Ghazal Sawez

4. What is the role of religious beliefs, both historically and today, in the conflict
and how are they linked to violence?

It is difficult to assess the role that Muslims play in the Jewish faith

because Islam did not start until after 610 AD which was when the Prophet

Mohammad received his first revelation from God, far after the start of Judaism.

Since the Quran was comprised after the Torah, there is mention of Jews in the

Islamic holy text. Jews are respected as people of the book, however the

message God gave them was corrupted and changed over time. While there are

fundamental differences between the Judaism and Islam, such as the

acceptance of Jesus as true prophet or the idea of hell, there are many

similarities that people seem to forget. One could say that Jews and Muslims

share many beliefs that play a role in their daily lives, such as not consuming

pork and eating kosher or halal. The first Jews and Christians were from the land

that is now Israel or Palestine, so one can see why this region is so significant.

Israel and Palestine is “Holy Land for three monotheistic religions, of

which two – Judaism and Christianity – had their origin here, whilst the third,

Islam, regards Jerusalem as next in holiness to Mecca and Medina.” (Buber,

Arab-Jewish Unity, 13). Muslims accept that Jerusalem is the site where the

prophet Jesus ascended into heaven. Before the Muslims began going to Mecca

for the Hajj pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam they would go

Jerusalem because it was the site of the first Qibla. The Dome of the Rock was

actually constructed due to the order of a Muslim, Abd al-Malik, in order to

compete with the several churches in Jerusalem during the late 7th century.
 Jerusalem is referred to several times in both the Old Testament and the

New Testament bible, which explains why both Jews and Christians find it

sacred. Christians find this land to be holy because it was where Jesus was

taken as a child and it was where he did most of his preaching and healing.

Before his death Jesus had a Passover meal with his disciples, which later

became known as the last supper, where he shared his vision that he would be

betrayed by one of these men. Soon after Jesus was crucified in outskirts of

Jerusalem.

Today we mostly hear Jerusalem being linked to the Jewish faith; this is of

course because it has become a major reason for the Zionist movement. Many

feel that the words Jerusalem and Zion are interchangeable in the Old

Testament. Jewish temples usually face the direction of Jerusalem and many

Jews pray in this direction wherever they may be just as Muslims used to at one

point because they began facing the Kaaba in Mecca. Jews have considered

Jerusalem the center of the Jewish faith for over 3,000 years since David’s

conquest of the land, when it used to be the capital of Judea. The power to run

Jerusalem has continued since then.

While it may be easy to see how each of the religions has a part of their

history in the land that is now Palestine or Israel, it is more difficult to understand

how religion has impacted the current situation today. While the conflict is over

land, it is over holy land which makes everything more complicated. Each group

feels they rightfully belong to the land. While in recent years we have seen even

more violence break out from both sides, we must keep in mind that this is not

preached by any religion. It is only religious extremists that misinterpret holy

books and turn them into a means for warfare. The media also portrays these

terrorists to be some kind of representation of a religion as a whole, which we all

know to be false. For example the term Jihad has been mentioned many times in

connection with the violence in the Middle East. What is Jihad? The Holy Koran

uses the term Jihad many times to describe different struggles, whether it be a

struggle to stand up for one’s faith against other forces or the struggle in our

souls to remain pure. The Prophet Mohammad has been quoted discussing

these two types of Jihad in the Hadith. One if the Jihad we face within ourselves,

the struggle we have to choose right over wrong. The other Jihad has been

portrayed by Western media as an explanation for the violence we see

throughout the Middle East, this definition is the fight to defend Islam against

those that wish to destroy it. The Koran mentions that those that fight to defend

their religion will receive greater rewards than those that sit at home, yet this can

be interpreted in many ways. For one, defending Islam does not necessarily

mean using violence which is what extremists usually turn to. Many Muslims

believe this verse in the Koran applies to many situations, for example if one

were to say something wrong about Islam then it is a Muslim’s duty to correct

them and defend their religion; in some ways this is seen as a form of Jihad, a

struggle to stand up for one’s faith. One cannot blame the media for not

portraying the most accurate definition of Jihad, because suicide bombers and

terrorists refer to this word themselves as a reason for their crimes. Yet anybody

that research Islam would know that the Koran preaches against violence, and

the Prophet Mohammad emphasized that Muslims should strive for peace. In

chapter 5 verse 32 of the Holy Koran it states “Anyone who has killed another
person it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind and anyone who saves one

life, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind”. The Koran also forbids

suicide, saying that for those who commit it there will be no space for them in

paradise. Yet why is it that we never hear these quotes rather than the ones

about martyrs and the rewards that suicide bombers get for their sacrifice in the

name of Allah? It is because extremists have formed a new form of Islam, one

that has steered away from the path their holy book has paved.

Another role religion plays in this conflict is the difference between the “so

called” secular government in Israel as opposed to the authority in Palestine,

which is always clearly intertwined with religion. In Israel “religious law, or fiqh,

was updated to the “needs of modern times and deployed to “civilize” the

provinces.” (Levine, Overthrowing Geography,10) Yet one could argue that this is

just another way to make the Palestinian people seem more backward, even

though it is clear religion plays a role in the policies and decisions of both Israel

and Palestine. It seems there are “two Israels, one encompasses the ancient

culture and moral values of the Jewish people, defined by the Hebrew Scriptures”

(Carter, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, 112) while the other is a strictly secular

government. Yet many Israeli’s argue that the country needs to be more secular.

One party in Knesset called “Balad” was in support of a more secular Israel and it

was banned from participating in the election by the central election committee,

however later this ban was overruled by the Supreme Court. All public holidays in

Israel are closely linked to Judaism. Yet if all this is true than why is Israel

considered to still be a secular state? One could say that this is a very clever way

for Israel to present themselves are more modern and responsible than the
Palestinians. While Palestine continues to be linked to Islam, Israel makes an

effort to separate their image from that of the Jewish faith in order to make this

conflict over land seem like it has nothing to do with their religion but rather with

politics. Making themselves only seem like a political entity and portraying the

Palestinians as religious extremists is what often give Israel more credibility in

the international community. This is why we learned in class that in a way Hamas

was a self-fulfilled prophecy for Israel, because how could they possibly

negotiate with violent religious extremists? (class notes, 11/04/09) Religion will

continue to play a role in this conflict over this land, like it has been from the

beginning of its existence. Yet it is important to understand exactly how religion

relates to all of this instead of relying on the definition of Islam from violent

Palestinian terrorists or “secular” Israeli Politicians; religion has a role in this

conflict because the land is linked to all Abrahamic faiths not because the

violence in the region is linked to beliefs of a faith.