will affect the peace attempts of all our interfaith platforms and humanitarian activities around the globe. Majority of the individuals, societies and nations wish to have a peaceful and harmonic atmosphere for overall development. Wars and violence are the ambition of only a minority but powerful masters of the world, especially the manufacturers of liquors, arms and weapons.

I submit the following proposals for a viable and lasting solution:

1. We should highlight and emphasize the significance of "interfaith dialogues" to solve all issues generated within Muslim society as well as between Muslims and others.

2. Invite the leaders of the region, representing three religious communities, to join together for finding ultimate solutions to create a world without violence.

3. Unity between the peace lovers will definitely neutralize the strength of all evil forces.

4. All nations in the world need development through peaceful coexistence between inhabitants having difference in ideologies, opinion, faith and cultures as envisaged by the Madinah document.

5. We should invite the attention of world political and religious leaders like Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Fethullah Gulen, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dr. Yousuf Al-Qardawi and other dignitaries who could agree on the concept of positive dialogue'and open discussions with the leaders of various Muslim nations under threat and invite all of them toward a 'platform for peace' and openly discuss the issues in front of all.

6. At the starting stage, the platform should be restricted to "Sunni Muslims" in order to have a faster concord on opinions.

7. Once the Sunni world could cooperate to work for the cause of internal peace, they can easily open the door for dialogue with Shiite brethrens.

8. As a final stage, a common platform comprising both groups of Muslims could very easily invite other believers and ethnic groups and discuss the subject of a world without war and violence.

9. The devilish forces that spread hatred between human beings and take advantage of the situations will have to bow their heads in front of above formed peace makers and then only the world can enjoy the benefits out of the concept of positive dialogue for world peace.

Such a platform can very easily influence the Egyptian society to create a federal government of Islamic Democratic Republic incorporating all the minorities and other sections within the country including the Coptic Christians who are reportedly concerned about a government led by Islamic activists..! As known to all, Muslims should be free from all types of fears about others who live among them, other than the enemies of Islam.

If all the enemies of equity, peace and justice can join together, why the peace-lovers and divinely authorized peace makers could not cooperate with each other to fight against evils and re-establish peace in the world?

We should take the situation as a challenge and work hard for reinstating brotherhood and solidarity among the Muslim Ummah. Once our Muslim Ummah come forward to the straight path, the entire world will make a u-turn and follow us!