Intolerant Faith
By Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Director – Islamic Society of Nevada
16/12/2004
Some would reawaken the passion of the Crusades
Compared with what was written and said by some of the most prominent Christian
reformers of the past, such as Martin Luther of Germany, Pope Urbana II,
Francis Voltaire of France, Queen Isabella of Spain or Queen Victoria of
Colonial Britain, Charles Moore’s December 12 article in the London Daily
Telegraph is a very mild attack on Islam.
There is nothing new in his assertion that Islam is a barbaric faith that
denies the freedom of all people, including its own adherents. There are no
surprises in his attack on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a pedophile,
or on Islam as anti-Christian faith. What is new is the article’s timing and
its belligerent tone.
His message echoes what many Christian scholars of the past have said:
Christianity will be secured only when Islam is completely annihilated or
defeated or changed to suit the interests of European Christian elites.
The intention is clear. They wish to create an enemy out of Islam and let the
people engage in street fights to the point that Muslims decide to relinquish
their citizenship of America and Christian European countries, and force those
who intend to convert to Islam to think twice.
Muslim scholars have written volumes on issues raised by Charles Moore. His
ignorance is evident, judging by his reliance on stories that have long been
identified as unauthentic. For instance, the issue of `Aisha's marriage to
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the age of nine has been dealt with at
length by several past and contemporary scholars, with the conclusion that the
story cannot be accepted as fact.
The issue of dhimmis has also been extensively dealt with in several scholarly
Muslim works that have proven that “dhimmi” was not a derogatory term, but
rather an institution to protect Christian and Jewish minorities.
It is ironic that Moore is attacking Islam for being intolerant of other
religions while ignoring the entire history of the persecution of Christians
and Jews at each other’s hands. Christian Hitler's persecution of Jews in
Germany is not by any means a secret. Interestingly, many Christian scholars
now deny that Hitler was Christian, despite his numerous statements showing his
full faith in Christ as "son of God" and the Messiah.
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Christian zealots don’t have to go to Jerusalem anymore; Muslims now live in
their midst.
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As for the religious persecution of Christians in the Muslim world, Charles
Moore has to look no further than the history of 20th century Europe and modern
Latin America. More Christians are being killed in Latin America by intolerant
Christian groups than anywhere in the Muslim world. Under dictatorial
right-wing regimes supported by the United States and several European
countries, hundreds and thousands of Christians were killed in Latin America
because of their beliefs.
South Africa offers a very recent example of institutionalized persecution
among Christians, with white Christians persecuting black Christians.
This does not mean that there are no problems between Christians and Muslims in
the Muslim world. However, it is the repression and general lack of freedom in
most countries, rather than an intolerance towards other faiths, that is
responsible for the situation, as both Muslims and non-Muslims are denied their
rights to freely express themselves.
Obviously, Moore’s article is part of a long-term strategy for those who
actively seek to see our world divided by war, to create hatred against Muslims
and an Islam portrayed as the “anti-Christ.” In so doing, they hope to reawaken
the anti-Muslim passion of the Crusades. This time, however, the zealots do not
have to journey to Jerusalem to rid the world of the anti-Christ, because
Muslims and Islam now live in the midst of their own societies.
It was a strategy that many Christian zealots applied in the past to rid their
societies of Jews. It is a strategy that some want to use for much the same
purpose, albeit against Muslims.
However, within Christian scholarship, there is a growing trend that seeks to
move beyond the ideology of the Crusades. There are many Christian scholars who
sincerely believe that Islam is being vilified by certain special interest
groups. These scholars should be the first to challenge writers like Charles
Moore, whose pens emit nothing but hatred against Islam and Muslims.
Dr. Aslam Abdullah is editor of the weekly Muslim Observer, the monthly
Minaret and director of the Islamic Society of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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