The Ten Acknowledgements
The following are the Ten Acknowledgements of the Hashlamah Project.
Those familiar with the teachings of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1138–1204)—known as Maimonides or the Rambam—will recognize the structural inspiration behind this formulation. Just as the Rambam articulated principles of belief, the Hashlamah Project articulates principles of acknowledgement.
These statements are not framed as abstract beliefs or theological speculation. They are acknowledgements grounded in history, scripture, linguistics, and documented reality. Each principle can be examined, referenced, and verified.
For that reason they are called Acknowledgements rather than “beliefs.” They are recognitions of truths that emerge clearly from the historical record and from the shared traditions of Judaism and Islam.
They are not the personal opinions of any individual leader within the Hashlamah Project. They are propositions that can and should be examined, sourced, and fact-checked whenever questions arise.
1
I acknowledge that Jews and Muslims can live together in peace and cooperation despite maintaining distinct religious practices and legal traditions. This has occurred repeatedly throughout history. By studying those historical models and learning from them, we can rebuild such cooperation where it has been lost and strengthen it where it already exists.
2
I acknowledge that Jews and Muslims can both live in the Holy Land—known as Israel and Palestine—without the expulsion or displacement of either people.
3
I acknowledge that the Land is sacred to both communities because it occupies a central place in the scriptures, historical memory, and spiritual geography of both Judaism and Islam.
4
I acknowledge that genuine peace cannot exist without justice. The Torah teaches that it is through the pursuit of justice that one may live securely in the Land:
“Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and inherit the Land” (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Peace that ignores justice is fragile and temporary. Social responsibility, moral accountability, and the pursuit of fairness are therefore essential to any lasting reconciliation.
5
I acknowledge that the God worshiped in Judaism and the God worshiped in Islam are not different deities.
This can be demonstrated historically in the widespread use of the name Allāh (الله) in Judeo-Arabic Jewish writings and translations of the Torah produced in Arabic-speaking Jewish communities.
Linguistically the term itself reveals this connection. The Arabic expression Al-ilāh (الإله) simply means “The God.” It corresponds directly to the Aramaic Elah (אלה) and the Hebrew Eloah (אלוה).
The Qur’an likewise affirms that the God it proclaims is the same God who revealed the Torah and who spoke through the prophets of Israel.
For this reason, the claim that “Allah is a moon god” is rejected as historically and linguistically false. The God described in both the Qur’an and the Torah is the Creator of all things—the sun, the moon, the earth, and everything within them.
6
I acknowledge that while Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and Muslims all possess deep attachment to the Land, the Torah itself reminds humanity that the Land ultimately belongs to God alone:
“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine; you are strangers and settlers with Me” (Leviticus 25:23).
This reminder calls all who dwell in the Land to humility.
7
I acknowledge that there is no religious requirement in Judaism for Jews to accept the prophethood of the Historical Muhammad (c. 570–632) or the Gospel protagonist for that matter (by whatever name or title one choses to reference him). At the same time, there is likewise no requirement within Judaism to denigrate them.
Historical tensions and episodes of persecution have sometimes produced polemical traditions portraying later religious figures in hostile terms. Many of these portrayals emerged in late and reactionary contexts.
The Hashlamah Project therefore rejects unnecessary denigration of religious figures revered by other Abrahamic communities.
When the earliest historical layers of our traditions are studied carefully and honestly, one often discovers shared origins and overlapping spiritual concerns, not irreconcilable division.
8
I acknowledge that the spirit of the Constitution of Medina, attributed to Muhammad, envisioned cooperation between Muslim and Jewish communities.
Within that agreement the communities were described as Ummah Wāḥidah (أمةً واحدةً)—“One Ummah,” “One Nation” or “One Religious Community”—while maintaining their distinct religious laws and obligations.
This model demonstrates that shared political and social belonging does not require the erasure of religious difference.
9
I acknowledge the long-standing tradition within Judaism recognizing non-Jewish “God-fearers.”
Across Jewish history these individuals have been described by several terms, including Theosebeis (θεοσεβεῖς); Yirei ha-Shamayim (יראי השמים); Gerei toshav (גרי תושב).
This concept appears in the Torah, develops during the Second Temple period, and was widely known in the religious world in which the Qur’an emerged.
Within this framework it is entirely possible for non-Jewish believers devoted to the God of Abraham to live in the Holy Land alongside the Jewish people.
10
Finally, I acknowledge the moral responsibility expressed in the ancient teaching that one must be “one’s brother’s keeper.”
In Judaism this responsibility appears in the concept of tiqqun ʿolam (תיקון עולם)—the obligation to repair and elevate the world.
In Islam a similar ethical principle appears in the obligation to al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf (الأمر بالمعروف)—the duty to enjoin what is good.
Recognizing these truths carries responsibility. Knowledge must lead to action.
To acknowledge is to recognize what is true.
To recognize what is true obligates us to act.
Peace and reconciliation will not emerge through silence, but through the courageous work of those willing to illuminate truth where misunderstanding has prevailed.
For more information about the Ten Acknowledgements, the Hashlamah Project Foundation, or Hashlamah Project Study Circles around the world:
Hashlamah Project Foundation
P.O. Box 613
Yellow Springs, OH 45387
