Mukhayriq and the memory of shared responsibility
The statement returns to the early Islamic story of Mukhayriq, a Jewish scholar and prosperous landowner in Medina who is remembered in traditional accounts for supporting Muhammad at the Battle of Uhud. The narrative says that he urged members of his community to honor their obligations, went out to fight despite the battle falling on the Sabbath, and was killed. His property was subsequently left for Muhammad to use for charitable purposes.
Islamic historical traditions preserve a highly favorable memory of Mukhayriq, including the short description “the best of the Jews.” The movement uses that memory not to erase later conflicts in the history of Medina, but to challenge the claim that Muslim–Jewish history can be summarized as uninterrupted hostility.
History contains more than one story
The publication argues that selective memory can make modern hatred appear ancient and inevitable. Recovering episodes of solidarity complicates that narrative. Mukhayriq represents a moment in which religious difference did not prevent loyalty, courage or a sense of shared civic responsibility.
The statement therefore asks readers to distinguish historical disagreement from theological hatred. If early Muslim memory can preserve a Jewish figure with admiration, contemporary Muslims can also recover a language for respect and cooperation without feeling that they have abandoned their own tradition.
From sacred history to civic peace
For the Abrahamic Movement – Iraq, the practical lesson is that peace can be grounded in stories already present within Islamic historical memory. The purpose of revisiting Mukhayriq is to make Jewish–Muslim cooperation culturally intelligible to an Iraqi and Arab audience and to show that solidarity across faith boundaries has precedents within the region's own heritage.
The Abrahamic Movement – Iraq