Islamic Jerusalem

Week 8 Lecture 2 (2/24/11):

After the Sasanians took over Jerusalem and Palestine, Jews were once again allowed to resettle in Jerusalem, however, they were still continously persecuted. Two primary factions in Islam formed: the Sunnis and Shiites. The faction of Ali, or Shi'ites, believes in a kinship-based caliphate. The faction of Mu'awiya is tradition-based and are now known as the Sunnis. Even today, there are huge conflicts between these two factions, and they are responsible for most of the tragedy and death occuring in the Middle East. I am not a follower or an expert in Islam, but to have two sects who worship the same God and commit to the same rituals in conflict is very unreasonable. There may be more underlying issues that I am unaware of, but the only difference I see is that one is kinship-based and one is tradition-based. To impose death and torture those who do not follow "your" religion should be a resolved issue in the current century; buf this corruption still continues and it is very disappointing.

During the early rise of Islam, there was a shift from Jerusalem to Mecca. People prayed toward Mecca to the Kaaba, a cube of black stone believing to date to the time of Adam of Eve and to be a portal to the upper realm. However, Umar and the rest of the Umayyad Empire wanted to divert this adoration toward Jerusalem. Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock, and Caliph Walid built the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. The traditions of the Temple Mount became associated with Islam, in that it was the location of the sacrifiec of Ishmael, the place of Muhammad's night journey, the portal to the underworld, and the spot of final judgment. All of these myths became associated with the Temple Mount, making Jerusalem a significant city of Islamic faith. However, it is currently the third most important Islamic city, after Mecca and Medina.