The Middle East is the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all monotheistic religions that grew from the same tradition. Each religion used the texts from earlier groups, and so they share many rules and beliefs. For example, Islam and Judaism observe the same dietary rules and have a similar focus on religion as a foundation for civil law. All three share a tradition of prophets, from Adam and Abraham to Solomon and Joseph. Jesus is significant for both Christianity and Islam, and Muslims in addition follow the teachings of Muhammad. “All of the ancient Middle Eastern people saw the agency of the gods in every aspect of life and nature. Everything on earth was regarded as a reflex of its prototype in the divine or sacred sphere, such as in the biblical description of the creation of man “in the image of God”; God was viewed as the primary reality of the universe, and human beings were seen as the reflection of that reality.” Throughout history the effect of religion on politics has been of major importance. From time to time politics under the influence of religion have been an influential factor. It can be argued that the Middle East is probably the sole geographic region that is situated on the axis of politics-religion-war. Religion in politics plays a crucial role in the current Middle East conflict. Islamic sharia* is taken into serious consideration by Islamic countries, when making political steps or creating new laws. Similarly, Jewish law known as halakha* is an important fact that encompasses most laws passed by Israel. Israel is seen as the place "that would guarantee the survival and future of the Jewish people." Religion plays a large part in daily life, not only through prayer and education, but also in regulating the end of the work week. Shops in different neighborhoods close down on Fridays for the Muslim holy day, Saturdays for the Jewish Sabbath, and Sundays for the Christian day of rest. Religious festivals and remembrances, like Id al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking, celebrated at the end of Ramadan), or the Jewish Passover holiday, or Easter Sunday as determined by the Roman or Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, are all recognized as national holidays in different countries. Religion plays a role in national and international politics as well. Turkey has a Muslim majority, but is officially a secular nation. Other countries in the region identify themselves with a specific religion, mostly Islam. Lebanon's constitution attempted to provide for power sharing among 18 officially recognized religions, including Maronite, Orthodox Christians, Sunni, Shi’i, Muslims, and Druze*. But because the populations of the various groups grew at different rates, this system eventually became less representative of the nation as a whole and civil war broke out. *Sharia is the religious legal system governing the members of the Islamic faith. * Halakha is the Jewish law and jurisprudence, based on the Talmud. *Druze is a member of a political and religious sect of Islamic origin, living chiefly in Lebanon and Syria. 1.) McDowell and Stewart, 2007 2.) American Heritage, 2014 3.) Britannica, Middle Eastern World Views and Basic Religious Thought 4.) Schatzmiller 2005: 14. 5.) Balandier