According to Islam, Muhammed is the last prophet of God, following in the footsteps of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. This means that Islam considers Allah to be an Abrahamic God, which, is an endorsement of the Israeli/Jewish claim to a historical presence within the Levant. Here are some references from the Koran that directly reference Abraham and Moses. This is important, because, those that promulgate the claim that 'Palestinian was here first' view, dispute Israel's claim to a historical presencewithin the Levant. And, whilst we are all entitled to opinions, it seems incongruous to be stating that 'Palestine was here first' if you are Muslim and the Koran contradicts you.
Moses, and the Red Sea is referenced in this screen shot from the Koran
Abraham, as described by the Koran
From the Koran
From the Koran
From the Koran
The smoking gun as taken from the Koran
The truth is that not only does Islam have no problem with Israel's claim of historical presence in the Levant, it agrees and endorses it with its own teachings.
Take this reference on wikipedia entitled "Abraham in Islam" that refers to Abraham's burial place in Israel at a place called Hebron on the West Bank.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_in_Islam
This reference from the wikipedia entry on 'Ibrahimi Mosque' or the 'Cave of Patriarchs', illustrates how the Muslim creation was via the conversion of the original Jewish structre when it states that "(t)he site of the Cave of the Patriarchs is located beneath a Saladin-era mosque, which had been converted from a large rectangular Herodian-era Judean structure."1
Finally, the Koran speaks to the migration of Abraham to Canaan itself and receiving it as a gift from God. This gift is Israel. The descendants are Jews.
The only reasonable conclusion is that people that insist on denying a Jewish presence in Israel in ancient times, are those that are ignorant, or,are anti-Semitic.
According to both Jewish -Torah- and Christian bibles, the first Jew was Avraham Avinu or Abraham. He lived in modern day Iraq, known then as Mesopotamia, but, having recognised and promulgated the idea of a monotheistic God, was commanded to move to Canaanand was bequeathed that land for all eternity where he began to a community of Jews. Some
people maintain that there is an inherent difference between the
Hebrews, the Israelites and the Jews, yet, this is patently false. We
know this because Abraham instituted the actual practices of mitzvot. These unique rituals were practiced by Hebrews, Isrealites and Jews with small changes that survive to this day as the six hundred and thirteen commandments that all Jews are asked to follow.
Abraham is first mentioned in the Torah.
The Torah, or the Tanach is considered Jewish law. It consists of five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Genesis is the first book of the Torah and it is in here that God's covenant with Avraham is detailed in Unit 17.
There is no doubt that from a biblical perspective that Israel has original dominion in the Levant. It is also worth noting that the land that God gave to Abraham wasn't 'Palestine', but, 'Canaan'.
Historically speaking, Palestine did not exist at this time, which was approximately 1714 BC/BCE. Palestine was created by the Roman Empire approximately 140 AD.
"This
episode introduces the uniqueness of Jewish history in the 20th
century within the
context of world history. At the turn of the
20th century, Jews were scattered across the
globe, representing
only ¼ of one percent of the worlds population. It was a time
of
empires, imperial rule and colonial expansionism. In Russia
the masses, including the
Jews, lived in dire poverty which was
compounded by grassroots antisemitism. In 1905
the Russian
masses revolted and there was a general strike. On Bloody Sunday
the
Czar responded with force. The Czar did not abdicate until
1917, which is typically the
date given for the second Russian
Revolution, which, in turn, led to increased pogroms
against the
Jews. The pogroms and the economic conditions forced
approximately
40% of Jewish population to leave the Russian
Empire and go to Western countries
including the United States
and to Palestine and other countries as far away as South
Africa
and Australia.
Emigration
and the Enlightenment presented Jews with the dilemma and opportunity
to
maintain or reject their traditional Jewish upbringing, and
many decided to forgo their
traditional Judaism and blend in
with their larger non-Jewish society. Within the
traditional
Jewish world, change was occurring as well, with the rise and
acceptance of
the Mussar Movement, an ethical approach to
Judaism. Because Jews were not
allowed into institutions of
higher education in Eastern Europe, most of them went to
study
in yeshivas to sharpen their intellect. The traditional yeshiva,
unintentionally,
became a breeding ground for all philosophies,
Jewish and secular alike. Zionism
grew as a national movement,
and was led by secular Jews antithetical to traditional
Judaism.
While most rabbis rejected Zionism and its leaders, because of
their
nontraditional beliefs, a minority of rabbis developed
religious Zionism, which combined
traditional Judaism with
Zionist philosophy. The Old Yishuv Jews, who had settled in
Palestine
in the late 1800s, were committed to traditional Judaism and
rejected
secular, nationalistic ideas of the New Yishuv
Zionists.
The
Sephardic Jews living in Moslem and Arab countries at the turn of the
20th
Century maintained their own rich Jewish traditions and
heritage, which often differed
from those of the Ashkenazim.
There was relative peace within the Jewish community
and among
the leadership in these Arab and Moslem countries, and although life
was
sometimes difficult, these Sephardic Jews did not
experience, by and large, pogroms
or the influences of the
Enlightenment or Reform Judaism.
In
Europe, Jews were the leaders of the Labor and Socialist movements
and
spearheaded the establishment of labor unions in America.
The challenge of
assimilation in the United States was the
greatest difficulty confronting Jewish
immigrants. Attempts were
made to stem the tide. Reform Judaism became a symbol
of
acceptance into modern American society and Dr. Solomon Schechter
initiated the
Universal Synagogue movement which became
Conservative Judaism. Also
Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish
immigrants had to find their respective places within
the Jewish
community and in their new host country, the United States, as
well..
A small, strong group of American Jewish immigrants
managed to cling to their Jewish
traditions and adapt themselves
to the new reality in America. Meanwhile, for Jews
around the
world, with the threat of WWI looming, the imperial race for
supremacy was
escalating."1
