The Holy Mosaic E-Book

Maher Asaad Baker

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 134

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The Holy Mosaic delves into the rich and intricate history of Syria, tracing the origins and evolution of its three major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as they are the three major monotheistic religions of the world today. This book is an unprecedented guide to understanding how Judaism began and evolved as well as how the Christians and Muslims later appeared in that part of the world. The Holy Mosaic looks at Syrian history but through the lens of religion, the specificity of which has not been shared by the public over the years. It gives accordingly, figures, main events, and relations between these faiths and others in centuries. Boasting a strict adherence to the principles of neutrality and respect, this elaborate analysis proves rather beneficial for understanding how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on the one hand, and Syrian society on the other reciprocally influenced one another.

Leseprobe

Maher Asaad Baker

The Holy Mosaic

© 2024 Maher Asaad Baker

ISBN Softcover: 978-3-384-33634-7

ISBN Hardback: 978-3-384-33635-4

ISBN E-Book: 978-3-384-33636-1

ISBN Large print: 978-3-384-33637-8

This work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the contents. Any exploitation is prohibited.

Cover image designed by Freepik

Contents

Introduction

Ancient Syria

Judaism's Emergence

Christianity's Ascendancy

Islam's Expansion

Religious Interactions

Preserving Religious Heritage

Disclaimer

About the Author

Introduction

Any conversation regarding religious matters is automatically accompanied by heated passion and people’s beliefs in varying measures. These concerns stem from the social and individual worth of religious activities and attributes because these bear specific characteristics of each religious system.

Religion is another important and secret aspect of the personality of an individual and the group. It deals with the perception of the world, the system of ethical and moral values, and some of the practices that people follow. As with most topics that lie in the sphere of religion and faith, it is extremely simple for any dialogue to turn into an aggressive argument as soon as possible since people have a strictly personal and vested interest in the affairs of the soul. Therefore, these concerns are worsened by past enmity, ethical differences, and community standards. It is against these sensitivities that any dialogue has to be framed and this is why they have to be cardinal respected.

Religion is another form of complexity that is present in a classroom because people are of different beliefs and that takes time and careful observation in such a way that one does not offend any person in the class or that the teacher does not say anything that goes against the religion of any candidate, as much as he will want to do so. Tolerance in religious points refers to the acceptance of people’s faiths without regard to their faith. This eschews any bias against any particular religion, to the extent that there shall be no crucial matter that shall be doused by religious bigotry. In this case effect can be constructive for example: better perception, reduced stereotypes, and better relations from such dialogues.

Syria stands in the middle of many cultures and throughout the years, has been host to Christians, Muslims, Jews, and all other forms of minorities. These are some of the few social interactions that all these communities unlike in the past and even in the present years where wars are evident have mostly manifested in terms of tolerance, sharing, and at times even worship. This is a country that has a very vibrant historical and cultural practice thus researching on religious tolerance has a worthy ground in Syria.

For instance, the Umayyad period extended from 661 to 750 CE: Syria was full of learning activities. In matters of religion, the Umayyad Caliphate allowed people to practice their choice of religion without fear hence followers of all religions exercised their freedom in worshiping. The leaders of the Islamic armies encouraged the building of gigantic religious buildings where the theme of symmetry is apparent – the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

References to historical cases also tend to indicate the following: dialogue is the key to understanding the dangers of intolerance. Discussion helps to comprehend situations and each other, eliminate prejudices and prejudices, and establish a conversation between representatives of different states and cultures. Such a policy of tolerance is not a mere decoration, but a tangible result of the respect for the ruling religion by the non-Muslims and the establishment of free communication with them during the Umayyad period.

The lessons from history are clear: as such it has been established that dialogue is very crucially important in the promotion of respect in the matters of religion. It enables an individual to pass an opinion that he or she has, get to know other people’s opinions and possibly come to an agreement. This process of socialization is inherent in the process of building such societies which are free from violence and discrimination.

To a great extent, popular media has become the key interpreter of religion in late modernity. People from various facilities such as media stations, social media, and show businesses play a major role in how various beliefs are recorded and perceived. In this way, media plays a crucial role in educating people and fostering tolerance or serving as an instrument for strengthening prejudice and prejudices.

For example, while reporting events they regard this religion, the news coverage will mainly report events such as violence, and extremism. This can create a rather twisted view of some religions, enabling the growth of fear and prejudice, among other things. Whereas, on the contrary, the positive stories of representation of interfaith relations and religious tolerance give people a new reason to believe in something better and learn tolerance.

