Jerusalem - Holy City for 3 Religions
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:18 pm
Jerusalem (called al-Quds in Arabic) is secred to the three major religions, Christianity,Judaism and Islam. As a result, it has been a focus of conflict for centuries.
Conquered by the Romans before Christ's birth, it was in the hands of Byzantine rulers when it fell to a Muslim army led by Caliph Umar in 638. In 1071, the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem, and by cutting pilgrim routes from the West gave impetus to the First Crusade. This crusade brought Jerusalem under Western control in the ''Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem''. which held the city from 1099 to 1187, when Saladin reconquered Jerusalem for Islam. Later Cruscades brought Jerusalem briefly under Western control from 1229 to 1239, and from 1243 to 1244, when it was sacked by the Tatars. In 1247, the city fell to the Egyptian Mamluks, under whose control it remained until 1517, when Ottoman Sultan Selim 1 conquered the city.
Jerusalem remained under Ottoman control for almost four centuries. In 1917, during WW1, General Allenby and the British Army defeated the Ottoman Turks and entered the city. In November of that year, British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, which declared Britain's intent to establish a Jewish Homeland in Palestine, with the understanding that ''nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-jewish communities in Palestine.
In 1947, the United Nations partitioned Jerusale m and the city was divided between Arab and Jewish control. In May 1948, Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion declared Israel an independent state.
Israel defended itself against attacks from the Arab League. During the Six-Day-War of 1967, Israel captured all of Jerusalem, putting it fully under Israeli rule for the first time since the Roman destruction in 70AD.
The future of the world greatly depends on the future of this city. To Jews, Jerusalem was the city of great prophets and the capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah under King David and his son Solomon. The first and second temples were the centre of worship until the destruction of the city by the Romans in 70AD. Jerusalem is also the third most holy city of Islam, after the cities of Mecca and Medina. Completed in 691Ad, the Mosque of Omar, also called ''Dome of the Rock'', today dominates the Temple Mount. The Arabic term for holy place is ''al-Haram as Sharif'' which means ''The Noble Sanctuary'' Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to Heaven from that site,
Christians revere the city as the place where their Savior taught in the temple,and was later crucified. Christians believe that Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom with Jerusalem as world capital.
The Temple Mount is a focus for Muslims and Jews, who have been at odds in the Middle East for more than 1,300 years, ever since an Arabian trader named Muhammad, 800 miles southeast of Jerusalem, established the religion of Islam. Islam's Dome of the Rock now stands where Solomon's temple once stood. Jews are not allowed to pray on the Mount itself, so they come to the Western Wall or Wailing Wall at the base of the Mount to pray. Jews yearn to have a religious presence on the Temple Mount itself.
Hopes for peace were high on September 13th, 1993, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed a ''Declaration of Principles'' in Washington D.C. Observers were so encouraged by this development that the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israel Prime Minister, Shimon Peres and Israel Foreign Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Most Muslims do not consider themselves terrorists, nor do they support the terror carried out by al- Qaeda. There are approximately 1.2billion Muslims around the world, between one-quarter and one-third of whom live in the Middle East. Yet while the vast majority of Muslims consider themselves peace-loving people, their religion has been used as a rallying point by a small number of extremists who wish to desstabilize nations in order to achieve their goals. Not one Middle Eastern country/Nation has as yet, condemned-Qaeda. No one Muslim cleric, political or community peaceful person has ever condemned any Islamic terrorist groups.
Can George Walker Bush, President of the United States of America bring about a Peace to the Middle East, where all others have failed? Or will the Holy Land become a focal point for another World War?
Conquered by the Romans before Christ's birth, it was in the hands of Byzantine rulers when it fell to a Muslim army led by Caliph Umar in 638. In 1071, the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem, and by cutting pilgrim routes from the West gave impetus to the First Crusade. This crusade brought Jerusalem under Western control in the ''Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem''. which held the city from 1099 to 1187, when Saladin reconquered Jerusalem for Islam. Later Cruscades brought Jerusalem briefly under Western control from 1229 to 1239, and from 1243 to 1244, when it was sacked by the Tatars. In 1247, the city fell to the Egyptian Mamluks, under whose control it remained until 1517, when Ottoman Sultan Selim 1 conquered the city.
Jerusalem remained under Ottoman control for almost four centuries. In 1917, during WW1, General Allenby and the British Army defeated the Ottoman Turks and entered the city. In November of that year, British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, which declared Britain's intent to establish a Jewish Homeland in Palestine, with the understanding that ''nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-jewish communities in Palestine.
In 1947, the United Nations partitioned Jerusale m and the city was divided between Arab and Jewish control. In May 1948, Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion declared Israel an independent state.
Israel defended itself against attacks from the Arab League. During the Six-Day-War of 1967, Israel captured all of Jerusalem, putting it fully under Israeli rule for the first time since the Roman destruction in 70AD.
The future of the world greatly depends on the future of this city. To Jews, Jerusalem was the city of great prophets and the capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah under King David and his son Solomon. The first and second temples were the centre of worship until the destruction of the city by the Romans in 70AD. Jerusalem is also the third most holy city of Islam, after the cities of Mecca and Medina. Completed in 691Ad, the Mosque of Omar, also called ''Dome of the Rock'', today dominates the Temple Mount. The Arabic term for holy place is ''al-Haram as Sharif'' which means ''The Noble Sanctuary'' Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to Heaven from that site,
Christians revere the city as the place where their Savior taught in the temple,and was later crucified. Christians believe that Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom with Jerusalem as world capital.
The Temple Mount is a focus for Muslims and Jews, who have been at odds in the Middle East for more than 1,300 years, ever since an Arabian trader named Muhammad, 800 miles southeast of Jerusalem, established the religion of Islam. Islam's Dome of the Rock now stands where Solomon's temple once stood. Jews are not allowed to pray on the Mount itself, so they come to the Western Wall or Wailing Wall at the base of the Mount to pray. Jews yearn to have a religious presence on the Temple Mount itself.
Hopes for peace were high on September 13th, 1993, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed a ''Declaration of Principles'' in Washington D.C. Observers were so encouraged by this development that the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israel Prime Minister, Shimon Peres and Israel Foreign Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Most Muslims do not consider themselves terrorists, nor do they support the terror carried out by al- Qaeda. There are approximately 1.2billion Muslims around the world, between one-quarter and one-third of whom live in the Middle East. Yet while the vast majority of Muslims consider themselves peace-loving people, their religion has been used as a rallying point by a small number of extremists who wish to desstabilize nations in order to achieve their goals. Not one Middle Eastern country/Nation has as yet, condemned-Qaeda. No one Muslim cleric, political or community peaceful person has ever condemned any Islamic terrorist groups.
Can George Walker Bush, President of the United States of America bring about a Peace to the Middle East, where all others have failed? Or will the Holy Land become a focal point for another World War?