A look at how different religions have been the persecutors as well as the persecuted in history.

 Persecuted by both Jews and Romans at the time of Jesus  Preachings went against the culture of the time ◦ Jews belief that Messiah was to come ◦ Romans did not recognize Jesus.

 Ruler Diocletian  Banned Christianity  Sent them to the Colosseum

 With the person sitting next to you DISCUSS:  What is a Colosseum?  Why were Christians being perseucted by Romans? (Hint I already talked about it...hopefully you were paying attention!)

 A large amplitheather used by Romans to kill Christians  Lions  Other beasts

 Interdenominational ◦ Henry VIII ◦ Protestant/ Catholics in Ireland North Korea and India Around the world.

 Interdenominational  DISCUSS with the person next to you:  Why would people of different religious denominations want to kill each other? Don’t they believe in the same God?

 Military sanctioned campaigns  Went out to forcibly convert people in the surrounding areas  Muslims, Jews, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians

 Began by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain  THINK. Take a few seconds and think about where you’ve heard those names before. Think back to elementary school.  I’ll get your answers in a minute or two.

 Set out to convert mainly Muslims in the surrounding areas in Spain  People accused of heresy

 WRITE down in your notebook what you think the definition of HERESY is.  Once you have it written down COMPARE your answer with the person next to you.  SHARE your answer with the class when I call on you.

 Heresy is...  Any belief or idea that goes against the established belief system.  Example: In the eyes of Catholics, Buddhists would be committing heresy because they do not believe in God.

 At Mecca by the Pagan Arabs  By Christians during... Name two examples that we’ve already covered where Christians persecuted Muslims

 Shia and Sunni conflicts ◦ 1513 the Ottomans ordered the massacre of about 40,000 Shia Muslims.  U. S Invasion of Iraq  Bombings and terrorist activity between Shia and Sunni

 In America?  9/11 mosque near Ground Zero; yes or no?  Discuss with the person next to you and come up with some examples of Muslim persecution.  Discuss also your opinions on the mosque.

 800 to 1700 AD  Regarded Hindus as “infidels”  Slaughtered millions  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand (2001) ◦ Buddhists have been arrested, jailed and beaten.

 Pakistan – Christians are said to commit “heresy” (remember that word?) against the Qur’an.  Punishable by death  Turkish Muslims created a genocide of Greek Christians in 2006  Church looted and burned in Algeria ◦ January 2010

 Middle Ages Anti – Semititsm (anti – Jewish feelings) Christians held the Jews responsible for killing Jesus  Victims of the Crusades Massacred by the thousands DISCUSS with your partner what the Crusades were (we covered this already so I hope you were paying attention!)

 The Holocaust  Hitler killed more than 6 million Jews  Sent them to concentration camps ◦ Forced labor ◦ Very little food ◦ Gas chambers ◦ Separation of families

 Israeli – Palestine conflict ◦ Borders ◦ Water rights ◦ Control over Jerusalem Both religions have sites in Jerusalem that are sacred to their religions Can anyone name them?

 The Dome of the Rock ◦ Muslim  The Wailing Wall Judaism

 Remember everyone makes mistakes  Remember that everyone has felt left out at one point or another.  Our job is to treat everyone with respect and tolerance!