To what extent is the city of Jerusalem vital to the followers of three main world religions in the present time?
To what extent is the city of Jerusalem vital to the followers of three main world religions in the present time?
In this course-work, I will be examining the significance of Jerusalem to the current followers of the three main religions. In order for me to do so, I must examine Jerusalem's history and its significance to the three monotheistic faiths. I will also be discussing whether Jerusalem's importance is due to religious or political reasons, and whether the Middle East conflict arises from spiritual or political differences.
Jerusalem is the ancient city, which has great significance to the three religions of the Book- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. For many centuries, Jerusalem, the Sacred, or Holy city has peacefully accommodated Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Jerusalem has been occupied around twenty times, and witnessed four main influential periods. The Christians dominated the Holy land for the least period of time, around 427 years, followed by the second shortest time, which saw the Ancient city being dominated by the Jews for 543 years, the Pagan's dominated Jerusalem for around 800 years, leaving the Muslims to reign over Jerusalem for the longest period of time, 1193 years1. There are common beliefs, which the three religions share when it comes to Jerusalem. That is that Jerusalem is often referred to as 'the Holy land', in the Bible, Torah, and Quran. The Hebrew term "'Ir ha-Qodesh", literally means 'City of Holiness', and if we translate the Arabic word, 'al Ard Al Muqaddasah', it means, The Holy Land. Jerusalem is also believed to have witnessed numerous prophets (recognised by the three religions) who lived, preached, died, and were buried in and around Jerusalem.
To Christians, Jerusalem is the place, which witnessed most of Jesus' upbringing, preaching, crucifixion, and his resurrection. A majority of significant Christian sites nowadays, in and around Jerusalem are to do with the whereabouts of his final days. The last place he slept, had his meal, preached, was caught by the Romans, crucified, buried, and resurrected. Jerusalem was also the first place, which Christianity was primarily preached, and after Jesus' death, it was the capital of the new religion. It is thought that Jesus made frequent visits to the Temple of Jerusalem and would go "for the Passover feast,"2 where he would find numerous supporters awaiting him, to observe his preaching's and his performance of extraordinary miracles. Jesus was considered as a threat to the government, which eventually led to his arrest in a small "valley outside Jerusalem."3 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was established on what Joseph of Arimathea thought was Jesus' grave. The Hill of Golgotha, is where Jesus was crucified, while, Gethsemane is believed to be where Jesus ascended to heaven. Although numerous pilgrims head annually to the church to visit and remember Jesus, there wasn't any historical proof of a connection between Christians and Jerusalem until the fourth century, which was when the record of Christian pilgrimage was recorded.4 Jerusalem was the heart of Christianity, until its obliteration at around 70 AD, after which, Christianity branched out to neighbouring towns and cities.
Jerusalem is the third sacred place to Muslims, after Mecca and Medina. Muhammad stated that he travelled from Mecca, with angel Gabriel via the Buraq5, to Jerusalem, where he led the prayer (followed by the rest of the prophets), at Masjidal Aqsa. He then travelled up to the seventh heaven to receive God or Allah's commands, concerning the five daily prayers. This journey is called in Arabic Isra', which "refers specifically to the journey which the prophet took from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the Furthest mosque in Jerusalem...and Mi'raj, the ascension of the prophet to the heavens."6 The Holy land was the first 'kiblah' or the first place, which Allah ordered Muslims to face while they prayed to Him.
According to Hadiths, or prophet Muhammad's traditions, the trumpet will be blown, at the end of time, gathering humankind, in Jerusalem, and marking the start of Day of Judgement.7 Hadiths indicate that Masjidal Aqsa was first built forty years after the construction of the Ka'ba,8 making it the second mosque on earth. It was then restored by prophets Ya'qûb (Jacob), Dawúd (David), and completed by Sulaimân (Solomon). Surprisingly, the 'Holy City' was then used as a rubbish tip for around four hundred years, until Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab9 recaptured it in 637 AD, and reconstructed the mosque. It was Abd al Malik Ibn Marawan, an Umayyad Caliph who built the Dome of the Rock.
