PART 1.

By Imam Kamil Mufti (Originally by Dr. Saleh
al-Aayed )
Published on 03 Jul 2006
Last modified on 04 Jan 2015
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Introduction
Islam is a religion of mercy to all people, both Muslims and non-Muslims. The Prophet was described as being a mercy in the Quran due to the message he brought for humanity:

"And We have not sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds." (Quran 21:107)

When a person analyzes the legislations of Islam with an open mind, the Mercy mentioned in this verse will definitely become apparent. One of the aspects constituting an epitome of this Mercy is the way the legislations of Islam deal with people of other faiths. The tolerant attitude of Islam towards non-Muslims,
whether they be those residing in their own countries or within the Muslim lands, can be clearly seen through a study of history. This fact is not only purported by Muslims, but many non-Muslim historians also accept it.

Patriarch Ghaytho wrote:
‘The Arabs, to whom the Lord has given control over the world, treat us as you know; they are not the enemies of Christians. Indeed, they praise our
community, and treat our priests and saints with dignity, and offer aid to churches and monasteries.'

Will Durant wrote:
‘At the time of the Umayyad caliphate, the people of the covenant, Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Sabians, all enjoyed degree of tolerance that we do not find even today in Christian countries. They were free to practice the rituals of their religion and their churches and temples were preserved. They enjoyed
autonomy in that they were subject to the religious laws of the scholars and judges.’

These just relations between Muslims and people of other faiths were not due to mere politics played by Muslim rulers, but rather they were a direct result of the teachings of the religion of Islam, one which preaches that people of other religions be free to practice their own faith, only accepting the guidance
offered by Islam by their own choice. God says in the Quran:

"There is no compulsion in religion…" (Quran 2:256)

Not only does Islam demand their freedom to practice religion, but also that they be treated justly as any other fellow human. Warning against any abuse of non-Muslims in an Islamic society, the Prophet stated:

"Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment." (Abu Dawud)

How far is this mannerism than the majority of nations, to this day, which not only suppress the rights of foreign religions, but also foreign people and races! In a time when Muslims were being tortured to death in then pagan Mecca, Jews were being persecuted in Christian Europe, and various people were being subjugated due to their particular race or
caste, Islam called to the just treatment of all people and religions, due to its merciful tenets
which gave humanity the right to their
humanness.

Nice article.
Vile islmophobes would prefer to paint the opposite picture quoting verses mischievously.
Anyway anybody interested in knowing how Islam commands the treatment of non Muslims (instead of relying of misinterpreted Qur'anic verses) shall read up on historic facts about cosmopolitan communities in early Islam especially the reigns of the four guided Caliphs.
Non-Muslim destitutes were not only exempted from paying Jizya, but are even paid a stipend from the Caliphate treasury.
The only situation where a non-Muslim would be attacked is when they try to conspire or wage war against the Caliphate, which from security perspective is treason. And no society can afford an enemy within. That's why during and after the Crusades many Eastern Christians and Jews actually aligned with Muslims to defend their cities in which they were living peacefully. And the crusaders butchered them indiscriminately in the cities they were able to conquer.

Muslims and Al-Taqqiya (lying to protect Islam)

Can you educate me on how Turkey went from being a Christian nation to a country of over 96% Muslims??

Can you tell us why Saudi Arabia ( the home of Islam) does not allow any other religion to erect a public place of worship??

Can you tell us why churches are regularly vandalised in the core Muslim North of Nigeria?.

Can you tell us why a woman in Sudan was sentenced to death by hanging recently for converting??

.

You can quote all the Quran verses you want, as long as we can see the actions of Muslims in times past and the present world, it won't make any difference

Haroun13:


‘The Arabs, to whom the Lord has given control over the world...

Hahahahahahahaha.....the Arabs are too busy fighting each other to control the world...plus they get bombed by the west when they feel like it.

