Introduction to Disability in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Origins and Objectives of the Research

The Seeds of the Project: The research for the book titled Disability in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Sacred Texts, Historical Traditions, and Social Analysis and its companion volume, Disability and Religious Diversity: Cross-Cultural and Interreligious Perspectives, originated during a joint scholarly venture by editors Darla Schumm and Michael Stoltzfus. Their work examined the intersections between religion and disability and/or chronic illness.
Identification of Literature Gaps: The editors discovered two primary issues in existing research: * First, while there were numerous resources addressing the intersection of religion and disability from the perspective of a single tradition, there were alarmingly few journal articles and no books addressing disability across a variety of religious traditions. * Second, the existing literature on religion and disability was heavily dominated by Christian perspectives.
Notable Exceptions in the Literature: While Christian-based work is the most abundant, certain noteworthy books address other traditions, including: * Islam and Disability: Perspectives in Theology and Jurisprudence by Mohammed Ghaly ( $2010$ ). * Judaism and Disability: Portrayals in Ancient Texts from the Tanach through the Bavli by Judith Abrams ( $1998$ ).
A Call for Interreligious Analysis: Although there has been notable growth in religion and disability literature over the past $25$ years, gaps remain that necessitate broader interreligious and cross-cultural analysis and critique.
Primary Goal: The contributing editors aim to provide a forum promoting interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and interreligious dialogue regarding disability and religious diversity in response to the challenges of a postmodern, pluralistic, and global world.

The Intersection of Religion, Disability, and Society

Defining Multicultural Society: Multicultural education and literature must balance the particularity of cultural or religious identity with an openness to learning from neighbors who are different.
The Role of Religious Interpretation: The diverse ways religions interpret, theorize, and respond to disability and chronic illness determine how disability is understood and how persons with disabilities are treated or mistreated within specific historical-cultural contexts.
Establishing Norms: Religious teachings and practices are instrumental in establishing cultural standards for what is considered "normal" human physical and mental behavior, as well as establishing a moral order for the "fit and healthy" body and mind.
Scope of the Project: Due to an overwhelming response to their call for papers, the editors split the collection into two volumes published by Palgrave Macmillan. * This Volume: Addresses Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. * Companion Volume: Includes traditions such as Baha’i, Celtic Pagan, Wiccan, Native American, and Daoist, alongside comparative pieces involving Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

Commonality and Continuity Among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Integration Rationale: The integration of these three traditions is based on their historical, scriptural, and theological continuity.
Theological Links: * "Allah" is the Arabic word for the God of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. * While there are many ways of understanding God within Islam and Christianity, both are ways of understanding the God of Israel.
Historical and Scriptural Overlap: * Christianity began as a Jewish sect. * Jesus was born, lived, and died as a Jew. * The primary sources of the Koran (also spelled Qur’an) are the Jewish and Christian scriptures. * Adherents of Islam consider themselves recipients of the same divine guidance granted to Jews and Christians.
Common Values and Figures: * All three traditions proclaim one God. * All teach about a common humanity created in the image of the same God and respect for all of humanity. * All emphasize communal values over selfish individualism. * All incorporate central figures such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Moses. * All struggle with script and tradition in light of modern insights and face similar challenges in addressing disability.

Defining Disability: Models and Perspectives

A Non-Monolithic Experience: As noted by Paul Longmore and Lauri Umansky ( $2001$ ), disability has never been a monolithic grouping, despite public policy's attempts to impose generic classifications.
Diversity and Demographics: Disability defies a single definition and transcends categories of class, race, ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation.
Statistics and Growth: * In the year $2000$ , it was estimated that approximately $64\text{ million}$ or $20\,\%$ of Americans have one or more physical or intellectual disabilities or chronic illnesses. * This number is increasing as the population ages (Davis $2002$ ; Harrington $n.d.$ ). * People with disabilities represent the largest and most diverse minority group in the United States, with similar trends likely globally.
The Medical Model: * Explains disability as a physical abnormality requiring diagnosis, treatment, and cure. * Ascribes conditions to a "lack" of physical ability compared to culturally defined "normal" bodies. * Posits that there are "correct" and "incorrect" ways for the body to function, suggesting all incorrectly functioning bodies should be "fixed." * Often ignores conditions with no established medical protocols for cure and fails to incorporate themes of social accommodation or cultural exclusion.
The Ideal Normal Body in Sport: Brent Hardin and Marie Hardin ( $2005$ ) examine how the industrial age and sports media created an "ideal" American model for the body, asserting capitalist values such as individualism, hard work, sacrifice for the team, and respect for authority. This perspective marginalizes bodies that do not fit the peak-performance norm.
The Religious Mimicry of the Medical Model: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives often associate disabling conditions with individual spiritual deficiency or sin. This can lead to spiritual anxiety and alienation from religious associations in the public sphere.
The Social Model: * Disability is defined as a "cultural interpretation of human variation" rather than an inherent inferiority or pathology. * Disabling conditions are viewed as being made more limiting by marginalization, such as inaccessible buildings or stereotypical attitudes that question a person's full humanity (Rosemarie Garland-Thomson $2005$ ; Davis $2002$ ; Linton $1998$ ; Wendell $1996$ ). * Critics of this model (Morris $1991$ ; Schriempf $2001$ ) argue it may minimize genuine physical challenges, though social attitudes and stigmatization remain critical factors.

