the universality of islam...the universality of islam have traveled worldwide. read-ers had varying...

The Universality of Islam The Universality of Islam

The Universality ofIslam

Dr.AbdallahH.Al-Kahtany


© Dr. Abdallah H. Al-Kahtany 2009King Fahd National Library Cataloging in-Publication Data

Al-Kahtany, Abdallah H

The Universality of Islam

ISBN: 9960-9135-4-61 - Islam - General principles 1 - Title

L.D. No. 3053/21ISBN: 9960-9135-4-6

ISBN: 9960-9441-5-8

Cover Design & Layout by C.P. MuneerAhmed, Kerala

Right of reprinting this book is granted for non-profit purposes can begranted on the authors written permission.

O Mankind! We have created you from maleand female and made you nations and tribesthat you may appreciate one another Indeed,the most noble of you in the Sight of Allah isthe most righteous [i.e., conscious of his].Indeed,Allah is knowing and [all] Acquainted.

(The Quran 49:13)


CONTENTS

Forward

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter I

Universality and Equality

1. Christianity and equality

2. The Jewish position towards other nations.

3. The socio-religious system of Hinduism

4. Capitalism

5. Islam and universal equality

Chapter II

1. The Crusaders Behavior in Palestine

2. Christians and Jews in Palestine under Muslim rule

3. Islam in Spain

4. Christianity during the era of colonization

5. Islam in Europe

6. Islam in the Indian Subcontinent

7. Tolerance of Islam

8. Concluding Remarks

Chapter III

Universality and Promotion of Science

1. Hinduism, Buddhism, and science

2. Islam and science

3. The impact of Muslim sciences on Europe

4. The shallowness of modern science

5.Why does Islam encourage science and advancement?

Chapter IV

Universality and Solving Problems of Humanity

1.Alcoholism and drug addiction

The Islamic solution

2.Crime


3.Abuse of children and women


Conclusion

ReferencesUniversality and Tolerance

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FORWARD

By the generosity of The Merciful, three different editions ofthe Universality of Islam have traveled worldwide. Read-ers had varying opinions towards it: some took the liberty ofcopying whole chapters in their website; others expressedtheir attitudes, critiques, and comments to me in person orin writing; and few expressed their displeasure and disagree-ment with it. My firm understanding of our human naturehelped me to understand such varying attitudes. However,among the numerous responses to the Universality of Is-lam no one questioned its originality and methodology. I amvery thankful to all those who took the time to analyze itsarguments and propositions regardless of what they thinkof it.

I NTRODUCT ION

I am tremendously thankful to Allah, The Omnipotent,for granting me the opportunity to extensively revise andpublish this fourth edition of the Universality of Islam aftermore than a decade since the appearance of the first edi-tion. I benefited greatly from the numerous comments, sug-gestions and corrections I have been receiving over theyears. Some thing I always had in mind since the first time Ithought of writing a book about the universality of Islam wasthe responsibility of handling this topic with utmost sincerityand objectivity. Nonetheless, any critiques, comments, sug-gestions and reviews will be welcomed. I am only a humblehuman being trying his best to contribute in clarifying someof the critical issues of universality in the era of globaliza-tion. Issues that I think we need to ponder upon with seri-ousness and open-mindedness.

It is my greatest pleasure to receive respected readerscomments, corrections and suggestions at the followingaddresses:

Address of the author:Abdallah H.Al-KahtanyP.O. Box: 9012King Khalid UniversityAbha, SaudiArabiaE-mail: [email protected]


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThose who do not thank people do not thankAllah. Gratefulnessis a prophetic tradition; humanity at large needs to observe. Manyare thosewho contributed to the emergence of this book and hencedeserve the best of thanks. Among those who contributed signifi-cantly to the completion of this book are:

Dr.AbdallahAliAbu Ishis encouragement and brotherly supportwas verymotivating and inspiring.

My late brotherDr.AbdulrahmanAl-Jamhoors deathdid not sparehim to see this edition of a book he adored and supported greatly.May Allah shower him with His mercy.

The twoanonymous reviewers-appointedbyal-MuntadaAl-Islamiin London- comments and suggestions on an earlier edition werevery constructive.

Professor William L. Tarvins and Razik Sammanders reviewsof the earlier scripts were very helpful.

The respected sister, Mrs. Samira Van Fossen (OmMohamed),deserves the utmost thanks and sincerest dua for her very accu-rate corrections and suggestions that reflected in-depth understand-ing and keen interest in the topic.

Dr. Iejaz M. Sheikh encouraging comments and suggestionswere very valuable.

My dear parents unlimited support, sincere supplications, over-whelming love and sacrifices can never be rewarded but byAllah,TheMerciful.

My wifes and childrens forbearance and sacrifice during thecompilation of this book can never be forgotten.

You as a respected reader who gavemy words honor by takingsome of their valuable time to read them.

INTRODUCTION

In the 21st century, means of communication and transpor-tation have gone beyond all expectations and cross-culturalawareness has become widespread. After the collapse ofcommunism and consequently the Soviet Union and manyother communist countries, proposals were presented urg-ing the adoption of universal laws, values and morals withwhich relationships among the peoples of the world shouldbe governed.

Recently, the idea of a so-called NewWorld Order wasproposed through the United Nations in order to prescribevalues and impose laws on peoples of various cultures. Thequestion that will immediately emerge is whose values, lawsand ways of life should be adopted? Because the UnitedStates is, presently, the only superpower among all thenations of the world, as well as the largest financial con-


tributor to the United Nations, it seems a forgone conclusionthat the American way of life will be the only choice pre-sented to the globe. Charles Krauthammer, an influentialAmerican columnist, wrote in The Foreign Affairs that auni-polar moment had arrived and that a confident UnitedStates should learn to accept its new role, aggressively im-posing its own vision.1

Given the natural richness andmilitary power of theU.S.,why have its values not provided happiness and peace ofmind to the millions of Americans whose lives have beenwrecked by alcoholism, violence, drug use and other familyand social dilemmas? Can such a way of life that has failedto uproot discrimination against blacks and other minoritiesbring equality among the social castes of India? Can theAmerican way of life that has resulted in grave failure whenattempting to solve the problem of homelessness, providesolutions to the problems of poverty in South America orAfrica? Such questions should be raised against V. S.Naipauls claim that western civilization is the universal civi-lization that fits all men. David Gergen, editor at large of U.S.News & World Report has candidly uttered his doubts:

The United States cannot achieve order inits streets or even in its capital, much lessin the rest of the world.2

Some might say that the New World Order does nothave to be that of the Americans; it could be that of the Brit-ish, the French, the Russians or the Chinese; all are per-manent members of the Security Council. Nevertheless,these governments have never claimed to bring happinessnor security to their own nations or the rest of the world.Nonetheless, no nation in the whole world would willingly

choose or suggest a way of life detrimental to their own in-terests. Any system of life selected as the basis for a NewWorld Order is almost certain to serve the interests of thepeople proposing and sponsoring it. People can only ad-here willingly and peacefully to a system of their choice.

Gergen (1993) shows the level of self-interest felt bythe people of the worlds most dominant country regardingtheir care for other nations:

TheAmerican public told pollsters from theChicago Council on Foreign Relations thatthemost important priorities of U.S. foreignpolicy should be, first, protecting jobs ofAmerican workers; second, protecting theinterest of American workers abroad; andthird, securing adequate supplies ofenergy. Defending allies, preventing thespread of nuclear weapons and advancinghuman rights were seen as lessimportant. Helping to spread democracyto other nations was 15th on list of 15priorities.3

Samuel Huntington refers to the standards westernnations apply to their interests in the world:

The West in effect is using internationalinstitutions, military power and economicresources to run the world in ways thatwill maintain Western predominanceprotect Western interests and promoteWestern political and economical values4.

Accepting these New Order premises as a way of life

1 - David Gergen. American Missed Opportunities. Foreign Affairs,1993, p.1.2 - Gergen, 1993, p.1.

3 - Gergen. 1993.4 - Samuel Huntington. Clash of Civilizations. The Foreign Affairs, Sum-mer 1993.

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means full submission to the teachings and rules that sucha system puts forward. Naturally, the result of such accep-tance is a materialistic and secular view of life.

The probability that such a New World Order will beaccepted or applied is extremely remote. It has as muchchance as such old world orders as colonialism, commu-nism, dark ages theology, and modern capitalism.

The well-known American writer and senior advisor tothree American presidents, Patrick J. Buchanan, thinks thatdemanding that the Muslim world, with its great cultural andmoral treasures, should accept the western ideology is theirony of ironies. He writes:

Today, an aging, dying Christian West ispressing the Third World and the Islamicworld to accept contraception, abortion,and sterilization as theWest has done. Butwhy should they enter a suicide pact withus when they stand to inherit the earthwhen we are gone?5

There is a dire need among the majority of the worldspopulation for a way of life that can solve their problems andanswer their unanswered questions about existence and des-tiny. With escalating rates of immorality and violence in theworld, increasing numbers of people have been searchingfor a way out. Many have found suicide to be the easiest andprobably fastest solution. No wonder our world is wading ina state of chaos. It has tried so many ideologies and appliedcountless socioeconomic theories, but none have provento be quite right. That which has been tried has failed, andthat which has failed has been tried again . . . and again.Surely the time has come to ask questions if there is an-other way, an alternative system that could be adopted by

the whole world.Nominating a system to bind the people of all nations

into one nation is a serious undertaking. It is imperative thateveryones freedom of choice is safeguarded and that theirinherent beliefs and concerns are respected. Any universaldoctrine, law, system or way of life should take into consid-eration the natural characteristics of humankind. Such asystem should have the following attributes among its ma-jor principles:1. Non-Discriminatory:

It should emphasize equality and reject alltypes of racism and discrimination. Itsbasic teachings and values should bestable and should be equally and justlyapplied to all people with no discriminationbecause of their color, ethnicity, etc.

