The Close Relationship Between the Three Major Abrahamic Religions

An accomplished senior administrator in Houston, Texas, Jamal Daniel leads the New Levant Initiative and chairs the Levant Foundation. Jamal Daniel established the Levant Foundation, in part, to further general understanding of the relationship between the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Called “Abrahamic” religions because the figure Abraham looms large in all three of these prevalent, monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a great deal in common. Abraham plays a major role in the book of Genesis in both the Hebrew Bible of the Jewish people and the Old Testament of the Christian people. Various stories of Abraham also feature prominently in the Islamic tradition, particularly in Surah 37 of the Qur’an.

The oldest monotheistic religion in the world, Judaism dates back nearly 4,000 years. With the advent of Jesus Christ in the first century C.E., Christianity became Judaism’s first major offshoot, as people began to follow Christ’s teachings in great numbers. Developing from both Judeo-Christian and Arabic traditions, Islam developed early in the seventh century C.E.

IPI's Free Media Pioneer Award Celebrates Innovative Journalism

The chairman of Crest Investment Company, Jamal Daniel brings more than three decades of real estate, manufacturing, high technology, and oil and gas experience to the position. Jamal Daniel also serves as chairman of Al-Monitor, a commentary and news website that received the 2014 International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award.

Founded in 1950, the International Press Institute (IPI) is committed to defending media freedom and the availability of news in all instances in which they are threatened. The organization was established in the aftermath of World Word II by 34 editors from 16 countries who believed a free press would help to create to a more peaceful world. 

To this end, IPI's Free Media Pioneer Award celebrates entities in the field of journalism that have expanded the reach of the free media. Since 1997, the Free Media Pioneer Award has been bestowed at the IPI World Congress. A recent example is the 2018 recipient of the award, Rappler, a news website based in the Philippines. Rappler received the award in part for its commitment to holding authorities accountable and its innovative approach to engaging its audience.

The Human Computers Who Inspired the Movie Hidden Figures

Based in Houston, Jamal Daniel serves as chair of Crest Investment Company. In the course of his three-decade career, Jamal Daniel has founded a number of nonprofit, media, and film ventures, including Levantine Films, which co-produced the 2016 award-winning movie Hidden Figures.

Hidden Figures is based on the true story of a team of African American women working at NASA in the 1950s, when the Space Race was in full swing. Known as the West Computers, these female mathematicians worked as human computers, relieving the engineers of tedious hand calculations and making significant contributions to aircraft design.

The total number of women who worked as human computers at NASA is unknown; estimates range from a few hundred to several thousand. A number of West Computers eventually left the computing pool to work on specific projects such as supersonic flight and the Mercury and Apollo missions.

"Gun in My Gucci" Brings Crime Non-Fiction to the Big Screen

The chairman of Crest Investment Company, Jamal Daniel leverages his financial experience to ensure that Crest continues its strong market performance. Jamal Daniel also founded Levantine Films to fund and produce filmmakers whose projects involve unique cross-cultural experiences and perspectives. Levantine Films currently has a number of projects in development, including “Gun in My Gucci”.

Based on Elaine Corbitt Smith’s autobiographical book of the same name, “Gun in My Gucci” tells the story of how ex-FBI agent Smith, alongside a veteran mobster named Ken “Tokyo Joe” Eto, helped to bring down the Chicago mob, from the outside, during the 1980s.

The film will chart Smith’s evolution from teacher into crime buster, with her developing relationship with Ken Eto as a key plot point. After Eto’s arrest, the Chicago mob put out a hit that resulted in Eto being shot multiple times. Remarkably, he survived to provide Smith with the information she needed to take down his former organization.

The TF AA’s Once Upon a Hope Program

Currently a resident of Houston, Texas, Jamal Daniel oversees the operations of Crest Investment Company as its chairman. A native of Syria, Jamal Daniel also serves as the founder of the Levant Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on expanding knowledge about the Middle East, its culture, and its history. In 2004, members of the Levant Foundation helped to create the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts (TFAA), alongside the French consul in Houston.

The TFAA implements a number of initiatives with the aim of using the arts to bring people and cultures together. Among these efforts is the Once Upon a Hope program, which offers English students in Houston, Texas, the opportunity to exchange life stories with children in schools in Burkina Faso, a predominantly French-speaking country in Africa.

The project’s goal is to create connections between children of two vastly different cultures, while also raising awareness for the children of Houston in regards to the situation of children who have taken refuge in Burkina Faso.

A Snapshot of Middle Eastern Monotheistic Religions

Jamal Daniel serves as chairman of the Crest Investment Company, managing investments in technology, manufacturing, oil and gas. In his free time, Jamal Daniel also founded the Levant Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of Middle Eastern culture. The group promotes understanding of three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, originating from the Middle East.

Judaism is known as the first monotheistic religion, coming about in the eastern Mediterranean when, as the story goes, Abraham made an agreement with God. Islam and Christianity soon followed, agreeing that Abraham was the world’s first prophet. 

As a branch of Judaism, Christianity didn’t really take off until Roman emperor Constantine converted to the religion in 324 C.E. Much like Judaism, many Middle Eastern Christians practice asceticism. Several groups including the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, and Protestants follow similar customs and rituals.

Islam gained traction in the Middle East in the seventh century C.E. when a group of people who practiced Judeo-Christian traditions and integrated the values of Arabia’s Bedouin tribes settled in Mecca (now called Saudi Arabia). Islam spread into the Byzantine Empire, Europe, South Africa, and Asia, where it continued to grow. 

Although these three religions originated from the same place, in the following years, various conflicts have arisen over the interpretation of certain beliefs.

Levantine Films’ Oscar-Nominated “Hidden Figures”

Based in Houston, Jamal Daniel oversees the Crest Investment Company as chairman and also guides the Levant Foundation. The nonprofit highlights monotheistic religions, history, and culture of the Middle East. Jamal Daniel additionally is the founder of Levantine Films, a New York production, financing, and development firm.

A recent Levantine Films project, Hidden Figures explores the story of pioneering female African-American mathematicians who engaged with NASA in enabling key U.S. achievements during the Space Race. Working as "human computers,” the women were tasked with collecting and studying thousands of glass plates with images of stars. 

Since the 1940s, African-Americans had engaged in this work in a segregated situation and at less pay than their Caucasian counterparts. With unparalleled creative capacity, protagonist Katherine Johnson broke barriers in providing critical support that enabled John Glenn to complete his 1962 orbital mission around the globe. 

Released by Fox 2000 in late 2016, the movie earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture due to its accurate portrayal of the progressive efforts of scientists amid a broader landscape of racial unrest.