Out of Egypt (2009–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Eye for an Eye - full transcript

Cooney: HUMAN SACRIFICE...

MUTILATION...

TORTURE...

...AND WAR...

ALL IN THE NAME
OF ONE OR MANY GODS.

RELIGION AND BRUTALITY HAVE BEEN
LINKED THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

WHY DOES THE QUEST
FOR SPIRITUAL MEANING

SO OFTEN LEAD
TO SACRED VIOLENCE?

I'M KARA COONEY, AN EGYPTOLOGIST
ON A WORLDWIDE QUEST.

I LOOK AT HUMAN BEHAVIOR,

BOTH PAST AND PRESENT,



THROUGH THE LENS
OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

AND THE MORE I TRAVEL THE WORLD,
THE MORE SIMILARITIES I SEE.

EXPLORING WHY WE ARE WHO WE ARE

OFTEN LEADS ME OUT OF EGYPT.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

TEMPLES THROUGHOUT EGYPT
TELL US A LOT

ABOUT THE ANCIENT RELIGION.

AND ALTHOUGH THEY WERE BUILT
BY MANY RULERS

OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS
TO HONOR MANY DIFFERENT GODS,

THERE'S SOMETHING STRIKINGLY
SIMILAR ABOUT ALL OF THEM...

THEIR WALLS ARE COVERED
WITH TERRIFYING IMAGES...

...BRUTAL SCENES OF BLOODSHED,
SLAUGHTER, AND CRUELTY.

WHY WERE THESE VIOLENT IMAGES

CARVED ON PLACES
OF HOLY WORSHIP?



WHILE IT MAY SEEM UNCOMFORTABLE
TO OUR MODERN SENSIBILITIES,

FOR MOST OF HISTORY,

THERE'S BEEN A POTENT
AND TIMELESS CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE POWERS OF VIOLENCE
AND RELIGION.

AT THE CORE OF MOST RELIGIONS

ARE TEACHINGS OF GENEROSITY,
KINDNESS, AND PEACE.

BUT THERE'S ALSO A POWERFUL LINK

BETWEEN SPIRITUAL BELIEF
AND BRUTALITY.

WHY HAS HUMANKIND ALWAYS
CARRIED OUT VIOLENT ACTS

IN THE NAME OF THEIR GODS?

WAS IT TO MAINTAIN
POLITICAL POWER,

TO IMPOSE CERTAIN BELIEFS,

OR EVEN AN ATTEMPT
TO CONTROL NATURE ITSELF?

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN RELIGION AND VIOLENCE?

TO SEE HOW IMPORTANT
SACRED VIOLENCE WAS

TO ANCIENT EGYPTIANS,

WE NEED TO GO TO THE WEST BANK
OF THE NILE...

THE LAND OF THE SETTING SUN,
THE REALM OF THE DEAD.

THIS IS A PLACE
CALLED MEDINET HABU,

THE FUNERARY TEMPLE
OF RAMSES III,

DATING TO AROUND 1150 B.C.E.

RIGHT AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE,
THERE'S SHOCKING IMAGERY...

A HUGE DEPICTION OF THE KING

CRUSHING THE HEADS
OF HIS ENEMIES

WITH A MASSIVE STONE MACE.

THESE VIOLENT IMAGES,

CALLED SMITING MOTIFS
BY EGYPTOLOGISTS,

CLEARLY BROADCAST THE POWER
OF A RULER.

BUT FOR THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS,

THEIR MEANING
WAS FAR MORE PROFOUND.

THEY BELIEVED THAT INSCRIBING
SOMETHING ON A TEMPLE WALL

MAGICALLY MADE IT REAL.

TO THEM,
THESE IMAGES OF BRUTALITY

WERE OFFERINGS TO DEFEND
THE TEMPLE AND PROTECT THE GODS.

THE EGYPTIANS
WERE MAKING AN EXCHANGE.

THEY WERE TRADING THE LIVES
OF THEIR VICTIMS

FOR ORDER AND PROSPERITY.

THE FEARSOME SCENES ENSURED
THE SUN WOULD RISE EACH MORNING

AND THE NILE WOULD CONTINUE
TO FLOW.

HERE WE'RE LOOKING AT A SCENE
OF CARNAGE AFTER A BATTLE.

THE CARVINGS
SHOW A BLOODY PRACTICE

THAT THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY PERFORMED

ON THE BATTLEFIELD,
AND IT'S PRETTY GRUESOME.

THEY CUT OFF THE HANDS
OF THEIR ENEMIES,

AND THEY CUT OFF THE PHALLUSES
OF THEIR ENEMIES,

PUT THEM INTO PILES,
AND COUNTED THEM.

THEY DID THIS TO TALLY
THE NUMBER OF ENEMY DEAD,

BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT

THAT REMOVING THE ENEMY'S
SEXUAL POTENCY

WOULD DENY THEM AN EXISTENCE
IN THE AFTERLIFE.

AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A TEXT
THAT TELLS US RAMSES III,

AS CHIEF PRIEST
OF THIS TEMPLE SPACE,

IS ACCEPTING THIS OFFERING
OF BLOODY HANDS,

OF BLOODY PHALLUSES
OF ENEMY DEAD,

AND HE'S GIVING THAT
TO THE GODS OF EGYPT

TO MAKE SURE
THAT THIS ENTIRE SPACE,

THIS TEMPLE SPACE
AND ALL OF EGYPT,

IS SAFE, SECURE, AND ORDERLY.

EVEN THOUGH IMAGES OF BRUTALITY

CAN BE FOUND ON TEMPLE WALLS
ALL OVER EGYPT,

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST

THAT VIOLENT RITUALS
WERE ACTUALLY PERFORMED.

BUT THERE ARE PLACES
IN THE WORLD

WHERE EXACTLY
THE SAME CONNECTION

BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND RELIGION
PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE...

AND WHERE CLEAR EVIDENCE
DOES EXIST

OF BRUTAL RITUALS
BEING CARRIED OUT.

ON THE NORTH COAST OF PERU,

AN ANCIENT CULTURE
CALLED THE MOCHE

FLOURISHED
FROM YEARS 100 TO 800.

THE MOCHE CONSTRUCTED
AN IMPOSING RELIGIOUS COMPLEX

OF TEMPLES AND PYRAMIDS

THAT TODAY IS AN ARCHEOLOGICAL
SITE CALLED EL BRUJO.

