Courses at FIU
During my time as a student at Florida International University (FIU) I gained an understanding of the global world through the various courses I engaged in.
EVR 1001 Introduction to Environmental Science
GEO 3001 Geography of Global Change
CPO 4057 Political Violence and Revolution
REL 3008 Studies in World Religions
INR 4057 International Protection of Human Rights
REL 3008: Studies in World Religions
Arab-Israeli Conflict: Along Lasting War
Throughout my studies, I’ve had the great fortune to work on some truly inspiring research papers. In particular, I enjoyed learning about the historical foundation of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Introduction
The Arab-Israeli conflict that exists between the Israelis and the Palestinian-Arabs of the Middle East is not only a religious but a political and territorial dispute between two unlikely hostile nations that has lasted long enough. Both nations throughout these years have endured great pain as a result of all the oppression, destruction, and loss of innocent human lives they have seen. However, instead of deciding to agree to finally end this gruesome conflict both the Israelis and Palestinian have decided to prolong this devastating controversy. Consequently, it is time that both nations recognize all of the atrocious acts they have committed against each other throughout the years before they damage all possibility and hope of being able to flourish once again as powerful, independent, and united countries loved by all of their citizens. Therefore in this essay, I will examine Israel’s negotiation demands, proposed solutions, and compromises they are willing to take to finalize a peace treaty between Palestine.
Israel’s Demand/Position
The Israelis moved to the country of Palestine in the early 19th century looking for a place where they could peacefully live among other citizens without the constant fear of being discriminated. The Jews for many years had wanted to live in a place where they live and worship in peace. Furthermore, they were religiously attached to the Holy Land of Jerusalem since 1207 B.C.E. According to Jewish ancient traditional beliefs, the Temple of Mount is sacred site because it was here where ‘’god gathered the dust to create Adam and where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to prove his faith’’(Hammer). It was at this same mountaintop where King Solomon built the first Temple of Solomon to safeguard the Ark of the Covenant. The Israelis have argued that Israel was given by God to their patriarch Abraham for his descendant to live in harmony and peace. Besides, the Israelis want to maintain their attachment to the holy site of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Likewise, they would also want Jerusalem to continue being the capital of their state.
After occupying the territory of Palestine as a result of the 1948 UN Partition Plan, the Israelis have since claimed that they have full control over this territory because they have already established their nation. It is here in Israel where Jews throughout the years have been able to build their homes and raise their families. Besides Israel has been able to assert itself as an independent haven for Jews apart from all the hostilities and turmoil they have suffered. For that reason, Israel wants to protect and defend its Jewish citizens from any rebellious and antagonistic insurgent groups in the area like Hamas. Hamas is a religiously radical Palestinian force that has express is hatred towards Israel by initiating violent riots and protest resulting in the death of many people and the destruction of many villages and towns.
On the other hand, Israel has continuously continued to commit crimes of violence against the Palestinian to ensure that it is seen as a powerful, sovereign nation that cannot be defeated. Considering that Israel’s borders are not clearly defined and recognized by many other states in the surrounding area. Nonetheless, Israel has continued to subjugate Palestinian citizens by depriving them of their natural right by placing them in horrifying refugee camps. All in all, Israel maintains that it will not authorize Palestinians right of return to their land.
The investigation I carried out to gain a better understanding of this conflict revealed that in the past many individuals have taken on the challenge to understand each side’s position to propose and finalize an agreement that will ultimately end the dispute but has been unsuccessful. In the past, both Israel and Palestine have been unwilling to listen and compromise with some of the demands it holds
Peace Treaty
Correspondingly as part of our assignment, we created a peace treaty that ultimately tries to seize all conflict between the Jewish state of Israel and the Palestine-Arabs of the Middle East. Therefore, to finalize the plans for the Jerusalem Peace Treaty Conference, representatives from each of the sub-teams meet at the FIU Library to discuss the different types of ways in which this dispute could be resolved.
The Jerusalem Peace Treaty proclaims that two separate countries will be created. These two nations are Israel controlled by the Jews and Palestine control by the Arabs. They will both acquire status as an internationally sovereign state which can cooperate and allied with the other countries of the world. The state of Palestine will have control over the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and will be able to impose all rules that it seems fitting and appropriate to protect its citizens.
West Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel, and East Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine. To ensure that both Jews and Arabs will have access to their holy shrines to continue with their faith by worshiping their Gods and prophets. Thus, to ensure that no disagreements arise and that peace is maintained in this Holy Land of Jerusalem the international community will continuously monitor the area.
The Palestinian refugees would be given a chance to choose whether or not they want to return to Israel the area where their ancestors lived. Furthermore, since other individuals are already occupying these lands, we proposed that those who chose to come back should live among the other citizens in peace. They could also choose to live in the newly created country of Palestine or the surrounding other countries. Israel promises to financially compensate Palestinian refugees to help them rebuild their lives to find a decent home where to live and raise their children. Israel also agrees to economically help Palestine construct its new government, education, and housing system.
Furthermore, both Israelis and Palestinian individuals will be given dual citizenship.They can now freely choose to decide where to live in peace without fear of persecution and discrimination. Consequently, if some Jews decide to live in Palestine, then the Palestinian government will make sure that these individuals and their children are peacefully integrated into the Palestinian education system and vice versa.
Both Israeli and Palestinian schools in their history classes will truthfully explain the evolution of this conflict from its ancient to modern history to help younger generations understand how this leads to a great divide between these two groups. Thus, without presenting any bias information kids will be able to make up their minds and furthered internalized that it was necessary for the violence to end.
Conclusion
The Arab-Israeli conflict has been going on for many years now because both the Israelis and Palestinians have made religious, historical, and political claims claiming that they have the right to control this Holy Land of Jerusalem. Therefore, Jerusalem Peace Treaty was created to seize atrocious acts of violence committed against both the Jewish state of Israel and the Palestinian-Arabs.
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INR 4013 Development of International Relations Thought
One of the most captivating classes I took at FIU was with Dr. Iqbal Akhtar. This course combined in class lecture with site visits to religious locations.
Site Visit Reflection: Shiva-Vishnu Temple
The group excursion to the Shiva-Vishnu Temple was an incredible experience. This was my first time in a Shiva-Vishnu Temple, especially not knowing that one existed in South Florida, let alone near me. Before taking this course, I was oblivious to all of the religions that existed in the world. After, having been raised here in the Western World, I had only been exposed to Christianity and its various denominations.
Before entering the temple, I was instructed to remove my shoes and to place them in the designated area on the sides of the temple. Then our guides the two professors from Berkley began to explain to us that Hinduism is the world's oldest and biggest religion. A Hindu temple is a symbolism of the sacred beliefs that rooted in Hinduism's sacred texts. There are three principal gods in the religion Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Brahma is the creator of the universe and Shiva is the destroyer, and Vishnu is the preserver.
In India devotees mainly worship Shiva and Vishnu. The temple we visited worships both Shiva and Vishnu. When both priests greeted us, we observed how they each performed a ritual to worship their respective god. As part of the ceremonies, we were given a special drink with sage and fruit. Afterward, we were allowed to observe the other beautifully decorated deities that were present at the temple such as Ganesha, Parvati, and Lakshmi. Ganesha is an elephant looking god for creating success, knowledge and wealth. Parvati is Shiva’s wife and the force that keeps the universe together. Lakshmi is known as the goddess of beauty, and prosperity and Vishnu’s wife.
Before leaving the temple, we learned that every day of the week is named after a different god. The temple its build in that particular manner to depict the various elements of nature, showcase the culture, and stories from the sacred Hindu text. It is essential to maintain the tradition of decorating the gods and performing the rituals to keep the religion alive and help people with their spiritual journey.
In summary, this experience opened my eyes to a new religion, culture, and way of living life. I genuinely appreciate that I was able to bond with these religious leaders and in the process learn about their history and belief system.
Site Visit Reflection: Mosque
Our visit to the Mosque was an exciting experience. This was the first time I step foot at a Mosque, bonded with members of the Muslim community, and learned about their belief system. This experience opened my eyes to the history, rituals, and culture of the Muslim community in our area. It is incredible to see the diversity that we have in our society and understand that we must accept each other's way of living life.
The Muslim community we visited is part of a group known as the Ahmadiyya. The Ahmadiyya’s are devoted to spreading the teachings of Islam through the Quran and the Prophet Mohammed. The Muslim community does not agree that Islam should be used as a tool by extremist groups to instill fear into society. Consequently, Ahmadiyya Muslims try to remove the misconceptions and fears everyone has about their religion, and eliminate the increasing Islamophobia in our nation.
Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion that embraces other individuals. Muslims are taught to be kind to others because God created everyone in an equal manner. Discrimination against other religious sects is unacceptable. However, the world we are currently living is full of people who are aggressive, unaccepting, and hateful throughout the different religious denominations. It is difficult for people with different ethnic, religious, and cultural background to come together and rejoice in their diversity.
During our visit, the men and women were separated into different rooms. According to the religious figures, this occurs to protect the integrity of the women and allows them to feel more comfortable when worshipping. I disagree that men and women should have their own worshipping spaces. However, every religion has its own set of rules, and we must accept them.
In summary, I truly appreciate, that instead of reading a book about the Islam we immerse ourselves in the community, had the opportunity to eat with these figures and observe them practice. I am happy I could take part in this transformative excursion, and see for myself the willingness these religious leaders have to expose us to their beliefs, norms, culture, and way of life.
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