Posted on 04/15/2002 10:57:46 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
townhall.com
Marvin Olasky (back to story)
April 16, 2002
Dhimmis for dummies
Words like "war" and "peace" are frequent flyers in press coverage of the current Israeli-Palestinian war, but one that should be before our eyes -- dhimmi -- is nowhere to be seen.
The word dhimmi (Arabic for "protected person") became historically significant in 628 A.D., when Muhammad's forces defeated a Jewish tribe that lived at the oasis of Khaybar and made with them a treaty known as the dhimma. The treaty allowed Jews to continue cultivating their oasis, as long as they gave Muhammad half of their produce. Crucially, Muhammad reserved the right to break the deal and expel the Jews whenever he wished.
As the pioneering historian Bat Ye'Or shows and documents in The Dhimmi and her other remarkable books over the past two decades, that agreement has served as a model for Muslims over the centuries. Reporters should certainly ask about any peace agreement the Saudis or others propose: Why should we think you will keep it?
Ye'Or points out that for orthodox Muslims, the world is divided into the dar al-Harb, land controlled by non-Muslims that forms the "territory of war," and the dar al-Islam, the land where Islamic law prevails. Historically, a peace is not a peace -- and a time of peace longer than a decade is occasion not for relaxation but for feeling inadequate and fidgety. Infidels should never be allowed to rest on their laurels, famed 14th century Muslim jurist Ibn Taymiyya asserted, for any land they possess is held illegitimately.
This does not mean that Jews and Christians living in Muslim-ruled lands were killed or imprisoned. They regularly received dhimmi status, which afforded them temporary protection from some abuses, but no permanent status.
Dhimmis in Muslim countries over the centuries typically had to pay discriminatory taxes and acknowledge publicly their status as second-class citizens. They were on the hook for additional sums and had to supply forced labor on demand. They were ineligible for any public office and without right even to testify in court.
Dhimmis were not allowed to possess weapons, marry Muslim women, meet with others on the streets, or ride horses or camels (the two "noble animals"). Dhimmis had to wear special clothes, walk with eyes lowered and accept being pushed aside by Muslims. Dhimmis had to have low doors on their houses, with no lights on the doors.
Some particular aspects varied from age to age and region to region. In the 9th century, Jews in some Muslim areas had to wear on their shoulders a patch of white cloth that bore the image of an ape; Christians, since they ate pork, wore a pig image. In 11th century Seville, Jews were not to be met with the greeting, "Peace be unto you," because they were not supposed to have any peace.
Other edicts affected not just finances but self-respect. A Cairo rule in 1761 was that "no Jew or Christian may appear on horseback. They ride only asses ... " In Persia in 1890, Jewish women had to "expose their faces in public (like prostitutes). ... Every Jew is obliged to wear a piece of red cloth on his chest. A Jew must never overtake a Muslim on a public street. ... If a Muslim insults a Jew, the latter must drop his head and remain silent. ... The Jew cannot put on his coat; he must be satisfied to carry it rolled under his arm. ... It is forbidden for Jews to leave the town or enjoy the fresh air of the countryside. ... Jews must not consume good fruit."
Is this all old stuff? No -- The Wall Street Journal reported last week that non-Muslims cannot be buried in Saudi Arabia, so their corpses are stacked up for months until flights to their countries of origin can be paid for. In death, as in life, dhimmis are dhimmis, and the rest of us are dummies if we don't understand that.
Marvin Olasky is Editor of WORLD magazine, a TownHall.com member group.
©2002 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
townhall.com
from the people who brought us Venezuelan Revolutions for Dummies
Arabs On Star Trek
The Saudi Ambassador to the U.N. has just finished giving a speech, and walks out into the lobby where he meets his American counterpart. They shake hands and as they walk the Saudi says, 'You know, I have just one question about what I have seen in America.'
The American says, 'Well your Excellency, anything I can do to help you I will do.'
The Saudi whispers, 'My son watches this show Star Trek and in it there are Russians and Blacks and Asians, but never any Arabs. He is very upset. He doesn't understand why there are never any Arabs in Star Trek.'
The American laughs and leans over. 'That's because it takes place in the future.'
I think we should get the UN to pass a resolution (you know its a joke already huh??) forcing Arabs to replace their Islamic religion with Star Trek worship... wouldn't you rather deal with millions of trekkies than suicide bombers??
Radical Islam is THE BEAST!
"Moderate Islam" is its Trojan Horse!
That's the problem- prior to 911, I subscribed to the theory that most Muslims were OK, the problem was with their leaders and a small band of fanatics. This is also a charateristic of other groups and religions, too.
911 and the "street-dancing Arabs" sure changed that, and the all-too-typical suppression of that story just confirmed for me that something awful was unfolding below the radar.
The atrocities against Israel have only further hardened my heart.
As far as I am concerned, the burden of proof- to prove that Islam is not a religion of medievalism, ignorance, blind hatred to nearly all I hold dear- is squarely on the shoulders of Islam, and I find them wanting...
Why can't the West's political class understand this fairly simple proposition and act accordingly? Oil?
Answering Islam: Being a non-Muslim under Islamic rule
Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State
The Jizyah Tax: Equality And Dignity Under Islamic Law?
are the ones to read
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