After reading chapters 11-13, the main points that were discussed had to do with religion, especially the Muslims. A few things really caught my eye. It seemed as though when the Muslims or Jews were in rule, they were not forcing anyone to join their religious beliefs, but when the Christians ruled, they were doing the exact opposite. Was it because they had more people so it was easier to get others involved? I doubt it. I believe it was the fact that they had more control throughout history so when they lost their power at some point or another, they wanted to get it back and keep it for a long time. However, that did not happen because of the way they were treating others. It always came down to religion even though the Jews and Muslims did their own thing and did not want to overpower any other religious beliefs.
These chapters really put a good view of what is currently happening in Jerusalem...nobody can agree on anything because their religious beliefs cause battles that lead to worse battles. Everyone has to realize that in order for peace to occur, everyone is going to have to recognize that there are differences within the people of Jerusalem, just as the Jews and Muslims did some time ago. While I was reading, all I could think about was, "If everyone would have a mindset like the Jews and Muslims did during this time, I think things could be in a better state right now." Who knows if history will re-write itself at this point...
In regards to our group project, I think we have decided to break up our "Identity" group into 2-3 different parts. After a brief discussion, it seems as though we will be looking into sports and/or people/dress/architecture. I am very interested in sports and am looking forward to the opportunity to look at this in Jerusalem. I think that it will be interesting to see what kind of sports everyone plays and if any of the sports actually hurt or help with the peace in Jerusalem.
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