One must go on jihad at least once a year. One may use a catapult against them when they are in a fortress, even if among them are women and children. One may set fire to them or drown them. If Jews and Christians are enslaved, their marriage is revoked. One may cut down their trees and must destroy their useless books. Jihadists may take as booty whatever they decide.
The dhimmi is obliged not to mention Allah or His Apostle. Jews, Christians, and Majins must pay the jizya and on payment must hang their head while the official takes hold of his beard and hits him on the protuberant bone beneath his ear. Their houses may not be higher than the Muslims'. The dhimmi may not ride a horse or mule; he may ride a donkey only if the saddle is of wood. He may not walk on the good part of the road and must wear an identifying patch, even women. Dhimmis must hold their tongue......
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 will become the rulers of the earth and 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 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.
As societies fall under the governance of Islamic rule, the life of non Muslims will be subject to dhimmitude with strict rules and regulations, as have 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:
· Building or repairing places of worship or monks’ residences
· Closing doors to Muslim passers-by and travellers requiring board and lodging for up to three days
· Sheltering or hiding anyone considered to be an enemy of the Muslims
· Teaching the Qur'an to non-Muslim children. {because it would be taught incorrectly}
· Displaying their religion publicly
· Converting anyone to their religion
· Preventing anyone from converting to Islam
· Sitting should a Muslim wish to sit
· Trying to resemble the Muslims by imitating any of their clothing or hairstyle
· Mounting on saddles
· Bearing or carrying any kind of arms
· Engraving Arabic inscriptions on their seals
· Selling fermented drinks
· Displaying crosses or religious books in the roads or markets
· Raising voices when following the dead
· Burying their dead near the Muslims
· Taking slaves who have been allotted to Muslims
· Building houses taller than those of the Muslims
· Striking a Muslim
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.
The concept of blood money was advocated by Muhammad in the Qur’an (4:92) and many places in the Hadiths (e.g. SB 71:665). That is, in the case of murder the perpetrator would pay the victim’s family, money as compensation for the crime. To illustrate what life is worth in Islamic states, based on blood money, a review of compensation classified by religion and gender in Saudi Arabia, reveals the following disproportionate figures:
As a dhimmi or even a Muslim woman under Islamic rule, you are basically a second/third/fourth class citizen. A Christian woman is worth quarter that of a Muslim man and it would take 33 Hindu women to equate to the value of a Muslim man or two Muslim women to be valued the same as her male counterpart. Muslim nations cannot accept the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because much of it conflicts with their ideology of subjugation based on gender and belief in addition to its view that all non-Islamic 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 Q8:55 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 persons 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.
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?
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 dhimmis, could possibly befriend, employ or place in a position of authority any one of them in an Islamic society.
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:
Q3:118 O ye who believe! Take not for friends non-Muslims
Q4:89 So choose not friends from the unbelievers
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 poignantly 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 as 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.
Allah confirms the superiority of Muslims over the rest of mankind. In verse 3:110 of the Qur’an, he clearly states that believers are the best community on earth, unlike the Jews and Christians who, because of lack of believe, are perverted transgressors.
Q3:110 You are the best of the people raised up for the benefit of men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah; and if the followers of the Book had believed it would have been better for them; of them some are believers and most of them are perverted transgressors.
Dhimmis and Muslims are subject to the same civic laws though the punishment will vary. This is particularly so in the case of murder where the blood money varies dependant on religion and gender of the victim or capital punishment is awarded only for the murder of a Muslim. A Muslim murdering a Kafir may have to pay blood money depending on the circumstances of the crime.
A dhimmi man is not permitted to marry a Muslim girl because it is expected that the wife and the children will adopt the religion of the man. However a Muslim man can marry a dhimmi girl who must be converted to Islam and children raised to be Muslims. A female convert to Islam, getting married to a Muslim, cannot be given away by her non-Muslim father but must find a Muslim elder to perform the duty.
Should the wife in a dhimmi family embrace Islam, she must divorce her non-Muslim husband, to avoid being reverted back to her previous religion and she is also granted custody of their children to ensure they are raised as Muslims.
In an Islamic state, a Dhimmi can only testify against other dhimmis but not against Muslims. Their non-Islamic oaths cannot be accepted in an Islamic court and hence not viable as evidence. The testimony of a Dhimmi is not accepted because Allah will not let the kafir have an upper hand over the believers. However should the same Dhimmi accept Islam, his testimony will be accepted against both dhimmis and Muslims. By embracing Islam he has gained a new credibility which would enable him to witness.
However on personal matters such as marriages, divorces, and inheritance where no Muslim is involved, dhimmis are allowed to appeal to their own religious courts.
Management of Muslims by non-Muslims is not permissible because Allah will not allow infidels to have authority over believers (Q4:141). Muslims have been elevated to the highest rank over all men and hence cannot be subservient to non-Muslims. According to the Qur’an Might and strength be to Allah, the Prophet and the believers (Q63:8). The authority of non-Muslims over Muslims is therefore incompatible with Allah’s pronouncements and hence forbidden in an Islamic State.
Dhimmis can only express or advertise their ideologies within their own private community circles. Signs of their faith cannot be made visible nor can practicing of any rituals be done in public. Broadcasting any negative points of view about Islam or the Islamic State is considered blasphemous and is subject to the death penalty. However, Muslims are allowed to propagate their faith among all religious sects without hindrance.
The interaction between Muslims and dhimmis in an Islamic State is governed by strict rules. Both Muslims and kuffar must adhere to conventions that will ensure the superiority of the Islamic way of life whilst ensuring no credence or value is asserted for the dhimmis’ religion or culture.
A Muslim is forbidden to behave or dress in a similar way to the non-Muslims or attend their festivals. He may sell land to a Dhimmi as along as its intended purpose is not for the construction of their places of worship or for promoting prohibited goods such as alcohol or haram meat. Muslims should not work for, give charity to or honourably address a dhimmi.
A Muslim may financially assist a dhimmi however he must ensure the funds are not used for any venture that promote the dhimmi’s religion or encourage the violation of Islamic prohibitions. Muslims may eat the food of Christians or Jews as long as no pork or liquor is used but should not eat from other non-believers.
A Muslim may attend the funeral of a dhimmi and can also offer condolences to the family; however he should not walk behind the coffin and must leave before the burial takes place.
Under Sharia, dhimmis are not considered citizens, even if they are the original natives of the land. Their freedoms are curtailed, rights diminished, dignity usurped and culture marginalised until it becomes non-existent.
True to its name, Islam, the religion of submission, applies all manner of burdens unto its unrighteous subjects until they succumb to the ways of Allah.
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 peace for non believers in an Islamic society.