PART 2

There is much talk these days about the allowance Islam gives to the existence of other religions in the world. Some of the opinion that Islam orders that Muslims fight the world until everyone becomes Muslim, creating ill feelings without actually knowing what the
religion actually says in this regard, much more the existence of non-Muslims within an Islamic country.
In terms of residence within Muslim society, non-Muslims are classified into three types. To understand these types will deepen one’s understanding of the relationship between Muslims and people of other faith in an Islamic society:

Classification of Non-Muslims
A. Permanent Residents
Muslim jurists use the term ‘ People of the Covenant ’ (Arabic ‘dhimmi’ or ‘Ahl ul- Dhimma’ ) to refer to non-Muslim residents. It is not a derogatory term, as some have made it seem. In Arabic language the word 'dhimma' means a treaty of protection for non-Muslims living in Muslim territory. A similar term, ‘Ahl ul-Dhimma’ , means ‘People of the Covenant ,’ because they are protected under the covenant extended to them by Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims. Non-Muslims are guaranteed protection in the Muslim society as long as they pay a head tax and abide by the specific legislations mentioned in Islamic Law. This covenant of protection is not limited to a specific duration; rather, stays in effect as long as those with whom the covenant is made abide by its conditions. The good intent behind the term ‘dhimmi’ can be seen in the letter written by the Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to the non-Muslims of Najran:

‘In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is the written statement of God’s slave Abu Bakr, the successor of Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of God. He affirms for you the rights of a protected neighbor, in yourselves, your lands, your religious community, your wealth, retainers, and servants, those of you who are present or abroad, your bishops and monks, and monasteries, and all that you own, be it great or small. You shall not be deprived of any of it, and shall have full control over it…’

Another example is the statement of a famous classical scholar of Islam, Imam Awza’i in his letter to the Abbasid governor Salih b. ‘Ali b. Abdullah about the People of the Covenant,

"They are not slaves, so beware of changing their status after they have lived in freedom. They are free People of the Covenant."

Acknowledging this fact, Ron Landau wrote:
‘In contrast to the Christian Empire, which attempted to impose Christianity on its subjects, the Arabs extended recognition to religious minorities, and accepted their presence. Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians were known to them as the People of the Covenant; in other words, the nations who enjoyed a protected status.’

B. Temporary Residents
This category includes two types:
1) The residents of non-Muslims countries who are at peace with Muslims through specific peace agreements, international treaties, or other mechanisms, who temporarily come to Muslim countries for work, education, business, diplomatic missions, and so forth. Muslim jurists refer to them in Arabic as mu’aahadoon, which means, "those with whom there is a pact".

2) The residents of non-Muslims countries with whom Muslims do not have a pact of peace, or who may be at war with Muslims, who temporarily come to Muslim countries for work, education, business, diplomatic missions, and so forth. Muslim jurists refer to them in Arabic as musta’minoon,
which means, "seekers of protection".

All classes have general rights common to them, and exclusive rights specific to each group. We will limit our discussion mostly to the most general, common rights to avoid excessive details.

The General Rights of Non-Muslims
The expression "human rights" is relatively new, having come into everyday usage only since World War II, the founding of the United Nations in 1945, and the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Although its emergence in international law is a relatively recent development, the idea of human rights itself is not new. If one were to study and
compare the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the human rights granted by Islam 1400 years ago, one can clearly see the level of high moral ground achieved by Islam before the Universal Declaration. This moral standard did not come as a result of human intellectual endeavor. The source of Islamic morality is
God. The divine standard provides true comprehensiveness and depth in human needs. It provides for everything that benefits the human race and shields it from any harm. Objective study is likely to conclude, ‘there is no religion or moral code on earth that has given more generous attention to faithfully affirming these rights than Islam, detailing them, clarifying them, and expressing them.’
The Shariah, which is the legal and moral code of Islam, does not confine itself to giving rights to Muslims only. One of its distinguishing features is that non-Muslim share many of these rights. As a matter of fact, the general principle is that non-Muslims have the same rights and obligations as Muslims. This aspect of religion is unique to Islam, and perhaps has not been attained by any other
world religion.
If we look at Christianity, for example, Professor Joseph Heath of the University of Toronto, says,
‘It should go without saying that you can scour the Bible and not find one single mention of "rights." You can also pick through the following 1500 years of Christian thought without finding any rights. That’s because the idea is entirely
absent.’
Non-Muslims have many rights in Islam. We will limit our discussion to the most important of them, such as the freedom of belief, right to work, housing, freedom of movement, and education.