Jerusalem is a city of religious illusion; it would be wise for humanity to let it be

Donald Trump made a mistake. It’s doesn’t work to impose capitals, boundaries and unilateral markers on nebulous places. Places without fixed histories. Jerusalem is a city of the imagination.

That is to say, people locate their dreams and religious illusions there. It could be Adam’s skull, which some say is buried there. It could be the spot where Ibrahim (Abraham) chose to sacrifice his son Ishmael (or Isaac, depending on the faith). Let it be.

Countless religious sects across the world – important and obscure – feel spiritually connected to Jerusalem. I know of one deep in Nyandarua County which believes its mysterious founder’s remains somehow found their resting place in an unknown grave in the Holy City, and that he will rise from there.

The sect considers the city its spiritual capital, though it can place no geographical pointer to lay it claims.

Others imperiously do. The Temple Mount, a mound of elevated acreage in the Old City, is the most contested real estate in the world.

WAILING WALL

It hosts the Wailing Wall, which Jews assert is the remnant of the Second Temple. Atop is the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque, where Muslims say Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven to meet God. Israel may be in political control of Jerusalem, but it can never touch this mosque. It is administered jealously by an Islamic committee run from Jordan.

Next is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Christians believe is the site of Christ’s Resurrection. It is controlled, equally jealously, by three denominations: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and the Roman Catholics (the Protestants have no permanent presence there).

The administrators squabble incessantly, Jerusalem-style. The wrong placing of a bench is enough to cause a mighty row.

All the celestial claims on Jerusalem by the monotheistic religions – Islam, Judaism and Christianity – are deeply interwoven in their faiths.

There’s no use trying to dissuade them. No power on earth can. Their sense of entitlement to the city is absolute. Irony of ironies, Jerusalem means the City of Peace. The name is a misnomer.

BRUTALITY

Throughout history – from the Babylonians to the Romans to the Crusaders to the Caliphates to the Ottomans – the city has been soaked in blood. Cities where piety is decidedly alien like Las Vegas or Hong Kong have shown a less inclination for brutality.

The Temple Mount might as well be knocked down and a raunchy nightclub built on the spot. Tel Aviv, the Vatican and the Muslim capitals would be so shocked that nobody at first would think of war. Or Trump could put up one of his casinos and host his Miss World mega-pageants there. The super-rich oil sheiks of the Persian Gulf would drop by to gamble and have a touch of flesh. We could for a moment forget there was a sacred Jerusalem.

Tough luck. There is a fringe cult on the internet that is convinced current events presage the End of Times foretold in the Book of Revelations.

PROPHESY

They see Trump’s dash for Jerusalem as the beginning of the fulfilment of prophecy, a sign that the Temple will sooner or later be rebuilt. Aha, and Pope Francis’s wish to amend the Lord’s Prayer is seen as an omen of a larger, devious design to rewrite the entire Holy Scripture. Lo! Here comes the Antichrist – the Beast 666!

Oh my, conspiracy theories will kill this world.

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I hold in much regard CNN business analyst Richard Quest’s acumen. Though I am persuaded to agree with central bankers that bitcoin’s dizzying price rise is but a huge bubble, Quest and a few others are giving the digital currency the benefit of the doubt. Could we be dealing with the currency of the future? Let’s wait and see. Still, beware. We are dealing with something with no precedent.

 Warigi is a socio-political commentator [email protected]