Moshe Sharon

Sharon was born in Haifa in 1937. He joined the faculty of Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1965 and would go on to earn a Ph.D. at the same institution in 1971. He served as an Arab Affairs adviser to Prime Minister Menachem Begin and served in the Ministry of Defense, during which he took part in the negotiations for peace with Egypt. Sharon established the Centre of Jewish Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, which he directed while serving as director of the World Zionist Organization branch in Johannesburg.{{cite web |url= https://www.ict.org.il/ |title= Moshe Sharon |author= |website= International Institute for Counter-Terrorism |access-date= September 28, 2016 }} In 1999 he was appointed to the chair of Baháʼí Studies at Hebrew University.{{cite web |url= http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/english/units.php?cat=3479&incat=0 |title= Moshe Sharon |author= |website= Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Faculty of Humanities, Chair in Baha'i Studies |access-date= September 28, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001936/http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/english/units.php?cat=3479&incat=0 |archive-date= February 2, 2017 |url-status= dead }} Sharon was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2014.{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Moshe+Sharon&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=2021-03-12|website=search.amphilsoc.org}} He serves as a policy expert for the {{ill|Ariel Center for Policy Research|he|מרכז אריאל למחקרי מדיניות}}.{{cite web |url= http://www.acpr.org.il/people/msharon.html |title= Moshe Sharon |author= |website= Ariel Center for Policy Research |access-date= September 28, 2016 }} He and his wife, Judy, have six children.{{cite web |url= http://www.asmeascholars.org/professor-moshe-sharon/ |title= Moshe Sharon |author= |website= Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa|access-date= September 28, 2016 }}

Moshe Sharon has written about early Islamic history and the development of Shia Islam. He is a specialist in Arabic epigraphy and papyrology, with his opus being Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae. In 2005 he published the first translation into Hebrew of Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the holy book of the Baháʼí faith, and included a study of the history and theology of the religion.

Moshe Sharon has given many presentations at international conferences and been interviewed by numerous media outlets on a variety of contemporary and historical topics.

Moshe Sharon is interviewed in the 2007 Israeli documentary film, "Bahais in My Backyard."{{cite AV media |year=2007 |title=Bahais in My Backyard, A Belfilms Production |language=he, en |url=https://vimeo.com/22467795#t=730s |access-date= September 28, 2016 |time=12 minutes, 10 seconds |location=Israel |publisher= firsthandfilms.com}}{{cite web | last = Schory | first = Noemi | title = Producer's Statement | work = Bahais in My Backyard, A Belfilms Production | publisher = firsthandfilms.com | date = April 17, 2010 | url = http://www.firsthandfilms.com/index.php?film=1000184 | access-date = September 28, 2016}} In the interview he states that the only Baháʼí academic chair in the world is in Israel due to his efforts in convincing Hebrew University to establish one and his efforts in finding a benefactor to fund the position. He also says that there are no descendants of Bahá'u'lláh in Israel.{{cite AV media |year=2007 |title=Bahais in My Backyard, A Belfilms Production|language=he, en |url=https://vimeo.com/22467795#t=730s |access-date= September 28, 2016 |time=12 minutes, 10 seconds |location=Israel |publisher= firsthandfilms.com}} Despite Sharon's denial of the existence of such relatives, there are, in fact, dozens, and one of Bahá'u'lláh's great-granddaughters is featured in the film.{{cite AV media |year=2007 |title=Bahais in My Backyard, A Belfilms Production|language=he, en |url=https://vimeo.com/22467795#t=830s |access-date= September 28, 2016 |time=13 minutes, 50 seconds |location=Israel |publisher= firsthandfilms.com}} Furthermore, even at the time of the interview, there were other Baháʼí academic chairs in existence, such as the ones established at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, a state university in Madhya Pradesh in 1991 and at the University of Maryland in 1993.{{cite web |url= http://bahaichairdavv.org/|title= Baha'I Chair for Studies in Development |website= Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya |access-date= September 28, 2016}}{{cite web |url= http://www.bahaipeacechair.umd.edu/ |title= Bahai Chair for World Peace |website= University of Maryland |access-date= September 28, 2016 }}