2. Tolerant:It should tolerate the existence ofdifference in belief, language, and culturaldiversity among peoples of the world.

3. Ethically progressive:It should not oppose advancements inscience and technology, but rather provideuniversal ethics to ensure theconsequences of such advancements arepositive.

4. Provide working solutions to pressing problems:It should provide solutions to humanitysproblems such as: alcoholism, drugaddiction, the break down of family andsocial systems, unrestrained sexuality,rape, and the abuse and molestation ofwomen and children.

5 - Patrick J. Buchanan, The Death of the West. St. Martins Press:New York, 2002, p. 48.

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The principle of equality in dealing with people of differentcolors, socioeconomic status and cultures is absent fromthe dominant ideologies of today's world. Indian society hassuffered from a rigidly applied caste system for many cen-turies: some people are looked at as gods (avatars), whileothers are treated little better than slaves.

Although Christianity has seldom been applied as asystem for living, it contains, among its contemporary teach-ings doctrines that can be viewed as discriminatory. TheTalmud (the basis of contemporary Judaism) considers theJews to be privileged over all other people (the Gentiles).

The list could be expanded to include the communistslogan of equality-all people are equal- then never practiced,which, in reality, means that some are more equal than oth-ers. Capitalism, as applied in several Western societies, is

The beauty of Islam as the only universal alternativeway of life for humanity has been misrepresented by someof the un-islamic malpractices by some Muslims and themisconceptions brought up by people of little knowledgeabout Islam or through prejudiced views. Terrorist activitieslaunched by a very insignificant minority in the name of Is-lam is unjustly blamed on the over a billion Muslims whohave never approved of them. They themselves suffer suchirrational and irresponsible actions.

In the following chapters of this book, Islamic principlesof equality, tolerance, solutions to problems facing human-ity and position towards sciences and advancements willbe compared to a number of contemporary ideologies andreligions that may aspire for universality. The last chapterconcludes with some of the major inherent principles of Is-lam as part and parcel of its teachings for the betterment ofhumanity.

C H A P T E R I

Universality and Equality

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not geared theoretically to establishing equality, since it en-courages division between the rich and the poor. Socialism,which in theory is supposed to ameliorate the excesses ofcapitalism and communism, successfully highlighted theinherent weakness of communism and capitalism. Yet, couldnot prove itself as a more viable alternative.

Of all the existing ideological systems, only Islam re-mains the only option that appeals to all because it respectsthe rights of all people and regards all humans as membersof one nation living under God (Allah), in peace and harmony,in spite of their many differences. Historical and contempo-rary evidence stand as witness to the non-negotiable Islamicequality.1. Christianity and Equality

In this section, I will examine some of the teachings ofChristianity in order to determine if such views could appealto all people regardless of their differences. To be objective,reference will be made to the book of Christianity, The Bible,to document whether the message of Christ (pbuh) was for

the world or limited in time and space to his people, the Isra-elites. Hence, it does not have a universal appeal.

According to Matthew, the message Jesus (pbuh) re-ceived was limited to one nation. Jesus (pbuh) stated clearlyin his instructions to his disciples that they were not to spreadthe message beyond the tribes of Israel.

Go not into the way of the gentiles, andinto any town of the Samaritans enter yenot: but go rather to the lost sheep of thehouse of Israel .....6 (Matthew 10:5, 6)

Another incident narrated about Jesus (pbuh) furtherillustrates the point in question:7

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to theregion of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanitewoman from that vicinity came to him,crying out, Lord, Son of David, havemercyon me! My daughter is suffering terriblyfrom demon's possession. Jesus did notanswer a word. So his disciples came tohim and urged him, send her away, for shekeeps crying out after us.He answered, I was sent only to the lostsheep of Israel.The woman came and knelt before him.Lord, help me! she said.He replied, it is not right to take thechildren's bread and toss it to their dogs.

The communist slogan of equality-all peopleare equal- never practiced,which, in reality,means that some are more equal than oth-ers. Capitalism, as applied in several West-ern societies, is not geared theoretically toestablishing equality, since it encourages di-vision between the rich and the poor. Social-ism, which in theory is supposed to amelio-rate the excesses of capitalism and commu-nism, successfully highlighted the inherentweakness of communismand capitalism.

6 - Quotes were taken form The Holy Bible The Gideons Internationalin the British Isles, Western House,George Street, Luttersorth, Leics,LE17 4EE.7- ? ?

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(Matthew 15: 21 - 26).In these biblical excerpts, Jesus (pbuh) has clearly

stated that his message was to be spread among the peopleof Israel only and, not to the people of all nations. However,as a Muslim who believes that Jesus Christ (pbuh) was agreat Messenger of Allah, I am convinced that Jesus neversaid the underlined quote from the Bible (Matthew 15:26).

Hill and Cheadle (1996)mentioned that colored peoplehave been mistreated through out the history of people ofEuropean descendants. "Western European tradition hasgenerally segregated blacks and throughout history, movingtheir roles and contributions into the background or omittingthem completely"8.

Though the prophets of God can never preach hatredor discriminations, the continuous additions to the Bible bydifferent groups to manipulate its teachings for their owninterests, some passages denote discriminatory sense.

And Mariam and Aaron spoke againstMoses because of the Ethiopian womanwhom he had married: for he had marriedan Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1).

Such excerpts from the Old Testament might explainthe discriminatory treatment against the Jews of an Africanorigin in the State of Israel. The feeling of discriminationamong theAfrican ChristianAmerican led to the reactionaryfeeling of some predominantAfro-AmericanClergy. OnGoodFriday, 1993, Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, Jr. ofWashington D.C., burned an image of a white Jesus in thestreet as he proclaimed its "historical inaccuracy": "Jesuswas an 'Afro-Asiatic Jew'."9 To realize the extent the level of

racism in the world's most pow-erful country, there are around327 white supremacy groups inthe U.S.10

2. The Jewish Position To-wards Other Nations.

As we will see in this sec-tion, the true unashamedly dis-criminatory nature of Judaismmeans that it cannot be nomi-nated as a universal system forall humankind to follow. Despiteits nature or perhaps even be-cause of it- the Jewish lobby isvery powerful and plays a veryeffective role in shaping US for-eign policy; especially those inIsrael's interest.

The Jewish book of guid-ance, the Talmud, the preemi-nent authority for the Jews,11ranks them above all otherpeople. Jews are considered tobe the chosen people of God.They are supreme, and the mul-titude gentile (non-Jewish) sur-rounding them are considered

8 - Jim Hill and Rand Cheadle. The Bible Tells Me So. Anchor Books/Doubleday: New York, 1996, p. 13.9 - Hill and Cheadle, p.13.

The Jewish lobbyis very powerfuland plays a veryeffective role inshaping US for-eignpolicy; espe-cially those inIsrael's interest.

10 - Hill and Cheadle, p.12.11 - The modern Jewish writer Herman Wouk states very clearly in hisbook; This is My God that: The Talmud is to this day the circulatinghearts blood of the Jewish religion. Whatever we are, Orthodox, Con-servative, Reform or merely spasmodic sentimentalists, we follow theTalmud. It is our common law. This statement was presented by T.Pike in his book Israel Our Duty. . Our Dilemma. 1984, P. 54.

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unclean and sub-humans.The reason that Jews claim selected by God and the

gentiles as unclean is that the Jews were present at Mt.Sinai, but gentiles were not.12

When the serpent came into Eve heinfused filthy lust into her . . . . When Israelstood in Sinai that lust was eliminated, butthe lust of idolaters, who did not stand onSinai, did not cease (Abodah Zarah 22b).13

Let's look in the Zohar, where the Jewish rabbis inter-preted the verse from Genesis: "Now the serpent is moresubtle than any beast of the field". Their interpretation is:

More subtle that is towards evil; than allthe beasts, that is, the idolatrous peopleof the earth. For they are the children ofthe ancient serpent which seduced Eve.(Zohar 1: 28b)

As amatter of fact, non-Jews (gentiles), whether Chris-tians, Buddhists or Hindus are not considered equal to theJews in any way; the Jewish doctrine regards them as ifthey were non-humans. The following excerpt from the Tal-mud would make any one puzzle over the way they dispar-age other people:

A gentile is not a neighbor in the senseof reciprocating and being responsible fordamages caused by his negligence; nordoes he watch over his cattle. Even thebest gentile laws were too crude to admitof reciprocity. (Bek. 13b)

See how this conflicts with the true sense of justice inthe Qur'an:

O yewho believe! Stand out firmly forAllah,witness in justice, and let not the hatred ofothers make you depart from justice. Bejust: That is nearer to piety.And fearAllah,forAllah is well-acquainted with all that youdo. (Qur'an 5: 8)

Christians and other non-Jews (called heathens in theTalmud) were not exempted from the hatred and the dis-trust of Jews:

Where a suit arises between an Israeliteand a heathen, if you can satisfy the formeraccording to the laws of Israel, justify himand say: This is our law; so also if you canjustify him by the law of the heathens justifyhim and say (to the other party): This isyour law; but if this can't be done, we usesubterfuges to circumvent them. (BabaKama 113 a)

The Jewish Encyclopedia summarizes opinions of thesages about this law by stating:

The Mishnah . . . declares that if a gentilesues an Israelite, the verdict is for thedefendant; if the Israelite is the plaintiff, heobtains full damages.14

There are numerous citations in theTalmudwhere non-Jews are considered dirty or unworthy of living. It goes tothe extent that such people are not even worthy of beingaccepted in their religion, even if they so desired. In fact, theTalmud prohibits, under the threat of death, the teaching of

12 - References to the Talmudic verses were taken from the Talmudicauthority Rev. Theodore W. Pike. in his book Israel Our Duty .. OurDilemma. Big Sky Press, 1984.13 - Compare with what the Quran says about Adam and Eve in 7: 19-25.

