# Does Islam Deny the Existence of the Jewish Temple? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422 "2015-06-25T04:22:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/21 "2015-06-25T21:36:53Z")
Thank you, everyone and all, for helping me understand. I suspected my source was exaggerating, and that seems confirmed. But I’d never heard of the controversy, which appears now to be recent, small, and contrived. Extremists: why can’t we just kill them horribly with torture and their families too… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/22 "2015-06-26T16:13:53Z")
Given that a number of Muslims deny the Holocaust that happened 70 years ago, it not surprising that some could deny the existence of a temple that was destroyed almost two thousand years ago, and so this should probably be viewed the same way. That is that there indeed may be a number of rabidly anti-Semitic Muslims who claim this, as a general attack against all things Jewish, but that its not a mainstream or traditional view. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/23 "2015-06-26T17:43:53Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Given that a number of Muslims deny the Holocaust that happened 70 years ago, it not surprising that some could deny the existence of a temple that was destroyed almost two thousand years ago, and so this should probably be viewed the same way. That is that there indeed may be a number of rabidly anti-Semitic Muslims who claim this, as a general attack against all things Jewish, but that its not a mainstream or traditional view. I honestly don’t think it’s really an issue of Jew hatred - at least, not for the locals. More a contest over modern-day nationalisms in the ME. Essentially, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque are both built on the location of the Second Temple (most of which had, earlier, been leveled by the Romans). Denying that there ever was a Temple on the site is a way of asserting primacy in time, which (though the magic of nationalism 😉 ) translates into primacy of rights to the place. Now, the situation is complicated by the fact that the Israelis already grant the Muslim organization that runs these two mosques primacy of rights to the place. There is a lunatic fringe of Jews within Israel that wants to blow them up and build a “Third Temple” on the spot, but it has no traction with the Israeli authorities. Nor is there any religious basis for such an action. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/24 "2015-06-26T17:49:32Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > …(In roughly the same vein, is it true there are some Hindus who deny the Apollo Moon-Landings took place, because the Moon is a holy and pristine place where the hand of man has never set foot? 😉 Is the view widespread, or really rare and obscure?) I know a lot of Hindus (including my entire family) and I’ve never heard of this. That said, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if some sect somewhere does deny it. I can’t seem to figure out how it would violate anything with respect to Hinduism anyway. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/25 "2015-06-26T18:17:09Z")
It would be nice to excavate at the location of the temple. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/26 "2015-06-26T18:32:57Z")
Why don’t they just build a new temple somewhere else? God’s everywhere, after all, and the new temple could have air conditioning. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/27 "2015-06-26T19:00:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Why don’t they just build a new temple somewhere else? God’s everywhere, after all, and the new temple could have air conditioning. Herod built it where Solomon built his, and it got to be a habit. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/28 "2015-06-26T20:44:29Z")
Are there any Jesubites still around? They always seem to get shafted in these discussions. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/29 "2015-06-26T22:32:53Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > . . . There is a lunatic fringe of Jews within Israel that wants to blow them up and build a “Third Temple” on the spot, but it has no traction with the Israeli authorities. Nor is there any religious basis for such an action. I remember reading a web site by such a group of loonies. They’re assembling the Temple implements, weaving the altar cloth, selecting the jewels for the breastplate, and so on. I believe they have carved the new cornerstone for the temple. There was also some recent fervor over a perfectly pure red calf with not a single white hair. Vaguely interesting, although not particularly alarming because of their very small numbers. Still, worth watching with some care. