Zionism, Judaism and The Islamic World | Yaakov Shapiro | Omar Ali

Who is Yaakov Shapiro?

Yaakov Shapiro, an ordained rabbi and non-conformist Lubavitcher chassid, offers a thorough, unapologetic, and uncensored presentation of everything relating to Jews, Judaism and Jewish law.

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What is Judaism?

Judaism encompasses the religion, philosophy, culture and way of life of the Jewish people. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, with the Torah as its foundational text (part of the larger text known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible), and supplemental oral tradition represented by later texts such as the Midrash and the Talmud. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship that God established with the Children of Israel. <br><br> Judaism includes a wide corpus of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. Within Judaism there are a variety of movements, most of which emerged from Rabbinic Judaism, which holds that God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah. <br><br> The Jews are an ethnoreligious group and include those born Jewish and converts to Judaism. In 2012, the world Jewish population was estimated at about 14 million, or roughly 0.2% of
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What is Zionism?

Zionism is a political movement that supports the self-determination and homeland for Jewish people in Israel. Zionists advocate for the existence and continuation of Israel, but is used by Israel's settler movement to justify expansion and occupation into internationally recognized Palestinian lands. <br><br> Christian Zionists and Muslim Zionists are those Christians and Muslims who support Israel in its objectives in the 'Greater Israel' project. <br><br> The 'Greater Israel' project is a frequently contentious, right-wing Zionist project linked to settlement expansion and greater land annexation concepts for a Jewish state. The project may include the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (including the West Bank and Gaza) to biblical, larger borders stretching from the River Nile to the Euphrates.

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What is Islam?

One of the major religions of the world, Islam literally translates to "submission," as a follower of Islam (Muslims) devotes their life to that of their God. The religion began with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. The theology of Islam is based on the Qur'an, which was given to Muhammad by God. Some of the major fundamental principles of Islam include the Five Pillars, which hope to unite all Muslims into a community. Two different factions of Muslims exist - the majority are known as Sunni, with a small percentage known as Shi'a - both predominantly reside throughout the Middle East.<br><br> <i class="fa fa-calendar"></i> Muhammad died in 632 AD and the religion of Islam formally started after his death. The Quran was formally compiled and finalised in 650 AD, prior to which it was 'memorised' and written across many parchments.

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