What binds civilizations, race or religion?

Most civilizations have been based on racial or religious cohesion, mainly both, and those that haven't, such as early western civilization under the liberal rule of the Roman Empire, fell apart at the seams.

After its demise, the Roman Empire in the year 395 was split into the East and the West under two forms of the new religion of Christianity, itself a split from Judaism, which in 395 years had swept throughout the known world wiping out most other forms of worship. Christian Orthodoxy dominated in the East, and Roman Catholicism dominated in the West.

The two separate and distinct civilizations that developed from this religious split were also distinguished by race and this fact, of course, was far more compelling than religion.

Western civilization underwent yet another religious split when Protestantism emerged in the early 16th century in Northern Europe -- separating the Germanic race from the Latin race -- but it was only in relatively recent times that the West changed from being predominantly 'white' to being multi-cultural, embracing other races and the religions they brought with them.

If the liberal West, in Europe especially, is heading for a similar demise as the early western civilization of the Roman Empire, then it is interesting to ponder what force is at work -- like early Christianity -- to hasten its demise, take over the reigns of power and unite all peoples under its banner?

Let's face it, without racial or religious cohesion, what holds people together?

The USA has forged a unique African-American-Latino racial identity, and while it is true that this unique identity and prized citizenship of the most powerful nation on Earth today has been achieved at the expense of indigenous Americans, it is nevertheless an identity that is recognized throughout the world and is proudly upheld by its peoples.

However, being a proud Roman citizen -- of many races and religions -- was no guarantee for the continuation of one's cohesive identity with fellow citizens in the face of a powerful and uniting force like early Christianity; and this fact bodes ill for both the USA and the expanding EU.

Interestingly, at the same time as post-WWII European nations were divesting themselves of colonial rule and rolling out multi-cultural policies designed to dilute the racial, religious and cultural cohesiveness of their citizens, the displaced Jews of Europe were beginning to assert their religious, racial and cultural uniqueness and demanding a homeland of their own.

Although outwardly 'western', Isreal is, in effect, resurrecting the ancient civilization from which its peoples came. It was a new nation forged on the same religious cohesion that kept its peoples together, albeit spirtually, throughout a Diaspora lasting 1,816 years (from 132 to 1948).

Israel was created in 1948 within the old British protectorate of Palestine as an exclusive state for displaced Jews from all over the world. Within a short time, however, strife erupted between the new settlers and the displaced Islamic Palestinians and has continued ever since.

The Jews may be ethnically related to the Semitic Arabs -- and their religions are similar, both Abrahamic, yet divided as to whom holds the Covenant -- but it was the type of European culture the Jews planted within the Islamic world that was totally foreign and abhorrent to the existing culture.

Bearing in mind the lessons of colonization -- and the lessons of the Hitler regime -- creating a 'superior' European, albeit Jewish, western community in the middle of the Arab world was like planting a time bomb in the area and yet the Israelis persist in their determination to form a new nation (or resurrect their old one) as a separate and distinct nation and civilization from their neighbors.

While there still exist many nations that proclaim themselves exclusively and proudly black, brown or yellow and are held together largely by racial similarity -- outstandingly, the two great civilizations of India and China -- there are no nations today that are held together by the exclusive and proud distinction of being 'white'.

Also, while many nations claim to be held together by certain religions, in most cases -- especially in Christian nations -- this claim is notional, simply lip service.

There are only two nations that proclaim themselves to be exclusively and proudly faithful to a certain religion - and one of them is Israel and the other, of course, is the Islamic nation.

Because the two great civilizations of India and China have survived for thousands of years -- long before Islam came into being in 622, and long after the Jews were dispersed in 132 -- it would appear that race holds people together far more strongly than religion or anything else.

People can be converted from one religion to another -- and religions come and go -- but nobody can be converted from their race no matter how hard they try to do so.

For this reason, those civilizations that were based on unique racial characteristics -- such as those of India, China and Japan -- will be everlasting.

jews and moslems are family!

In that both Jews and Moslems acknowledge Abraham as their founding ancestor, they are essentially of the same Semitic family and inherited not only Abraham's belief in one God but also the Covenant he made with Him.

Abraham's year of birth is unknown, but is likely to be around 1860 BC. What we do know about Abraham is that he was born in Ur, southern Iraq - during the Sumeric civilization (3500-1700 BC), from which the Babylonian civilization emerged (1500-538 BC) - and was the son of Terah, a wealthy trader in religious idols.

At an early age, Abraham developed a belief in one God - a belief that was totally alien to his times - and he also had a bad temper. Both his 'strange' belief, his visions and his erratic temper were probably indicative of a mental disorder, and he was therefore lucky to have a loving family to protect him.

When Abraham became so intolerant of the polytheistic idols in his father's shop that he smashes them in a fit of anger, he raised the wrath of the king who tries to have Abraham burned alive for his disbelief in idolatry.

