What the Jews didn't say

Cohen's last chapter compares Jewish goy literature under Islam against that under Christianity. Persecutions happened in both places, we are all agreed. Most of these were under Christians, especially as one went north, as I think Cohen demonstrates to satisfaction even to exhaustion. But persecutions happened under Islam as well and in those cases, the Jews often didn't tell us. Some narrative may appear in Islamic chronicles, and may be mentioned en passant in Jewish letters or ad-hoc reminisces - but often goes unrecalled. This silence, reticience anyway, rather casts doubt on the entire Cohen enterprise. (Here is why I played up Mutawakkil earlier. We Christians these days often find ourselves doing the Jews' apologetic on their behalf.) So what's up with that?

We do take into account that Jewish historiography along the Muslim side of the Med was ass. Still, you'd think a few more poems, at least, might be composed than were composed. At least.

Part of this may have to do with the Jew's image of the semipagan Christian in the European village, against his image of the misguided Muslim in the North African city. [We can set Italy, the Byzantine realm, Spain and midi coastal France in the middle.] For the [Talmudic] Jew, the Christian was a diabolical fiend; and why wouldn't he be, since Christian bumpkins expressed that very sentiment against Jews. If a Christian did a Jew wrong in Europe, the Jew understood - goys will be goys. If a Muslim did a Jew wrong in Baghdad or in al-Fustat, the Jew was... well, confused. How could he do this to me?, he'd ask. Often he'd blame some other Jew who provoked the Muslim.

Also, as Cohen notes, plenty of Jews under Islam - under pressure - converted to Islam. The martyrdom-accounts among Ashkenaz came (much) later to the Sepharad. Because the Jews of Islam wouldn't martyr themselves in the face of Islam: Jews would just add Muhammad to their already-copious lists of prophets and carry on, as marrano. (Especially once even Muslims like Biqa'i were arguing for the restoration of Torah.) Look at the Donmeh under the Ottomans.

So through to the Fatimi / Buyid era, Jews joined Islam and related whatever tales of persecution they had to now-fellow Muslims, through their tradition. Not so much through their own which, as we've all bemoaned, was frankly inadequate at that time.