One of my readers accused me of ‘leaving him hanging’ on the historical aspects of the Middle East. I am an avid history buff but I do try to keep my articles relevant to the discussion on the War on Terror. I believe in the saying: “Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it.”
For years, I wondered how Jerusalem became a ‘holy city’ of Islam. Since this is one of the central issues of contention between 3 major religions and used as an excuse for islamic aggression, it bears the merit of discussion. Two of the religions have made peace over the city and two of them are still actively fighting over the issue. All three religions tie their origins to a single family, millennia before Christ.
The break between the Torah and the Koran over this lineage occurs in Genesis chapter 21. The ancestor of both Arabs and Jews, of islam and Judaism, as well as patriarch of Christianity, is Abraham. He had two sons Ishmael, born of an Egyptian slave, who became patriarch of Arabs and Isaac, born of his wife and half sister, who became patriarch of the Jews. In a test of his loyalty, he later prepared to sacrifice Isaac.
The location of the altar Abraham built to make that sacrifice is believed to be the later location of the Temple Mount, which replaced the Temple of Solomon and the place where the Judaic priests placed the Ark of the Covenant, which is in Jerusalem. Hence, it has profound and sacred meaning to those of the religion of Judaism.
While Judaism and Christianity proclaim Isaac the chosen son, islam proclaims Ishmael the chosen son. Both became the ancestors of vast nations and though he wasn’t a religious founder, the latter’s descendents became the founders of a powerful religion. It is through that lineage that Arabs consider themselves better muslims, though descended from an Egyptian (African).
Of note is a religious tradition of building religious sites over the destroyed sites of other religions. This is not a tradition limited to any single religion. Many churches in Europe are built over druidic and other religious sites of the people they converted. Islam did the same as many of the religions it replaced. It helps in the conversions as the converts are accustomed to those sites and their previous religious sites are no longer present.
Fast forward to the dawn of islam. The Arab commanders, from Mecca and Medina, of the islamic Army were the Vikings of their day. Instead of using boats and waterways, they used the desert as a refuge from superior militaries that feared the desert. They set up their capitals in the conquered lands on the edges of the desert, which gave them an excellent retreat if attacked. They conquered and colonized very quickly.
Interestingly, only the first (Abu-Bakr) of the four Caliphs of islam was not murdered (634 AD). The second (Umar) was murdered (644 AD) by a Christian slave. He had appointed his cousin, Muawiya as commander and governor of Syria. The third (Uthman) was killed (16 June 656 AD) by members of the Arab muslim army in Eqypt at his quarters in Medina and they installed Ali, the cousin of Mohhamed and husband to Mohhamed’s daughter. Ali was assassinated (661 AD) by radical muslims. (No wonder the Middle East enjoys watching Jerry Springer.)
Ali’s son Hasan renounced his ascension to the Caliphate. Later, Husayn (or Hussein), another son of Ali and grandson of Mohhammed started a civil war against the Ummayad Caliphate that had succeeded Ali, by means of the sword. Husayn and his militant followers were later ‘massacred’ in Karbala, Iraq on 10 Muharram (islamic calendar) in the year 680 AD (of our calendar) giving birth to a Shi’a holiday and sacred mosque to the Shi’a. This mosque has been attacked many times in modern days by Al-Qaeda (which are Sunni Extremists). Only his son, Ali, great grandson to Mohhammed survived the battle. And with that, we see the early origins of the Shi’a-Sunni rift.
But let’s return to the Caliphate and the 5th Caliph, Muawiya. He was, similar to the previous Caliphs and a member of the aristocratic families of Mecca. His Army in Syria was battle tested on the main front of islamic expansion and quickly won in the civil war over ascension to the Caliphate. He was the first to appoint his son as the heir to the Caliphate and he set up his capital in Damascus. This began the first ‘dynasty’ of the caliphate, named the Ummayyads, for the House of Ummayya of Mecca from which its family originated.
Not all of the Caliphs used that title. Some preferred the title Amir or “commander.” Some used other names but all were theocratic rulers over an empire.
