Minorities in Arab lands

[Georges1]

In the context of the discussion on Israel, the discussion at times focused on the treatment of Sephardic Jews by the State, and while this was far from perfect at the beginning, the Sephardic Jews have now reached a position of prominence in their society, a fact conveniently ignored by some anti Israel bigots on this forum. I am posting this to show that life for Jews, and minorities in general, was not as rosy as these people would like to make one think. Granted, it was better most times for Jews under Muslim rule than in Europe, but a far cry from the sort of brotherly image that is often portrayed here. The following shows that Jews had to remain in their place, in a sort of lowly, humiliated status, and often needed protection from the jealousy of the Arabs:

"Muhammad first codified the treatment of minority religions (the "People of the Book") in Islamic territories with the institution of special taxes on unbelievers. The relevant passage in the Qur'an (IX, 29) states: "Fight against those who do not believe in God or in the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and his Prophet have forbidden or practice the true religion, among those who have been given the Book, until they pay the jizya [poll tax] from their hand, they being humbled." This passage has traditionally been interpreted to indicate that the jizya was intended as a symbolic expression of humiliation and subordination of those who rejected Muhammad (Lewis, 1984).

Over the seventh and eighth centuries, the Caliphs Umar I and Umar II elaborated this idea further, and it came to be called the "Pact of Umar":

The Pact of Umar was a writ of protection (dhimma) extended by Allah's community to their protégés (dhimmis). In return for the safeguarding of life and property and the right to worship unmolested according to their conscience, the dhimmis had to pay the jizya [poll tax] and the kharaj [land tax]. They were to conduct themselves with the demeanor and comportment befitting a subject population. They were never to strike a Muslim. They were not to carry arms, ride horses, or use normal riding saddles on their mounts. They were not to build new houses of worship nor repair old ones. They were not to hold public religious processions (including funeral processions), nor pray too loudly. Naturally, they were not to proselytize. They had to wear clothing that distinguished them from the Arabs Furthermore, dhimmis were to be restricted from government service. In other words, at least in theory, dhimmis were to be permanent outsiders with no real part in the Muslim Arab civitas Dei (Stillman, 1979, pp. 25-26).
The dhimma set a contractual relationship between Muslims and their non-Muslim minorities. While dhimmis were relegated to an inferior status, they were also afforded some protection as long as they accepted that status. There were rulings at various times throughout the Muslim world stating that Jews and Christians should not be mistreated without justification. In better times, Jews were able to appeal to the authorities for protection against mob violence, and there was an attitude of live and let live toward them. But in worse times, persecution was justified on the argument that Jews or Christians had violated the pact by overstepping their place. Since the minorities had, in effect, broken the contract, Muslims were no longer bound by it. As noted above, in Granada in 1066 the poet Abu Ishaq wrote that since Jews had violated the contract, Muslims were free to attack them without sin, instigating an anti-Jewish riot ("Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them.... They have violated our covenant with them.... Do not tolerate their misdeeds against us"). However, such justification of violence was unusual until the changes in the role of Jews and Christians in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Lewis, 1984, p. 45). More commonly, the effect was not pogroms so much as constant harassment and humiliation.

Iraqi Jew Mordechai Ben-Porat described the everyday experience of being a Jew in an Arab land: "I must make it clear that only a minority of Jews had good relations with the Moslems. Most of our people were not involved in the society around them. A Moslem's right to harass a Jew was taken for granted; it would not have occurred to the victim to react or to report the matter to the police" (Ben-Porat, 1998, p. 25)."

[coolpharess]

Originally posted by Georges1
In the context of the discussion on Israel, the discussion at times focused on the treatment of Sephardic Jews by the State, and while this was far from perfect at the beginning, the Sephardic Jews have now reached a position of prominence in their society, a fact conveniently ignored by some anti Israel bigots on this forum. I am posting this to show that life for Jews, and minorities in general, was not as rosy as these people would like to make one think. Granted, it was better most times for Jews under Muslim rule than in Europe, but a far cry from the sort of brotherly image that is often portrayed here. The following shows that Jews had to remain in their place, in a sort of lowly, humiliated status, and often needed protection from the jealousy of the Arabs:

"Muhammad first codified the treatment of minority religions (the "People of the Book") in Islamic territories with the institution of special taxes on unbelievers. The relevant passage in the Qur'an (IX, 29) states: "Fight against those who do not believe in God or in the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and his Prophet have forbidden or practice the true religion, among those who have been given the Book, until they pay the jizya [poll tax] from their hand, they being humbled." This passage has traditionally been interpreted to indicate that the jizya was intended as a symbolic expression of humiliation and subordination of those who rejected Muhammad (Lewis, 1984).

