Ted Brownstein, “Muhammad as Peacemaker and Military Commander”

The deeds and character of Muhammad are little known in the West outside of misconceptions that portray Him in a negative light. Perhaps the most damaging misconceptions are related to the use of violence to spread Islam by military conquest and forced conversion. The Bahá’í Writings have much to say about Prophet Muhammad as a virtuous leader, an effective peacemaker, and a reluctant warrior. This presentation will examine Bahá’í, traditional Muslim, and modern scholarly sources on Muhammad’s deeds as a peacemaker between the warring tribes and religions of Arabia. We will review the wars of Muhammad, such as the Battle of the Trench and the Conquest of Mecca, in light of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s statement that they were defensive actions, necessary for the survival of the nascent Muslim community. Of particular interest is an analysis of the historical record regarding an incident often called the Massacre of the Banu Qurayza. Reports claim that up to 900 members of a Jewish tribe from Medina were publicly slaughtered for treason, after the Battle of the Trench, with Muhammad’s approval. As a child, Baháʼu’lláh read such an account, and it upset Him greatly. In the Tablet of the Banu Qurayza, He writes that the story of hostilities between the Jews and Muslims played a central role in His desire to advocate peace between religions. In addition to exploring the significance of this incident on the development of Bahá’í beliefs about peace and unity, we will look at alternative historical views of the “massacre.” Shoghi Effendi viewed the establishment of Islam in the West as a Bahá’í mission, a necessary component of advocating the Oneness of Religion. The Guardian placed special emphasis on correcting commonly held misrepresentations of Muhammad and His Cause. This proposed presentation may be seen as a step toward fulfilling that mandate.

Ted Brownstein is a Jewish-Christian-Bahá’í living in Lake Worth, Florida, with his wife, Chris. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biblical Hebrew from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1985, having studied under Professors Menahem Mansoor and Michael V. Fox.
Ted was raised as a cultural Jew and became a Christian during college, influenced by the nonviolent spirit of Martin Luther King, while still retaining his Jewish identity. In 1997, he embraced the Bahá’í Faith. Currently, Ted is a co-founder and serves on the board of directors of the Lake Worth Interfaith Network. He is also a board member of Abrahamic Reunion USA and a member of the Lake Worth MLK Committee, has served as an ambassador for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and a faculty member for the Wilmette Institute, where he taught various courses on Judaism, Christianity, and Interfaith Dialogue. Ted is a frequent presenter at Magdalene Carney Bahá’í Center, Temple Adath Or, South Florida Center for Jewish Renewal, online Sacred Text Studies with Sheikh Abd Manasra, and other multifaith venues, leading numerous workshops and classes focused on peacemaking, building interfaith bridges, and exploring mystical perspectives in  Torah, Kabbalah, Sufism, Maya Cosmology, and the Bahá’í Faith.