Initial Thoughts

Hello, POSC 277ers (and anyone else out there willing to take the time to read this). Since I'm new to the whole blogging world, I figured the best way to get my feet wet would be to write about something fairly simply; thus I apologize if what I'm going to say isn't too profound or original. However, whilst reading our first assignment from William E. Cleveland's A History of the Modern Middle East (3rd ed.), I was particularly struck by the section that dealt with Muhammad ibn Abdullah and the foundations of Islam. To start, I can't say that I'm really that religious, pious, or God-fearing at all, so it's not as if I know the ins and outs of the Christian religion, either, but I found the similarites between Islam's roots and the beginnings of Christianity to be quite interesting, nevertheless. For starters, each of these religions were started (so to speak) and taught by two individuals seemingly cut from the same (or similar) cloth. Muhammad was a humble, ordinary man who worked various everyday jobs in his community and was widely respected as well. Likewise, but not completely the same, Jesus Christ, too, lived quite simply, performing jobs that could be considered "blue-collar" in nature. These two simple men, however, would become (I guess this may be more true for Muhammad as Jesus was technically born a King of Kings.) the main spokesmen/prophets for their respective religions. The similarities don't really stop there. As mentioned in Cleveland's book, on the so-called Night of Power, Muhammad is presented with divine messages and given his mission from the angel Gabriel. From Sunday school classes of my past, I do remember the very same Gabriel playing a crucial role in many Bible stories. Then we get to more run-of-the-mill similarities, but I still feel that there is something to be said in mentioning them. Of course, we know of Jesus and his 12 disciples and how after Jesus' death, these disciples wrote what they had learned (i.e. the word of God) from their late teacher in what we all know as the Bible. However, in Islam the story is not dissimilar, for Muhammad indeed had a direct group of followers who, like the disciples, collected and recorded stories, lessons, and verses into one definitive book called the Quran, which unsurprisingly was also supposed to be the word of God (well, Allah, which means God). Furthermore, both of these books chastisted those who lived lavishly and without morals and promised those who lived according to God's word an everlasting afterlife. There are more similarities in Cleveland's book (and certainly some that don't make it), but I think you can see roughly my point. Now, as to be expected, Islam and Christianity have their differences, but I think I find it so surprising/upsetting that the peoples who follow these two religious views can be so hateful towards one another. To be sure, there are other factors that play a role in this "religious war" of sorts, but I don't quite understand how people can be so unaccepting of another religion, especially one that, at least superficially, is quite similar to their own. I understand that everyone wants to be right and refuses to think that his/her religion could possibly be the wrong one, if that even is a possibility, but I don't see why we feel the need to act so strongly or violently towards others just because they worship a "different" or the "wrong" God. This is especially confusing given that one fundamental rule (that seems to be fairly universal) demands that an individual love his/her neighbor. Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but I don't seem to remember that passage reading, "Love thy neighbor, unless he/she happens to be a Muslim/Christian." Anyways, I don't think I need to labor on with this; I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts while reading this particular section of Cleveland's book. If there is anything I mentioned that is just blatantly wrong, please, don't hesitate to correct me; there won't be any hard feelings. Well, unless you're a Buddhist.