Religions of Palestine

a. Islam (97%):

Palestine is a sacred land to Muslims because of its association with Abraham, father of all prophets, and its association with the Islamic vocation of the Prophet Mohammed. The references and events in Islamic religious scriptures, as well as the history of the land itself, attest to the holiness of the land of Palestine to Islam. Today, Islam is the religion of 97: of the population with its Shafe'i, Hanafi, Hanbali and Maliki rites. Many of the Palestinian Muslims trace their descent to the seventh century when Muslims conquered the country.

Jerusalem is a Muslim Holy City mentioned in the Qur'an as the "blessed" holy place, in which the Prophet Mohammed experienced the transfiguration of al isra' wal mi'raj. Jerusalem was also the first City, before Mecca, to which the Prophet asked his followers to turn in prayers.

The Sakhra (rock) and Aqsa (Farthest) mosques are two shines that reflect on the sanctity and importance of Jerusalem to Moslems. Both are built in al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble sanctuary) compound.

Al-Sakhra means many things to Muslims: it came from paradise and angels visited it 2,000 years before the certain of Adam; it is closer to heaven than any other spot on earth and guarded by angels: all sweet waters of the earth have their source under it; Noah's ark rested on the Rock after the flood had subsided, and here the angel will blow the last trumpet on the Day of Judgment; it is the spot from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended into Heaven in Lailat Al-Miraj "Night of the Ascent". Various momentoes of the Prophet's Nocturnal Journey - a handprint, a footprint, the spot from which he ascended - are found on the Rock. The Dome of the Rock, like al-Aqsa Mosque, was built in the 7th century by Ummayad Caliph Abd Al-Malik Ibn Marwan. The golden-domedoctagonal oratory is still much the same in its architectural splendor as when it was completed in 691.

Al-Aqsa Mosque's name is derived from the Qur'anic verse of the Prophet's Nocturnal Journey of Isra': Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship, the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lot! He is the Hearer, the Seer" (Isra' 17:1). Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest mosque in Islam after those in Mecca and Medina.

Besides Jerusalem, Hebron is considered holy since it has the tomb of Abraham and the Partriarchs who are revered in Islam.

b. Christianity (3%):

Palestinian Christians are an integral part of Palestinian society: they have experienced the same afflictions that have befallen all Palestinians and participated in all events pertaining to the aspirations and hopes of their people. Christian relations with Muslims have been traditionally excellent as they were influenced by the attitude and actions of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, the Muslims Caliphwho, when he came to Jerusalem in 639 to accept to surrender of the city, offered the Arab Patriarch, Sophronius, al-'Uhdah al-'Omariyah, i.e. guarantee for the safety of Christians and their holy places. Omar preferred not to pray in the church of the Holy Sepulchre when the call for prayers was heard fearing that believers would use this to transform the Church into a mosque, and prayed at a nearby site. The Old City Mosque of Omar was built by believers in commemoration of this event.

Today, about 50,000 (3%) of the Palestinian population in the OPT profess Christianity. They belong to over 15 different denominations of whom the larger communities are the Greek Orthodox (20,000), the Lations (17,000) and the Greek Catholics (3,000). The Christian population is concentrated in the central part of the country (Jerusalem, Bethlehem area, Ramallah and in a number of mixed Muslim/Christian villages).

The holy shrines of Christendom in Jerusalem include the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Cenacle, the Church of the Saint Anne, the Tomb of the virgin Mary, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Sanctuary of the Ascension, and the Mount of Olives.

Omar Ibn al-Khatab's Covenant, 638 A.D.

The charter of the Second Caliph, Omar Ibn al-Khatab with the people of Jerusalem in 638 A.D. handed to Patriarch Sophranius: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the compassionate. This is the Covenant which Omar the servant of Allah, the Commander of the faithful, granted to the people of Aelia. He granted them safely for their lives, their possessions, their churches, and their churches, and their crosses... They shall not be constrained in the matter of their religion, nor shall any of them be molested. No Jew shall live with them in Aelia. And the people of Aelia shall pay the poll-tax... whoever leaves the city shall have safe conduct for his person and his property until he reaches his destinations".

C. Judaism:

The major Jewish holy places in Jerusalem include the Tomb of Absalom, the Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, the Tomb of David, the wailing Wall and Rachel's Tomb, as well as a number of ancient and modern synagogues.

Source: PASSIA - Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs