Holy Cities

Najaf has been described in various press accounts as a "holy city". Some cynics have asked why Islam should have so many holy cities in which to seek sanctuary. In fact, other faiths have holy cities. Although I can't vouch for its theological accuracy, this web site gives a partial list of some of them. Surprisingly, the country with the second most "holy cities" is the United States (after India), with three for the Latter-Day Saints and one for Unitarianism. Some cities are widely recognized as being religious centers. For example, Jerusalem is regarded as a "holy city" by Christians, Jews and Muslims, though I have yet to see a newspaper refer to a suicide bombing in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Buddhism Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Lumbini	Christianity Bethlehem Jerusalem Nazareth Antioch
Eastern Orthodox Constantinople (Istanbul)	Russian Orthodox Moscow
Latter-day Saints Independence Nauvoo Salt Lake City	Islam Mecca Medina Jerusalem
Hinduism Benares Mathura	Shi'a Islam Karbala Najaf Qom
Judaism Jerusalem	Shintoism Kyoto
Unitarianism Boston	Roman Catholicism Rome Santiago de Compostela Lourdes Fatima
Mahayana Buddhism Lhasa