In these chapters of Karen Armstrong's book, Islam is introduced as a religion. I found this interesting because I myself do not hold deep religious convictions since I wasn't raised in a household that regularly attended church. I was not familiar with the origins of Islam or how this religion came about, so it was enlightening to read the history of this religion and how it originated.
One thing that struck me was how Muhammed did not see his prophetic revelations as something separate from the religion that Christians and Jews practiced, but rather something that integral to these religions. I always viewed these religions as separate and not inter-connected, so this was something I found interesting.
I also found it interesting how the Muslim's orignally viewed all three religious groups living in Jerusalem side by side. Reading that the Muslim's believed by having all three groups living together would 'reflect their vision of the continuity and harmony of all rightly guided religion...' and 'living together in a city that was sacred to all three faiths could have led...to a better understanding of one another..' was very striking to me. It was interesting to realize that these groups, or at least the Muslims, wanted peace and coexistence and to actually share and learn from one another, and not fight over who deserved to live on the land that all three found so sacred.
I think that these three chapters really helped me realize where this conflict originated and how these events set the roots for the growing problems in Jerusalem. But it was also refreshing to read that at one point not every group was against eachother and that some had originally wanted to learn and grow from the different faiths.
Hey Jessica. I too have only just recently been introduced to the faith of Islam, and I too was surprised to discover the clear connections between Islam and Christian and Judaism and the respect Muslims have for these faiths. Muslims, especially those in this early time, acknowledged these other religions and, still today, regard the Old and New Testament as holy books. To some extent, Muslims have been the most accepting of other monotheistic religions. It is too bad that we have to be surprised by these ideas, but I suppose we have grown up in a society that does not wish to emphasize these specific ideas of Islam. I know that in my case I was never encouraged by any elders to learn about Islam.
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