Alternate Universe

Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites for three Abrahamic faiths. Bullets and blood are flying at the Dome of the Rock, the site where the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h, beloved spiritual ascendant to the Muslims as well as other faiths.

A place where people go to worship something greater than themselves, a place where seekers meditate upon truth, the site where many have traveled to as a pilgrimage is being torn apart. It is erupting from within. It is somewhat ironic actually. Religion is dying in the very place it was born.

I can't help but think about the origin of the Abrahamic faiths. Not many people know this, but the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h., when he was revealed to, thought he had lost his mind. He ran to his much older wife, Khadija for comfort. They lived in a pagan society, but Khadija had heard of a group of people believing in one God, a uniting being. She advised him to discuss the matter with the Christians and Jews who at first welcomed the Prophet as their own. The enemy was not each other, but paganism. They fought for others to recognize that God united mankind, thus love for one another was the only way to live. Mankind has a short memory it seems.

It makes me really sad to see this image. Especially when I had been standing in that very spot less than one year ago.

Whether or not Israel truly was renovating the sight, and any violence was not precipitated, is not the question. Nor is the question whether or not the Palestinians were protesting to protect their holy site, or used this occasion to incite violence.

The main point here is that the region is incredibly volatile. There is no peace. People are jumping at the chance to throw a rock, shoot a gun. Suspicion, hatred, fear: no one can live like that.

This is not a war between religions per say, it is a battle between two groups of people inhabiting the same land. It has gone unresolved for so long the battle has grown into a monster: a war between religions. Now we have all looked under our beds and in our closets, and we know monsters do not exist. So I plea for all to recognize this battle for what it is.