I'M ON THE TOP
OF A MASSIVE PYRAMID

WHERE A RECENT DISCOVERY ECHOES
THE EGYPTIAN SMITING MOTIFS

IN A CHILLING WAY.

ON THIS DECORATED WALL,
AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PYRAMID,

AN IMAGE OF A MOCHE GOD
CALLED THE DECAPITATOR

IS STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO SCENES
OF THE EGYPTIAN KING

KILLING HIS ENEMIES.

THERE ISN'T
ANY DIRECT CONNECTION

BETWEEN THESE TWO CULTURES,

BUT IMAGES LIKE THESE
SUGGEST A COMMON HUMAN BELIEF

THAT VIOLENT ACTS CAN APPEASE
AND EVEN STRENGTHEN THE GODS.

AT THE BASE
OF THE ANCIENT PYRAMID,

THE WALLS ARE COVERED
WITH LIFE-SIZE DEPICTIONS

OF VANQUISHED ENEMIES,
BLOODY BATTLES,

AND A DEATH MARCH
OF CAPTURED WARRIORS.

THESE NAKED CAPTIVES ARE TIED
BY THE NECK WITH A ROPE,

ARE BEING PULLED TO SACRIFICE.

THE ROPE IS HOLDING THEIR NECKS,

AND THEY SEEM TO BE HOLDING
ONTO THIS ROPE, AS WELL.

IMAGINE THEM BEING PULLED
IN PROCESSION.

UNFORTUNATELY,

THERE'S NO TEXT ALONGSIDE THESE
CARVINGS THAT EXPLAINS THEM,

AS THERE OFTEN IS IN EGYPT.

BUT THERE'S OTHER EVIDENCE

THAT HUMAN SACRIFICES
WERE PERFORMED AT EL BRUJO...

VIOLENT RELIGIOUS RITUALS
ENACTED IN A SACRED SETTING.

IN 2005,

ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS
REVEALED A GRUESOME DISCOVERY.

VICTOR HUGO RIOS IS
AN ARCHEOLOGIST AT THE SITE.

YOU FOUND SACRIFICIAL VICTIMS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT QUARTER?

IN EL BRAZO.

[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

SO THEY CUT THE OLD MAN
COMPLETELY IN HALF?

Cooney: THE EL BRUJO SKELETONS
MAKE IT CLEAR

THAT THE MOCHE EMPLOYED MANY
DIFFERENT METHODS OF SACRIFICE.

SOME VICTIMS APPEAR TO HAVE HAD
THEIR SKULLS CRUSHED,

AND OTHERS WERE DECAPITATED
OR EVEN BLED TO DEATH.

ONCE AGAIN,
WE HAVE AN EXCHANGE...

RELIGIOUS LEADERS MAKING
OFFERINGS OF HUMAN BLOOD

TO PLEASE THEIR GODS.

PERHAPS THESE GIFTS
WERE MEANT TO PROTECT PEOPLE

FROM THE FORCES OF CHAOS...

OR TO ENSURE PROSPERITY.

ARCHEOLOGISTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE
ABOUT THE EXACT REASONS

BECAUSE THE MOCHE
HAD NO WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

BUT 2,000 MILES TO THE NORTH,
AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME,

THE MAYA CIVILIZATION WAS ALSO
INCORPORATING INTENSE VIOLENCE

INTO ITS RELIGION.

HIEROGLYPHS IN THE MAYA
CITY-STATE OF PALENQUE,

IN SOUTHERN MEXICO,

REVEAL A LOT MORE
ABOUT THE REASONS

FOR HUMAN SACRIFICE.

WATCH YOUR STEP HERE.

IT'S A LITTLE STEEP.

ALONSO MENDEZ,

AN ARCHEOASTRONOMER
WHO STUDIES PALENQUE,

SHOWS ME IMAGES AND HIEROGLYPHS
THAT DATE TO THE 7th CENTURY.

THIS LOOKS SO EGYPTIAN TO ME.

HE'S HOLDING AN ENEMY
BY THE HAIR,

AND HE'S GETTING READY
TO SMITE HIM.

THIS IS A CLASSIC COMPOSITION
OF POWER AND DOMINANCE.

AND WHAT ARE THESE SYMBOLS
DOWN HERE?

ONE REALLY KEY ELEMENT
IS THIS SPROUTING SKULL

THAT WE SEE HERE.

AND THE SKULL SPROUTS LEAVES.

SO ALL OF THIS NEW LIFE IS
COMING FROM THE SACRIFICE.

EXACTLY.
THROUGH DEATH, LIFE ALSO COMES.

AND ALSO, BECAUSE THIS FACADE
OF THIS BUILDING

IS FACING THE WEST,
IT'S FACING THE SETTING SUN.

THE LAND OF THE DEAD.
SAME FOR THE EGYPTIANS.

SKULLS, BONES, AND SEEDS
ARE ALL THE SAME THING,

SO THE KING, AS A RULER,
HAS TO ALSO HARVEST PRISONERS,

MUCH LIKE A FARMER
GOES OUT TO THE FIELD

AND HARVESTS HIS SEEDS.

THE MAYA, LIKE THE MOCHE
AND THE EGYPTIANS,

SAW PROSPERITY AS AN EXCHANGE.

VALUABLE HUMAN LIFE
HAD TO BE TAKEN

IN ORDER FOR THINGS TO PROSPER
AND GROW.

THE SACRIFICES AT PALENQUE
WOULD HAVE HAPPENED

AT THE TOPS OF PYRAMIDS...

AND POSSIBLY ALSO AT THIS SACRED
BUILDING KNOWN AS THE PALACE...

THE HOUSE FROM WHICH THE KING
PROBABLY RULED.

THROUGHOUT THIS COURTYARD,

HIEROGLYPHS DESCRIBE IMAGES
OF CAPTIVE ENEMY WARRIORS.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE
WARRIORS WERE SACRIFICED

DURING A DEDICATION CEREMONY

IN ORDER TO INAUGURATE
THE BUILDING.

SO, TO BREATHE LIFE
INTO THIS BUILDING,

YOU HAVE TO TAKE A LIFE...
OR MANY LIVES.

A HOUSE LIKE THIS,
WHICH IS A CEREMONIAL HOUSE

AND ONE THAT HAS TO CHANNEL
SORT OF A LIVING ENERGY...

IT WAS NECESSARY
TO FEED THAT ENERGY,

AND SO THIS IS...