Jews believe that the Dome of the Rock and Masjidal Aqsa were established on the ruins of their First and Second Temples, the first, Solomon's Temple and the second, a reconstructed one. At around 1010 B.C.E, David captured Jerusalem, from its previous occupiers, the Jebusites and declared that the leading religion would be Judaism. King David had intended on building a Temple as a show of his gratitude to God and as an eternal site for the Ark of the Covenant,10 but, according to Jewish tradition, he was prohibited from building a Temple "because he had been a warrior."11 It was then up to David's son, Solomon to construct the Temple on Mount Moriah. It was referred to as 'the First Temple', until 586 BCE-its destruction, by the Babylonian king, who also forced its inhabitants into exile. Cyrus, the Persian king who defeated the Babylons' at around 560 B.C.E allowed the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and re-built their Temple, which was completed at 216 B.C.E. The first century B.C.E witnessed the rein of King Herod, of Judah who was appointed this position by the Romans and under his orders, the Temple Mount was reconstructed. But the year 70 C.E saw the destruction of the Second Temple after the Roman's invasion, and this marked the start of the Jewish spiritual division.
Jerusalem's significance to modern Jews may be demonstrated by their actions, as they "pray in its direction, mention its name in prayers, close the Passover service with the wistful statement 'Next year in Jerusalem,' and recall the city in the blessing at the end of meals."12 Until present time, there is no solid proof, of Jewish ruins in Israel, apart from Jewish belief, although all Jews strongly assert that the 'Western wall' or the 'Wailing wall', or as it's referred to in Hebrew, 'Kotel' is the last surviving proof of their Second Temple. In 1967, after the Jews ...
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Jerusalem's significance to modern Jews may be demonstrated by their actions, as they "pray in its direction, mention its name in prayers, close the Passover service with the wistful statement 'Next year in Jerusalem,' and recall the city in the blessing at the end of meals."12 Until present time, there is no solid proof, of Jewish ruins in Israel, apart from Jewish belief, although all Jews strongly assert that the 'Western wall' or the 'Wailing wall', or as it's referred to in Hebrew, 'Kotel' is the last surviving proof of their Second Temple. In 1967, after the Jews re-entered Jerusalem, they immediately started excavating under the Dome of the Rock. Their aim was to find any ruins of their First and Second Temple, and to weaken the foundations, causing the Dome of the Rock to collapse 'naturally', thus continuing their search for Jewish ruins more freely, resulting in the creation of a new Temple.
According to Islamic belief, the Babylon king, Nebuchadnezzar (587 BC), didn't destroy the Jewish Temple; rather, he destroyed Masjidal Aqsa. Muslims deny that the ruins of the Jewish Temples are buried under the Islamic shrines, and claim that the Western Wall also shares importance to them. Islamic belief notes that Muhammad tied the Buraq to the Wailing Wall, during his Night journey, and in Arabic, the wall is referred to as Thawrat al-Buraq.
Problems in the Middle East mainly arise from differences between Israelis and Palestinians. The Israelis claim that it is now their rightful turn to return to the land of their ancestors, reconstructing their Temple, and establishing the State of Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital. The Israeli and Palestinian governments have managed to sit around the same table, and divide Palestine between them, but the mere mention of 'Jerusalem', causes them to postpone all discussions. Both parties want complete power over Jerusalem, declaring that the Holy city is a significant, historical symbol of their religion. The real argument is about who controls the land, which the Dome of Rock and Masjidal Aqsa are built on. Israel wants it because they believe that the ruins of their Temples are buried under the Muslim's current mosques, and argue that the Muslims already have Mecca and Medina as the centre of their faith, while the Muslims argue that Masjidal Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock are as important to them as Mecca and Medina. Since Jerusalem is an important city to all three religions, we can see that the actual conflict is not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and about who gets to live in and control Jerusalem, rather, between every Christian, Jew, and Muslim in the world, due to each religion claiming Jerusalem's importance to its religion and history.
'Zionism' originated form the term 'Zion',13 and 'Zionists' is the term used for Jews who call for the establishment for a Jewish state in Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. Contrary to belief, Zionism started at around 1621 CE, rather than the nineteenth century. Henry Fish, wrote 'The great Revival of the World', in which he addressed every Jew in Diaspora (exile) to return to their rightful homeland, Palestine, and to establish a state, which will be one of the most powerful worldwide. The famous Moses Hess wrote 'Rome and Jerusalem'', 1862, and argued that as long as the Jews were separated, they would be powerless, and have a bleak future, unless they moved to Palestine, where they would become united, start their own independent state and re-gain some pride. One of the most famous figures in Jewish philosophy, Theodor Herzl, wrote, 'The Jewish State' (1896), where, after being inspired by Hess, agreed and argued the same points.
According to Dr. Hassan Suleiman's article,14 there are two types of Zionism, which must be noted. 'Theological Zionism', which concerns the "spiritual side of Zionism" and demonstrates the vision of Jews returning and living in the Holy Land. The other type is known as "political Zionism," which uses the spiritual idea of Zionism to gain encouragement for the formation of Israel. Zionists have four main aims, which are, "the gathering of Jews from all over the world to Palestine, the preserving of the pillars of the Zionist State...the expanding regionally, via settlements, to establish Greater Israel and its capital in Jerusalem, and the controlling of the Middle East region." Two steps had to be taken by Zionists to attain their objective. These were internal and external migration to Palestine. The first was to be accomplished by obtaining land, and building settlements, then bringing Jewish immigrants. The second was to be done by gaining international support by convincing leaders that Palestine was for them.
A minority of Jews argue that the State of Israel is an illegal one, and that no Jew has the right to argue that the Torah asks them to do so by force, or the way it is being done today. Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Freimann,15 claims that the Torah considers Zionism a sin, and notes that Grand Rabbi Sholem Dov Ber Schneersohn, and numerous other Rabbis fought a war against Zionists. He argued that Zionist leaders such as Herzl were not religious; on the contrary, he disregarded the Torah's teachings, and went to the Holy Land on Sabbath. Schneersohn also argues that Zionists are replacing the religious side by the national side, and are weakening, and even destroying Jewish belief. But nevertheless, a majority of Jews believe that they will never live in peace, nor will their Messiah, or 'Moshiach' (the anointed one), appear unless they establish a state, and build their Temple.
Bill Clinton's attempt at 'helping out', with the Middle East problem, was nothing more than an attempt to win more supporters for his upcoming election, and to "strengthen dominance in the region,"16 as a Beijing journalist notes. The Camp David talks took place between 11-24th July 2000, and were between the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak,17 the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and the American president, Clinton. Although the main aim of the talks was to establish peace between the two conflicting nations, the talks ended in a negative way, because neither party could agree on Jerusalem, when one option suited the Israelis, it didn't suit the Palestinians, and vice versa. One of Clinton's suggestions was that Jerusalem could be split into three quarters, Christian, Islamic and Jewish. The Jews would be able to have full control over the Western wall, while the Palestinians would control Masjidal Aqsa, but neither party was allowed to excavate behind or around their allocated sites. Throughout the talks, Barak stated that he was open minded, and when the talks failed; it was obvious that because he was willing to do so, and Arafat hadn't committed to anything, that he was to blame for the talks' failure.
Muslims believe that the Quran contains the words of Allah, which haven't changed since its revelation to prophet Muhammad, but Pipes accuses Muslims of reinterpreting "the Quran to make room for Jerusalem,"18 he argues that when the Quran mentions Muhammad's night journey, rather than using the term 'Jerusalem', it notes the 'Furthest mosque', but contradicts its self by previously noting that Palestine is the closest land. If one translates the Arabic term, 'Masjidal Aqsa', one will find that it means 'the furthest mosque'. If we follow Islamic belief, the only two mosques on earth were the Ka'ba in Mecca, and Masjidal Aqsa in Jerusalem. Thus, if Muhammad was at Mecca, the place of the first mosque, then Masjidal Aqsa in Jerusalem must be the mosque refereed to in the Quran.
