In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “major religion in both israel and the palestinian territories”. Today it says “second-largest religion in israel”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025
Islamic shrine built on the Temple Mount in 692 AD, during the Umayyad -era Second Fitna . As of 2022 , Muslims are the largest religious minority in Israel , accounting for 18.1% of the country's total population. Most of this figure is represented by the Arab citizens of Israel , who are the country's largest ethnic minority, but there is a notable non-Arab Muslim populace, such as that of the Circassians . Upwards of 99% of Israel's Muslims are Sunnis and the remainder are Ahmadis . Despite Shias constituting the second-largest Islamic sect , there are no reliable sources attesting a Shia presence in Israel or the Israeli-occupied West Bank , which the Israeli government administers as the Judea and Samaria Area . There were only seven Shia villages in the entirety of Mandatory Palestine and all of these were located along what is now the Israel–Lebanon border before being depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . In 2015, the Israel Democracy Institute conducted a survey on Israeli Muslims' religiosity: 47% identified as traditional , 32% identified as religious, 17% identified as not religious at all , and 3% identified as very religious. In recent years, the average age at marriage has risen, and Muslim women hold more degrees than their male counterparts.
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1297313364.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Islam is a major religion in both Israel and the Palestinian territories . Muslims , mostly Arab citizens of Israel , constitute 16% of the Israeli population , making them the second largest religious group in Israel after Israeli Jews . Islam is the religion of the majority of the Palestinian population residing in the Palestinian territories, with Muslims comprising 75% of the population of the West Bank , and 99% of the population of the Gaza Strip , ahead of believers of Judaism and Christianity . Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia . The Haram al Sharif ( Temple Mount ) of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah (paradise). This widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque . Muslims are sensitive to and mindful of the circumstance that two mosques along with the rest of East Jerusalem are claimed and administered by the state of Israel, albeit without Israeli flags presently being displayed within the limits of the Haram area (which is managed day to day by the Islamic Waqf , an administrative body taking responsibility for the conduct of Islamic affairs in the region of the Temple Mount ). In modern times there have been several instances of Israeli Jews raising flags on the Mount in defiance of the police practice of obstructing persons from doing so.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370873315.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Islam is a major religion in Israel .Muslims , who are mostly Arab citizens of Israel , constitute 17.4% of the Israeli population , making them the second largest religious group in Israel after Israeli Jews . Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia . The Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah (paradise). This widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque . Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount which is managed day to day by the Islamic Waqf , an administrative body taking responsibility for the conduct of Islamic affairs in the region of the Temple Mount.The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World, 610-2003 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 651087794.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Islam in Israel Muslims , who are mostly Arab citizens of Israel , constitute 17.7% of the Israelis , making them the largest minority group in Israel. Jerusalem (Al Quds) is Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia . Al-Ḥaram ash-Sharīf ( , The Holy Sanctuary, that is originally part of the Jewish Temple Mount of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to the Heavens. This widely accepted Islamic belief raises the religious and spiritual importance to them of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque . Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount which is managed day to day by Jordan's Islamic Waqf ( ), an administrative body taking responsibility for the conduct of Islamic affairs in the region of the Temple Mount. The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World, 610-2003 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964351249.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Overview of the role of Islam and Muslims in Israel Dome of the Rock , an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem .Islam is the second-largest religion in Israel , constituting 1.707 million and around 18.1% of the country's population as of 2022.The ethnic Arab citizens of Israel make up the majority of its Muslim population, making them the largest minority group in Israel.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1165219088.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “major religion in both israel and the palestinian territories”. Today it says “second-largest religion in israel”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
major religion in both israel and the palestinian territories
Now
second-largest religion in israel
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