ONE OF THE GREATEST OFFERINGS,
REALLY, IS A HUMAN LIFE,

OUR OWN BLOOD.

SO, IN A WAY, JUST LIKE CORN,
HE'S FOOD,

BUT FOOD FOR THIS TEMPLE,
FOOD FOR THIS SPACE.

FOOD FOR THE GODS.

IN THE MAYAN RELIGION,

SACRIFICE EVEN PLAYED A KEY ROLE
IN CREATION.

IT WAS BELIEVED THAT
THE EARTH ITSELF WAS BORN

WHEN A GOD GAVE HIS OWN LIFE
FOR HUMANKIND.

THIS FIRST SACRIFICE WAS
RE-CREATED IN A RITUAL SPORT

PLAYED IN BALL COURTS LIKE THIS.

THROUGH THESE GAMES,

THE MAYA REPAID THEIR DEBT
TO THE GODS IN BLOOD.

ALONSO EXPLAINS THE RULES
OF THIS SYMBOLIC BALLGAME.

IT'S A FAST GAME,
IT'S A FAST-MOVING GAME,

AND PROBABLY THE OBJECT
OF MOST OF THESE GAMES

WAS TO KEEP THE BALL
IN MOVEMENT.

KIND OF LIKE RACQUETBALL?

'CAUSE THIS IS
A REALLY SMALL COURT.

LITTLE BIT LIKE JAI-ALAI,
IN A WAY.
OKAY.

JAI-ALAI, YOU'RE BOUNCING
THE BALL AGAINST THE WALL,

AND HERE IT WAS VERY MUCH
THE SAME.

THE BALL WOULD BE BOUNCING
BACK AND FORTH

ACROSS THIS ALLEYWAY,

AND POSSIBLY THE OBJECT
WAS TO KEEP IT UP ONTO THE WALL.

BUT THIS WAS MORE THAN A GAME
TO THE MAYA.

EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT AT THE END
OF THE MATCH,

THERE WAS HUMAN SACRIFICE.

THE VICTIMS MAY HAVE BEEN
THE LOSERS

OR PERHAPS THE WINNERS.

EITHER WAY,
AN EXCHANGE WAS BEING MADE...

A SACRIFICIAL DEATH
FOR THE CREATION OF LIFE.

MOST EARLY RELIGIONS
BELIEVED IN A COSMIC BATTLE

BETWEEN ORDER AND CHAOS.

THE CONFLICTS PERFORMED
IN THIS BALL COURT

WERE BELIEVED TO RESTORE ORDER,

AND VIOLENT OFFERINGS

WERE THOUGHT TO BE
IMMENSELY POWERFUL.

HUMAN SACRIFICE WASN'T UNIQUE
TO THE MAYA OR THE MOCHE.

FOR THE AZTEC CIVILIZATION,

HUMAN SACRIFICE
WAS THEIR LAST BEST HOPE

WHEN THE WORLD ITSELF
SEEMED TO BE ENDING.

Cooney: IN THE CENTER
OF MODERN-DAY MEXICO CITY,

ARCHEOLOGISTS
ARE EXPLORING THE RUINS

OF THE ANCIENT AZTEC CAPITAL
OF TENOCHTITLAN.

IN THE 15th CENTURY,
THIS WAS A SPRAWLING CITY

INHABITED BY HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,

WITH A MASSIVE
NINE-STORY PYRAMID

KNOWN TODAY AS TEMPLO MAYOR.

TENOCHTITLAN WAS THE CENTER
OF AZTEC POLITICS

AND RELIGIOUS RITUAL.

AND LIKE THE MAYA,

THE AZTECS BELIEVED THAT THEIR
GODS DEMANDED HUMAN SACRIFICE.

THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS WHO
FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE AZTECS

TELL US THAT THEY BROUGHT
HUMAN SACRIFICE TO NEW HEIGHTS.

THE AZTECS OFTEN DISPLAYED
THEIR SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS

ON SOMETHING
CALLED A SKULL RACK.

THIS ANCIENT SCULPTURE DEPICTS
ONE OF THESE GRUESOME DISPLAYS.

ARCHEOLOGIST XIMENA CHAVEZ
STUDIES THE HUMAN REMAINS

THAT HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED HERE.

SO, DEFLESHED HUMAN SKULLS
PLACED ON A RACK.

WHAT KIND OF A MESSAGE IS THAT
MEANT TO SEND TO THE PEOPLE?

HOW DO THEY GET THE HEAD?

SO, THE MORE VIOLENT THE DEATH,

THE MORE ENERGY YOU CREATE
TO GIVE TO THE GODS.

THAT'S RIGHT.

THE AZTECS BELIEVED
THAT IN TIMES OF CRISIS,

THE SACRIFICE NEEDED TO BE
EVEN MORE VIOLENT.

AROUND THE YEAR 1450,

TENOCHTITLAN WAS GRIPPED
BY TERRIBLE DROUGHT AND FAMINE,

SO THEY RESORTED
TO EXTREME MEASURES.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL,
AND HE'S RECLINING,

AND HE'S HOLDING A VESSEL
OF SOME KIND.

WHAT KINDS OF SACRIFICES
WOULD PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN TLALOC?

WHY CHILDREN?

SO, BY SACRIFICING A CHILD,

YOU'RE ACTUALLY GIVING
AN OFFERING TO TLALOC

SO TLALOC WILL GIVE RAIN TO YOU.

SO, IN A WAY, YOU COULD LOOK
AT THIS ENTIRE TEMPLE COMPLEX

AS A KIND OF MACHINE
FOR THE AZTECS

SO THAT THEY GIVE TO THE GODS,

AND THEN THE GODS GIVE THEM
WHAT THEY NEED.

IN SOME WAYS,

THE BASIS OF THESE NEW-WORLD
RELIGIONS WAS SACRIFICE...

THE MOCHE, THE MAYA,
THE AZTECS...

THEY ALL PROBABLY SAW
THEIR ORIGINS IN BLOOD,

AND THEY ALL SEEMED TO FIND HOPE
FOR ORDER IN VIOLENT RITUALS.

AND SACRIFICE TO APPEASE
THE GODS

ISN'T JUST AN ANCIENT BELIEF.

IT'S SURVIVED
TO THE PRESENT DAY...

BUT WITH SOME
INTERESTING ADAPTATIONS.

IN THE TOWN
OF CHILAW, SRI LANKA,

THERE'S A WELL-KNOWN HINDU
TEMPLE NAMED MUNNESWARAM.

