Protesting Islamic Arabs and Israeli forces continue to clash over U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Jerusalem was a highly controversial city that stood amidst great tension between the Jewish Israelis who claimed it to be their capital, and the Islamic Palestinians, who claimed it to be theirs. Both religions were fighting over Jerusalem as their own holy capital.

The ‘salem’ of the name Jerusalem is derived from the word meaning ‘peace’. This ‘City of Peace’ in the Middle East has now become the epicenter of an international conflict.

It is unclear exactly how Trump’s decision will continue to affect the situation, but it is very probable that global news will have its biggest spotlight on this religious conflict for the next several months.

This article will introduce a summary of the history behind the Judaism-Islam conflict over Jerusalem.

Jews: The Promised Land of 4000 Years

Let us first look at the story from the Jewish historical perspective.

Around 4,000 years ago, God promised the Jewish people the land of Canaan. Canaan corresponds to modern day Israel and Palestine.

After that, the Jews lived through a history of struggle constantly being forced away from the land and returning to it. After receiving God’s message, they assumed control over the natives of Canaan and began to live there.

Then, for some reason, they migrated to Egypt and ended up becoming slaves. It was here that Moses stood up to lead the people back to Canaan. Having returned to Canaan, they once again conquered the peoples living there to found the Kingdom of Israel. They built the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God.

Once again, however, they were invaded by other countries and again became indentured (Babylon), and returned to Canaan.

Finally, the Kingdom was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the 2nd century CE. The Jews then scattered across the globe. When the Romans defeated them, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. A wall of the temple that remained standing was made into a Jewish holy site called the Wailing Wall. There people gather to mourn their tragic history of persecution, rejoice in their heritage, and pray for the reunification of the Jewish race.

Of the Jews who scattered across the world, many of those who went to Eastern Europe became victims of the Holocaust. Many Jews who experienced persecution chose to emigrate and live in this Promised Land.

After WWII, the Jews gathered to demand their country back. The U.S., having sympathized with the persecuted race, decided to back their fight and helped found the country of Israel with them.

The U.S. declared to the international community that Jerusalem was the holy capital of Israel, and acted to protect them from ever losing their homeland again. The supplying of nuclear weapons is a part of the modernization effort in order to protect Israel.

Islam: The Jews Came and Took Our Land

Next let us look at the Islamic side of the Jerusalem problem.

The Islamic religion came into being a little after the Jewish Kingdom was destroyed. For them, Jerusalem is the holy place because Muhammad’s Night Journey to heaven started from a rock that lies in the city.

The Muslims built a Mosque around the rock, calling it The Dome of the Rock. This rock lies on the exact site where the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem once stood, and therefore only 100m away from the current Wailing Wall.

The Muslims attained the land through victory in fierce combat against the Christian crusaders. The Muslims lived there until after WWII.

After WWII, however, masses of persecuted Jews suddenly flooded into their land without warning. Then without any negotiations with the Muslims, the U.S. founded the country of Israel on Muslim ground.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were kicked out of their homes and were forced to become refugees. The pain would have been unbearable. The neighboring Islam countries protested vehemently. They resorted to military measures in order to regain their holy land, and finally after a series of battles, won a little segment of Israel called the State of Palestine.

There has been ongoing war between Israel and Palestine ever since, and Palestine has a fierce grudge against the U.S. for backing the Jewish State.

Same God in the Same Holy Site

Thus Jerusalem is the center of a wild and deeply rooted conflict between two forces. Trump’s recent decision to further support Israel intensified the Israeli-Palestinian antagonism.

There is, however, a possibility of a bright future for both sides. Master Ryuho Okawa, founder and CEO of Happy Science, gave a public lecture at the El Cantare Celebration on the 7th, in which he referred to the Jerusalem problem:

 
In fact Elohim in the Jewish Bible is the very same God as the Muslim God Allah. This has been proven through Happy Science spiritual research. Christians also consider Jerusalem their holy ground, but Jesus’ Father in Heaven is also the same God as Elohim and Allah.

How would God see this situation, where religions fight over the same holy site thinking the other religions are enemies?

It would seem logical that we ought to realize it is not coincidental that three religions share the same holy site. Let us pray that Jerusalem will eventually become the city of peace that it is meant to symbolize.