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I know a lot of Hindus (including my entire family) and I’ve never heard of this. That said, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if some sect somewhere does deny it. I can’t seem to figure out how it would violate anything with respect to Hinduism anyway. I wish I could remember where I read it. I think it might have been on the Bad Astronomer website, in the context of the Apollo-Hoax idea. [I did find this with a quick Googling…](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories): > [@](#): > > There are subcultures worldwide which advocate the belief that the Moon landings were faked. By 1977 the Hare Krishna magazine Back to Godhead called the landings a hoax, claiming that, since the Sun is 93,000,000 miles away, and “according to Hindu mythology the Moon is 800,000 miles farther away than that”, the Moon would be nearly 94,000,000 miles away; to travel that span in 91 hours would require a speed of more than a million miles per hour, “a patently impossible feat even by the scientists’ calculations.” This isn’t the same argument I remember reading – and I know it’s problematic to talk about Hinduism and Krishna Consciousness in the same sentence – sort of like talking about Christianity and the Branch Davidians. The one I read argued that the Moon was pristine, and could never be contaminated by human footsteps. (I’m also reasonably comfortable that modern Hindus don’t claim that the Moon is farther away than the Sun.) Apologies for my confusion and imprecision. “Something I read somewhere once” is a pretty poor excuse for a cite! (And I love your login name!) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/30 "2015-06-26T23:08:48Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Why don’t they just build a new temple somewhere else? God’s everywhere, after all, and the new temple could have air conditioning. Traditionally, in Jewish law, the Temple Mount is the only place the Temple can be built. There were Temples built elsewhere. According to a fairly dubious story in Josephus, the Samaritans built one at Mt. Gerizim, and Jewish Temples were built in Elephantine, and then, after that one was destroyed, at Leontopolis, but those weren’t considered “real” by the majority of Jews. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/31 "2015-06-26T23:20:58Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Are there any Jesubites still around? They always seem to get shafted in these discussions. I don’t know, but Melchizedek would be a killer user name. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/32 "2015-06-27T02:12:12Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > The “Herodian” stones are easily differentiated from the others because they are massively huge… How were they moved into place, using geysers? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/33 "2015-06-27T02:18:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Good point. Gaza, Saudi Arabia, etc. are just like the United States. Not clever. What I was alluding to is that politics is full-on connected with religion in the Middle East and in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/34 "2015-06-27T02:42:51Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > How were they moved into place, using geysers? I should imagine something involving slave labor. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/35 "2015-06-27T07:52:55Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Not clever. What I was alluding to is that politics is full-on connected with religion in the Middle East and in the United States. Huh? You’ve heard of the First Ammendment,right? In Saudi Arabia , Gaza, Iran, Isis, Egypt\* …they fucking arrest, whip , or murder you for being a non-believer In America, a few politicians quote the Bible once in a while, and even vote(say, on abortion) according to their consciences which are affected by their religious background. Then they submit to the majority rule. But , yeah, politics is full-on connected with religion, it’s all the same. * * * \*( after electing the Mustlim Brotherhood) ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/36 "2015-06-27T08:35:38Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Huh? > You’ve heard of the First Ammendment,right? Monty did not write about the rights or the free speech, only inter connection. This is a mountain sized straw man. but americans like to be special and think there are no comparisons to them > [@](#): > > In Saudi Arabia , Gaza, Iran, Isis, Egypt\* …they fucking arrest, whip , or murder you for being a non-believer > > ## … > > \*( after electing the Mustlim Brotherhood) The Brotherhood, which the elected government was deposed in a coup, applied no laws that the false secucarlism of the Mubarek government did not impose. If you are ignorant, try not to write. it is not of course not a punishment under this law to whip, but the ad hoc melange has its rhetorical purposes it is supposed ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/37 "2015-06-27T10:17:51Z")
Thanks, **Ramira**. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/38 "2015-06-27T10:49:27Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > But , yeah, politics is full-on connected with religion, it’s all the same. By the way, I never said “It’s all the same”. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/39 "2015-06-28T19:44:13Z")
I don’t want to hijack the thread, but does contemporary Judaism see a need for a temple? Since actual sacrifices ceased long ago, it would seem that the Almighty is content with prayer and good works instead. So under what circumstances would a rebuilt temple be considered? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422/40 "2015-06-28T19:52:46Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I don’t want to hijack the thread, but does contemporary Judaism see a need for a temple? Since actual sacrifices ceased long ago, it would seem that the Almighty is content with prayer and good works instead. So under what circumstances would a rebuilt temple be considered? Sacrifices stopped because the Temple was destroyed. I believe some fellows want to rebuild it and offer sacrifices again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-islam-deny-the-existence-of-the-jewish-temple/723422.md?page=3)