HINDUISM IS
A POLYTHEISTIC TRADITION

THAT DATES BACK 5,000 YEARS,

MAKING IT NEARLY AS OLD AS
THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

IT'S STILL PRACTICED TODAY
BY 1 BILLION PEOPLE,

MOST OF THEM IN SOUTH ASIA.

HINDUISM IS THE THIRD MOST
POPULAR RELIGION ON THE PLANET.

[ BELL DINGING ]

INSIDE THE MUNNESWARAM TEMPLE,

THERE'S A SHRINE
DEDICATED TO DURGA,

A WARRIOR AND MOTHER GODDESS
CALLED "THE INVINCIBLE ONE."

HINDUS BELIEVE
THAT HER FIERCE COMPASSION

CAN HELP THEM IN TIMES OF CRISIS
AND DISTRESS.

THIS YOUNG WOMAN HAS COME HERE
WITH HER FAMILY

TO BATHE DURGA'S STATUE
WITH MILK.

SHE HOPES THAT THIS OFFERING
WILL BRING HER FIRST A HUSBAND,

AND THEN A CHILD.

AS RECENTLY AS 1980,

BLOOD SACRIFICES
WERE OFFERED HERE,

NOT OF HUMANS BUT OF ANIMALS.

IT'S STILL BELIEVED THAT
THE GODDESS DEMANDS SACRIFICE

FROM HER WORSHIPERS,

BUT IN MODERN SRI LANKA,
THESE NOW TAKE A SYMBOLIC FORM.

FIRST,
PETITIONERS BUY A COCONUT,

AND THEN PARAFFIN
TO SET IT ON FIRE.

THIS TURNS IT
INTO A SACRED OBJECT.

THIS IS KNOWN
AS THE POLGAHANUA RITUAL

AND IS PERFORMED FOR MANY GODS.

PETITIONERS STAND FOR A MOMENT
AND COMMUNE WITH THE GODS,

AND THEN THEY OFFER THEIR OWN
ACT OF VIOLENT SACRIFICE.

THIS HINDU RITUAL
IS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
IF THE COCONUT DOESN'T BREAK,

THEIR KARMA WASN'T DESERVING
OF THE GODS' BLESSING.

SO, MY COCONUT BROKE IN HALF,

AND I THINK THAT MY WISH
HAS BEEN GRANTED.

I REALLY HAD TO THROW THAT.

THIS IS ONLY AN ECHO
OF THE VIOLENT SACRIFICES

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

BUT IT'S STILL A POWERFUL RITUAL
FOR SRI LANKAN PEOPLE.

NEXT, WORSHIPERS ASK A GOD
FOR VIOLENT JUSTICE...

AND AN ANCIENT SACRIFICE
TAKES ON NEW MEANING.

Cooney: THERE ARE PLACES
IN THE WORLD TODAY

WHERE SACRED VIOLENCE CONTINUES,
BUT ON A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL.

THE RITUALS INVOLVE
SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE,

BUT THE HOPE
IS TO EXACT REAL REVENGE.

BEHIND ME, JUST OFF
THE SOUTH COAST OF SRI LANKA,

IS THE TINY ISLAND OF SENEGAMA.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Cooney: PILGRIMS COME HERE
FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

A SHORT BOAT RIDE TAKES THEM
TO A SINHALESE BUDDHIST TEMPLE

DEDICATED TO DUVAL,
A GOD OF VENGEANCE.

THE RITUALS AT SENEGAMA
EMPLOY ANCIENT RELIGIOUS RITES

MEANT TO HARM
ANOTHER LIVING BEING.

THESE ARE RITUALS IN WHICH
PEOPLE CALL UPON AN ANCIENT GOD

TO CURSE AN ENEMY.

PILGRIMS COME HERE SEEKING
RETRIBUTION FOR PHYSICAL ABUSE,

THEFT, BUREAUCRATIC PROBLEMS,
EVEN THE MURDER OF A LOVED ONE.

THEY BELIEVE DUVAL HAS THE POWER
TO RIGHT THESE WRONGS.

IT'S AN UNOFFICIAL
SOCIAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

THAT'S VERY EFFECTIVE.

IF SOMEONE STEALS FROM YOU,

YOU MAKE A PILGRIMAGE TO
THIS SITE TO CURSE THE THIEF.

AND MANY PEOPLE MAKE SURE TO
TELL EVERYONE IN THEIR VILLAGE

THAT THEY'RE DOING THIS.

SOMETIMES EVEN THE THREAT
OF COMING TO SENEGAMA

IS ENOUGH TO PERSUADE A THIEF
TO REVEAL HIMSELF

AND TO RETURN WHAT HE'S STOLEN.

BUT IF THE PILGRIMS
MAKE THE TRIP,

THEY KNEEL BESIDE A SACRED STONE
CALLED AGALA.

THEY GRIND RED CHILIES,
BLACK PEPPER, ONIONS,

AND MUSTARD SEEDS...

IRRITATING SUBSTANCES MEANT
TO SYMBOLIZE DUVAL'S PUNISHMENT.

AS THEY GRIND,
THEY CURSE THEIR ENEMIES,

ASKING THAT THEY BE STRUCK DOWN
BY POVERTY, SICKNESS,

AND SOMETIMES EVEN DEATH.

AFTERWARDS, WORSHIPERS
OFTEN REINFORCE THE CURSE

BY SMASHING A COCONUT
IN THE POLGAHANUA RITUAL.

TO SRI LANKANS,
THE RITUALS IN SENEGAMA

ARE A NONVIOLENT WAY
OF MAINTAINING ORDER,

BECAUSE THE VICTIM DOESN'T
DEAL OUT VENGEANCE PERSONALLY,

BUT INSTEAD ASKS A POWERFUL GOD

TO INTERVENE
ON HIS OR HER BEHALF.

BUT THERE ARE ALSO PLACES
IN THE WORLD

WHERE PEOPLE USE SACRED ACTS
OF VIOLENCE

TO CELEBRATE GOD'S MERCY.

IN LUXOR, EGYPT,
A FESTIVAL IS UNDER WAY.

MY FRIEND, AHMED SOLIMAN,
AND HIS FAMILY

ARE CELEBRATING THE EID al-ADHA,

THE FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE.

THIS THREE-DAY MUSLIM HOLIDAY
IS ALL ABOUT GOD'S GENEROSITY.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

I HAVE!