Abraham's father, Terah, protects his son by quickly moving the whole family - including his nephew, Lot, and Sarah, Abraham's wife - to Haran in Canaan.

In Haran, about ten years later, Abraham is commanded by his God to leave his father's house and is promised that his descendants will be numerous. He then travels to Egypt and back, settles in Hebron, grows rich and distinguishes himself as a warrior king - but for all this time he failed to father any children.

Childless in his old age, and feeling a wretch of a man because of it, Abraham has many visions and conversations with God and finally has a dream where God appears as a smoking torch and commands him to inscribe in blood the sign of the Covenant on his body. The thought of an old man circumcising himself - without anesthetic or surgical instruments - is frightening; but such was Abraham's belief that in doing so, God's promise about many descendants would come to pass.

The custom of circumcision, then, originated with this Covenant - this plea bargain with God that Abraham made in order to father children.

In pity at her husband's despair, and what he had done to himself, Sarah offers her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abraham for sex - in the hope that a child would ensue. In c.1800 BC, when Abraham was about 60, a son, Ishmael, was born to Abraham and Hagar at Hebron.

Four years later, c.1796 BC, Sarah herself gave birth to the second son of Abraham, Isaac. The Bible states Sarah's age - like Abraham's - as quite ancient; but common sense dictates that in 1796 BC she was at most 50 and Abraham about 64.

Abraham was then 'commanded by God' to take his favorite son to Mt Moriah for sacrifice. Actually, the practice of sacrificing children was common at the time and what Abraham was doing was following a pagan custom.

The Moslems say that Abraham took Ishmael, but the Jews insist it was Isaac, but whichever boy it was, the sacrifice was stayed by God. The Bible claims that God was testing Abraham's faith, but common sense dictates that the poor old man couldn't bear to part with a son he had waited so long for.

Actually, it is more likely that Abraham chose his firstborn, Ishmael, for the aborted sacrifice because shortly afterwards a jealous Sarah had Hagar and Ishmael banished.

Ishmael and his slave mother, Hagar, settled in Mecca where Abraham often visited to see his firstborn son. Hagar believed that Ishmael would sire a great nation through 12 sons - the 12 Arab tribes; but the Jews believe that the Covenant only flowed through Isaac and Sarah's lineage.

The Moslems claim that Ishmael was circumcised - took the blood Covenant - and therefore disenfranchised the Jews. Furthermore, the Moslems claim that God chooses his people on commitment and surrender - not lineage - and that by worshipping the golden calf in the Exodus from Egypt, the Jews proved themselves unworthy of being the Chosen People.

Mohammed, born 570 AD, the founder of Islam (670 AD), claims to have descended from Ishmael; and Judah, born c.1740 BC, the founder of Judaism (c. 1700 BC), claims to have descended from Isaac through Jacob. Jacob, who changed his name to Israel, was the founder of the nation of Israel and was Isaac and Rebecca's second son. With his two wives and two concubines Jacob fathered 12 sons who, in turn, fathered the 12 tribes of Israel.

In that part of the world in ancient times - and in some parts, even today - it was the custom for rich men to have many wives and even more concubines and scores if not hundreds of children. Furthermore, in that these were wandering tribes - traveling all over the Middle Eastern lands - their wives and concubines were from all lands, and their children were thus of mixed race.

Joseph, for instance, was the son of Jacob's 2nd wife, Rachel, and because he was Jacob's favorite he was sold to slave traders by the 6 jealous sons of the 1st wife, Leah, and ended up in Egypt where he gained fame as a dream-reader and became the Pharaoh's 2nd in command. When famine hit Israel, the 6 jealous half-brothers begged for help from Joseph, and he magnanimously forgave them and allowed the Israelites safe passage to Egypt.

When Seti became King of Egypt in 1304 BC - 43 years after Tutankhamen, 73 years after Akhenaton - he feared the Israelites were outnumbering the Egyptians and ordered all newborn male Israelites to be thrown into the Nile. One child, Moses, was saved and raised by the Pharaoh's daughter, but when Moses grows up and kills an Egyptian for mistreating the Israelites, he flees Egypt but returns when God tells him to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. The Pharaoh, Seti's son Rameses II (1290BC - 1224 BC), refuses to free the Israelites, God sends 10 plagues, including the death of every first born Egyptian, including the Pharaoh's, and finally he lets them go, showering them with golden gifts, but changes his mind, goes after Moses, and God saves the Israelites by 'parting' the Red Sea for them to pass through safely.

In that the ancient Israelites spent time in Egypt and lands now known as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia - and freely intermarried or bred with the local people - the likelihood of everyone in the Middle East being closely related to the Jews is significantly higher than it is elsewhere.

The Moslems and the Jews are indeed not only of the same race but also of the same ancestral families, and as such there is as much bad blood between them now as there was between the families of the Patriarchs.