Comparing Islam And Abrahamic Religions Of Islam, Judaism And Judaism

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Jerusalem, home to some 800 thousand people. Half a million Jews, almost 300 thousand Muslims and 14 thousand Christians. According to some records Judaism is roughly 3,000 years old, Islam is half that at around 1400 years. Islam and Judaism are both Abrahamic religions, by virtue of this, they have intrinsic values that span both religions. The Quran mentions both Christians and Jews, it refers to them as people of the book. As each religion is monotheistic, it could be argued that they both worship the same god. Moses, Abraham, and Noah are respected both religions as prophets, Islam holds the Torah and Bible in high esteem. The list of similarities goes on and on. The holy places of these two religions are shared as well, and this …show more content…

Jerusalem offers sacred sites to both religions. The Temple Mount (Haram Al-Sharif) is believed to be the site where Solomon built his temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark housed the original ten commandments given to Moses by god. These commandments were god’s laws passed down to the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. For Muslims, this site is where the Prophet Muhammad left earth to travel to heaven to converse with god. This used to be their direction of prayer before God instructed Muhammad to face Mecca instead. Mecca is now the holiest site in Islam. The wailing wall is also a source of contention for Muslims and Jews. Here we see a wall that is believed by Jews to be the site of the second temple built by ancient Jews. This spot is also revered by Muslims, as Muhammad is said to have ties his winged horse to it on his night journey into heaven. These sites have been prone to conflict for ages. There are two reasons for this, the first is easy to understand. Sacred sites allow a group of people to be closer to god, it can allow them to feel closer to the divine. When these sites are also points of contention, fighting follows. The second has a more insidious design. Political actors use these spaces to control a populace, or a set of believers. With this control they can use it to their own ends for their true reason, and that is …show more content…

The Christians and Muslims traded it back and forth during The Crusades, and the Jews control it now. The Israeli government still allows Arabs to utilize Jerusalem as a place of worship. Unlike when Jordan controlled this area Jews were forbidden to practice their religion worship on this ground. What is being afforded the Israeli government now, is an opportunity to show the rest of the world that it is truly a gracious government. Jerusalem as a shared space, must be a place for both peoples and religion to come together. This city has been passed from one owner to another throughout history, by forcible means. What if we were to pass this city one more time? Not to one set of people but to another kind of governing body, a blending of both Islam and

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