[ CHUCKLES ]

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

IT FEELS A LOT LIKE THANKSGIVING
IN THE UNITED STATES.

[ LAUGHS ]

OKAY, SO, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
TO EAT SO MUCH?

AND THE MEAT BEING SERVED
AT THIS FEAST

HAS A SPECIAL RELIGIOUS MEANING.

THE FIRST DAY OF THE EID BEGINS

WITH THE RITUAL KILLING
OF A SHEEP.

A BUTCHER COMES BY EACH HOUSE

TO SLAUGHTER THE ANIMAL
QUICKLY AND HUMANELY.

IT'S AMAZING TO SEE THE ENTIRE
COMMUNITY TAKING PART.

THE EGYPTIANS IN THIS VILLAGE

MAY BE USED TO SEEING
ANIMALS BUTCHERED,

BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE.

THE EID IS A TIME
OF CELEBRATION,

BUT ALSO OF SOLEMN REFLECTION,

BECAUSE THIS ISN'T JUST
A SACRIFICE,

IT'S A REENACTMENT
OF GOD'S MERCY...

THE COMMEMORATION OF AN EXCHANGE

THOUGHT TO HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN
GOD AND HIS DEVOUT FOLLOWERS.

BOTH THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN
TELL OF A MAN NAMED ABRAHAM

WHO IS INSTRUCTED BY GOD

TO GO INTO THE WILDERNESS
WITH HIS SON.

HE WAS TOLD TO BRING EVERYTHING
HE WOULD NEED

TO MAKE A SACRIFICE.

BUT GOD COMMANDED ABRAHAM
TO SACRIFICE HIS OWN SON.

OBEDIENT TO GOD,
ABRAHAM RAISED A BLADE,

PREPARING TO KILL HIS OWN CHILD.

BUT THEN AN ANGEL
STOPPED HIS HAND

AND PROVIDED A RAM TO BE
SACRIFICED IN PLACE OF THE BOY.

THIS STORY
OF SUPPRESSED VIOLENCE

IS CELEBRATED EVERY YEAR
ON THE EID

WITH THE KILLING OF A SHEEP

TO HONOR BOTH
ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE

AND GOD'S MERCY AND GENEROSITY.

IT'S DIVIDED
SO THAT EVERY HOUSEHOLD

THAT CAN AFFORD TO BUY A SHEEP

GIVES 1/3 OF THE MEAT
TO THE POOR.

THE BLOOD OF THE EID SACRIFICE

IS THOUGHT TO HAVE
SPECIAL POWER.

THE BLOODY HANDPRINT
IS A TRADITION

BELIEVED TO BRING GOD'S FAVOR
AND GOOD LUCK TO NEW BUILDINGS.

MUSLIMS, JEWS, AND CHRISTIANS
ALL TELL THE STORY

OF GOD'S MERCY IN THE SPARING
OF ABRAHAM'S SON.

BUT LEADERS
OF THESE SAME RELIGIONS

HAVE ALSO USED MERCILESS
VIOLENCE IN GOD'S NAME.

COMING UP, IN COLONIAL AMERICA,

BRUTAL KILLINGS INTENDED
TO ROOT OUT THE DEVIL...

THE EXECUTION OF WITCHES.

Cooney: BRUTALITY IN THE NAME
OF GOD SWEPT ACROSS EUROPE

AND THE NEW WORLD FROM THE 15th
TO THE 18th CENTURY.

PEOPLE WERE HANGED, DROWNED,
AND EVEN BURNED ALIVE

DUE TO A SPREADING
RELIGIOUS HYSTERIA...

THE FEAR OF WITCHES.

THE SMALL COLONIAL COMMUNITY
OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS,

WAS NOT IMMUNE
TO THIS SACRED VIOLENCE.

AND FOR A BRIEF TIME,
STARTING IN 1692,

THIS AREA WAS OVERCOME
BY A WAVE OF ACCUSATIONS

AND EVEN EXECUTIONS,

ALL STEEPED IN A COMPLEX MIX OF
PERSONAL POLITICS AND RELIGION.

17th-CENTURY SALEM
WAS DEVOUTLY PURITAN,

A FUNDAMENTALIST FORM
OF CHRISTIANITY.

THE PURITANS WERE EVER ON GUARD
AGAINST THE FORCES OF SATAN,

AND WHEN TWO YOUNG GIRLS BEGAN
TO EXHIBIT BIZARRE SYMPTOMS,

SPEAKING IN TONGUES
AND WRITHING IN FITS,

PEOPLE FEARED THAT THE DEVIL
HIMSELF WAS IN THEIR MIDST.

THE GIRLS MADE BOLD,
DAMNING ACCUSATIONS,

CLAIMING THAT THEIR NEIGHBORS

WERE USING WITCHCRAFT
AGAINST THEM,

CAUSING THEM TORMENT
AND SICKNESS.

IN THE WINTER OF 1692,

A SERIES OF ARRESTS WERE MADE
AND INTERROGATIONS BEGAN.

THE FIRST FEW PEOPLE
ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT

WERE ON THE FRINGES
OF SOCIETY...

A SLAVE, A HOMELESS WOMAN,
AND AN OUTCAST.

BUT THE NEXT PERSON
TO BE CHARGED

WAS ONE OF THE TOWN'S MOST
UPSTANDING CHURCH MEMBERS...

A 71-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
NAMED REBECCA NURSE.

HER HOUSE STILL STANDS.

REBECCA NURSE WAS ACCUSED

OF NOT ONLY BEING IN LEAGUE
WITH THE DEVIL,

BUT OF SENDING
HER POSSESSED SPIRIT

OUT TO HARM OTHER VILLAGERS.

ALISON D'AMARIO
IS A LOCAL HISTORIAN

AND A CURATOR
AT THE SALEM WITCH MUSEUM.

PEOPLE IN THE 17th CENTURY
BELIEVED IN THE INVISIBLE WORLD

AS WELL AS THE VISIBLE WORLD.

THEY BELIEVED IN THE POSSIBILITY
OF SPECTERS OR GHOSTS.

SO NOT ONLY
DO THESE PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT THE THREAT OF THE DEVIL
OR THE DEVIL HIMSELF

IS WALKING AMONGST
THIS COMMUNITY...

BUT HE ALSO HAS DISCIPLES

THAT ARE DOING HIS EVIL DEEDS
FOR HIM.

SO, IN THIS COMMUNITY,
WHERE DID REBECCA NURSE FIT IN?

