Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Monday, 5 August 2019

Islam & Jerusalem: Fact & Fable

It's not brand new, this talk by the eminent Israeli scholar of Islam Dr. Mordechai Kedar: "Jerusalem as a Muslim holy city is the oldest Fake News in history"

But the video's one for all seasons, and for those who haven't seen it, it's well worth watching. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hah5067AwF4

The eminent British scholar of Islam Professor Denis MacEoin observed of it:
"Kedar is spot on. One thing he does not mention is that by the time Muhammad and his followers went to Medina (in 622, the start of the Islamic calendar), Muslims were instructed to pray towards Jerusalem. But about 18 months later, a revelation came down from God, ordering them to turn about 180 degrees to pray towards Mecca, which they have done since then. In other words, Jerusalem lost its significance as the qibla (direction of prayer) and also as a site for pilgrimage. The Qur'an does not even mention Jerusalem or al-Quds, not even in the verses about the night journey to the 'furthest mosque' (masjid al-aqsa). As for the flying horse etc., that is mainly later legend. It's time these facts were presented in international fora (e.g. UNESCO) and that this and other Muslim claims (e.g. calling the Maarat Ha-Mechpela in Hebron 'Abraham's mosque', as if a mosque existed anywhere in the time of the patriarchs." [Emphasis added]
Hat tip: Vlad Tepes blog

2 comments:

  1. Jerusalem is mentioned over 600 times in the Jewish Bible, which is also known as the Hebrew Bible or the OT (Only Testament).

    I know that because [thank and praise G*D] I possess computer software that searches the entire Jewish Bible for any specific word, and then automatically counts the number of matches, which in this case, is approximately 650.

    ===================================

    Cornelius Tacticus, the famous Roman historian
    who lived from year 56 CE (approximately)
    to year 120 CE said:

    “Much of Judea is thickly studded with
    villages, and the Jews have towns as well.

    Their capital is Jerusalem.

    Here stood their Temple with its boundless riches.”

    MODERN SOURCE OF QUOTE:
    The Western World (page 141)
    by Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009 CE

    ORIGINAL SOURCE OF QUOTE:
    The Histories by Tacitus,
    The Jews (Book 5), paragraph 8 of 13.

    NOTE: Remember this when people
    attempt to deny that Jews lived in the Holy Land.
    Remember this when people attempt to deny
    that there was a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

    ===================================

    “The Romans took over Judea in
    [year] 63 BC [Before the Common Era].”

    SOURCE:
    The Fall of the Roman Empire
    (chapter 1, page 21) by Rita J. Markel,
    year 2008, Twenty-First Century Books,
    ISBN: 0822559196 * ISBN: 9780822559191

    NOTE: Romans conquered Judea
    in 63 BC –- JUDEA, not Palestine!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now I present four quotes from Josephus,
    another ancient Roman historian who
    mentioned at least four times that the
    Temple of the Jews was in Jerusalem:

    ===================================

    “At this point Crassus arrived to
    take over the governorship of Syria.

    For the campaign against the
    Parthians he removed all the gold
    from the Sanctuary in Jerusalem...”

    SOURCE: The Jewish War
    (chapter 1, page 51) by Flavius Josephus,
    translated by G.A. Williamson, year 1984,
    published by Penguin Classics,
    ISBN: 0140444203 & 978-0140444209

    ===================================

    “Gaius Caesar’s accession to power
    so completely turned his head that
    he wished to be thought of and
    addressed as a god, stripped his
    country of its noblest men, and
    proceeded to lay sacrilegious hands
    on Judea. He ordered Petronius to
    march with an army to Jerusalem and
    erect his statues in the Temple:

    If the Jews refused them, he was
    to execute the objectors and enslave
    all the rest of the population.”

    SOURCE: The Jewish War
    (chapter 7, pages 139 to 140) by Flavius Josephus,
    translated by G.A. Williamson, year 1984,
    published by Penguin Classics,
    ISBN: 0140444203 & 978-0140444209

    ===================================

    “...Cumanus, whose governorship was marked
    by disturbances and further disaster to the Jews.

    The people had assembled in Jerusalem for the
    Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Roman
    cohort stood on guard over the Temple colonnade,
    armed men always being on duty at the feasts
    to forestall any rioting by the vast crowds.”

    SOURCE: The Jewish War
    (chapter 7, pages 143 to 144) by Flavius Josephus,
    translated by G.A. Williamson, year 1984,
    published by Penguin Classics,
    ISBN: 0140444203 & 978-0140444209

    ===================================

    “...the Jerusalem magistrates, rushing out
    clad in sackcloth and with ashes poured on
    their heads, besought them to return and
    not to provoke the Romans to attack Jerusalem
    by reprisals on the Samaritans:

    they must spare their country and their
    Sanctuary, and their own wives and children...”

    SOURCE: The Jewish War
    (chapter 7, page 145) by Flavius Josephus,
    translated by G.A. Williamson, year 1984,
    published by Penguin Classics,
    ISBN: 0140444203 & 978-0140444209

    ReplyDelete

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