14 - The Jewish Encyclopedia. ed. Cyrus Adler, Isidore Singer. NewYork, London: Funk-Wagnalls, 1901-1906. P. 620.

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non. One is really stunned by the Talmudic manner in whichthey spoke. An example of this was seen in the way Beginarrogantly informed the Americans about the massacre hehad committed:

We have no duty to explain our actions toothers - only to ourselves.17

In other words, the Jew is above criticism by a gentile.Observing the occupying Zionist policies against the

Palestinians reveals the real nature of the extreme brutalityand hatred they have against children, women and helplessold people. Israeli officials have become candid in their re-jection of the gentile's law when not favoring the Jews. Afterthe decision by the International Court of Justice that con-struction of the partition wall was against the internationallaw, Yousef Lapid, Israel's justice minister, told the state-controlled radio on July 10th, 2004 that Israel would pay at-tention to the ruling of the Hague-based ICJ: "We will heedthe ruling of our supreme court, not the ruling of ICJ". This isthe typical Talmudic Zionist view of contempt for everythingnon-Jewish. The whole world is always wrong, the tens ofUN resolutions condemning Israel are not fair, the manybloody and inhuman massacres in Palestinian camps arejust for self-defense, bombing UN-run refugee camps andkilling indiscriminately is a Zionist right. Mistreating and evenconstant killings of journalists and peace activists are justunintended mistakes, etc.

This attitude is not confined to politicians. MosheAntelman of Rehovot, Israel - a rabbi and a chemist - devel-oped a bullet containing pork fat.

Antelman, a rabbi and a chemist,

the Torah to any gentile:Hence the Talmud prohibited the teachingto a Gentile of the Torah, the inheritance ofthe congregation of Jacob R. Johannandeclares if one dared to do so such aperson deserves death.15

Certainly such a system, with its extreme discrimina-tory nature, was not designed to be a universal way of life.

Many Israeli leaders do not value the lives of non-Jew-ish people. Menachem Begin's response to the world out-rage over massacres in Sabra and Shatilla refugee campsin Lebanon is reflective of this attitude:

Goyim [meaning gentiles] are killingGoyimand they came to hang the Jews.16

Some might say that current Judaism is not built onsuch radical or racial ideas. Let's listen to the defense of theleading Israeli authority as to what they have done in Leba-

15- T. Pike, cited on page 61 that this information is cited fromTheJewish Encyclopedia., Article, Gentile, p. 623, where the reference isSanh. 59a, Hagigah 13a.16 - T. Pike, P. 53.

The occupying Zion-ist policies againstthe Palestinians re-veals the real na-ture of the extremebrutality and hatredthey have againstchildren, womenand helpless oldpeople.

17 - T. Pike , P. 72. For more information about Jewish atrocities look atthe New York Times, August 5,1985, P.1, and The National Geographic,April 1983, P. 514.

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developed the lard-laden ammo for useagainst devout Muslims, who believe anycontact with pig flesh robs the soul of itschance to enter paradise. . .18 The goodrabbi has offered his innovation to WestBank settlers, and he also hopes to interestthe Pentagon in this refined form ofmilitarypork.19

This is just one example of how the Jewish elite andleaders value people of other nations.

The Zionist nature of hatred for other nations and the

complex sense of superiority have led them to direct theirguns to their closest allies (the Americans) and kill manysolders; as exemplifies by their savage attack on theAmeri-can navy ship 'Liberty', in midday.20

In an interview with the prominent Jewish Americanthinker and MIT linguist, Prof. Noam Chomsky, respondedto a question about the Jewish view of other people by say-ing:

If you go back to traditional Jewish culturein either Eastern Europe or North Africa,being a Christian, a non-Jew, was adifferent species, below the level of Jews.For example, Jewish doctors are notsupposed to treat non-Jews unless Jewscan gain by it. So Maimonides21 could bethe doctor for the Sultan because Jewswould gain by it, but not otherwise.

When the following question was addressed toChomsky;

"Is this canonical or a cultural tradition?" He said:It's in the Halakah, the rabbinic tradition.There's plenty of stuff like this. They (theJews) were on the one hand an oppressedminority, but on the other hand very racist.The racism carried overwhen they becamea non-oppressed majority.22

The preceding section focused on the Jewish view ofother nations. The author depended heavily on Judaic

Thewholeworld is alwayswrong,the tens of UN resolutions con-demning Israel are not fair, themany bloody and inhumanmassacres in Palestiniancamps are just for self-de-fense, bombing UN-runrefugee camps and kill-ing indiscriminately is aZionist right.Mistreatingand even constant killingsof journalists and peace activ-ists are just unintendedmistakes.

18 - This is not true. Muslims are only forbidden from eating pork.According to the Old Testament, consumption of pork is forbidden:(Leviticus 11: 7-8)19 - Sunday. August 28, 1994, P. 18.

20 - For more details see Paul Findleys book They Dare to Speak,published in first in 1985 by Lawrence Hill Books, pp (165- 179).21 - Refers to Sultan Salaahudeens (Saldin) Jewish physician.22 - David Barsamian and Noam Chomsky . Propaganda and thePublic Mind. South End Press: Cambridge. 2001, p. 85.

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sources that have left doubt that discriminating against otherpeoplewas an ideological and a religious duty of Zionist Jews.Since Jewish-ness is only inherited, other people of anynation can never be part of it. Other people are excludedand can never be part of that narrow system that favorsJews over all other nations, for no reason but because theyare Jews.3. The Socio-Religious System of Hinduism

In this section, we will see that just as its racist doc-trines exclude Judaismfrom being nominated asa candidate for the univer-sal way of life, so too doesHinduism eliminate itselffrom consideration for pre-cisely the same reason-racism. Hinduism is builtaround a racist apparatusincorporating a discrimina-tory caste system, whichis an integral part of thisreligion. The caste systemdivides Hindu society intofour major groups:

a. The Brahmans: the learned and the priestly class.b. The Kashattriyas: the fighting and ruling class.c. The Vaisyas: the trading and the agricultural people.d. The Suddras: the lowest caste whose only busi-

ness is to serve their superiors.23And the Dalits or the Untouchables who are outcaste

because they do not belong to any of the original fourfoldgrouping. They are untouchable because their touch is bondto pollute the other castes. Thus, they must remain at a suf-ficient distance from the other castes. These groups areonly the head of the very complicated social fabric of theHindu society, which contains about 2800 unique communi-ties.24

These castes are worlds apart from each other. Thisis one of the most outrageous manifestations of inequalitynow being practiced anywhere. One is born in one casteand dies in that caste. It is one, which even the present po-litical system of India repudiates.

This system was incorporated into the teachings ofHinduism during the time of Manu, during the heydays of theBrahman civilization. Since then, it has become an integralpart of the Hindu socioreligious system. It has becomemoreor less a hereditary system, subjugating the majority of thepopulation, and is exploited by the minority ruling class to

Hinduism is builtaround a racist appa-ratus incorporating adiscriminatory castesystem, which is anintegral part of thisreligion.

23 - Gustave le Bon. Les Civilization de lInde. P. 211.

The Brahmans

The Kashattriyas

The Vaisyas

The Suddras

Untouchables

Indian Caste System

24 - John Campbell Oman, The Brahmans, Theists and Muslims ofIndia. Delhi, 1973, p.50, and Dalit Voice, 15:4, p.20. In Fazlie, 1997,p.148-9.

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maintain its purity and su-periority.

Gustave le Bonmentioned some ofManu's (One of the majorauthors of the Hinduteachings, the Vedas)teachings:This law gave tothe Brahmansthe distinction,superiority andsanctity, which

raised their status, equal to that of the gods. . . Anyone who is born a Brahman is thenoblest creature on earth. He is themonarch of all the created things and hisduty is to defend the Shastras, the Hinduteachings that provides legitimacy to theirpower.25

Manu goes on to grant more rights to the Brahmans atthe expanse of all other people:

Whatever is on the earth belongs to theBrahman, for he is the highest among allcreatures. All things are for him.26

The Sudras have no rights whatsoever in Hindu soci-ety. They are considered lower than the animals.

