Writings of Jewish Converts to Islam against Their Forebears’ Faith: a Subgenre of Interreligious Polemical Literature

Abstract

Islamic polemical literature against Judaism is typified by the repetition of ideas expressed in previous generations alongside growth and development in new directions. This article focuses on writings against Judaism by Jews who willingly converted to Islam. These converts’ texts reveal meaningful and unique characteristics that justify their being considered a subgenre of the polemical literature. This largely results from the converts’ intimate acquaintance with their forebears’ Jewish faith, thought, and rituals. This knowledge enabled them to raise new and original arguments, primary among them from Hebrew literature, which was not accessible to Muslims from birth. The article concludes with insights about the converts’ writings and the utility of identifying them as a subgenre for the study of Muslim-Jewish polemic.