Intra-religious peaceful coexistence in arabic literature: the case of the Jordanian writer Ġālib Halasā

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze an example of how intrareligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence are dealt with in the
Arabic novel. It focuses on two works by Jordanian writer Ġālib
Halasā, namely the short story Wadīʿ wa-al-qaddīsa Mīlāda waaḫarūn (1968) and the novel Sulṭāna (1989). The purpose of the
paper is to show how such a cohabitation is portrayed by the
author, coupling a historical and a literary reading, in order to show
some sides of peaceful coexistence in Jordan.
While conflict and violence are widely explored issues in the
scholarship dealing with Arabic literature, the same is not true
for dialogue and peaceful coexistence. Despite their growing
popularity, Peace studies have not broken through the wall of
Arabic literary studies yet.
The cliché can be challenged by changing our perspective and
highlighting the role of literature as a bridge between different
faiths and communities. Moreover, we need to re-think the relation
between literature and peace not as a secondary corollary of the
more familiar literature/war pattern, but as a study subject in its
own right. It is necessary to point out the importance of reflecting
on positive peace in modern and contemporary Arabic literature,
and to start building a new critical discourse revolving around
peacebuilding.