A Sudra should never acquire property,even if he has the opportunity, for in sodoing he is causing pain to the Brahmans.Nothing can bemore honorable for a Sudra

than to serve the Brahman; nothingbesides this can earn him any reward . . .A Sudra who assaults a higher-caste manis liable to lose the limb with which theassault is made . . . 27And so it goes on, unceasinglycondescending:The atonement for killing a dog, a cat, afrog, a lizard, a crow, an owl and a Sudrais the same.28

This extremely discriminatory system is not a thing ofthe past, but also it has its manifestations on present daypolitics. It would be extremely difficult to believe, accept oradopt such an unjust system as a way of life, not to mentiona global system for humanity.4. Capitalism

Capitalism is not a religion but it has become a way oflife that millions of people aspire to and once achieved, de-fend with great enthusiasm. Millions of people have beenfooled by the symbols of American capitalism,29 such as theStatue of Liberty welcoming every newcomer to the land ofhappiness and opportunity. However, it seems as if manypeople have forgotten the history of slavery, the plantations,and the back-of-the-bus theory where blacks were not al-lowed to sit in the front seats of public transportation.

Few capitalists seem bothered by the dire conse-quences of the unbridled pursuit of possessions and wealthsuch as: escalating rates of crime, rape, child molestation,battered women, drug addiction, covert and overt discrimi-nation, homelessness, and the calamity facing old people.

25 - Ibid., P. 211.26 - Ibid., P. 211.

The caste system isnot a thing of the past,but also it has itsmanifestations onpresent day politics.

27 - Ibid., P. 211.28 - Ibid., P. 212.29 - Ibid., P. 212.

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As a result of unequal treatment and discrimination,the Afro-American community is facing a number of esca-lating problems. White America faces the same problems,but the alarming difference is of scale.

Phillipson (1992) referred to the key investigator forPhelps-Stokes Fund, Thomas Jesse Jones, aWelshAmeri-can who was closely associated with the policy of separateeducation for the blacks of the USA. The philosophy behindthe policy of providing appropriate education for the blackswas formulated clearly at the turn of the century on purelydiscriminatory grounds. The black people were viewed as alower race fit for lower education and good for humble jobsbecause they were not white:

the white people are to be the leaders the Caucasian will rule in the negro isthe opportunity of the South. Time hasproven that he is best fitted to perform theheavy labor in the Southern states Hewill willingly fill the more menial positions,and do the heavywork, at less wages, thanthe American white man or any foreignrace" (quoted in Berman 1982: 180 andcited in Phillipson 1992: 199).30

Sixty-nine percent of all births of theAfrican-Americancommunity are out of wedlock. Two thirds of their childrenlive in single parent homes. About one third of Afro-Ameri-can boys can expect to serve a jail or prison sentence be-fore the age of sixteen. Four out of ten black males agedsixteen to thirty-five are in jail, in prison, on parole, or are onprobation. The highest rates of drug consumption, schooldropouts and rape are found also among blacks.31Buchanan referred to this and similar statistics regardingminorities in an accusatory manner rather than trying to findout the real reasons behind such alarming statistics. Minori-ties that in the past faced slavery and extreme forms of bru-tality and discrimination are now experiencing covert institu-tional negligence and discrimination. Little effort to restoreequality and justice is evident. Making retribution for the evilcenturies and shameful history is studiously avoided, butpinpointing fingers and blaming the oppressed is not. An un-suitable system at the local level can never meet the chal-lenges of a complicated and diverse world.

Capitalism is not a religion but it has becomeaway of life thatmillions of people aspire toand once achieved, defend with great en-thusiasm. Millions of people have beenfooled by the symbols of American capital-ism, such as the Statue of Liberty welcom-ing every newcomer to the land of happi-ness and opportunity.

30 - Robert Phillipson. Linguistic Imperialism. (Oxford University Press,1992), 119.31 - William J. Bennett, Index of Leading Cultural Indicators. (NewYork: Broadway Books, 2000), pp. 50, 27.

23


Basically, Capitalism results in economic inequality,particularly for minorities and 'non-producing segments',such as children and the elderly. Because of the greatchanges that have taken place in America and other west-ern societies during the last one hundred years, many so-cial problems have emerged. The huge corporate invasionof family farms and small family-centered enterprises haveresulted inmany socioeconomic tensions.Although the capi-talist system as a way of life has provided material gains fora small number of individuals, large segments of societysuffer: among them the senior citizens, single women, chil-dren born out of wedlock, and the non-white minorities.

A common sight in downtown areas of American cit-ies is the many elderly people among the homeless. Anum-ber ofAmerican sociologists forecast that the problems facedby the elderly will become even more severe in the nearfuture.32 Declining birthrates and increasing numbers of eld-erly people indicate that such trends will continue. It is ex-pected that the elderly will soon constitute a large proportionof society. In 1900, people over 65 constituted four percentof the American population (three million people); by 1976,they comprised over 10 percent of the populace (22 mil-lion). It is projected that by 2030 there will be more than 50million people over 65 in the United States - making about17 percent of the population.33 This is not just an American

problem, it is a capi-talist problem causedbecause individualwealth is valued overall things, includingpeople. According tothe UN statistics onthe depopulation ofcapitalist Europe, inthe year 2000, therewere 494 million Eu-ropeans aged fifteento sixty-five. That isprojected to plunge to365 million by 2050;however, the 107mil-lion Europeans oversixty-five today willsoar to 172 million inthe same period.34 Bythat time, more thana third of Europe's people will be over sixty.

Regardless of the miserable treatment that the eld-erly, the poor and the colored face in the form of covert andovert discrimination, western nations believe that their civili-zation and culture are superior, and that they have the rightto impose their rule and way of life on "inferior" civilizations,cultures and peoples.

Capitalism, in theory, calls for an equal treatment be-

32 - Sullivan, Thompson, Wright, Gross and Spady (1980) in theirbook Social Problems: Divergent Perspectives. (John Wiley & Sons,New York), discuss the great changes in the Socioeconomic life ofAmericans: The social status of the elderly has declined because theyno longer hold positions of economic power; their children are no longerdependent on them for their own livelihood; and they no longer performtasks that are viewed as essential for the groups welfare (P. 340).33 - According to theAmerican Institute of Gerontology, Informationon Aging (Wayne State University / University of Michigan, no. 10,October 1,1976).

Western nations believethat their civilization andculture are superior, andthat they have the rightto impose their rule andway of life on "inferior"civilizations, culturesandpeoples.

34 - Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Af-fairs, United Nations Secretariat, Replacement Migration: Is It a Solu-tion to Declining and Aging Population? March 21,2000, p139. In P. J.Buchanan . Death of the West. St. Martins Press: New York. pp. 97-8

24


tween all the segmentsof society; in practice itcan never provide theright mechanism to doso. It institutes a differ-ent type of rigid socio-economic castes,which result in segre-gation and unequal ac-cess to social, healthand educational ser-vices. The rights of thestrong sectors of soci-ety are preserved- theyoung, the rich, thewhite, etc- while therights of the weak sec-tors -women, children,elderly people, singleparents, elderly people,etc. - are overlooked.

There is no pointin discussing the topic

of equality and communism here, since it has been discred-ited and abandoned by most of its own theoreticians andpractitioners, regardless of all rigorous modifications. Itbrought little or no good to the nations that have adopted it atthe point of the gun: only the ills of poverty, backwardnessand misery.

Capitalism is rooted in monopoly, the rich becomesricher while the poor gets poorer; otherwise, there will be nocapitalism. The world is not in need for more global eco-nomical exploitations at the hands of the multinational capi-

talist company. The dignity of the human has to be restoredthrough a universal way of life that is not discriminatory andthat views man the most dignified creature on earth. Thiswill lead us to our final destination in search of the only uni-versal system of life, which is mankind's only hope for anondiscriminatory treatment.5. Islam and Universal Equality

Any system that assumes universal applicability shouldappreciate its followers' potentials and recognize theirachievements, regardless of their ethnic, racial, geographi-cal or socioeconomic backgrounds. In other words, such asystem should only evaluate their potential (or their accom-plishment), and not what they have naturally been endowedwith in terms of such as, their color, race, country of origin,etc. Islam views people as equal. In fact, in Islam inherentdifferences have a greater wisdom that is worthy of appre-ciation. The religion, which views that all people are equal inthe eyes of their Creator, is Islam:

And of His signs is the creation of theheavens and the earth, and the diversityof your languages and colors. Indeed, inthat are signs for those of knowledge.

(The Qur'an 30:22)Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: NoArabhas any superiority over a non-Arab, nordoes a white man have any superiorityover a black man, or the black man anysuperiority over the white man. You are allthe children of Adam, and Adam wascreated from dust\earth.35

Islam rejects all forms of superiority complex based

The dignity of the hu-man has to be restoredthrough a universalway of life that is notdiscriminatory and thatviews man the mostdignified creature onearth. This will lead usto our final destinationin search of the onlyuniversal systemof life.

35 - Narrated by Bayhaqi and Bazzaar.

27


on racial, geographical, economical, linguistic or other in-herent factors. It considers righteousness and good con-duct as the basis for recognition. In relation to this principle,Allah TheAlmighty says:

O Mankind! We have created you frommale and female and made you nationsand tribes that you may appreciate oneanother. Indeed, the most noble of you inthe Sight ofAllah is themost righteous [i.e.,conscious of him]. Indeed,Allah is knowingand [all]Acquainted.