REBECCA NURSE WAS PROBABLY

THE QUINTESSENTIAL
PURITAN MATRIARCH.

SHE WAS UNIVERSALLY RESPECTED,
UNIVERSALLY ADMIRED.

FOR HER TO BE ACCUSED
OF WITCHCRAFT WAS SHOCKING.

IT WAS SHOCKING,

BUT IT ALSO SUGGESTS

THAT A MOTIVE OTHER THAN FEAR
OF THE DEVIL WAS AT WORK.

REBECCA NURSE WAS FROM A FAMILY
WITH PROPERTY,

AND LAND WAS A LIMITED RESOURCE
FOR THIS GROWING POPULATION.

MANY OTHER WEALTHY PILLARS OF
THE COMMUNITY WERE ALSO ACCUSED.

IF STRIPPED OF THEIR PROPERTY
OR PUT TO DEATH,

THE ACCUSERS STOOD TO BENEFIT.

SO, SO MUCH OF THIS
IS PETTY VILLAGE POLITICS.

THIS SHOWS YOU WHAT LIFE
WAS LIKE IN THE 17th CENTURY.

IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW
TO PRACTICE WITCHCRAFT,

SO THERE WAS A CIVIL COURT.

ULTIMATELY A CIVIL COURT
WAS FORMED IN JUNE OF 1692.

AND YET, RELIGION SEEMS TO BE
DRIVING THIS WHOLE MACHINE.

WELL, IT GOES BACK
TO EXODUS 18:22...

"THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER
A WITCH TO LIVE."

PEOPLE BELIEVED IN WITCHCRAFT.

IF, IN A COURT OF LAW,

THESE IDEAS OF RELIGION
AND JUSTICE

ARE PERMEATING EVERYTHING,
YOU CAN'T DISPROVE IT.

IF SOMEBODY SAYS
THAT PERSON IS A WITCH,

AND IF YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR GOD,
YOU CAN'T GO BACK.

THAT'S RIGHT.

IN ALL, 29 PEOPLE WERE CONVICTED
OF WITCHCRAFT.

AT FIRST, THE JURY FOUND
REBECCA NURSE INNOCENT,

BUT AS THE VERDICT WAS READ,

THE AFFLICTED GIRLS BEGAN
TO SCREAM AND FALL TO THE FLOOR.

THIS ITSELF WAS INTERPRETED
AS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF WITCHCRAFT,

AND THE VERDICT
WAS CHANGED TO GUILTY.

THE PUNISHMENT
FOR PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT?

EXECUTION.

AND SO THIS FRAIL, OLD WOMAN
WAS TAKEN FROM THE TOWN JAIL

TO BE HANGED AT A PLACE

THAT PEOPLE OF SALEM
STILL CALL GALLOWS HILL.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE VICTIMS
OF THE TRIALS

WERE HANGED HERE IN 1692
ON FOUR SEPARATE DAYS.

THERE ARE ACCOUNTS
THAT THE VICTIMS

WENT TO THEIR DEATHS
WITH GREAT DIGNITY,

SAID GOODBYE TO THEIR FAMILIES,

AND IT WAS
A VERY SAD, SAD OCCASION

ON EACH OF THE HANGING DAYS.

14 WOMEN AND 5 MEN WERE HANGED.

MOST OF THE VICTIMS
WERE WOMEN.
YES.

BUT THERE WERE A QUARTER OF THEM
THAT WERE MEN.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT.

NOW, IF YOU'RE ACCUSING PEOPLE
OF WITCHCRAFT

WHO ARE ON THE FRINGES
OF SOCIETY,

I CAN SEE HOW THAT WOULD WORK.

BUT ONCE YOU GO AFTER PEOPLE
LIKE REBECCA NURSE,

A SCION OF HER COMMUNITY,

THEN I SEE THAT IT'S A LITTLE
MORE PROBLEMATIC.

I THINK THIS IS A FASCINATING
PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY

BECAUSE IT IS SO COMPLICATED.

I THINK THERE ARE LOTS
OF MOTIVES...

PERHAPS PROPERTY, PERHAPS POWER,
PERHAPS REVENGE.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS
PLAYED INTO IT.

I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT COMPONENTS IS FEAR.

I THINK PEOPLE WERE TERRIFIED.

THE FEAR WAS OF THE DEVIL,
THE ENEMY OF GOD.

VIOLENT INTERVENTION
WAS THE RESPONSE.

BUT THE EXECUTION OF THESE
WITCHES WAS ALSO AN EXCHANGE,

AS IT WAS FOR THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS AND THE MAYA.

THE PEOPLE OF SALEM
BELIEVED LIVES HAD TO BE TAKEN

TO CLEANSE THEIR VILLAGE
OF EVIL.

THE SALEM PURITANS WERE USING
THE POWER OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF

TO ENFORCE A FORM OF ORDER...

IN THIS CASE,
A PERSONAL, POLITICAL ORDER.

THESE KILLINGS
WERE CONSIDERED LEGAL,

BUT THEY OCCURRED WITHIN
A SYSTEM THAT BASED ITS LAWS

AND JUDGMENTS
ON STRICT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

NEXT, THE DANGEROUS COMBINATION
OF CIVIL LAW

AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

TRIGGERS DEADLY VIOLENCE
ON A MUCH, MUCH BIGGER SCALE.

Cooney: THE LINK
BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND RELIGION

BEGAN AS A SACRED EXCHANGE...

THE BELIEF THAT BRUTAL ACTS

WOULD BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY
BY APPEASING THE GODS.

BUT OVER THE CENTURIES,

THE LINES BLURRED
BETWEEN RIGHTEOUS DEVOTION

AND POLITICAL OR PERSONAL GAIN.

THIS IS THE PLAZA DE ARMA,
IN THE CENTER OF LIMA, PERU.

ON CHRISTMAS EVE IN 1736,

DOZENS OF PEOPLE
ACCUSED OF HERESY

WERE BROUGHT TO THIS SQUARE

FOR WHAT THE SPANIARDS
EUPHEMISTICALLY CALLED

AN ACTO DE FE...
AN ACT OF FAITH.

THOUSANDS WATCHED AS VICTIMS
WERE SPAT ON, FLOGGED,

AND SOME EVEN BURNED ALIVE
AT THE STAKE.

LIKE THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS,

THESE EXECUTIONS WERE OVERSEEN
BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS

WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN
NEARLY LIMITLESS LEGAL POWER.