By 692 AD, Abd al-Malik (7th Caliph?) had overcome the revolts of his brothers Abdallah and Musab and secured the Caliphate he had claimed in 685. It took the death of his brother to do so. Like those before him, he was a theocratic politician and ruler. He did a lot to create a working government, including minting gold coins, which included religious inscriptions. He built infrastructure. He left the message throughout the realm that only islam was the rightful heir to mono-theism by decrying the Trinity.
And where this all comes together, al-Malik commissioned the Dome of the Rock in their year 72 (and the Christian years 691-692 AD), in what was then Aelia(no longer called Jerusalem), on top of the ruins of Solomon’s Temple. It should be realized that during this time, Syria, Jordan, and Israel, although under islamic rule, were primarily Christian and Jews. As such there were many beautiful churches which helped to keep Christianity as a majority in this part of the islamic empire.
A tenth century muslim geographer explains the importance of a similar measure taken by Malik’s son and successor, al-Walid in building the mosque of Damascus rather than roads:
"He saw that Syria, the land of the Christians, was full of beautiful churches of seductive appearance and vast renown…. He gave the muslims a mosque to divert their attention from these churches and made it one of the wonders of the world. In the same way Abd-al-Malik, when he saw the immense and dominating dome of the Church of the Resurrection, feared that it would dominate the hearts of muslims, and he therefore erected the Dome which we see on the Rock.”
I imagine that this geographer would receive the same attention as Salman Rushdie if he were alive in modern times, but at that time there was still debate over its sanctity and most argued against it. The debate stems from verse 17:1 of the Koran in which allah takes mohhammed on a magic carpet ride one night from the mosque in Mecca to the ‘farthest mosque.’
In those days, it was believed that that meant he took him to heaven but eventually (modern day) muslims have ascribed that mosque to Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock which was built 72 years after his death and is certainly not the farthest mosque from Mecca today nor was it a mosque at the time of his magic carpet ride. It does however make for powerful arguments in their attacks on Israel and their claim to Jerusalem.This may seem like a long way around to explain the methods that Jerusalem became a ‘holy city’ to islam, but the bits and pieces we normally get always confused me. I’ve also given you the basics of how the Shi’a and Sunni began their murderous feud. And in reviewing the historical information of the early days of the islam, I am reminded that very little about it was ‘peaceful.’ In fact, it shows that not even muslims are at peace with each other.
In fairness, I should point out that if Syria were in play, Al-Qaeda might consider it for its historical significance but that claim would be considered less valid as the Ummayyads are not considered to be very good Caliphs, just as certain Popes in early Christianity are not considered all that holy. But Syria is a part of their mid-range plan.
I should also point out that in those days; both Christians and Jews were treated better under islam than they were under other rulers of the day. At that time, they were considered more as errant followers of the wrong denomination, worshiping the same God and were simply taxed at a higher rate so long as they accepted the government of their islamic rulers. For conversion, that tax was lifted and they were granted greater rights. Conversion by the sword was used primarily against those of polytheistic religions, which are defined as infidels.
But I will also point out that conversion by the sword, imperialism (empire building), murder, assassination and desecration of holy sites of other religions has a long tradition in islam. A modern day example of assassination is the accusation that Muqtada al-Sadr had his uncle (father?) killed in the early days of the current Iraq War in order to ascend him as the highest mullah in Iraq. I do not know if this accusation has been proven, but there is at least some evidence to support it. Assassination is a normal method used in the Middle East: Saddam used it, Sadat felt it, and in fact in Baghdad assassinations are down from 100 a month to 35 a month from January to May of this 2007.
Polygamy and incest continue to be practiced today and is easily seen in their early history. Slavery and the taking of a dead enemy’s wife is still seen as the right of the conqueror. Protests in London over the Danish Cartoon included the calls for the raping of Danish wives as “war booty.” The Koranic right to all of a vanquished enemy’s property is still practiced. (Yes, women are considered property.) Hence the islamic demands on Spain to return those properties in Spain that were taken by the sword so many centuries ago though later returned to the families of those that paid for them.
One of the fallouts of OBL with some of his muslim peers is that he did not first offer the US and Bush the opportunity to convert, before 9/11. (He did later.) His goal is in fact imperial. He has long stated his goal of creating a Caliphate.
For more on the History of Iraq and the forces that brought us to war:
Stumble It!
Recent Comments