(The Qur'an 49:13)On the Plains of Arafat more than fourteen hundred

years ago, Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) declared the Islamiceternal principles of equality to a gathering of more than onehundred thousand. Therefore, every listener would passwhathe had heard to those who were not present:

O. People! Your Lord is one. Your father is

one.All of you came fromAdam andAdamwas created from dust. The noblestamong you before Allah is the mostrighteous. NoArab has any superiority overa non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over anArab. Awhite man has no superiority overa black man, nor does a black man over awhite man but with righteousness. Have Iclearly conveyed the message? O. Allahyou are the Witness. Let the one who ispresent deliver the message to the absentones.

Prof. Ramakrishna Rao, a professing Hindu,36 quotedSarojini Naidu, the greatest Indian poetess, who spoke abouthow equality has been practiced in Islam by saying:

It was the first religion that preached andpracticed democracy; for, in the mosque,when the adhan (theMuslim call to prayer)is sounded and the worshippers aregathered together, the equality of Islam isembodied five times a day when thepeasant and the king kneel side by sideand proclaim, God alone is great.

The great poetess of India continues:I have been struck over and again by thisindivisible unity of Islam that makes amaninstinctively a brother. When you meet anEgyptian, anAlgerian, an Indian and aTurkin London, Egypt is themotherland for oneand India is the motherland for another.37

P r o p h e tMuhammad(pbuh) said:No Arab hasany superior-ity over anon -A r a b ,nor does awhite man

have any superiority over a black man, orthe blackmanany superiority over thewhiteman. You are all the children of Adam, andAdamwas created from dust\earth.

36 - Professor of Philosophy, University of Mysore, India.37 - K.S. Ramakrishna Rao. Mohammad: The Prophet of Islam. Al-FurqanAgency. P. 11.

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If there is a unique attribute that our world has, it is diversityin both culture and belief. Therefore, any system, whichclaims universality, should have tolerance towards othercultural and religious practices as a non-negotiable principle.In this section of the book, light will be shed on the principleof tolerance based on historical evidence drawn from prac-tices of several religions and ideologies in

comparison to Islam. Since the previous section re-vealed the exclusive basis of Jewish intolerance, I will beginwith Christianity, which some believe manifests the kind-ness and gentility of Christ (pbuh). But when we apply anhistorical examination, the conclusion is completely the op-posite. Regardless of the teachings of Christianity and Ju-

Equality as an uncompromisedIslamic principle is not recognized asamere slogan to aspire for. It is prac-ticed on a daily basis through the fivedaily prayers, where Muslims submitto God standing on straight lines withno distinction between them. The ul-timate universal nature of Islam is ex-emplified during the Hajj (Pilgrimage)where about three million Muslimsfrom more than 70 countries gatherin one place with the same dress forthe sake of pleasing God and glorify-ing Him. All barriers including that of

race, color, language and status collapse.As some systems promote religious exclusiveness

and discrimination (Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity) and yetothers encourage economic; consequently social, inequal-ity (capitalism, communism and socialism), only Islam isan all-embracing and equalitarian system. This leads us toa second comparison between Islam and other existing ideo-logical systems in relation to tolerance, the second condi-tion for any proposed World Order.

Anysystem,whichclaimsuniversal-ity, should have tolerance towardsother cultural and religious prac-tices as a non-negotiable principle.

C H A P T E R II

Universality and Tolerance


daism that started at the hand of the most tolerant amongpeople, the prophets of Allah, a lot has emerged which cannever be part of their teachings but added over the ages.1. The Crusaders' Behavior in Palestine

Let's look at what the Christian Crusaders did to theMuslims when they waged wars against them and whenthey occupied Jerusalem. These wars were referred to asThe Holy Wars, which were conducted with the blessings ofthe Pope and under the banner of the Christian religiousleaders.

Although Jerusalem was surrounded for more than amonth, its inhabitants resisted the Crusaders' invasion cou-rageously. When the Crusaders finally won, they rushedthrough the streets killing, destroying and burning whateverthey saw in their way. They did not differentiate betweenmen,women or children. Themassacre lasted for the whole night.On Friday, 15th of June 1099, the Crusaders stormed thegates ofAl-AqsaaMosque and killed all those who were tak-ing refuge inside it. IbnAl-Atheer described the massacre inhis book Al-Kamil as follows:

The Crusaders killed more than 70thousand people. Some of thosewhowerekilled were Muslim scholars, erudites andadorationists who left their countries todwell near the holy places. They stolemore than 40 silver lanterns from the HolyRock, each costing at least 3600 (silverDirhams).

In his book, The Arab Civilization, the French histo-rian, Gustave Le Bon described the Crusaders' entry intoJerusalem, saying:

The Crusaders' behavior, when theyentered Jerusalem, was quite different

from that of the tolerant Caliph Omar binAl-Kattaab towards theChristians when heentered the city a few centuries earlier.38

In turn, the priest of Bolol City, Raymond Dagile, de-scribed this incident in history by saying:

What happened among the Arabs whenour people [the Christians] conqueredJerusalem's walls and towers was reallypuzzling; some of them [the Muslims]were head-cut, others were stabbed, sothat they were forced to throw themselvesdown the walls, others were burnt alive,so there could not be along Jerusalemroads except Arabs' heads, legs, andhands, so that we cannot avoid walking incorpses and this was just a sample ofwhat happened.39

Khalil Toutah and Bolous Shehadeh (Christian writers)recounted that massacre, declaring that:

What the Crusaders did in the place whereJesus was crucified and buried (accordingto the Christian Bible) is really shamefuland sinful. Jesus taught his disciples tolove their enemies; but the crusaders,whose ideal was the holy cross, killedwomen, children and the elderly people.Even those who escaped to Aqsaa werefollowed by Godephry who was known asthe protector of the Holy Tomb, and whenhe was in Java to fight the Egyptians, he

38 - Gustave le Bon TheArab Civilization. (tr. Adel Zueiter).39 - In Al-Quds History and Views. Pp.18 -19.

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became sick and asked his followers totake him back to Jerusalemwhere he died.He was buried in the Nativity Church.40

Unfortunately the crusade is not a thing of the past, assome might think. It continued with many influential Chris-tian influential personalities of the present. Though manyChristians positively regard it, Jews and Muslims, on theother hand, maintain very bitter memories about its bloodyhistory. Christian missionaries of the past and the presentview their work of seducing people to convert as a crusade.Politicians view their double standard policy against othernations as a crusade. In other words, tolerating others is notpart of the Christian agenda. It is not fair to deny the originalteachings of the prophets (PBUT). They taught toleranceand practiced it. They brought guidance and light. However,the grave distortions of their teachings resulted in crusades,inquisitions, slavery, discrimination, colonization and treat-ing people with double standards.2. Christians and Jews in Palestineunder Muslim rule

In contrast to the bleak history of the crusaders in Pal-estine, the Muslims have set a universal example for toler-ance and accommodation that no nation on earth can claimits like.Abu Ubaydah, theMuslim Commander, sent to Omarbin al-Khattab (the second Muslim Caliph) telling him thatthe citizens of Jerusalem wanted him to come to take thekeys of the city. Therefore, the caliph started his journey withhis steward heading towards Jerusalem. On his arrival, thecitizens of Elia (Jerusalem) received him with pleasure. Hesigned with them the famous peace document, which reads

as follows:In the name ofAllah, The Compassionate,The Merciful! This is what the Servant ofGod, Omar, Amir of the believers, gave toElia's inhabitants concerning the safety oftheir properties, money, churches, etc.Their churches should not be demolished.They should not be harmed or forced toaccept a religion against their will. Thisshould be guaranteed by the Khalifah andall Muslims, and monitored by Allah andHis Prophet (PBUH), as long as the otherside adheres to it and pays the Jezyah.

As a matter of fact, Omar was the first to liberateJerusalem from the Roman occupation.3. Islam in Spain

During the 7th century, the people of Spain were giventhe choice to accept Islam willingly and peacefully as hun-dreds of thousands of people around the world are accept-ing Islam today. However, with the papal approval in 1479,Prince Ferdinand and Princess Isabella executed theunimaginably bloody history of the Spanish Inquisition, wherenotorious and indescribable persecutions and torturesagainst Muslims and Jews took place. The purpose was toforce them to accept Christianity or be tortured to death.With the collapse of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold inSpain, into the hands of the Spaniards in 1492, Muslims werelike an unprotected herd of cattle that were attacked by hun-gry wolves. So, they were massacred, enslaved and com-pelled to embrace Christianity at the edge of the sword.

In his article "When the Moors Ruled Spain", ThomasJ.Abercrombie revealed many facts about the contributionswith which Muslims had presented the West. He also al-

40 - Khalil Toutah and Bolous Shehadeh. Jerusalems History andGuide. Jerusalem, 1480. P. 28.

