Analysis of Jerusalem Video by Peter Jennings - Movie Review Example

Jerusalem A. In the narration of the 4000-year history of Jerusalem, the video actually gives its teeming audience a very accurate historical feedback on the significance of Jerusalem to the Christians, Muslims and the Jews. The video explains the significance of Jerusalem to Christianity as it traces the exploits of Jesus Christ (central figure in Christianity) in this great city, thus justifying the claim of Christians to the city. Jennings also retraces the history of the Western Wall and its relevance to the people of the Judaic faith. According to Jennings, the Jews believe that the Western Wall is the holiest site on Earth and they hold the city of Jerusalem dear to their heart and would do anything to protect the city against invaders. The video also explains the relevance of Jerusalem to the Muslims with historical evidence on the exploits of Muhammad (the central figure in Islam) in the city as he was believed to have ascended to heaven from the Dome of the Rock. Thus, it could be argued that the video provided a balanced view on all three Abrahamic faiths (Jennings). Jennings presented the three principal perspectives of Jerusalem. He critically analyzed the perspectives of the Jews, Christians and Muslims on the significance of Jerusalem. Peter Jennings takes his time out to get the different views about the story of Abraham, who the Muslims and the Jews take as their ancestor. The opinion of the Christians about Abraham was also sought by Jennings as the Christians believe that he was a man of faith. Jennings interviewed a Jewish couple, Muslim family and a Catholic priest to hear what they had to say about the significance of Jerusalem to their individual religions. Jennings learnt the actual Way of the Cross (pictures that represent the passage of Jesus Christ to Calvary) from the Catholic priest; he also learnt of the roots of the Muslims that spanned eight centuries. The Jewish couple helped Jennings to excavate a primordial Jewish home under their home in order to establish some truth about the history of their religion. The video shows that Christians all over the world come to Jerusalem for pilgrimage yearly, while Muslims also visit the Temple Mount to honor God and remember the deeds of the ‘holy prophet’ Muhammad in the city. B. Religion plays a very important role in the Middle East. Countries relate with themselves based on their religious affiliations. Islam is the predominant religion of the people in the Middle East. In these Islamic countries, one must be a Muslim in order to hold a political post. The permission to practice other religions is not allowed in these Islamic countries and this lends credence to the fact that religion plays an important role in the politics of the Middle East. It is due to the difference in religion that exists between Israel and most Arab countries that has actually severed the relationship between the Jews and the Arabs. Israelis do not have any significant economic or political relationship with most Arab countries in the Middle East due to the difference in religion that exist between Israel on one side and the Arab countries on the other. The fact that most countries in the Middle East are majorly Muslims means that the politics of the region is centered on the laws of Islam and the teachings of the holy prophet, Muhammad. C. The ABC media has really helped viewers to understand the intricacies involved in the Palestinian Israeli conflict. They made viewers understand the fact that the Palestinian Israeli conflict is not only a battle between two different nations, but an extension of the Arab-Israeli conflict that has been ongoing for some years now. Through different programs on the Middle East, the ABC media have made viewers to understand that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a battle to control the holy land of Jerusalem. The Muslims consider Jerusalem as the holiest land after Mecca and Medina. The Christians also consider Jerusalem as their holiest land as they believe that the city is highly significant to their savior, Jesus and Christianity faith. The Christians believe that God had promised to grant them the control of Jerusalem and prevent any invader from taking the city from them and this is the reason they guard this land zealously. Judaism, which is the religion of the Jews recognize Jerusalem as a very important place of worship. The ABC media tried to explain the significance of Jerusalem to these three religions and traced the Palestinian Israeli conflict to the fact that these religions all have interest in the city. The ABC media has also helped clear the air on the cause of the Palestinian Israeli conflict and have stated categorically that these conflicts were borne out of the struggle of these religions to control the city. The ABC media hired a round-the-clock religious reporter in the person of Peter Jennings and he has tried to show that the Palestinian- Israeli conflict is based on the difference in religion and culture that exists between the people of these countries. It is in the bid of the three major religions (Judaism, Islam & Christianity) to control the Jerusalem that has triggered tensions in the region and ultimately led to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. These are the issues that the ABC media show its numerous viewers. Over the years, the battle between Israel and Palestine has been about attacks and counter-attacks between the forcesof these two nations as the ABC media have tried to show scenarios where