In conclusion, Jerusalem is extremely significant for the three leading world religions, if not by actions, then through the words of the Holy Books. It has managed to survive all of its various forms of occupations, and is still held in a very high place to Christians, Muslims, and Jews. There are around 2,700,000,000 people in total who follow the three monotheistic religions, whom all consider Jerusalem as their Holy City.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the most significant site for Christians in Jerusalem, and witnesses thousands of Christians, who travel to the church to pray and reflect on Jesus' sacrifice for humanity's sins. Just as Mecca is important to Muslims, because it witnessed the birth of Muhammad and Islam, Jerusalem is as important to Christians because it saw the start of Christianity, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Jerusalem holds historical significance to Muslims because of al-Isra and Mi'raj, and as it was the first kiblah, but it soon changed around eighteen months from Jerusalem to Mecca, after Allah's orders.19 The real Jewish dream is for the re-construction of their Temple, and thus, dedicating the rest of their lives to worshiping God. Jewish belief is that before the completion of the Third Temple, their Messiah will appear, leading a peaceful life for them. For the past 2,000 years, Jews have fasted on the 9th of Av20, for 25 hours, to remember the end of their city and Temple.
"Our Torah, in Tractate Ksubos, folio 111, specifies that the Creator, blessed be He, swore the Jews not to occupy the Holy Land by force, even if it appears that they have the force to do so; and not rebel against the Nations. And the Creator warned that if His oath be desecrated, Jewish flesh would be 'open property,' like the animals in the forest!!"21 If this statement from the Talmud is correct, then why do a majority of Jews totally disregard it and opt for the opposite? If Jerusalem is important to Muslims, then why hasn't it been the capital of any Islamic state? If Jerusalem was so important to the three faiths, then why didn't one of them take control over the Holy land when it was used as a rubbish tip?
Personally, I don't think that the Jewish aim of establishing a state is for religious reasons. "The Jews did not choose Palestine for its Torah and religious significance...not because...of the Dead Sea, which give...three billion dollars a year...nor...the oil reserves...which are equivalent to twenty times the reserves of...Americas, but because...its the strategic centre for controlling money."22 The fact that early Zionists considered countries such as Argentina, Cyprus, Sinai, and Uganda to establish their state, and that leaders such as Herzl, Peres, and a majority of Jewish politicians aren't religious, shows that they don't really care about the religious side of Jerusalem-it's just an pretext. While most Jewish politicians agree with Peres that, "religion is an impediment to peace,"23 I think that if Herzl had lived long enough, the state of Israel would have been established in one of the optional countries.
Can peace occur between the Palestinians and Israelis? The next step for both parties is to try accomplishing the demands of the opposition. The Palestinians demand that the Israelis withdraw from East, and West Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, which are internationally recognised as illegally occupied, and not part of the state of Israel. The Palestinians also want the right to return of their refugees24, but this poses a problem to the Israelis. Where will these Palestinians live? Israel rests on former sites of more than 400 now vanished Palestinian villages. For instance, in 1948, 13 towns, 419 villages, and 99 tribal lands were vacated to create Jewish settlements. If more Palestinians were allowed entry, then the Israeli's illegal settlement extensions would have to stop, thus, halting one of the Zionist's aims. The Israeli's would also have to worry about an increase in participants in the Intifada (Palestinian uprising), and suicide bombings, and, if they allowed the Palestinians to return, then surely, as they constitute the second largest number of refugees, they will outnumber the Jews. As for the Israeli's, they call upon Arafat to denounce terrorism, call upon suicide bombers to stop their actions, and to arrest all terrorists and militants, and abolish terrorist groups.
If the chance came, would the Palestinians leave Palestine to establish a state in another country? The answer would be a definite no. Suicide killings, assassinations, the Intifada, the refugees, these factors occur due to mounting frustration at the government not dong anything to stop the opposition. After all the deaths and hardships, would either party give up? After Sharon's recent proposition to Arafat25, and Arafat's adamant refusal, the Israelis are merely making the situation worse, by highlighting their unnecessary actions, against the Palestinians, and Arafat personally, such as blocking off water and medical supplies. The Israelis claim that their aim of the recent entry into Palestinian territories is to 'arrest militants and stop suicide bombings.' Through the process, they've made Arafat seem like a 'hero', thus, strengthening his image with the Palestinians and within the Arab world, and creating thousands of willing youths, who are prepared to sacrifice their lives, in the name of Jerusalem.
