“I love you when you bow in your mosque, you kneel in your temple, you pray in your church. For you and I are children of one religion, and that is the spirit” – Khalil Gibran (Think Exist). Islam and Catholicism are just two of the many religions that populate the world. While the two are similar in some aspects, it is the differences that clearly set them apart. “Muslim extremists” are a stereotype that clearly distinguishes the two religions; you rarely hear anyone define a Catholic as an “extremist”. Since the founding of these religions, tensions have increased between them regarding their “ownership” or “rights to” what was once the “Holy Land.” “Holy wars”, or “Jihad” according to Muslims, were fought to determine who should control these lands. Since both groups originated in this “Holy Land”, they continue to fight for their “homeland” or “birthplace” of their religion. Instead of simply agreeing or resolving the feud, the groups decide to fight continuously. When the World Trade Center towers were unexpectedly terrorized on September 11, 2001, tensions grew exponentially. The relationship between these religions will continue to be one of hostility until they are able to find an agreement to resolve their mutual disputes. Islam was founded in 622 AD in the Arabian Peninsula following the death of Muhammad (Stopke). Beliefs of the Islamic religion include: the oneness of God, belief in (the book, prophets, angels, Judgment Day, reward and punishment in the afterlife), and that God is omniscient (Stopke). The original language of Islam was Arabic, and it is still an important part of the religion today. There are approximately 1.3 billion believers in the religion of Islam worldwide. Islam believes in the Quran, the literal Word of God, has... middle of paper... religion, Catholics are rarely classified as “radicals” or “extremists”. These religions will continue to breed mutual hatred if they do not resolve disputes over the “Holy Land” and live peacefully according to their sacred texts. Stereotypes associated with these religions are based on the actions and words of followers.Works CitedReligionFacts. Comparison Chart: Christianity and Islam. 2004-2010. August 31, 2011. .Stopke, Steven. Lecture on Islam Alex Lohmann. October 12, 2010. The Roman Catholic Church and Islam. 31 August 2011. .Thinking Exists. ThinkExist.com Quotes. 1999-2011. Web page. August 31st 2011. .