To what degree are religious differences the basis for conflict in the Middle East?
The idea that humans need religious tolerance in order to peacefully coexist is by no means new, but it has yet to be fully adopted. John Locke advocated strongly for religious freedom in the 17th century, and his legacy was continued by the founding fathers of the United States, particularly Thomas Jefferson. But in the Middle East, religion continues to serve as one of the primary reasons, or at the very least pretexts, for war. Violent interfaith and intrafaith clashes result in daily casualties to inhabitants of the region. But while many of these conflicts have much to do with religion, there are political and territorial aspects to them as well. Even though much violence in Israel is carried out in the name of a holy war, Israel's inhumaine treatment of people in the Gaza Strip is also a major source of conflict. And while Islamic extremism continues to devastate the world, it likely would not be so rampant had the West not gotten itself so involved in the Middle East. But in the end, most of these reasons are tightly connected to religion. As Israel was created specifically as a Jewish state, all conflict stemming from its establishment is inherently rooted in religion. And as many governments in the Middle East are strongly tied to religion, political and territorial disputes are often at least partially based in faith.
The United States wanted an ally in the Middle East, so it gave its near unconditional support to Israel. Then, the U.S. invaded Iraq and turned a blind eye to atrocities committed by Israel, deeply tarnishing its international reputation.
Percentage of population that is Roman Catholic
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