Islam is one of the oldest religions in the world. It is enhanced by various principles which every Muslims must abide by. ‘Islam is more than a religion; it is a way of life (Thompson, 51). ” Islam thus forms a base for governing people’s social, political, religious and economic status in a way that is pleasing to God.
Diversity in the world today manifests itself in many forms and religion is one of them. Islam as a religion has united people from all over the world who share in the common beliefs it enhances.It has laid down principles and laws as defined in the Quran which have been used to govern peoples conduct as well as make decisions that are vital in today’s society. “Muslims are well- rooted in their culture have a strong sense of historical continuity and see their religion as their ethnic identity (Karpat, 346).
” The following essay highlights the good relationship between Muslims and Jews in Israel in the late 20th century. This was a period that the Jews and Muslims had experienced a lot of unhealthy treatment since the formation of Israel in 1948 but were uniting in more ways to resist the Palestinians from taking over their land.Good relationship between Muslims and other religions is important as it enables people to understand why religions need to embracing other belief systems. This will make people knowledgeable of the various religious practices and why people behave the way they do and by embracing this form of diversity all people can work towards enhancing world peace and harmony. Introduction Islam is one of the many religions in the world that is constantly shaping peoples behavior as well as their interpersonal relationships.
Islam as a religion is enhanced by the five main pillars of Islam, each believer must fulfill those requirements to be regarded as a Muslim, the pillars include the belief in one God, Fasting during the month of Ramadan, Giving of alms, praying for at least five times a day and the pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in a lifetime if a person has the means. Muslims strictly follow their teachings and even using them to address legal issues; sometimes the judgments are harsh and are sometimes considered inhuman by people from other religions.These differences in what people believe in are what have given rise to tensions and acts of hatred towards others. Despite the frequent criticisms of the Islamic religion, Muslims have had good relationships with other religions.
In addition, Islam has given specific guidelines to its followers and how they should relate with other religions. “According to the Quran, non-Muslims are supposed to be treated with kindness and fairly (Surah 60:8). ” This therefore enables them to relate with others while adhering to what they believe in without the occurrence of conflicts.Jews in particular have had good relationships with the Jews. “In medieval times, Jews and Muslims had fine cultural and proper business relations where there were no persecutions (Witte & Vyver, 446). ” Jews in the East, North Africa and parts of Europe have supported their Muslim counterparts on several occasions and their relationship is mainly characterized by peaceful coexistence as neighbors and as allies.
Judaism states the underlying principles and norms through the various teachings as stated in the Torah; their Holy book, which Jews abide by.Peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Jews began at the time of prophet Mohamed and in those days, Jews who followed the Muslims in return would be helped by them and be treated like the rest of the people without any form of biasness. It is therefore said that the Jews are one respected community alongside other communities in Islam. Muslims in Spain have had good relations with Muslims and that is why they have both developed and advanced art and science.Jews are doing well in countries like Egypt that are predominantly Islam such that they are given high ranks in leadership.
Moment in time, location and milieu• Jews and Muslim relations in Israel Israel is a land where the where most of the oldest religions are found which include Islam, Judaism, Christianity among other religions. “Israel is a region where the citizens identify the country as a multicultural state and battle with accepting Islam as a cultural and natural identity (Ma’oz & Sheffer, 146).” In the 1980s and 1990s, the Jews had good relations with the Muslims.This was necessitated by the fact that Israel was being attacked by Palestine and therefore the citizens of the country had to be united to be able to fight for the course they believed in.
the Jews are the ones who helped in the formation of Israel which is at the center of the Arab world. “Its creation definitely ticked the Muslims the wrong way and this explains the various tensions in the region (Parfitt, 105). ” These two religions initially were not interacting much with each other as their religions restricted the way they related with other communities.Moreover, the Muslims usually sided with the Palestinians on major issues either politically, socially and economically as they were predominantly an Arab nation. The constant fight between the two countries was because of Jerusalem which both sides claimed belonged to them. “Arabs have always wanted Israel but the Christians would not under any circumstances allow them access to their land (Pratt, 118).
” The Jews and Muslims in Israel therefore let go of their differences and stood in support for their land.The Jews who were mainly ruling the land promised the Muslims to make their lives more bearable in the land and that is why they at least gave in to their demands. This action made the two religions united not only at war with their neighbor but also the way they interacted with each other. In political matters, they supported each other more than the other religions so that they could choose leaders who represented their interests. “Since they needed to embrace each other, the Jews and Christians lived in friendlier neighborhoods and assisted each other when need arose (Goddard, 2000).”Though Jews and Muslims still did not see eye to eye on certain issues, Muslim and Jewish children were enrolled in same schools and even though the Muslims insisted on separating the boys and the girls, the same curriculum was followed.
Bilingual Arab-Jewish schools are still in existence today where both Palestinian-Israelis and Israeli Jews share classes. Initially there business relations were limited but they still needed each other as no one side could benefit without the other.Trade relations improved and both groups were more at ease with each other especially in the cities where many religions were situated. To amend their past strenuous relations, interfaith meetings were scheduled among the various religions especially in the efforts by the rest of the world to restore peace.
Jews were never opposed to such efforts as long as they were addressing their needs. One of the things they mostly stressed on was respect by other neighboring nations. That is why they took their time to prepare when they were going to war and they emerged victorious.
