I was glad to attend Professor Marc Baer’s talk and discussion at the London School of Economics (LSE), marking the launch of his book, Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations. Chaired by Professor Larry Kramer, the event offered an opportunity to reflect on a subject of profound historical and contemporary importance.
At a time when relations between Jewish and Muslim communities are so often discussed through the lens of conflict, this book feels particularly important. It invites us to look beyond the headlines and familiar political narratives to explore the long, complex and intertwined histories of two communities whose experiences have shaped one another across centuries.
Their shared past cannot be reduced to either harmony or hostility. It includes periods of coexistence, intellectual exchange and cultural flourishing, as well as persecution, discrimination and violence. Recognising this complexity matters. History should not be romanticised, but neither should it be stripped of the moments of connection and mutual influence that challenge simplistic accounts of permanent division.
What makes a book like Children of Abraham so timely is its potential to broaden the conversation. Understanding the past does not automatically resolve present-day conflicts, but it can challenge inherited assumptions, complicate prejudice and create space for a more informed understanding of the other.
Left to right: Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor of LSE and chair of the event; Tim Winter, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge and Imam at Cambridge Central Mosque; and Professor Marc David Baer, speaker and author of Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations, at the book launch and discussion at LSE on 20 October 2026.
A missed opportunity for wider public discussion?
I was also disappointed not to see the book featured in The Guardian. A work addressing the intertwined histories of Jewish and Muslim communities deserves a wider public audience, particularly when these relationships are so frequently discussed in the context of present-day conflict.
Of course, no newspaper can cover every important publication, and the absence of a feature does not, by itself, tell us why a book was not covered. Nevertheless, it raises a question about which historical perspectives receive prominence in public debate and which opportunities for deeper understanding are missed.
If peace is the desired outcome, surely we should welcome serious attempts to understand the histories, experiences and perspectives of communities whose relationships are too often presented as irreconcilable. Books that encourage historical understanding may not provide immediate answers to today's crises, but they can help create the intellectual and moral conditions in which dialogue becomes possible.
Peace requires more than calls for reconciliation. It requires a willingness to confront difficult histories honestly, recognise the humanity of others and resist narratives that make division appear inevitable.
Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations by Professor Marc David Baer
Why this book deserves to be read
I left the event feeling that Professor Baer’s book deserves attention beyond the academic world. Its subject is not simply the history of two religious communities; it speaks to broader questions about memory, identity, coexistence and the ways history shapes our understanding of the present.
We cannot change the past, and we should not use it selectively to serve present-day political arguments. But we can choose to engage with it more thoughtfully. We can make room for histories that reveal complexity rather than reinforce stereotypes, and for scholarship that encourages curiosity rather than hostility.
Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations is an important contribution to that effort. I hope it reaches a broad readership and helps stimulate the kind of informed, nuanced public discussion that is so urgently needed.
If peace is truly what we seek, then understanding one another's histories should not be a marginal concern. It should be part of the work itself.
A glimpse inside Professor Marc Baer’s Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations
To explore this important history for yourself, I encourage you to read Professor Marc Baer’s Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations. A timely and thought-provoking book that deserves a wide readership.
Get your copy on Amazon: Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations