Synopsis: Peace in West Asia could mean a diminishing of Western power and dominance.
Jews and Muslims have common origins in southwestern Asia.
Roots and religious texts
Around 1900 BCE, a Hebrew man called Abraham, obeyed God’s order and migrated to the “land of Canaan” - then including Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and parts of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
He was promised the fatherhood of nations. Through descendants of Prophet Abraham, sons, grandsons and others adopted, these nations became Israel and the Arab states.
The Hebrews began to worship one God, Jehovah, and monotheistic Judaism, the Jewish faith, was born. The Torah contains the most sacred writings in five holy books of founding legal and religious texts. These, emphasizing righteousness and justice, were written down by Prophet Moses after divine revelation on Mount Sinai, e.g., the Ten Commandments he found there as stone edicts.
Islam, which also is monotheistic, came into being much later. In about 610CE, a series of revelations by Angel Gabriel enlightened Mohammed about his role in the world as the last Prophet.
The first part of the holy book, the Koran, is similar to the Torah, and also emphasizes standing up for justice and righteousness. Muslims consider Abraham, Moses (and Jesus) as earlier prophets of the same ‘God’ or ‘Allah’, the Arabic translation of the word.
The growing discord
Jews and Muslims have had periods of peaceful coexistence recognizing one another’s prophets and messengers of God. Perhaps territorial rights sowed seeds of discord between these cultures built on similar concepts of justice and righteousness.
In Prophet Mohammed’s lifetime itself, the Jewish minority was displaced from Medina. In late eleventh century, the Roman Church staked claim on Jerusalem, slaughtering both Arabs and Jews over 200 years of the Crusade to do so.
But in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Turks, who were Muslim but tolerant of non-Muslims, expanded the Ottoman Empire into the Middle East as well as along the Mediterranean. Threatened by their prominence, European powers set about their downfall.
By early twentieth century the French and the British colonized Africa and the Middle East. But they plundered the regions they wrested, enslaved many, and adopted divide-and-rule policies to keep the people subservient. The Jews helped the British so they could get Israel. The Arabs, seeking independence from the Turks, agreed conditionally to a homeland for global Jewish immigrants.
The oil control
The growing discord
Jews and Muslims have had periods of peaceful coexistence recognizing one another’s prophets and messengers of God. Perhaps territorial rights sowed seeds of discord between these cultures built on similar concepts of justice and righteousness.
In Prophet Mohammed’s lifetime itself, the Jewish minority was displaced from Medina. In late eleventh century, the Roman Church staked claim on Jerusalem, slaughtering both Arabs and Jews over 200 years of the Crusade to do so.
But in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Turks, who were Muslim but tolerant of non-Muslims, expanded the Ottoman Empire into the Middle East as well as along the Mediterranean. Threatened by their prominence, European powers set about their downfall.
By early twentieth century the French and the British colonized Africa and the Middle East. But they plundered the regions they wrested, enslaved many, and adopted divide-and-rule policies to keep the people subservient. The Jews helped the British so they could get Israel. The Arabs, seeking independence from the Turks, agreed conditionally to a homeland for global Jewish immigrants.
The oil control
The conditions however, weren’t met eventually, and territorial rights remained contentious. After WWII, American and European interests have focused on the oil-rich Middle East - control of oilfields leads to the control of world economy. In fact, complete peace in West Asia could mean a diminishing of Western power and dominance...
Meanwhile ordinary Muslims and Jews alike are paying for the ambitions of others. Air raid sirens provide Israeli citizens a few precious seconds to find safety in bomb shelters. For the 1.5 million Palestinian population locked in by closed borders with no food, water, medicines or shelter, dying is the only option.
Comments/opinions, anyone??
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