If the Palestinians were to leave Palestine, the Jews would fulfil their desire of destroying Dome of the Rock and Masjidal Aqsa, which as Arafat said, "(Jerusalem) is not a Palestinian city only, it is an Arab, Islamic, and Christian one. If I am going to take a decision on Jerusalem, I have to consult with the Sunnis and the Shiites26 and all Arab countries."27 Jerusalem is extremely important to Jews and Muslims world wide, evidence is the conflicts, and killings carried out by both nations and all for Jerusalem. But peace will never reign over Jerusalem unless it returns to its rightful occupiers, but until then, the war for Jerusalem still continues between the Jews and Muslims.
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2 "Jesus Christ," Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Encyclopedia 99. (c) 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
3 "Jesus Christ," Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Encyclopedia 99. (c) 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
4 Wasserstein, Bernard-"The politics of Holiness in Jerusalem"
5 A white animal, which was a cross between a mule and an ass, with wings on the sides 'wherewith he moved his legs; and his every stride was as far as his eye could see'
6 Al-Khateeb, Mohammed Abdul Hameed-"Al-Quds. The place of Jerusalem in classic Judaic and Islamic traditions." Published in 1998, TaHa publishers Ltd, London
7 Imam Ahmad...quoted Maymuna...as having said, O prophet, give us a pronouncement (fatwa) about Jerusalem." "The land where they will be raised and gathered," he replied.
El-Awaisi, Abd al Fattah-"Jerusalem, in Islamic history and spirituality, the significance of Jerusalem in Islam." Published in 1997, by Islamic Research Academy (IRAP) UK
8 Abu Dharr stated: "I asked God's Messenger about the first mosque on earth. 'The Sacred Mosque' (in Mecca), he answered. 'And then what?' I asked. 'Al-Aqsa Mosque' he said.
9 The word 'Caliph' refers to an Islamic leader. Umar was the third Caliph after Prophet Muhammad's death
0 "A chest in which were carried the Tablets of the Law, the contract between God and Israel"
Stern, Msgr. Archim. Robert L. "Religion, Politics and Jerusalem."
Website: http://www.cnewa.org/cne26-6-pp16-21.htm
1 Virtual Israel Experience Jerusalem-History
Webiste-http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/vie/Jerusalem1.html
2 Sherbok, Dan Cohn, and Lavina-"Judaism-a short introduction". Published in 1997 (re-issued in 1999) by Oneworld productions, Oxford, England
3 The name of a mountain in Eastern Jerusalem, meaning, 'Holy hill of god,' holds significance to Jews because it was the original site for the Ark of Covenant, and after capturing it; King David made it the centre of political and cultural life, and it's where the Messiah will come from
4 Suleiman, Hassan Sayed -'Zionist Aggressions Against Arab Rights in Jerusalem'
Website: http://palestine-info.com/jerusalem/zionistagg.htm#jerusalem
5 Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Freimann website coordinator of www.jewsnotzionisits.org
6 Camp David II: 'Everyone Wants A Piece Of Jerusalem, Not The Peace Of Jerusalem'
Website: www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/war/2000/07/index.html
7 Ehud Barak was elected Prime Minister in May 1999 after vowing to keep Jerusalem united
8 Pipes, Daniel: website (http://christianactionforisrael.org/jematter.html), entitled,
"Whose Jerusalem? Whose Land? If I Forget Thee: Does Jerusalem Really Matter to Islam?" Originally appeared in slightly different form in The New Republic April 28, 1997
9 2:144 (The Holy Quran)
20 11th month in the Hebrew calendar
21 Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Freimann website coordinator of www.jewsnotzionisits.org
22 Nechum Goldman President of the World Jewish League, quoted in a conference in Montreal Canada
Nida'ul Islam, www.islam.org.au-"Palestine: History, Case and solution", February 1996
23 Kaldnay, Bishop Hanna (former Roman Catholic Bishop (Latin) of Nazareth), prepared by Rev. Labib Kobti- "An overview of the History of Jerusalem" Website http://www.al-bushra.org/latpatra/hst-pal.htm
24 804,676 Palestinians fled in the 1948 war, fearing for their lives, making the Palestinian refugees the second largest refugee amount world wide
25 A guarantee by the Israeli's that Arafat could peacefully leave Palestine, providing 'a one way ticket'
26 The second largest Islamic sect after Sunnis
27 Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs-website (www.jcpa.org/art/index.htm) "Jerusalem in International Diplomacy, The 2000 Camp David Summit, the Clinton Plan, and their Aftermath"