Media houses have a duty to provide accurate content regarding religious organizations in order to reduce the polarization of the community. This includes offering background information, not embellishing the information passed to the readers, as well as presenting different views on the given issue. Media practitioners especially journalists must ways be impartial in their presentation, giving balanced information on all the events.

This has been especially brought out by religious dialogue meetings which bring together followers of different religions. These are programs that gather leaders and subjects from various religions for the purposes of dialogue. There are real achievements in interfaith discussions and these include the signing of declarations, the creation of joint projects and recognition of the need for educational programs.

Some of the stakeholders are religious leaders and scholars, diplomats and Civil society organizations. These individuals and groups use various approaches to moderate these conversations.

Effective methods for ensuring balanced conversations include effective methods for ensuring balanced conversations include:

Establishing Ground Rules: One must always ensure that everyone attends to business with the right behavior towards the other person or even as a group.

Active Listening: Further, participants should be encouraged to listen carefully to what the other person has to say hence improving empathy.

Inclusive Representation: Appealing to all the faiths and considerations that are available out there when developing the discussions more readily leads to a well-rounded talk.

Educational Initiatives: Educational resources and programs which would help people to become religiously literate.

Interreligious respect and understanding, on the other hand, is a preserve of local communities. In practical terms, grassroots ventures can be highly effective in the work of raising tolerance within communities of different beliefs. Such activities can include the organization of one-day camps, seminars and even programs that build linkages with other religions.

For instance, mosques, churches, synagogues and temples should be premises for interfaith cooperation and discussions. These are areas whereby people of different faiths and religions come into contact, exchange ideas as well as undertake similar activities.

That is why there is nothing as powerful as civil society organizations as they are required in the achievement of the goal of harmonious existence. They make it possible for local communities to take responsibility for the future of their interfaith work, and the development of sustainable solutions to fuel religious clashes. These movements may include the use of volunteers, community elders, or youth organizations who advocate for the equality of all especially out of any discrimination.

Introducing grassroots activities, we can name interfaith camps for youth, charitable activities, and cultural events, including the ones that promote religious tolerance. These activities do not only enhance the knowledge but also the bonding and the unity of purpose of the participants involved.

It is evident that religious matters call for precautions on account of their sensitivity around the world: all these must be exercised with concern of respect and neutrality and yet be effective in their impact. The religious experience in Syria to a certain extent shows that despite differences, dialogue is possible; the result is tolerance. All media of today’s epoch perform the important function of influencing the religious views of society and bear the duty of putting forward an objective scenario.’ Analyzing the interfaith dialogue, one could conclude that it has acrimonious various outcomes: diplomatic levels, with the matters being discussed by religious representatives, have so far been more productive, however, it tends to stay within the frameworks of the international religious organizations, grass-root levels on the other hand, maybe less formal in terms of the outcomes achieved; however, they provide for the means of deliberating the matters of inter-religious tolerance

It is by being able to encourage open dialogue, present the whole story, and address local communities that the world will become a more open and tolerant one. The problems are daunting, yet the possible impact for the better is enormous. People of the world share one common dream that stands wrapped up in religious differences and become impatient with the only explorations that might lead to that dream’s realization.

Ancient Syria

Syria in antiquity occupied the region of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, which provided it with a rather advantageous place in relation to the trading and migratory routes unifying the largest ancient states of Africa, Asia, and Europe. It was also geographically advantageously situated and had been involved in cultural and exchange of goods for thousands of years which exposed the inhabitants of the region to various cultures languages technologies and religions. Such a crossroad throws caregivers a unique and very rich Syrian identity of people who only surly developed themselves despite the up and down swinging conquerors and rulers.

The Levant of today is the ancient Syria which occupied most of the area that now belongs to Syria and parts of Lebanon. The region features considerable topographical diversity spanning four major areas: a narrow strip of territory along the Mediterranean, two huge chains of mountains along its eastern and northern borders and large tracts of interior tablelands and plains. Each part had profound differences in terms of agricultural, industrial and cultural life.

