A Muslim Scholar says that Israel is the Historical Homeland of the Jewish People: An Ancient and Unbroken Connection

By Dr. Tim Orr

Tarek Fatah (1949–2023) was a prominent Pakistani-Canadian Muslim journalist, author, broadcaster, and political activist. On the podcast The Festival of Bharat, he voiced his outspoken views on various Islam, political, and societal issues (Fatah, 2021). His asserted his steadfast belief that Israel is the historical and ancestral homeland of the Jewish people rested on both historical facts and moral conviction. To Fatah, the Jewish presence in the land of Israel wasn’t just a matter of religion—it was about the identity of an ancient people, a civilization with roots that ran thousands of years deep. Long before modern nation-states, conflicts, or political borders, the Jewish people lived, thrived, and built their culture in the region now called Israel. He emphasized that the Jewish connection to the land was historically and spiritually foundational, predating the Roman conquests, Arab-Muslim invasions, and modern colonial movements.

Fatah drew attention to the centrality of Israel in Jewish religious traditions, where the land of Canaan was promised to Abraham’s descendants in the Torah. It wasn’t merely a symbolic promise but a historical movement of a people seeking to inhabit a homeland. The Exodus narrative, where Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt through the Sinai desert, culminates in their arrival in the Promised Land. This deeply significant moment shaped Jewish identity for generations. Fatah was clear: this wasn’t just a religious story but part of recorded history that intersected with archeological findings. Sites like the City of David, the remains of the Second Temple, and ancient Jewish inscriptions provided undeniable evidence of Jewish life and governance in the region.

Fatah also emphasized the Jewish Diaspora following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. When the Romans expelled Jews from their homeland and renamed the region Palestina (a deliberate reference to the Philistines, meant to erase Jewish ties), it scattered Jewish communities across the globe. Yet, their exile did not sever their connection to the land. Jewish traditions like praying toward Jerusalem and liturgical references such as “Next year in Jerusalem” ensured that the dream of return remained alive. For Fatah, this spiritual and cultural continuity was unparalleled in history. The Diaspora communities, from Europe to southern India’s Bene Israel Jews, preserved this unbroken bond. Fatah saw this not as mere nostalgia but as a unique historical phenomenon: a people who, despite persecution, displacement, and centuries of statelessness, held fast to their roots.

Islamic Scripture and the Jewish Claim to the Land

What made Tarek Fatah’s perspective particularly compelling was his use of Islamic scripture to challenge the modern Muslim denial of Jewish indigeneity. He reminded his audience that the Quran acknowledges the Jewish claim to the land. For instance, Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:20-21) recounts Moses addressing the Israelites, saying: “O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has destined for you.” This verse was crystal clear to Fatah—it was a divine grant, directly affirming the Jewish connection to the land.

Yet, he noted that contemporary Muslim discourse often overlooked or deliberately ignored this foundational recognition. Fatah was unafraid to highlight the inconsistency: on the one hand, Muslims consider the Quran infallible, yet many dismiss the portions affirming Jewish history as inconvenient truths. He pointed out that even Prophet Muhammad, in his early years, prayed toward Jerusalem (the first Qibla), signaling its significance to both Jews and early Muslims.

However, Fatah critiqued how later Islamic historiography attempted to erase this shared history. Specifically, he argued that the Isra and Mi’raj—Muhammad’s Night Journey to the “farthest mosque”—was later interpreted to mean the Al-Aqsa Mosque, retroactively establishing Muslim exclusivity over the Temple Mount. Fatah believed this political move ignored the much older Jewish history tied to the site. He didn’t deny the religious importance of Al-Aqsa to Muslims. Still, he insisted that this later development could not erase the Jewish presence, which predated Islam by over a thousand years.

The Arab Conquests and the Rewriting of History

The Arab-Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 636 CE, led by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, was a turning point that altered the cultural and demographic makeup of the region. While significant, Fatah was keen to emphasize that this conquest did not erase Jewish ties to the land—it merely added a new chapter to its history. Jews had already lived there for millennia. However, as Islam spread, there was a growing tendency to reshape the region’s narrative, marginalizing pre-Islamic histories in favor of a singular Islamic lens.

Fatah’s criticism extended to modern Arab nationalism, which he believed weaponized this rewritten history. In the 20th century, Arab leaders reframed the Jewish return to Israel as “colonization,” ignoring the fact that Jews were the land’s original inhabitants. For Fatah, this was not only ahistorical but also dishonest. He compared it to similar patterns elsewhere, where Islamic expansion absorbed indigenous peoples—like the Berbers of North Africa or the Zoroastrians of Persia—erasing or subjugating their cultural identities.

