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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

A PLAQUE at the Oriental Institute is being challenged by Diane Muir at the History News Network as presenting revisionist history of Judaism and Palestine.

If her transcription is accurate and complete, the text of the plaque does seem to have some problems. It glosses over the independent Hasmonean state. It also asserts, oddly, that Muhammad visited Jerusalem, where he had a vision. According to Islamic tradition a passage in the Qur'an (Sura 17.1) does refer to a visionary journey of Muhammad to Jerusalem and then to heaven (the Miraj), but there is no historical claim that he ever visited Jerusalem apart from in the vision. The phrasing of the plaque is rather misleading.

Can anyone at the Oriental Institute confirm the text of the plaque?

UPDATE: More here.

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