BUT THIS WASN'T A LOCAL,
ISOLATED INCIDENT

IN A SMALL VILLAGE.

IT WAS PART OF A GLOBAL
REIGN OF TERROR

CARRIED OUT IN THE NAME
OF RELIGION,

AND IT WAS CALLED
THE SPANISH INQUISITION.

THE INQUISITION
WAS A RUTHLESS INSTITUTION,

A KIND OF COURT
ESTABLISHED IN 1478

BY KING FERDINAND
AND QUEEN ISABELLA OF SPAIN.

THE STATED GOAL WAS TO ROOT OUT
HERETICS IN THE SPANISH EMPIRE.

BY HERETICS, THE CHURCH
MEANT ALL NONCATHOLICS...

MUSLIMS, JEWS, AND PROTESTANTS.

THIS EXPLOITATION
OF RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY

GAVE RULERS
NEARLY UNLIMITED POWER

TO PERSECUTE THEIR ENEMIES.

SPAIN OPENED AN OFFICE
OF THE INQUISITION

IN EVERY COLONY
THAT IT POSSESSED.

ONE OF THE MOST
WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE

TO BE PUT TO DEATH HERE IN LIMA
WAS A WOMAN NAMED ANA de CASTRO.

SHE WAS KNOWN
FOR THREE THINGS...

HER WEALTH, HER BEAUTY,
AND HER PRIDE.

ANA WAS BORN IN SPAIN
TO A JEWISH FAMILY.

TO AVOID PERSECUTION,

ANA AND HER PARENTS
CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY

AND EMIGRATED TO PERU.

HERE IN LIMA, SHE WAS ACCUSED
BY SOME OF HER ENEMIES

OF PRACTICING JUDAISM IN SECRET.

SHE WAS ARRESTED
AND BROUGHT TO THIS BUILDING,

THE SITE
OF THE INQUISITORS' PRISON,

TO MEDITATE ON HER SINS
AND TO FIND GOD,

BY ORDER OF THE CHURCH
AND THE STATE.

OH, THESE ARE SMALL TUNNELS.
LOOK AT THIS.

LUIS CARPIO IS A GUIDE AT
THE MUSEUM OF THE INQUISITION.

IN COMPLETE DARKNESS?

SO THIS IS A RE-CREATION
OF ONE OF THE CELLS?

AND THE ACCUSED WOULD HAVE BEEN
PLACED IN HERE FOR HOW LONG?

AND IF THEY DIDN'T CONFESS

AFTER BEING IN HERE
FOR EIGHT DAYS?

WHAT KINDS OF TORTURE
DID THE INQUISITION USE?

IN THE PULLEY TORTURE,

THE PRISONERS' ARMS WERE TIED
BEHIND THEIR BACKS,

AND THEY WERE LIFTED IN THE AIR,

THEIR OWN WEIGHT
TEARING MUSCLE AND BONE.

OKAY, SO, WHAT IF THE PERSON
DOESN'T CONFESS?

ANA de CASTRO CLAIMED
THAT SHE'D DONE NOTHING WRONG

AND REFUSED TO RECANT,

SO THE INQUISITION SENTENCED HER
TO DEATH BY FIRE.

THE STATED REASON
WAS RELIGIOUS HERESY.

THERE'S ANOTHER MOTIVE
AT WORK HERE...

AN ECONOMIC MOTIVE.

REMEMBER,
THIS IS A WEALTHY WOMAN.

WHEN THEY BURNED HER
AT THE STAKE,

THEY CONFISCATED HER PROPERTY,

AND ALL OF THAT PROPERTY WENT TO
THE OFFICE OF THE INQUISITION.

FROM THE LATE 15th
TO THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,

THE SPANISH INQUISITION
SUBJECTED OVER 100,000 PEOPLE

IN BOTH THE OLD AND NEW WORLD
TO SECRET TRIALS.

MANY THOUSANDS
WERE PUT TO DEATH.

NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW MANY.

WEALTHY JEWS AND ARABS
WERE FAVORITE TARGETS

OF THE SPANISH INQUISITION.

BUT THIS ABUSE OF RELIGIOUS
POWER WAS NOTHING NEW.

CLEARLY, THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN RELIGION AND VIOLENCE

WAS NO LONGER JUST ABOUT
BRINGING ORDER TO THE COSMOS.

THE INQUISITION
WASN'T PRACTICING

A RITUALIZED VIOLENCE,
LIKE THE MAYA OR THE MOCHE.

IT WAS LEGALIZED TORTURE MEANT
TO FURTHER POLITICAL POWER

OVER A TERRIFIED POPULACE.

COMING UP...

THE BLOODY CRUSADES,

AND ONE OF THE MOST CONTESTED
HOLY CITIES IN THE WORLD...

JERUSALEM.

Cooney: JERUSALEM... A HOLY CITY
FOR THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS,

AND ONE OF THE MOST FIERCELY
CONTESTED SACRED SPACES

IN THE WORLD.

NO OTHER CITY HAS SUCH A LONG
AND COMPLEX HISTORY

OF RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
AND VIOLENCE.

PROFESSOR NIMROD LUZ
IS A CULTURAL GEOGRAPHER

WHO STUDIES THE CITY ITSELF,

EXAMINING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
COMPETING RELIGIOUS FACTIONS

ARE ALL FORCED TO LIVE
SO CLOSELY TOGETHER.

JERUSALEM CARRIES SO MANY
CONNOTATIONS AND EMOTIONS

FOR SO MANY PEOPLE.

AND THIS IS WHY JERUSALEM
IS A PUZZLE.

EVERY BLOCK I GO TO, I FEEL
LIKE I'M IN A DIFFERENT CITY.

SO, I FEEL LIKE I'M IN EGYPT,

OR THEN I FEEL LIKE
I'M IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL.

SINCE EVERYTHING IS SO IMPORTANT
TO EVERYONE,

EVERYBODY WANTS TO MAKE
A STAND HERE,

AND EVEN THINGS AS TRIVIAL
AS HAVING A SHOP

BECOMES IN A SENSE, IF YOU WANT,
A POLITICAL STATEMENT.

THIS CITY IS SO SACRED
TO SO MANY

THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WILLING
TO EXCHANGE THEIR VERY LIVES

TO CLAIM IT,
ALL IN THE NAME OF GOD.

