In Person
- November 15, 2026 - 3:00 pm
- Auditorium (Building 1, 2nd Floor, Room 1261)
Free
Illuminating Scriptural Connections: A Qur’anic Commentary on the Torah, co-authored by Rick Sopher and Abdulla Galadari, explores how the Torah’s 54 weekly portions can be viewed through the lens of the Qur’an, and shows how Islam’s prominent religious text adds meaningfully to each weekly portion. Along the way, texts viewed as sources of tension between the two faiths are confronted, as the book argues that the belief that the Qur’an is hostile to all Jews is rooted in textural misunderstandings. Illuminating Scriptural Connections opens new spaces for interfaith understanding and connection, positing that the spiritual DNA of Judaism and Islam are intertwined far more closely than centuries of conflict have allowed us to see. Marc David Baer’s Children of Abraham: The 1,400-Year History of Jewish-Muslim Relations traces 14 centuries of cooperation and conflict, explaining how – despite an assumed history of violent hostility – Muslims and Jews often lived together in Europe and the Middle East peacefully, bound by shared religious tenets and common cultural practices. Examining Muslim warriors fighting for a medieval Turkish Jewish kingdom on the Caspian Sea, Jewish viziers leading the Muslim sultan’s troops in Spain, and Jewish literary lights and political party leaders in modern Egypt and Iraq, Baer introduces readers to lesser-known histories. He also shows how European colonization and nationalism fed the emergence of modern antisemitism and Islamophobia, and helped to divide these two peoples.
Miami Book Fair is offering this ticketed Evenings With program free to all fairgoers. When securing your tickets for this session, kindly consider making a donation to MBF to support our work and your Miami literary community.
This is a free ticketed event that includes access to this program as well as the weekend Street Fair, where you’ll find literary events, live music, children’s activities, booksellers, local artisans, and gourmet delights! For information on how to access all MBF26 programs, visit the Miami Book Fair 2026 webpage.
Evenings With tickets are available to Friends of the Fair – who enjoy early access to these programs – exclusively at this time. If you’d like to take advantage of the same benefit and more, consider becoming a member of the FOTF family today!