Fatah saw this selective narrative as a calculated effort to delegitimize Jewish claims to Israel. He believed this erasure of history wasn’t just political; it reflected a broader refusal to engage honestly with the complexity of the past. By recognizing Jewish history, Fatah argued, the Muslim world would need to confront its role in rewriting it.

Failures of Palestinian Leadership and Arab Hypocrisy

Fatah was deeply critical of both the Palestinian leadership and Arab states. He blamed Arab leaders for rejecting the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan, which could have created two states living side by side. Instead of negotiation, they chose war, leading to displacement and further suffering. To Fatah, this catastrophic decision set the stage for decades of conflict.

He also turned his attention to Palestinian leadership, particularly Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Fatah condemned Hamas for prioritizing violence over governance, perpetuating cycles of poverty and conflict in Gaza. He criticized the Palestinian Authority for corruption and its inability to build a functional society in the West Bank. For Fatah, Palestinian leaders had failed their people by embracing victimhood and resistance instead of pursuing pragmatic solutions for state-building.

At the same time, Fatah called out the hypocrisy of Arab states that outwardly champion the Palestinian cause but mistreat Palestinians within their borders. He referenced Jordan’s massacre of Palestinians during Black September in 1970, Lebanon’s refusal to integrate Palestinian refugees, and the exploitation of Palestinians in Gulf nations. For him, this double standard was glaring: Arab leaders used the Palestinian cause to deflect attention from their failures and injustices.

Selective Outrage and the Muslim Identity Crisis

One of Fatah’s sharpest critiques was aimed at the Muslim world’s selective outrage. He was baffled by the fixation on Israel while far worse atrocities—like China’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims, Pakistan’s suppression of Balochs, or Turkey’s treatment of Kurds—were met with silence. Fatah argued that this selective outrage wasn’t about justice but ideology. Scapegoating Israel allowed Muslim leaders to avoid confronting their internal failures and injustices.

Fatah also rejected the notion of a unified Muslim ummah. He pointed to deep divisions—sectarian, ethnic, and political—that exposed this claim as hollow. The focus on Israel, he believed, reflected a broader identity crisis within the Muslim world. Instead of self-reflection, leaders chose blame and denial, perpetuating cycles of dysfunction and resentment.

Pragmatic Peace and Fatah’s Vision

Despite his critiques, Fatah remained hopeful that peace was possible. He supported a two-state solution, with Palestinians gaining sovereignty in the West Bank, but he also acknowledged Gaza’s distinct political reality under Hamas. His proposal for a three-state solution reflected a practical understanding of the complexities on the ground.

For Fatah, Israel’s survival as a Jewish state was non-negotiable. Jews, unlike Arabs, who possess 22 nations, had no other homeland. He believed both sides needed to abandon extremism, recognize each other’s histories, and build a future based on mutual respect and pragmatism.

Tarek Fatah’s Legacy: A Voice for Truth

Tarek Fatah’s legacy is one of courage, intellectual honesty, and an unrelenting pursuit of truth. His bold defense of Israel as the historical homeland of the Jewish people challenged entrenched narratives in the Muslim world, forcing difficult but necessary conversations. He called for an honest reckoning with history, rejecting propaganda and ideology in favor of facts and mutual understanding.

Fatah’s work reminds us that peace begins with truth. Though polarizing, his voice endures as a call to confront history with integrity and build bridges where others only see walls. In a divided world, his message remains as relevant as ever: the path to coexistence lies not in denial but in the courage to face the past and embrace a shared future.

References

Cook, D. (2005). Understanding Jihad. University of California Press.

Dershowitz, A. (2017). The Case for Israel. John Wiley & Sons.

Fatah, T. (2011). The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism. McClelland & Stewart.

Fatah, T. (2020). The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State. HarperCollins.

Fatah, T. (2021, June 1). Israel was always the original land of the Jews | Tarek Fatah ji on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Festival of Bharat. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biflr-uKh5A

Lewis, B. (1984). The Jews of Islam. Princeton University Press.

Tim Orr is a scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six degrees, including a master’s in Islamic studies from the Islamic College in London. Tim taught Religious Studies for 15 years at Indiana University Columbus and is now a Congregations and Polarization Project research associate at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He has spoken at universities, including Oxford University, Imperial College London, the University of Tehran, Islamic College London, and mosques throughout the U.K. His research focuses on American Evangelicalism, Islamic antisemitism, and Islamic feminism, and he has published widely, including articles in Islamic peer-reviewed journals and three books.