The Middle East: a region rich in oil, beauty, and potential wealth. Yet, this beautiful area is being torn apart by a conflict so old, bloody, and vicious that many Westerners wonder, ‘will it ever stop?’ But other Westerners believe that if the Jews and Muslims just realized the other side’s goals, they would resolve their problems. In order to better understand this deep tension, we need to understand the background of the Muslims, the background of the Jews, and current causes of conflict. By doing this, we will paint a comprehensive picture of why such profound hate exists in one of the world’s most sought-after regions.
In 622 A.D. Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad Ibn ʿAbd Allāh Ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib Ibn Hāshim founded the Islamic religion. In 610, Muhammad came down from a cave where he regularly rested and told his wife that he had seen an angel and he became a prophet under the god Allah. His wife became the first convert to Islam. Through many wars and much violence, Islam spread through the entire Arabian Peninsula by 634. This was due mainly to the effective violence that Muhammad’s successors, called ‘caliphs’ enforced. Their holy cities include Mecca, Medina, and Al-Quds, also known as Jerusalem.
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Founded in 1300 B.C., in Mesopotamia, God promised Abraham that he would found a great people, and that his descendant’s numbers would be as the stars. This caused Abraham to leave his city of Ur for the plains of Judea, in a land that now belongs to Syria, Jordan, and Israel. Judaism also spread through violence, but the Jews fought under the leadership of their God, called Yahweh. Through this violence, the Jews carved out a strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea that others conquered and reconquered many times. Their holy cities include Jerusalem, Hebron, and