What’s the big deal with Egypt???

Lets begin with Religion. . .

• Religion is a system of beliefs which seek to understand the origins and meaning of human existence

• Usually have some form of deity or deities.

• There are two basic forms of religion—Monotheism and Polytheism

▫ Monotheism- The belief in only one god

▫ Polytheism- The belief in many gods

Religion and Politics in the World•Why study religion in the world?

▫Religion plays an important part in the everyday decisions of people all over the world

▫This includes the political movements in different areas

▫ Globalization has illustrated the importance of understanding other religions

Religion and Politics in the World• Monotheisms of the World • The three great

monotheisms of the world include: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

• All three of these religions originated in the area we know today as Palestine

• Christianity is the largest religion in the world, and Islam is the fastest growing religion

• The two make-up over one-third of the world’s population

Monotheisms: Judaism• Judaism is the world’s

oldest surviving monotheism

• It originated in Eastern Mediterranean around 2,000 B.C.E

• Jews claim that their first prophet was Abraham.

• The traditional home of the Hebrews was Palestine

• However, beginning in 73 C.E. the Romans forced the Jewish Diaspora.

Zionism• Movement to create a

Jewish Homeland

• 1897: Theodor Herzl made Zionism an international movement

• “But we wish to give the

Jews a Homeland. Not by dragging them ruthlessly out of their sustaining soil, but rather by removing them carefully, roots and all, to a better terrain”

What is Herzl’s view of Zionism from the above quote?

Monotheisms: Judaism & Israel• Following the end of the

Second World War, many surviving European Jews moved to Palestine

• Most Western countries supported the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine

• In 1948, Israel declared itself an independent state.

• The vast majority of Israel’s modern population is Jewish.

Monotheisms: Islam• Islam first began in the

Arabian Peninsula in the 7th Century C.E

• It has its foundations in both Christianity and Judaism

▫ Shares many of the same stories and prophets

• The founder, Muhammad, wrote the Quran

Monotheisms: Islam• 8th century, Islam had

spread throughout Western Asian and North Africa.

• The Quran calls for religious tolerance towards Jews and Christians as “people of the book.”

• Today, relations between Jews, Muslims, and Christians have been strained by political issues.

Monotheisms: Islam•caliph - leader of the Islamic Empire•Sunni Islam- Believe that the caliph

should be elected. ▫Tend to be moderate in the implementation

of Islamic Law within government•Shia Islam- Believe that only direct

decedents of the Prophet Muhammad could be caliph▫Tend to support the institution of Sharia

Law (Islamic Law/Theocracy)

Monotheisms: Christianity• The Development of

Christianity• Christianity has its

foundations in Judaism

• Before the Diaspora, Christianity arose as a new branch of the old Jewish tradition

• Initially, Christians faced persecution from the Roman Empire

• 4th century C.E. Emperor Constantine made the practice accepted

• View Palestine as the holy land (Crusades)

Monotheisms Relations•Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe

Palestine to be holy and Jerusalem to be its most important city.

View of modern Jerusalem

Monotheisms Relations•The West Wall of Solomon’s Temple- a.k.a.

“ The Wailing Wall”

The Wailing Wall

Monotheisms Relations

•The Dome of the Rock

Monotheisms Relations

•Inside the Dome of the Rock

Dome of the Rock UFO?

Monotheisms Relations

•The Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall- Point

The Wailing Wall

The Dome of the Rock

How can this create conflict between Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem and the world?

Monotheisms Relations

•The Church of the Holy Sepulchure

Holy Sepulchure

Monotheisms Relations

•The Kaaba- Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Black Stone of the Kaaba

The Hajj and Kaaba

Monotheisms Relations

•The Church of the Nativity- Bethlehem, Israel

Church of Nativity