Moshe Sharon believes that Western leaders fail to understand Islam.{{cite news |last= Lappin |first= Yaakov |date= September 6, 2014 |title= Expert: No peace with Muslims, ever |url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3304024,00.html |newspaper= Yedioth Ahronoth |access-date= September 28, 2016 }} He says that "There is no fundamental Islam. There is only Islam full stop."{{cite web |last= Sharon |first= Moshe |date= December 24, 2003 |title= The Agenda of Islam - A War Between Civilizations |url= http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |website= Betar UK |access-date= September 28, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131224053104/http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |archive-date= December 24, 2013 |url-status= dead }} Citing the conflict in Yugoslavia, Sharon continues that "Wherever you have Islam, you will have war. It grows out of the attitude of Islamic civilization."{{cite web |last= Sharon |first= Moshe |date= December 24, 2003 |title= The Agenda of Islam - A War Between Civilizations |url= http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |website= Betar UK |access-date= September 28, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131224053104/http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |archive-date= December 24, 2013 |url-status= dead }} He furthermore argues that not only is there "open war, but there's also war by infiltration."{{cite web |last= Sharon |first= Moshe |date= December 24, 2003 |title= The Agenda of Islam - A War Between Civilizations |url= http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |website= Betar UK |access-date= September 28, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131224053104/http://www.betar.org.uk/articles/betar1072264293.php |archive-date= December 24, 2013 |url-status= dead }}

Regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Moshe Sharon has said that there is "no possibility of peace between Israel and the Palestinians whatsoever, for ever" and that peace agreements with Arabs are "pieces of paper, parts of tactics, strategies... with no meaning."{{cite news |last= Lappin |first= Yaakov |date= September 6, 2014 |title= Expert: No peace with Muslims, ever |url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3304024,00.html |newspaper= Yedioth Ahronoth |access-date= September 28, 2016 }}{{cite news |last= HaLevi |first= Ezra |date= September 6, 2015 |title= Islamic History Expert: Muslim Peace with Israel? Never! |url= http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/112066 |newspaper= Arutz Sheva |access-date= September 28, 2016 }} He opposed the Oslo peace accords and believes the dismantling the Israeli settlements, which he terms "expulsions," serve to "increase the appetite of the other side and only achieve the killing of Jews."{{cite news |last= Baruch |first= Hezki |date= July 27, 2015 |title= Expert: Israeli Leaders Haven't Learned from Gush Katif |newspaper= Arutz Sheva }}

Moshe Sharon said in an interview that "The only way to avoid military confrontation with Iran is to leave this military confrontation to powers bigger than Israel."{{cite news |last= Lappin |first= Yaakov |date= September 6, 2014 |title= Expert: No peace with Muslims, ever |url= http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3304024,00.html |newspaper= Yedioth Ahronoth |access-date= September 28, 2016 }}

• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Interaction and Conflict, 1989
• Revolt: The Social and Military Aspects of the Abbasid Revolution: Black Banners from the East II, 1990
• Judaism in the Context of Diverse Civilizations, 1993
• Editor, The Holy Land in History and Thought: Papers Submitted to the International Conference on the Relations Between the Holy Land and the World Outside It, 1997
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, A |volume= 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC|first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-10833-5}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, B-C |volume= 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=1999|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-11083-6}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, D-F|volume= 3 |url= https://archive.org/details/9004131973 |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2004|publisher=BRILL|isbn= 90-04-13197-3}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Addendum |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1d8xHcor0psC |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn = 978-90-04-15780-4}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, G |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=P2LtyFVNJmcC |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2009|volume =4| publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-17085-8}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, H-I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1uNAgAAQBAJ |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2013|volume =5| publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-25097-0}}
• {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, J (I) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IOEzDwAAQBAJ |first1=Moshe|last1=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2016|volume =6| publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-32479-4}}
• {{cite book |last1=Sharon |first1=Moshe |title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, J (2) Jerusalem 1 |date=2021 |volume =7| publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-44013-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZssEAAAQBAJ}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Sharon |editor-first=Moshe |editor-link=Moshe Sharon |date=2004 |title=Studies in Modern Religions, Religious Movements and the Bābī-Bahā'ī Faiths |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |series=Numen Book Series: Studies in the History of Religions |volume=CIV |isbn=90-04-13904-4 |ref=none}}

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Category:Israeli historians of religion

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Category:Anti-Islam sentiment in Israel

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Category:Scholars of medieval Islamic history

Category:People from Haifa

Category:International members of the American Philosophical Society