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Jewish Muslim Series

This series delves into the intricate tapestry of Jewish and Muslim life in Egypt during a transformative period in the mid-20th century. It follows individuals navigating their identities amidst a rich cultural landscape where religious differences often coexist harmoniously within everyday life and family structures. The narratives capture the warmth and complexity of these communities before escalating political tensions threatened their interwoven existence. It's a poignant exploration of belonging, heritage, and the profound impact of historical events on personal lives.

Days in the Diaspora
Diary of a Jewish Muslim
Menorahs and Minarets

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Diary of a Jewish Muslim

    4.0(6)Add rating

    Egyptian Muslims and Jews were not always at odds. Before the Arab-Israeli wars, before the mass exodus of Jews from Egypt, there was harmony. Spanning the 1930s to the 1960s, this sweeping novel accompanies Galal, a young boy with a Jewish mother and a Muslim father, through his childhood and boyhood in a vibrant popular quarter of Cairo. With his schoolboy crushes and teen rebellions, Galal is deeply Egyptian, knit tightly into the middle-class fabric of manners, morals, and traditions that cheerfully incorporates and transcends religion - a fabric about to be torn apart by a bigger world of politics that will put Galal's very identity to the test.

    Diary of a Jewish Muslim
  2. 2

    Days in the Diaspora

    3.7(27)Add rating

    "How could a good Muslim boy like you be born into a Jewish family!" For Galal, forced to leave Egypt in the 1960s Jewish exodus with his family, the Diaspora has none of the beauty of a rich tapestry of history; it's a day-to-day struggle to fit into his new life in Paris, reconcile the conflicting demands of family and friends, and come to terms with who he is. Deeply personal, this unusual and uplifting coming-of-age novel takes us into the heart of an ordinary young man in the grip of an unforgiving historical moment.

    Days in the Diaspora
  3. 3

    Menorahs and Minarets

    • 264 pages
    • 10 hours of reading
    3.7(7)Add rating

    After ten years in Paris, Gala returns to Cairo, where he finds a society in transformation. Egypt is Galal's home, but he feels he no longer belongs there. He is caught between his two identities : his Jewish mother's family are cosmopolitan business people, while his Muslim father's side are rural farmers from the Delta. In this conclusion to Kamal Ruhayyim's compelling triology, he paints an uncompromising portrait of an older generation dictating how their children live and love. -- Provided by publisher.

    Menorahs and Minarets