AT THE TOP OF A MEDIEVAL TOWER
CALLED THE DAMASCUS GATE,

NIMROD SHOWS ME THE SITE OF
ONE OF THE BLOODIEST MOMENTS

IN JERUSALEM'S HISTORY.

AT VARIOUS TIMES,

JERUSALEM HAS BEEN UNDER
THE CONTROL OF JEWS, CHRISTIANS,

AND AT THE END
OF THE 11th CENTURY,

IT WAS RULED BY MUSLIMS.

THE FORTIFIED CITY WALL
STILL REMAINS,

SURROUNDING THE OLDEST PART
OF JERUSALEM.

IN THE YEAR 1095,

POPE URBAN II
CALLED ON EUROPEAN CHRISTIANS

TO WREST CONTROL OF JERUSALEM
FROM ISLAMIC RULE.

MERCENARIES, SOLDIERS,
AND EVEN COMMON PEOPLE

LEFT THEIR HOMES IN EUROPE

AND BEGAN WALKING
TO THE HOLY LAND.

THEY HAD BEEN RECRUITED
WITH PROMISES OF ABSOLUTION

FOR THEIR SINS,

BUT THEY WERE ALSO ATTRACTED
BY TALES OF FABULOUS RICHES,

LOOT THEY WERE TOLD
SHOULD BE THEIRS.

THEY BELIEVED THAT
THEIR CHRISTIAN RIGHTEOUSNESS

ENTITLED THEM TO WHATEVER THEY
WANTED FROM MUSLIM INFIDELS.

AND AFTER THREE YEARS
ON THE ROAD,

WHICH IS SOMETHING
INCONCEIVABLE TODAY,

THEY FINALLY REACH THE CITY
OF JERUSALEM.

WE'RE TALKING FRIDAY
IN A MUSLIM CITY.

NOT A STONE'S THROW
AWAY FROM US,

THE WALL IS BEING BREACHED,
AND IT'S A VERY DRAMATIC MOMENT.

THEY START TO INFILTRATE
THE CITY.

ONCE THEY'RE IN,
ALL HAVOC BREAKS THROUGH.

YOU WANT TO SAY
"ALL HELL BREAKS THROUGH."

I DID. I DID.

SO, THEY BREACH THE WALLS.

THEY BREACH THE WALL,
AND A MASSACRE STARTS HERE.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING
AND SWORDS CLANGING ]

SO, THE CHRISTIANS COME IN,

AND THEY SLAUGHTER MEN,
WOMEN, CHILDREN, EVERYBODY.

WHOEVER THEY FIND,

INDISCRIMINATELY...
JEWS, MUSLIMS.

HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

TENS OF THOUSANDS? THOUSANDS.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, SURELY.

THE CRUSADES
WERE AN ACT OF VIOLENCE

PERPETRATED BY CHRISTIANS,

BUT OVER THE CENTURIES,

EACH FAITH HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE
FOR AGGRESSIVE ACTS

AGAINST THE OTHER RELIGIONS.

AND, OF COURSE, THIS VOLATILE
RELATIONSHIP STILL EXISTS TODAY.

AS I WALK THROUGH THE STREETS,

I CAN FEEL THE TENSION BETWEEN
MEMBERS OF THE VARIOUS FAITHS.

THAT TENSION IS A PART
OF EVERYDAY LIFE HERE,

SEEN IN JERUSALEM'S MARKETS,
ITS NEIGHBORHOODS,

AND IN ITS GRANDEST,
MOST-DEFINING MONUMENTS.

AT THE CHURCH
OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE,

CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS ARRIVE
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

TO SEE THE SITE WHERE MOST
BELIEVE CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED,

BURIED, AND RESURRECTED.

LOOMING OVERHEAD, AN ISLAMIC
MINARET STILL STANDS,

ISSUING THE CALL TO PRAYER
FIVE TIMES A DAY.

WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN SITE.

BUT THIS IS AN ISLAMIC
CALL TO PRAYER.

EXACTLY.

YOU CAN TAKE A NAIVE
POINT OF VIEW AND SAY,

"HE'S JUST CALLING TO PRAYER."

BUT THIS SPACE IS FILLED
WITH CHRISTIANS.
EXACTLY.

THERE'S NO MOSQUE
THAT ACTUALLY NEEDS THIS HERE.

THIS IS A CHALLENGE.

THIS IS SAYING, "WE ARE HERE.
WE ARE STRONGER THAN YOU.

OUR VOICE IS HEARD MORE
THAN YOUR VOICE."

DO YOU FEEL IT WHEN YOU'RE HERE?

OH, SURE. I'M SURE THEY KNOW
WHAT IS ON ABOUT IT,

AND THEY FEEL INTIMIDATED
WHEN HE CALLS TO PRAYER.

[ MAN PRAYING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE
OVER LOUDSPEAKER ]

Cooney: THIS SORT OF
UNCOMFORTABLE JUXTAPOSITION

IS EVERYWHERE IN JERUSALEM.

JUST A SHORT WALK
FROM THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

IS THE WESTERN WALL
OF THE SECOND JEWISH TEMPLE,

A SITE OF JEWISH PRAYER,
MOURNING, AND CELEBRATION.

[ ALL CHANTING ]

Cooney: THIS IS A TOUCHSTONE
OF JEWISH IDENTITY,

AND JUST ABOVE THAT WALL,
TWO SACRED MUSLIM SITES...

THE DOME OF THE ROCK
AND THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE.

MUSLIMS BELIEVE MUHAMMAD
ASCENDED TO HEAVEN

FROM THIS VERY SPOT.

THESE ARE TWO OF ISLAM'S
MOST SACRED SPACES...

RIGHT NEXT TO THE MOST TANGIBLE
SOURCE OF JEWISH IDENTITY

AND THE SITE OF CHRIST'S
CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION.

THIS PROXIMITY HAS BEEN
THE SOURCE OF CONFLICT

FOR GENERATIONS.

IN JERUSALEM, RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS

HAVE OFTEN LED PEOPLE
TOWARD SACRED VIOLENCE.

THE MOTIVES ARE THE SAME
AS THEY'VE BEEN

THROUGHOUT HISTORY
AND AROUND THE WORLD...

...PLEASING THE GODS,
OR ONE GOD...

VENGEANCE...

AND POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL GAIN.

SACRED VIOLENCE
HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN EXCHANGE...

A BELIEF THAT PEOPLE CAN TRADE
BRUTALITY FOR ORDER AND PEACE.