Disability in the Academic and Religious Spheres

Academic Resistance: Resistance to the social model mirrors the resistance of colleges and universities to include disability studies in core curricula outside of health-care disciplines. Critics often dismiss it as "identity politics" or claim it lacks rigor and would "water down" diversity requirements ( $Longmore\text{ and }Umanski\text{ }2001$ ).
Disability in Religious Studies: Douglas Baynton ( $2001$ ) notes that disability is everywhere in history but absent from the histories written. Similarly, in religious studies, although communities have always included people with disabilities and sacred texts reference them, the perspectives of these individuals have only recently entered the academic discourse.
Landmark Events: * November $20$ , $1995$ : The first meeting of the "Religion and Disability Studies Consultation" at the annual AAR/SBL (American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature) conference. * Nine years later, the SBL held the first session of the "Biblical Scholarship and Disabilities Consultation."
Theological Shifts: Nancy Eiesland’s ( $1994$ ) work, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability, was a pioneering event. * Eiesland envisioned God in a "sip-puff wheelchair"—a device used by quadriplegics to maneuver by blowing and sucking on a strawlike device. * She presented God not as omnipotent and self-sufficient, nor as a pitiable servant, but as an "unpitying and forthright" survivor.
Scholarly Developments: Following Eiesland, the Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health was established, alongside works by Deborah Creamer ( $2009$ ), Amos Yong ( $2007$ ), Thomas Reynolds ( $2008$ ), and Sharon Betcher ( $2007$ ).

The Power of Religious Metaphors and Language

Metaphors Matter: Jennifer Koosed and Darla Schumm argue that metaphorical representations determine how disability is viewed.
Renita Weems’ Perspective: Womanist Biblical scholar Renita Weems ( $1995$ ) suggests metaphors are our first lessons in prejudice and bigotry, shaping and reflecting community values.
Historical Misuse: Gerald V. O’Brien and Autumn Molinari analyze how religious metaphors were used in the United States and Nazi Germany to justify eugenics as a method of controlling persons with disabilities.

Structural Overview of the Volume

Two Major Sections: * Section $1$ : Sacred Texts, Historical Traditions, and Disability. * Section $2$ : Social and Philosophical Perspectives on Religion and Disability.
Theodicy and Disability: Chapters address how disability fits into the story of God. Many authors reject equating disability with evil and sin, instead viewing it as human variation. Amos Yong argues that the philosophy of religion can be transformed into "performing justice for all" through the lens of disability.
Specific Chapter Contributions: * Chapters $1$ and $2$ (Belser and Gracer): Use Jewish texts and commentaries to critique cultural notions of disability. * Chapters $3$ and $4$ (Long and Sierra): Discuss marginalization related to skin conditions. Long focuses on the Muslim community and Qur’an; Sierra conducts a comparative analysis of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources. * Chapter $5$ (Koosed and Schumm): Analyze the metaphor of blindness in the Gospel of John. * Chapter $6$ (Upson-Saia): Explores the writings of St. Augustine regarding disability. * Section $2$ Practical Implications: Arseli Dokumaci examines allowances for disabled Muslims in daily prayer. Amy T. Wilson and Kirk Van Gilder discuss Western Christian missionaries and deafness in the global south.

The Paradox of Disability and Hopes for Future Dialogue

The Dualistic Paradox: As articulated by Christine James (Chapter $9$ ), people with disabilities are often viewed through two patronizing extremes: * Greater-than: Valorized as "saints" or moral exemplars of gracious suffering. * Lesser-than: Viewed as dependent, uncomfortable reminders of mortality, fragility, and sin.
Intended Audience: The editors hope to reach the disabled community, scholars, students, healthcare and social service professionals, and religious practitioners.
Ongoing Challenges: The editors acknowledge that the field is still dominated by Christian voices and that fewer scholars in Asian religions and disability responded to their call. They view these volumes not as the final word, but as "bridges" and "baby steps" toward a longer, multi-voiced, and cross-cultural dialogue.

"Disability is everywhere in history but absent from the histories written." This quote underscores the need for more inclusive narratives in academic and religious contexts.
Multicultural education must balance particularity of identity with openness to learning from differences. This highlights the importance of embracing diverse perspectives.
Religious teachings establish cultural standards for what is normal. This emphasizes how religious interpretations shape societal views on disability.
Disability is defined as a 'cultural interpretation of human variation.' This reflects the shift from viewing disability as an inherent flaw to understanding it within social contexts.
"God in a 'sip-puff wheelchair' presents a liberatory theology of disability." This radical perspective challenges traditional views of divinity and encourages recognition of the complexity of God and human experience.
The editors view their work as "bridges" toward cross-cultural dialogue. This speaks to the ongoing need for collaboration and understanding across different religious traditions.