Al-Ghazali (1058-1111)
(The most celebrated scholar in the history of Islamic thought)
Islam for Dhimmis
As Islam grew, the governance of the ‘conquered’ needed to be formalised. In the Qur’an and Hadith it is clearly stated by Muhammad that those (Jews and Christians) conquered should submit to Islam, or pay the Jizya protection tax or be killed.
Q9:29 Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
For the Pagans (which included Hindus and Buddhists) however, the choice was reduced – submit to Islam or be killed. From the Qur'an we have the verse:
Q9:5 ...fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war);... {This action could only be implemented if there was no valid truce existing between the Muslims and the Pagans}
In other words Islam will tolerate the continued practice of Judaism and Christianity within its state, with the payment of a poll tax, but certainly not any religion involving polytheism or idol worship. As this theory was not practical with the conquest of India, though 70 million Hindus were killed during Islamic rule there, Hindus by and large were allowed to continue practicing their religion once their Jizya tax was paid.
A non-Muslim in an Islamic society is referred to as a dhimmi (pl. dimam) living in a state of dhimmitude. A dhimmi is basically a protected person by dint of the fact that he pays his poll tax with humiliation. In essence it is a form of extortion on non-Muslims to subvert them and a method of raising funds for Islamic expansionism. Allah, in the Qur'an, has promised Muslims that they well become the rulers of the earth, will provide them with security and ensure no other Gods are worshipped. This promise must certainly have been an effecive catalyst for believers to go out with resolute zeal and conviction to conquer all nations; a task they came close to accomplishing within the first three centuries of the imperialistic ideology being born. The Qur'an tells us:
Q24:55 Allah has promised to those who believe that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth, and that He will establish for them their religion (Islam) which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly give them security; they shall serve Me, not associating another with Me; If any do reject faith after this, these it is who are the rebellious and transgressors. Q35:39 He it is that has made you inheritors in the earth.
As the earth becomes inherited by the Muslim rulers, those that reject faith, the rebellious must be appropriately dealt with. For this reason the concept of dhimmitude was initiated.
Should western societies start falling under the governance of Islamic rule as many experts are predicting is inevitable in the next 50-100 years, the life of non Muslims will be subjected to dhimmitude with strict rules and regulations, as has been prescribed throughout Islamic history. The basis for life as a dhimmi was formalised under the caliphate of Umar, who when Syria was captured, drew up a pact with their leader to determine how their Christian population would exist under Islamic rule. These rules and regulations, based on the Qur’an and Hadiths, have become the norm in such societies for the last fourteen hundred years and formalised in a document known as the Pact of Umar. Those who did not convert to Islam were forbidden from the following:
Agreeing to these terms many of which are still relevant in some of today’s Islamic societies, means that non-Muslims receive safety from the Muslims. Should there be any violations, the culprit forfeits protection as a dhimmi, and becomes liable to the penalties for contempt and sedition; in other words, death. Inability to pay the Jizya tax usually resulted in payment in the form of children, taken as slaves whose value would be deducted from the tax owed.
As a dhimmi or even a Muslim woman under Islamic rule, you are basically a second/third/fourth class citizen. Muslim nations cannot accept the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because much of it conflicts with their ideology of subjugation of non-Muslims and viewing all other nations as dar-ul-harb, awaiting conquest and conversion.
But why should there be a need to treat non-Muslims as lower class citizens in an Islamic state? Do the scriptures indicate that those who do not accept Islam are not on an equal footing with those that do? The Qur’an itself is very informative regarding the nature of disbelievers and how they are to be treated.
Allah says in Q 8:55 that, Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve. Essentially Allah divides mankind in two groups placing the non believers in a position lower than even the vilest of animals. Muslims consider the pig to be a despicable animal and their God places those who do not accept him even beneath such a creature. What equal opportunity could possibly afford a non-believer in an Islamic society?
In Q25:44 we are told by Allah that, They are but as the cattle - nay, but they are farther astray? Non-Muslims are even more astray in life than cattle.
In many verses, persons not accepting Muhammad’s revelation are referred to as deaf, dumb and blind, Q6:39, Q2:171, Q2:18. In Verse Q 7:177 they are labelled as evil, Evil as an example are the folk who denied Our revelations.
In Q7.179 Allah says those who disbelieved were created for hell. Therefore their destination already seems pre-determined at the time of their birth. Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle, nay more misguided: for they are heedless of warning. Such men are more foolish than even cattle. Staying with the theme of animal analogies, Muhammad continues his tirades against the dhimmis by referring to them as dogs, Q7:176 His likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attack him or leave him he pants with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations.