34 35


luded to the justice of the Islamic rule: where Jews, Chris-tians andMuslims lived peacefully side by side for more thanseven centuries. Then he shifted 180 degrees to talk in briefabout atrocities committed by the Catholic Christians after-wards:

It was here, long after Alfonso VI that thefirst victims of a growing Christian bigotryperished at the stake. In 1469 PrinceFerdinand ofAragonwedPrincess Isabellaof Castile. While waging war against theMoors to the south, they would view as athreat the Muslims and Jews in their ownlands. In 1480, they established theSpanish Inquisition. Before it was over,three centuries later, thousands ofMuslims and Jews had died; an estimatedthreemillion people were driven into exile.Short of its leading businessmen, artists,agriculturalists, and scientists, Spainwould soon find itself a victim of its owncruelty.41

Iriving (1973) in his book The Falcon of Spain, de-scribed the position of Christians and Jews under the toler-ant Muslim rule as:

Side by side with the new rulers lived theChristians and Jews in peace. The latter,rich with commerce and industry, werecontent to let thememory of oppression bythe priest-ridden Goths sleep, [Jews hadbeen virtually eliminated from the SpanishPeninsula in the seventh century by the

Christians.] now that the prime authors of ithaddisappeared. Learned in all the arts andsciences, cultured and tolerant, they weretreatedby theMoors [MuslimsofSpain]withmarked respect, andmultiplied exceedinglyall over Spain; and, like the ChristianSpaniards under Moorish rule - who werecalledMozarabes - hadcaused to thank theirnewmasters for an eraof prosperity such asthey had never knownbefore.42

Such kind of tolerancehadmarked the relationship be-tween Muslims and Christiansand Jews. Muslims gave theChristians the chance to decideon their own. Gibbon (1823)stressed the fact that the Mus-lims of Spain abided by theteachings of Islam; they did notoppress the Christians and theJews and Spain, but rather treated them with unparalleledtolerance.

In times of tranquility and justice, theChristians have never been compelled torenounce the Gospel or to embrace theQur'an.43

Lea, the great historian, in his book The Moriscos of

41 - Thomas J. Abercrombie. When the Moors Ruled Spain. NationalGeographic, July 1988, P. 96.

42 - T. Irving. The Falcon of Spain. 1973, p. 72.43 - E. Gibbon. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire VI, 1823, p.453.

36 37


Spain, pointed out that the papal brief, which Pope ClementVII in 1524 issued, was a bill freeing Charles V from all obli-gations resulting from the binding promises he had made toprotect the life, religion, and the property of Muslims andJews. It reads as follows:

It recites the papal grief at learning that inValencia, Catalonia andArgon,Charles hasmany subjects who are Moors (Muslims)and with whom the faithful cannot holdintercourse without danger; they even livewith the temporal lords whomake no effortfor their conversion, all of which is ascandal to the faith and dishonor to theemperor, besides which they serve asspies, for those in Africa to whom theyreveal the design of the Christians. Ittherefore exhorts Charles to order theinquisitors to preach the word of God tothem and if they persist in their obstinacythe inquisitors shall designate a term andwarn them that on its expiration they shallbe exiled under pain of perpetual slavery,which shall be rigorously executed. Thetithes of their temporal possessions, whichthey have never hitherto paid, shall accrueto their lords in recompense for thedamage caused to them by the expulsion,under condition that the lords shall providethe churches with what is necessary fordivine service, while the revenues of themosques shall be converted intobenefices. The portentous documentconcludes with a formal release to Charles

from the oath sworn to the Cortes not toexpel the Moors; it absolved him from allcensures and penalties of perjury thencearising and grants him whateverdispensation is necessary for theexecution of the premises. Moreover, itconfers on the inquisitors ample facultiesto suppress all opposition with censuresand other remedies, invoking if necessarythe aid of the secular arm notwithstandingall apostolical constitutions and theprivileges and statues of the land.44

This consent from the supreme Catholic authority un-leashed the most indescribable form of savagery and intol-erance against the Muslims of Spain at the hands of dread-ful inquisitors.

The Muslims were given the choice ofeither accepting Christianity or death.When the village (Manices) surrendered,they were forcibly led to the church inbatches of twenty to twenty five, andbaptized, although they made it quiteobvious that they were not consenting totheir conversion.45

Those who resisted the barbaric compulsion faced aterrible fate.

They were all collected in a nearby castleand were 'massacred to man'46

It would be unfair to claim that all today's Christianswould approve of this. Nonetheless, the highest Christian

44 - H. C. Lea. 1901. The Moriscos of Spain. P.85.45 - Lea, p.6346 - Lea, p.64

38 39


authority of that time led its full support to such utmost atroci-ties. The Christian authorities of today are hesitant to can-didly renounce them, claim the responsibility, provide a pub-lic apology and stop all form of misinformation and distor-tions against Islam and Muslims.4. Christianity During the Era of Colonization

Many church leaders had indicated that non- Chris-tians do not have the right to live a good life and practice afaith of their own choice. Such premises have become non-negotiable principles in the minds of many. This very men-tality is clearly spelled out through the suggestion made bythe 'Bishop' of Winchester to Henry II of England:

Let these dogs (Mongols and Muslims)destroy one another and be utterlyexterminated and then we shall see theUniversal Catholic Church founded on theirruins and there will be one fold and oneshepherd.47

This was not only a singular attitude of this 13th cen-tury clergy, but rather that of some of the most prominentevangelists. Zwemer, who is looked to by Christian evange-lists as having been almost a prophet, said:

We must add to all this the utter collapseof Muslim political power inAfrica, Europeand Asia. We, however, believe when thecrescent wanes, the Cross will provedominant, and that the disintegration ofIslam is a divine preparation for theevangelization of Moslem lands....48

It might be argued by Christian apologists that suchare the ideas of a person who is not really a part of themainstream evangelists. But Zwemer is indeed consideredas one of the most prominent figures in theorizing theChristianization ofMuslims. In theColorado 1978 conference,hundreds of delegates suggested the establishment of aninstitute named after Zwemer inAltadena, California, for thesole purpose of researching how to attack the Muslims intheir belief.

While Muslims can invite people to the natural religionofAllah, The Supreme Being and the Creator of the universeand whatever therein, and believing in all the messengers ofAllah including Jesus (peace and blessings ofAllah be uponhim), Christian missionaries execute all means to seduceand buy the hearts of the needy, sick and illiterate peopleunder the cover of humanitarian aid while waging an unjustmedia campaign of misinformation and propaganda againstIslamic teachings. Don M. Mc Curry49 mentioned:

Many times wewere compelled to face theaccusation that we use [my bold] anymaterial, health and educational means tocreate [my bold] Christians among theMuslims who face very difficult anddesperate situations.50

5. Islam in Europe:To realize the standards and ethics that the Western

World Order is built upon, one must ponder on Huntington'sresponse in the Foreign Affairs regarding the Muslim's ac-

47 - Stephen Neill.AHistory of Christian Missions. Penguin Books Ltd.,New York, 1977, P. 118.48 - Lyle L. Van der Werff. Christian Missions to Muslims. WilliamCarey Library, California. 1977, P. 238.

49 - A leading evangelist and the current director of Samuel ZwemerInstitute.50 - In Robert C. Petkept andR. L. Macacaba.Food andHealthcare asMeans for Muslim Evangelism. The Gospel and Islam: A 1978 Com-pendium. Don M.Mc Curry (ed.). P. 826.

40 41


cusation of the WesternWorld Order-as being bi-ased and applying doublestandards,A world of clashingcivilizations, however,is inevitably a world ofdouble standards:people apply onestandard to their kin-countries and adifferent standard toothers.51

Such double stan-dards applied by thewestern world, the surro-gate father of the NewWorld Order, against theMuslims in Bosnia, Pal-estine, Chechnya,Azerbaijan and manyother places all over theworld are clear indicators

of the western unjust treatment of other, non-Christian soci-eties, including the Muslims.

As a matter of fact, it was the Vatican headed by thePope who was determined to provide strong backing to theoppressing Catholic country in the Bosnia conflict, Croatia.Hence, according to Huntington, the Vatican extended rec-ognition even before the European Community.52

Capricious actionsagainst hundreds ofthousands of oppressedpeoplewhowent throughvicious genocides andexperienced unheard-of-atrocities of rape in thehuman history werecarelessly dealt with bycountries carrying thebanners of the newworldorder.

I think it is one of the greatest tragedies and shamewritten with the blood of innocent people in the memory ofhistory for generations of Muslims and peace loving peopleto remember. Especially, when compared with the Islamicsystem of justice and tolerance that does not allow treatingeven one's enemies with injustice. Islam is innocent fromany malpractices that may be committed by ignorant Mus-lims, even if they claim that they are doing them in the nameof Islam.6. Islam in the Indian Subcontinent

Islam was firstly introduced into the Indian subconti-nent during the 7th century and the Muslim dominance con-tinued over India under the succeeding states until the Brit-ish invasion in 1857, lasting for more than 1100 years. Hadthe Christian method of inquisition and conversion at thepoint of the gun been practiced, not a single Hindu wouldhave been seen alive by the advent of the British colonialiststo India. However, the Islamic tolerance and understandingof the nature of man manifested itself in India. In the Qur'an,Allah has clearly declared tolerance to be an essential ethi-cal principle for mankind to follow.

A world of clashingcivilizations, how-ever, is inevitably aworld of doublestandards: peopleapply one standardto their kin-countriesand a different stan-dard to others.-Samuel P. Huntington. Clash of Civi-lizations.

51 - Samuel Huntington. Clash of Civilizations. (ForeignAffairs. Sum-mer, 1993, P.36).52 - Huntington. 1993. P.37.

Islam does not allowtreating even one'senemieswith injustice.Islam is innocent fromanymalpractices thatmay be committed byignorant Muslims,even if they claim thatthey are doing them inthe name of Islam.