Over the seventh and eighth centuries, the Caliphs Umar I and Umar II elaborated this idea further, and it came to be called the "Pact of Umar":

The Pact of Umar was a writ of protection (dhimma) extended by Allah's community to their protégés (dhimmis). In return for the safeguarding of life and property and the right to worship unmolested according to their conscience, the dhimmis had to pay the jizya [poll tax] and the kharaj [land tax]. They were to conduct themselves with the demeanor and comportment befitting a subject population. They were never to strike a Muslim. They were not to carry arms, ride horses, or use normal riding saddles on their mounts. They were not to build new houses of worship nor repair old ones. They were not to hold public religious processions (including funeral processions), nor pray too loudly. Naturally, they were not to proselytize. They had to wear clothing that distinguished them from the Arabs Furthermore, dhimmis were to be restricted from government service. In other words, at least in theory, dhimmis were to be permanent outsiders with no real part in the Muslim Arab civitas Dei (Stillman, 1979, pp. 25-26).
The dhimma set a contractual relationship between Muslims and their non-Muslim minorities. While dhimmis were relegated to an inferior status, they were also afforded some protection as long as they accepted that status. There were rulings at various times throughout the Muslim world stating that Jews and Christians should not be mistreated without justification. In better times, Jews were able to appeal to the authorities for protection against mob violence, and there was an attitude of live and let live toward them. But in worse times, persecution was justified on the argument that Jews or Christians had violated the pact by overstepping their place. Since the minorities had, in effect, broken the contract, Muslims were no longer bound by it. As noted above, in Granada in 1066 the poet Abu Ishaq wrote that since Jews had violated the contract, Muslims were free to attack them without sin, instigating an anti-Jewish riot ("Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them.... They have violated our covenant with them.... Do not tolerate their misdeeds against us"). However, such justification of violence was unusual until the changes in the role of Jews and Christians in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Lewis, 1984, p. 45). More commonly, the effect was not pogroms so much as constant harassment and humiliation.

Iraqi Jew Mordechai Ben-Porat described the everyday experience of being a Jew in an Arab land: "I must make it clear that only a minority of Jews had good relations with the Moslems. Most of our people were not involved in the society around them. A Moslem's right to harass a Jew was taken for granted; it would not have occurred to the victim to react or to report the matter to the police" (Ben-Porat, 1998, p. 25)."

SO YOU ARE WITNESS how ARAB RULERS HAVE TREATED THE JEWS that shows the diffrence !!!
JEWS now empty their guns on school girls
demolish homes
burn lands
poisin leaders.."Yassir arafat..."
rape womens
missile strike any leader of resistance or religious elders even handicaps "SHEIKH YASSIN...
DETAINING MANY MEMBERS ..EL BARGHOUTI..
refusing people to visit their family acroos check points
and distinguishing them by al "howiya"
even those who wants to be hospitalized..
if we hated the jews so much as you claim..there will be no jew in our Arab country or islamic ones..even in europe or AMERICA because many think you have killed jesus and disrespected his noble MOTHER.
and in reality ..the atrocity they have done to the children of palistine and the elders and womens..nature and lands..birds and all animals.."camels"
why do you have to build nukes if palistinians fights you with stones ?
you do not show PEACE AND HARMONY...
good luck!

[Theja]

Conspiracy theories....

Yasser Arafat poisoned.
Tsunami engineered by American and Jews.
9/11 caused by CIA and Jews.

A "few" people have manufactured these theories but have no credible evidence, and so should be dismissed as mere propaganda.

[Ma_Li_Ka]

And in the light of all Luminas how about how minorities are treated in western countries. Since this place is called Morocco.com how about how Moroccans are treated in different European countries.....or how about how muslims are treated in different European countries?

Sure, you can say that they shouldn't be there, but some of there are now born into these countries. Maybe minorities shouldn't be in Arab countries then too

Forget the past and move on

Look Theja, if they can almost poison a man to death in the Ukrain, they can sure do it to Arafat too.
There is no clarity on what the man died of. So don't count your blessings yet.

[Georges1]

"There is no clarity on what the man died of. So don't count your blessings yet."

Indeed, there is no clarity because the secret lies with Soha Arafat, and she was married to the biggest liar on the face of this planet, so she is not very trustworthy. Unless you think the French doctors lied under "zionist" pressure, I wouldn't put it past you


coolpharess, I'm not a Jew, your insults are laughable, keep making your people look stupid

[Theja]

MLK, regardless of race and religion, I am for justice for all mankind. But in reality, not all think and behave alike, so we have all kinds of situations in different countries.

[Malik]

George, you just showed how fair Islam is! Jizya was less than zakat! less then 2.5 percent of a Muslim's income. No other country has had such fair tax for a colony.


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