Inside Mecca

Inside Mecca, a production of The History Channel, brings to light the striking commonalities among the sacred texts of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and suggests that textual differences between the Bible and Koran are not highly divisive.

Viewers may be well aware that Islam claims a direct line to Abraham via his son Ishmael, while Judaism is linked to Abraham's son Isaac. But are you aware that the Koran reveres the Old Testament prophets, that Jesus is mentioned 93 times in the Koran, or that the Koran states that it was the Archangel Gabriel who transmitted the Word of God to the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century?

Among other interesting insights revealed in the film is the Islamic belief in the Virgin Birth and the view of Jesus as a divinely inspired prophet who was not crucified, but was lifted to heaven by Allah. Muhammad, like Jesus, was born under a brilliant star, according to the Koran.

This film covers in detail the history of Islam from the 7th century of Prophet Muhammad’s world to the present day. Inside Mecca also highlights Islamic contributions to the modern world from the field of algebra to the fields of orthopedics and the first recorded treatments for mental illness.