The plain is a relatively small strip of land near the Mediterranean Sea in the western portion of Syria; on the east, it is bounded by the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. With a total length of about 193 miles, it runs from the north to the south with an increase toward the south. The north coastal region of the Levant was relatively more populated and economically active as was also more productive because of the additional supply of water and wood. The other mountain system is Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon stretching southwest-northeast and having a top elevation of 10,000 ft. These ranges enjoyed the Mediterranean rainfall for the rivers and farming in the inland valleys. Their heights also provided a measure of safety, any materials such as timber and some form of shelter that could count for something against the continental climate of the region.

In the rear of these mountains are situated the Syrian interior plains and plateaus. The northernmost plain comprises the Orontes River and the long Nahr al-’Asi (Orontes valley). The space was one of the most productive and populated areas of Ancient Syria where the Orontes river played a significant role in irrigation. Beyond these are the steppes of inner Syria, which slope steadily upward, eastwards, to the tablelands of the Syrian Desert. There is also a decline in rainfall from the sea and thus inner plains and plateaus are not suitable for the operation of the business. However, these places were still preferable for cattle ranching. The far eastern area is the Syrian Desert which is a subset of the Arabian Desert. It consists of highlands of limestone that are highly soluble land that receives an average of less than 4 inches of rainfall yearly.

Mediterranean climate is wet and cold during winter and hot and dry during summer as a result of the Mediterranean wind. The coastal parts, though have relatively high rainfall of about 40 inches per year. This is advantageous to winter-grown crops like the. Towards the East it goes gradually more and more into the interior zones and in the process becomes more and more desertlike. Fresh and portable water is limited in Syria and is obtained from melted snow from the mountains, winter rainfall and a few rivers. The Orontes is the longest of the rivers on the map and it runs through the Nahr al-’Asi agricultural plain. Meanwhile, the Euphrates runs along the borderline of the Eastern Syria. In essence, settlement and agriculture in this region for thousands of years are inextricably related to these few waterways of the region.

The position of Ancient Syria made it easy to be the link between great early-world civilizations in Africa Asia and Europe. Socially it linked the large Mediterranean Sea trading nations and the overland trade links including the silk route through Asia. It has natural harbors and geographical features that facilitate migration and barter trade exchange. But this position also left the Syrians vulnerable to invasion by massive rival empires throughout history as well as at the same time, or concurrently.

Agricultural potential is related by its very nature to rainfall in a region as well as water availability through rivers, water tables or irrigation water. This geographical blessing and curse are revealed through and through the development of cropping sequences. Other rainfed winter crops such as wheat and barley are also widely grown in the areas of the rainy coast. Wine making was also one of the old occupations in western Syria and wine used to be exported. Fruits and vegetables and pulses required irrigation and were produced near the main water channels including the Orontes River supplying the inland Nahr al’Asi plain. At the same time, the inner plain/plateau areas of Syria were more suitable for raising of livestock, goats, sheep and some cattle. Olives destined for the production of olive oil were another major export crop, grown in regions of low rainfall. As was the case with the Phoenicians, many other ancient Syrian communities were involved in big regional trade in which they purchased food products from regions that were farther and ensured that there was enough food to support the community.

Access to water and arable land were the two criteria by which, in antiquity, the appearance of Syrian cities and rural settlements was decided. These are the coastal and inland plains, and these offered resources as exemplified by the siting of the great ancient cities of Syria. Byblos Sidon and Tyre, cities depended on Mediterranean Sea trading and agricultural land. further inland such important cities as those of Aleppo, Ebla, the Hama area, Qatna and many others developed along one of the Orontes tributaries or some other water courses. Some claim rural people singled out sites offering approximately sources of fresh water in the form of springs or strategic plains and engaged in farming grains and minimal cattle. Because of the susceptibility to floods and human attack, most of the urban had a surrounding wall. On the one hand, indigenous people living in the inner plains and plateaus are generally transhumant stock-herders with their cattle.

Ancient Syria’s location facilitated extensive overland trade along two vital corridors: For instance, there was the North-South from Egypt, Syria to Anatolia – and the most well-known East-West linking China to the Mediterranean. Other famous centres that contributed to exportation included Byblos which traded famous Lebanese cedar and other resources to other nations. Land routes adopted by the caravans for the transportation of goods included the following: spices, textiles, stones and metals. Syria was also conducting intensive foreign trade relations with seaport areas within the Mediterranean; it interacted with the Aegean Sea societies and Ancient Egypt. These trade routes thus exposed the Syrians to outside technologies, cultural practices, languages and beliefs for thousands of years and at the same time exposed them to invaders.