Question

After reading the course material on the rise of monotheism and the major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) answer the following: Which of the three religions did you know the least about (before reading the materials) and what surprising information did you find out? What connections can you make between two or more of the major monotheistic religions? 250 words or more.

Answer 1

Faith matters: 7 things Christians, Jews and Muslims share

1. Abraham: the founding father

Abraham is another important figure uniting the three religions. That’s why Christianity, Judaism and Islam are referred to as the Abrahamic religionsAbraham belongs to the Aramaic people and is believed to be the Patriarch of the Jewish people.

According to the Bible, he and his son are said to be the founding fathers of the Arabic people. But wait, there’s more. The Koran also explains that Islam was not a new religion, but muhammad rather to be seen as a continuance of Abraham’s original religion.

2. Jerusalem: common holy city

The historic center of Jerusalem is home to members of all three religions. The Dome of the Rock is holy for Muslims, who worship it as the place from where Muhammad ascended into heaven# to receive revelations from God. Jerusalem is also considered the ancestral homeland# of the Jews. Christians worship Jerusalem as the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected. Among the most important places of Christian worship there is the of the Holy Sepulchre.

3. Scriptures

The scriptures belonging to the three Abrahamic religions have similarities too. The Jewish holy book consists of the Tanakh and the Talmud. Christians Bible:adopted the Tanakh for their Bible#, but call it Old Testament.Muslims believe it represents a spiritual, rather than actual event and that God intervened to save Jesus in what would otherwise have been his final moments (Quran, 4:157).

4. Sing-song

In the past, when churches were teeming with worshippers, a speaking voice alone couldn’t reach those seated in the back pew. The choral tradition of chanting and singing has its roots in the attempt to repair this acoustic deficit. Whether it’s church Gospel music, the chanting tradition in synagogues or the characteristic Muslim call to prayer, all these vocal traditions can be traced back to this primary need to get the message across.
5. Pilgrimage

Mecca is thefamous destination for Muslim pilgrims# while Jews journey to pilgrimage:Jerusalem# and Roman Catholics to Santiago de Compostela.

6. The unspoken name

In all three religions, there are both common and specific names for “God”

7. Need for space

In an increasingly secularized world, it can be hard for a religious person on the move to find a place to worship. But many public places, like airports, universities and hospitals now offer dedicated interreligious prayer rooms. These are rooms that were jointly created by people of a number of different faiths and where any believer can enjoy a moment of personal reflection. These spaces are neutral in design and tend to avoid displaying symbols of any kind. There is one exception though: the internationally recognized, and pretty uncontroversial, emergency exit signs which hang on the wall.

Surprise facts about islam:

1. Islam is not only an eastern religion.

Contrary to popular belief, Islam had been a central part of European history for centuries. In Spain, Muslim rule was established and remained entrenched for 700 years until the Spanish Inquisition, where Muslims and other non-Catholics were slaughtered and evicted from the country. Muslims had a huge presence in the Balkans as well, and continue to live there today. David Abulafia argues that it “is a fundamental but simple error to classify the history of the relationship between medieval Europe and Islam as that between two separate worlds”.

Tariq Ramadan, a famous Muslim scholar, asserts that Islam is not the sole basis of one's identity and we should shed this tendency to label Muslims in Europe as foreign. “I am used to saying about myself: I am a Swiss by nationality, my culture is European, my heritage is Egyptian, I am a Muslim by religion, and my principles are universalist”, he says.

2. Suicide bombers are sinners, not martyrs.

Strapping a suicide vest and detonating yourself to kill civilians is not a virtue, but a crime in Islam. There is great irony in justifications for such acts, as they commit not one but two sins in one instance. Suicide bombings have been unanimously accepted by nearly all Islamic scholars to be forbidden. In an initiative undertaken by the Afghan government last year, scholars from around the world, including the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, condemned the practice.

Renowned scholar Robert Pape, in his groundbreaking book Dying To Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, concludes that religion or scripture is not a motive for suicide bombings, but rather political and nationalistic goals serve as a central focus for such acts. Pape further asserts that Muslims are not the only group using the tactic. Strictly secular organizations, such the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and the PKK in Turkey, have used the practice as well.

3. Jesus is a prophet in Islam.

No doubt exists that Jesus is one of the most important figures in the Islamic tradition, and the Koran is clear in this regard. Many in the West are often unaware that Jesus was a prophet of God. Mentions of Christ in the Koran are several, totaling close to 25 in various contexts, such as:

"...O Mary! God Giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him: His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary..” (Koran 3:45)

"...O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto you and unto your mother; how I strengthened you with the holy Spirit, so that you spoke unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity." (Qur’an 5:109-110)

4. The veil is a cultural tradition, not an Islamic requirement.

The niqab (veil) is often a lightning rod in conversations about Islam. The veil is often assumed to be a requirement in the Koran, to preserve a women’s modesty. Recently, the radical feminist group FEMEN protested outside a mosque in veils, demonstrating a strain of ignorance about Islam that is widespread.

While a woman (as well as a man) should dress modestly as per Islamic injunctions, there is no verse or text in the Koran suggesting a woman should conceal her face in public. Most scholars are in agreementthat the veil is not an obligation. Even the small minority that advocate for the niqab are divided in their opinions as to what exactly has to be covered. Many argue that its prevalence in many Muslim countries is a feature of a set of customs that coexist with Islamic practices in those societies.