Islam came to Indiaas well as to other partsof the world to transcendand elevate humanityabove racism, ignorance,superstitions and injus-tice. Therefore, there wasno need for forced con-version to the true religionof God. It is basically upto people to use the intel-lect with which God hasbestowed upon them andmake their choice. This isthe reason as to why hun-dreds of thousands ofpeople keep reverting toIslam as soon as they findout the truth about it.People embrace Islam bytheir own free will andwithout any seduction orcompulsion.Many among

themare scientists, politicians, lawyers, evangelists and evenpeople of fame: Cat Stephens (now Yusuf Islam), the formerfamous pop singer; M. Hoffman, the German Ambassadorto Morocco, who has recently written an eye-opening booktitled, Islam is theAlternative; Morris Bucaille, the well knownFrench scientist who accepted Islam after his long researchin science and religion that is summarized in his book, TheBible, The Qur'an and Science; Mr. Olson, the current Dan-ish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia who declared in a radiointerview that :

If the people know the reality of Islam,millions will embrace it.53

The list of those who have sought the truth of Islam istoo long to be mentioned here. It includes people from allwalks of life.7. Tolerance in Islam

When defining one of its important aspects, Islammeans complete submission to Allah by choice andconvicstion, not through seduction or compulsion. Islam ac-commodates and welcomes all people as brothers and sis-ters regardless of their distinctive/particular affiliations orbackgrounds. The Islamic attitude towards the followers ofother religions is not only to show tolerance towards theirbeliefs, but also to affirm a non-negotiable Islamic principleof tolerance and religious responsibility.

There is no compulsion in [accepting}religion. The right course has becomeclear from error. So whoever disbelievesin taghut [i.e. false deities] and believes inAllah has grasped the trustworthyhandhold with no break in it. And Allah isHearing and Knowing. (TheQur'an 2: 256)

In fact, through the course of history of Islam, it hasgranted the people of other faiths the highest degree of tol-erance by allowing them to follow their way, although someof their practices might have been in conflict with the reli-gion of the majority. It was this degree of tolerance that theMuslims adopted towards their non-Muslim citizens.

There is another aspect of this matter which cannotbe found in the written laws, nor can it be enforced by courtsor the governments: this is the spirit of tolerance which un-

Qutub Minar, Delhi, India

53 - The Islamic Magazine, The Quran radio station 16/2/1415.

45


except for those who commit injusticeamong them, and say we believe in thatwhich has been revealed to us andrevealed to you.And ourGod and yourGodis One; and we are Muslims [insubmission] to Him.

(The Qur'an 29: 46)In this context it seems appropriate to raise the ques-

tion: Is tolerance of other religions as preached by Islam amatter left to the Muslims to decide about? As a matter offact, tolerance in Islam has ideological basis in the Qur'anand the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and it isnot subject to any human interference. Therefore, it is a con-stant Islamic principle that does not change over time orplace. According to the Qur'an, every human being is to behonored as Allah has honored him/her:

Andwe have certainly honored the childrenofAdam, and carried them on the land andsea and provided for them of the goodthings and preferred them over much ofwhat We have created with [definite]preference.

(The Qur'an 17:70)Islam is the final revelation of Allah theAlmighty and

it is the religion of universal truth for all mankind. All of itsdoctrines can withstand any challenge. Therefore, the ex-istence of various religions--man-made or supposedly re-vealed religions--is only to allow the human intellect tochoose. The following verses of the Qur'an emphasize theseprinciples:

Allah witnesses that there is no deity exceptHim, and [so do] the angels and those ofknowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation]

derlies upright attitudes, benevolent dealings, respect forone's neighbors, and all the sincere sentiments of piety, com-passion, and courtesy. Execution and report of such atti-tudes are required of every Muslim and cannot be obtainedthrough constitutional legislation or court jurisdiction. Thespirit of tolerance which can only be found in Islam is exclu-sively practiced in a true Islamic society.54

ManyQur'anic verses have emphasized dealings withnon-Muslims with justice and respect, especially those wholive in peacewith theMuslims and do not raise enmity againstthem.

Allah does not forbid you concerning thosewho do not fight you because of religionand do not expel you from your homesfrom being righteous towards them andacting justly towards them. Indeed, Allahloves those who act justly.

(The Qur'an 60:8)And they give food in spite of their love forit to the poor, the orphan, and the captive,[Saying]: We feed you only for theacceptance ofAllah. We wish neither fromyou reward nor gratitude.

(The Qur'an 76: 8,9)Although Muslims might disagree with other ideologi-

cal systems and religious dogmas, it should not prevent themfrom demonstrating the correct manner of discussion andinteraction with non-Muslims:

And do not argue with the People of theScripture except in a way that is best,

54- Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Non-Muslims in the Islamic Society. (Tr. by K.M. Hamad and S.M.A. Shah)American Trust Publication, Indianapo-lis, 1985. P. 28.

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sins. Therefore, oppressing people because they have dif-ferent beliefs is rejected. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

The supplication of an oppressed person,even though he be a pagan, is heard (byAllah)directly, without any veil.56

8. Concluding RemarksTo sum it up, intolerance has been a permanent prac-

tice of those in power represents Judaism, Christianity andHinduism, and sometimes indoctrinated in their scriptures.They either shut off a segment of humanity or bring it in sim-ply to persecute it. To be killed or converted was, at leastuntil recently, the only choice confronting non-Christians ina Christian society or non-Hindus in a Hindu society. Peopleof different religions have lived in prosperity and enjoyed thefreedom to practice their faith. Some even sought asylum toescape religious persecution, as in the case of the Jews ofSpain.

Misery of people in the form of poverty or illness isinvested upon to change the belief of others. Stephen Neillhas illustrated the scope of such inhumane monopoly ofpeople suffering by saying:

It was often a short period of the arrival ofthe missionary Lavigari to Algeria thatcholera widespread. As a result of whicha famine took place. Hewas able to collect1800 orphan children after he had receivedpermission from the French authorities toconvert them to Christianity; then providethem with Christian education in somesettlements that were labeled The

in justice. There is nodeity except Him, theExalted in Might, theWise. Indeed, thereligion in the sight ofAllah is Islam. Andthose who were giventhe Scripture did notdiffer except afterknowledge had cometo them, out of jealousanimosity betweenthemselves and whoever disbelieves in theverses of Allah, thenindeed,Allah is swift in[taking] account.55(The Qur'an 3:18-19)

And had your Lord willed, those on earthwould have believed, all of thementirely. Thenwill you compel the people until they becomebelievers?

(The Qur'an 10: 99 )In Islam, injustice is regarded as one of the greatest

In Islam, injustice isregarded as one ofthe greatest sins.Therefore, oppress-ing people becausethey have differentbeliefs is rejected.ProphetMuhammad(PBUH) said: Thesupplication of anoppressed person,even though he be apagan, is heard (byAllah) directly,with-out any veil.

55 - In the actual world as it is, man has been endowed with variousfaculties and capacities, so that he should strive and explore and bringhimself into harmony with Allahs will. Hence faith becomes a moralachievement, and to resist faith becomes a sin. As a complementaryproposition, men of faith must not be angry if they have to contendagainst disbelief. And most important of all, they must guard againstthe temptation of forcing faith, i.e. imposing it on others by physicalcompulsion. Forced faith is no faith (Part of the translators commenton the 10:99 verse, The Noble Quran, King Fahad Printing Complex,PP. 556,557).

56 -Related by ImamAhmed in hisMusnad. As reported in al-Qaradwi1985.

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Christian Villegas. Such steps encouragedother missionaries in other countries to dojust the same. They started by buyingchildren as slaves, and then gathered themin Christian Settlements.57

Neil continues talking about such incidents supportinghis arguments by statistics of buying the souls as well asthe beliefs of needy people by saying:

This process (buying children andChristianizing them) has succeeded to theexact that some missionaries by the year1902 were able to establish in one area,250 farms containing 5000 salve children.58Sigrid Hunke, the great German philosopher and his-

torian, referred in her book Allah ist ganz anders to part ofthe letter that Oliverous, the theological philosopher whowrote a letter in 1221 to Saladdin (SalahuDeen) expressinghis deep appreciation to the noble treatment the capturedcrusader soldiers received after their defeat in the battle ofHittin by writing:

For centuries, nobody has heard of suchmercy and generosity, especially towardsa brutal enemy's prisoners of war. WhenGod decreed that we should fall at yourhands, we did not see in you a ruthlesstyrant. Instead, we new you as mercifulfather who showered us with his kindnessand bounties as well as a supporter in hardtimes. And who would doubt that suchgenerosity and tolerancewas fromAllah?...

The men that we have killed their parents,sons, daughters, brothers and sisters; andmade them taste the most cruel torture,when we became their prisoners and wewere about to die out of hunger, theytreated us in the best way possible andpreferred us over themselves. They did sowhile we were helpless and powerless.59

Hunke went on to report some of the most unimagin-able atrocities that the crusaders have done against theMuslim civilians in Palestine. One of these incidents waswhen King Richard, The Lion's Heart, dishonored his repu-tation in the most demeaning way when he violated his oathto three thousand Muslim prisoners and ordered them to beslaughtered. The French king did the same.60

Provided to the reader below is a segment of an ar-ticle which has been written by one of the prominent Ameri-can thinkers, Professor John L. Esposito, in which he sum-marized the tolerance of Islam andMuslims during the peakof their power:

Christians and Jews were regarded asPeople of the Book (those who hadpossessed a Scripture (revelation fromGod). In exchange for allegiance to thestate and payment of a poll tax, theseprotected (dhimmi) peoples could practicetheir faith and be governed by their religiousleaders and law in matters of faith and

57 - Stephen Neill.AHistory of Christian Missionaries. Penguin Books,1979, PP. 42 - 429.58 - Neil, 1979. P.429

59 - Sigrid Hunke, Allah ist ganz anders. SKd Bavaria Verlag & HandelGmbh: Munchen, p. 25 (It was the authors translation from the Ara-bic version into English)60 - Hunke, p.25-6.

