The three so-called Abrahamic religions of the Middle East - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - share a common historical root. These three religions are monotheistic;
their "fundamental message is founded on the oneness of God" (http://www.amss.net/Abstract_32ndConference/AtaulHuqPramanik6.htm).
Each one of these religious creeds was founded by a charismatic leader with purportedly supernatural powers: Moses (Judaism); Jesus (Christianity); and Mohammed (Islam).
Their sacred texts, consisting of the Old Testament (Torah), New Testament, and Quran, respectively, are all historically connected.
They also have their differences. Judaism is not a universal religion, but applies only to people ethnically defined as Jews, although people do convert. Christianity and Islam conceive themselves as universal in the sense that believers feel their doctrine should be spread to all humanity, and each of these two religions encourages the aggressive proselytising to and conversion of unbelievers.
These religions all claim to share high-sounding moral pronouncements, such as encouraging love and peaceful means of conflict resolution, while in point of historical fact many of their adherents have been guilty of massive bloodletting and provocation of religious hatred by a fundamentalist intolerance of other beliefs. Of the three religions Islam is most progressive in its recognition of the intrinsic value of
the monotheistic beliefs of Jews and Christians. However, both Judaism and Christianity are not as tolerant in deviation from their orthodox faith to return the favor to Muslims.
The idea that comparing the historical (or mythical) figures of Jesus and Mohammed is somehow inappropriate, and that the real distinctions between the religions are not between these two culture heroes, but between Jesus and the Quran, is absurd. An anthropological study of religion teaches us that they are far more similar in their st
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