Talking about world religions in class is always interesting to see what began where and for which reasons. I thought it would be interesting to talk a little bit about the Islamic religion, but mostly to focus on Mecca, a very important city for this religion. The supposed founder of this religion was Muhammad, who drifted between tribes a small child and eventually grew to be one of the most influential religious leaders in human history. After leading several revolts, with both wins and losses under their belt, Muhammad and his people finally defeated the opposition and continued to take control of much of the byzantine and Middle Eastern lands.
The history of Mecca dates back to the times of Abraham, also known to the Christianity, Abraham was an important man to Islamic religion and also founded the city. Henceforth, when the city was not in Muhammad’s control, and in control of the Islamic peoples, there came to be an issue. Mecca had fallen to monotheism, and worshipped so called “false gods” in the Kaaba. When Muhammad conquered the city, two interesting things occurred. The first, being that he and his men did little to the then current inhabitants, in other words, they did not kill them. The second being simply, he went straight to the Kaaba and destroyed any inclination of a false god, claiming there was only, claiming the city in his name.
Today, Mecca is the holiest meeting location for the Islamic religion. Individuals who follow this religion will bow down and pray towards the city on a daily basis. It has grown immensely, and become semi modernized. While non Islamic individuals are not allowed in, the diverse numbers of the religion itself, allows for a diverse city.
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