In Qur’an 2:65 Muhammad states that because the Jews broke the Sabbath, Allah transformed them into apes and pigs. This punishment is again reiterated in Q5:60 where we read, those who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil… Here Allah transforms those whom he curses into apes and pigs. Verse 2:88 informs us of whom Allah curses; Allah hath cursed them for their unbelief. Basically Allah curses everyone not obedient to him even those who use false hair SB 60:409. Those who partake in things forbidden by Allah are also subject to transformation into apes, Q7:166 So when they took pride in that which they had been forbidden, We said unto them: Be ye apes despised and loathed! In SB 54:524 Muhammad informs us that, A group of Israelites (Jews) were lost. Nobody knows what they did. But they were cursed and changed into rats. Essentially, once you are not a Muslim you are likely to be cursed and subsequently converted to some form of animal. Idolaters, presumably because they constantly likened to pigs, rats and apes, cannot approach the sacred mosque because they are impure or dirty. Q9:28 The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near the Inviolable Place of Worship. Dhimmis in an Islamic nation must be treated harshly because they are destined for hell. In Qur’an 9:73 Allah tells us, Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell. Allah goes on to inform the Muslims in his Qur’an that the non-Muslims are unintelligent and should be fought against even if the Muslims are outnumbered, Q8:65 Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because disbelievers are a folk without intelligence. What equality can there possibly be for dhimmis if they are considered as being dummies (without intelligence) by Allah?
Those who do not accept Islam are covered in a perpetual state of darkness and Allah shines no light on them. Q24:40 The Unbelievers' state is as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light. Furthermore the non-Muslim who do not remember Allah are each assigned a devil as a companion, solely for the purpose of leading them astray. Qur’an 43:36-7 provide the details, And he whose sight is dim to the remembrance of Allah, We assign unto him a devil who become his comrade who hinder him from the path. Basically each and every non-Muslim is walking around with a devil as a friend continuously being diverted from the right path. No Muslim, knowing the true devil infested nature of disbelievers or dhimmis, could possibly befriend, employ or place in a position of authority any one of them.
In fact Allah in numerous places throughout the Qur’an exhorts the Muslims to not take friends from among the disbelievers. A few of these are: - Q3:28 Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends
- Q3:118 O ye who believe! Take not for friends non-Muslims - Q4:89 So choose not friends from the unbelievers - Q4:144 O believers! Choose not disbelievers for friends - Q5:51 Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends Muhammad claims that the disbelievers’ ears, eyes and heart were not receptive to his message therefore he destroyed their townships to teach them a lesson regarding the superiority of his revelation.
Q46:26-7 Their ears and eyes and hearts availed them naught since they denied the revelations of Allah; and what they used to mock befell them. And verily We have destroyed townships and displayed for them Our revelation.
Here the Qur’an clearly reveals that the conquered dhimmis had Muhammad’s revelations forced onto them because they did not open their hearts (yes, no brains required) to Allah’s message. Either they accepted Islam or were conquered and lived as dhimmis - subdued, paying the extortion tax or choosing death.
The equality of all human beings regardless of race, religion or ability is a given in any civilised community. However in a society under Qur’anic decree, this is not so. The verses above clearly indicate that. non-Muslims are the lowest and vilest of all creatures, who are deaf, dumb and blind. But there are some verses that directly indicate their inequality.
In Qur’an verse 6:49 Allah says, But as for those who deny Our revelations, torment will afflict them... Say to the disbelievers: Are the blind man and the seer equal? Here Muhammad is asking, are the disbelievers who will taste the rewards of torment, equal with those who belief? He uses the analogy of a blind person to insinuate that disbelievers are blind but believers can see, hence they are not equal. Even more pointedly though, for Allah to consider the blind person less equal as a human, is sadly, very short sighted.
Are the believers and non-believers alike? Muhammad asks, Q28:61, Are these two alike? One to whom We have made a goodly promise, and one to who on the Day of Judgment is brought for punishment? Again Muhammad suggests, by way of a rhetorical question, that believers are not comparable to the unbelievers who will be punished on judgment day.
In verse Q38:28 we have Muhammad again asking a sly question as to the similarity of treatment deserved by those who believe compared with those who do not. Shall We treat those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the same as those who do mischief on earth? Shall We treat those who guard against evil, the same as those who turn aside from the right? We know very well that the disbelievers turn away from the supposed right path and also cause mischief in the land. Therefore shall the disbelievers be treated similarly to the believers? The answer from the Qur’an is clearly, no.
The talk of Islam ruling peaceably and living side by side with non-Muslims throughout its history is nonsensical. Only if the conquered nation subjected itself to suppressive laws and payment of Jizya with humiliation or converted to Islam, could there possibly have been any form of peace in an Islamic society.
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