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any time in history, which is seldom, the word of the Creatorwill always prevail. Through the many random examples ofIslamic tolerance I selected from the writings of mostly non-Muslim writers, Islam has manifested an unparalleled formof tolerance. At a time when it asserts that it is the only sys-tem that contains the full truth as revealed and kept in tact inthe real words of the Creator 'The Qur'an". This tolerance inthe human sphere has allowed Islam to extend open-mindedness to the intellectual sphere, the topic of my nextsection.

private life (family laws).61Prince Charles was very candid in his speech about

Islam and the West at the Oxford center for Islamic Studieswhen he said:

Medieval Islam was a religion ofremarkable tolerance for its time, allowingJews and Christians the right to practicetheir inherited beliefs and setting anexample which was not, unfortunately,copied for many centuries in the West62

Thus, Islam has proven to be more tolerant than theimperial Christianity, providing greater religious freedom forJews and Christians. Most local Christian Churches hadbeen persecuted as schematics heretics by a foreign Chris-tianOrthodoxy. Islam as a universal system tolerates peoplesof different religious backgrounds and protects the rights ofits diverse subjects against oppression and discrimination.At the same time, it emphasizes that it is the only absolutetruth with ample objective and logical evidence. Tritton ex-pressed his opinion regarding this very great attribute of tol-erance in Islam by saying "The picture of the Muslim soldieradvancing with a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in theother is quite false."63

Only Islam preaches and practices tolerance as partof its fundamental teachings that allows no second interpre-tation. Regardless of any deviation in part of the Muslims at

61 - John L. Esposito. Islam and Christianity Fact to Face: An oldconflict and prospects for a new ending. Commonwell. January 31st,1997, P.12.62 - Prince Charles, Islam and the West. Arab News, October 27,1993. In R. Hill Addulsalam. Womens Ideal Liberation. Abul-QasimPublishing House: Jeddah, pp. 41-3.63 - A.S.TrittoninIslam,1951.inhttp://web.ionsys.com/~remedy/Islam%20and%20the%20Prophet%20God.htm

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one's time in complete seclusion and isolation from the sur-rounding world, which is full of injustice. Man, according toBuddhism, is viewed as a source of evil. In order for him toacquire righteousness, he must abandon this world and livein complete isolation. Such a philosophy can never succeedin bringing about peace of mind for its followers.

In both Hinduism and Buddhism, the world is regardedas evil, and salvation is understood as its rejection, namely,as freedom from the world. Moreover, these religions makesalvation a personal, individualistic affair, since they define itin terms of states of consciousness, which can be only per-sonal. Interaction with the outside world is viewed as evil.64

Whatever social order which has been developed bythe Hindus in terms of a state, an empire, a civilization or adistinctive human community was done in deviation fromtheir teachings. Today's India based its system of govern-ment on democracy, regardless of the Hindu parties thatplay a major role in Indian politics.

I think that such attitudes towards life cannot be ac-cepted in a world like ours where great advances in technol-ogy have taken place and become an integral part of ourlives. No doubt, many of these advances in industry havebrought many unwanted side effects in both social andhealth-related areas of society. A modern atheistic civiliza-tion, to the other extreme, givesman the full liberty to involvehimself in all aspects with no limits or respect to either na-ture or people. That can be seen in the irresponsible prac-tices in genetic engineering and the destruction of ecology.Purely material gains have blindfolded the eyes of the devel-opers against the devastating moral, social and health prob-lems that are posing unprecedented threats to humankind.

This section of the book is devoted first to examining someof the systems of life adopted in our world nowadays. Fol-lowing the examination we should be able to decide whichsystem best accommodates our needs for development andbetter life styles. It should also help us determine thosewhichhinder civilization and advancement, as well as those whichgive no priority to the values and ethics that underpin man'ssocial, psychological and physical well-being. For a univer-sal system to succeed, we need to adopt the one that isable to meet and balance our needs for a better life andprevent any transgression that may result in the destructionand extinction of mankind.1. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Science

If we take Buddhism into consideration as a proposeduniversal way of life, it is easily realized that true Buddhismmeans complete devotion to idol worshipping and spending

C H A P T E R III

Universality and Promotion of Science

64 - Al- Faruqi, 1404, P. 101.

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O Children of Adam! Wear your goodclothing at every masjid, but be notexcessive. Indeed, He [i.e., Allah] likes notthose who commit excess. Say, Who hasforbiddenAllah's adornment, whichHe hasproduced for His servants and the lawfulthings of provision?Say, They are for thosewho believe during worldly life [but]exclusively for them on the Day ofResurrection. Thus doWe explain in detailthe verses for a people who know.

Any system of life that hinders advancement of hu-manity in sciences and technology that are of the benefit ofhumanity is not worthy of being chosen as a way of life.Islam stands tall in this regard, since it is the only religionthat has opened the doors for great leaps in all fields of sci-ences. Muslims do not succeed in science and technologywhen they distance themselves from the pure teachings ofIslam. Colonialists and orientalists discovered that fact, andhence tried to distract Muslims away from the real source ofdevelopment. Many historians have recognized this fact.Among them, Philip Hitti, who says while referring to Al-Khawarzmi, a celebratedMuslim scholar in the field of math-ematics:

One of the best scientific minds of Islam,Al-Khwarizmi, is undoubtedly themanwhoexercised the most influence onmathematical thought during the whole ofthe MiddleAges.65

M. Charles, a French scientist, refers to the contribu-tion of another Muslimmathematician,Al-Battani, by saying:

The materialistic solutions that seldom succeed are alwayssought. Aids, cancer, poverty, illiteracy, smoking, drugs, al-cohol and many other social problems have grown at esca-lating rates. Materialistic gains have becomemajor goals atthe expense of values and morals. However, seceding atthe other extreme of rejecting any involvement in the worldlyaffairs goes against the true nature of man. The need isurgent for a system that is not manipulated by the narrowmaterialist interests of a careless greedy minority; and atthe same time striking a balance between man's needs foradvancement in science and technology.2. Islam and Science

Islam solves this dilemma by taking a moderatestance in relation to this issue. Man is not denied the right toenjoy life providing that he does not violate the rights of othercreations ofAllah as described by Him in theQur'an- 7: 31-32

The need is urgentfor a system that isnot manipulated bythe narrowmaterial-ist interests of acareless greedy mi-nority; and at thesame time striking abalance betweenman's needs for ad-vancement in scienceand technology.

65 - Philip K. Hitti. Precis deHistoire des Arabes. (Short History of theArabs). Payot, Paris,1950.

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Austrians, had sent for two Saracen Muslim scholars to actas tutors for his son and heir.

After conducting a rigorous comparative research ofthe Bible and the Qur'an to the major discoveries of modernscience, the French renowned scientist and member of theFrench Scientific Academy noticed the absence of any con-tradictions between the contents of the Qur'an and thesediscoveries. Furthermore, he found that theQur'an describesboth phenomenal and unseen worlds in a completely accu-rate way:

'The Qur'an follows on from the tworevelations that preceded it and is not onlyfree from contradictions in its narrations,the signs of the various humanmanipulations to be found in the Gospels,but provides a quality all of its own for thosewho examine it objectively and in the lightof science, i.e. its complete agreementwith modern scientific data. What is more,statements are to be found in it that areconnected with science: and yet it isunthinkable that a man of Muhammad'stime could have been the author of them.Modern scientific knowledge thereforeallows us to understand certain verses ofthe Qur'an, which, until now, it has beenimpossible to interpret.68

3. The Impact of Muslim Sciences on EuropeThe scientific renown of the Muslims had spread far

and wide, and attracted the intellectual elite of the WesternWorld to Andalusia, Sicily and to the south of Italy. At the

Al-Battani was the first to use in his worksthe expressions sine and cosine. Heintroduced it to geometric calculus andcalls it extended shadow. It is what is calledin modern trigonometry the tangent.66

Historians stress that modern sciences are indebtedto the Muslims for great advances in many of the scientificfields. As Fauriel (1846) states:

Contact between the two civilizations--Christian and Muslim-- had beenestablished by normal and well-foundedroutes. In this, commerce and pilgrimageplayed the principal role. Land and seatraffic between East andWest was alreadyflourishing well before the XIth century. Itwas through Spain, Sicily and the Southof France, which were under directSaracen rule that Islamic civilizationentered into Europe.67

By the middle of the IXth century, Muslim civilizationhad already prevailed in Spain. The Spaniards of that timeregarded Arabic as the only medium for science and litera-ture. Its importance was such that the Ecclesiastical Au-thorities had been compelled to have the collection of can-ons used in Spanish churches translated into the Romancelanguages, (the predecessors of modern Spanish) for thetwo languages were in current use throughout the whole ofMuslim Spain. Christian Spain recognized this superiority ofthe Muslims. In about 830, Alphonse the Great, King of the

66 - M. Charles. Apercu historique des methodes en geometrie. (Hi

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