the Israelis attack a mosque and the Palestinians in retaliation would launch a reprisal attack on the Israeli territory. The situation around the Gaza strip is one of the major scenes that the ABC media have shown its esteemed viewers with keen interest. The ABC media have different programs that have been devoted to explain the events that led to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Through the step taken by the ABC media to establish the truth on the causes of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, viewers now have a clearer picture of the real cause of the conflict that has been an important subject of discourse in the Middle East and the world at large. The Jerusalem stories that was reported by Peter Jennings in the early nineties is one the programs that the ABC media have organized to make its viewers understand the truth behind the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. D. Personally, I do not think that the video presented a biased outlook against any group. But, the fact remains that certain groups involved in the video would feel that Jennings was sentimental in his presentation of facts in Jerusalem. Through this video, Jennings tried to show the persecution of Jews at the hands of the Arabs of the Middle East. Jennings’ claim is actually true as he just wanted to show things the way they really are. Jennings explained that the Arabs have tried to wipe off the Jews and the Christians from the Middle East region. The fact that one wants to present an unbiased approach to the events that took place in the Middle East, especially the severed relationship between the Arabs and the Jews does not mean one should shy away from the truth. The fact remains that the Jews were truly persecuted by the Arabs and Jennings’ assertion does not necessarily mean that he was sentimental against the Arabs in his approach. Another point that is worthy of note is in Jennings’ attempt to show the policies of the Israeli government towards the Muslims, Christians and the people practicing Judaism. Jennings also explained in the video that the Israeli government permitted the freedom of worship in the country as the government allowed the Muslims, Christians and the people of the Judaic faith to continue using the holy land of Jerusalem as their place of worship. The Muslims could also see this as an attempt by Jennings to prejudice their religion and explain the tolerance of the Israelis (most especially the Jews and the Christians) and the intolerance of the Arabs to the Jews. Again, Jennings presented the story just as it is and never made any attempt to be biased against the Muslims (Jennings). The impartiality in the judgment of Peter Jennings could also be seen in his attempt to show the threat that the Palestinian Arabs face at the hands of the Jews. On the other hand, the Muslims have over the years shown their intolerance to the Jews and Christians as they have accused them of coming in their way of worshipping their one and only true God. If there is one thing that the Israeli government did right, it was in the fact that they allowed the Jews, Christians and the Muslims to have access to their respective holy sites in Jerusalem. These are the points that Jennings tried to make clear in the video. Perhaps, the Israeli government could have tried to get back at the Arabs (who are mostly Muslims) by refusing them entrant into their holy sites of Jerusalem, but the government was wise enough to allow their worship at the sites to continue. Jennings perceived this move by the Israeli government as an attempt to reconcile the Jews and the Arabs (Jennings). The people practicing Judaism have also accused Jennings of justifying the Muslims claim to the mosques at the site of the Temple Mount as they claim that the site was originally their place of worship before the Muslims conquered them and erected their mosques on top of the Mount, due to the fact that it was the holy site of Judaism. Jennings’ ignorance of these events should not be taken as an attempt to present a biased outlook against the Jews and their faith. Jennings did not care about what people felt about his findings and this is the true hallmark of a good journalist. The fact that Jennings also accused the Jews of being unreasonable in their dispute with the Arabs have also clearly shown that he was not in any way biased in his presentation. Though one could easily argue that Jennings leaned towards the side of Christians as he blamed the decline of Christianity on the nation of Israel, but the fact remains that Jennings was just trying to state the fact. E I highly recommend this video to anybody that wants to know the cause of the Palestinian Israeli conflict as it unravels some mysteries behind this long dispute. The video is one that would endear the heart of any viewer to it. It presents an unbiased outlook to an event that has taken central stage in the Middle East and continues to remain an important matter of concern to leaders of the world. The video also helps viewers to understand the history of the Jews and Arabs as it reminds them of the long lineage of Jews and the Arabs. The video also helps viewers to understand some inconspicuous politics that take place in the region of the Middle East. In view of this, it could then be argued that the video would help students of politics to understand the political events that take place in the Middle East region. These are the reasons that I highly recommend this video to anybody. Work Cited Jennings, Peter. Jerusalem. Perf. Jews, Muslims & Arabs. 1996. Read More