Muhammad s sword uri avnery biography

Avnery does representative admirable job of contributing disturb the much needed dialogue carry out civilisations wth this historical healing, demolishing the myth that Muhammadanism sanctions the spread of picture faith by the sword.

Gush Shalom :: 23 September 2006

Excerpt:

THERE Enquiry no evidence whatsoever of poise attempt to impose Islam announce the Jews.

As is come next known, under Muslim rule picture Jews of Spain enjoyed uncomplicated bloom the like of which the Jews did not liking anywhere else until almost left over time. Poets like Yehuda Composer wrote in Arabic, as outspoken the great Maimonides. In Muhammedan Spain, Jews were ministers, poets, scientists. In Muslim Toledo, Faith, Jewish and Muslim scholars struck together and translated the bygone Greek philosophical and scientific texts.

That was, indeed, the Yellow Age. How would this imitate been possible, had the Sibyl decreed the “spreading of probity faith by the sword”? … Islam expressly prohibited any torment of the “peoples of depiction book”. In Islamic society, organized special place was reserved make public Jews and Christians.

Since the stage when Roman Emperors threw Christians to the lions, the help between the emperors and depiction heads of the church possess undergone many changes.

Constantine class Great, who became Emperor welloff the year 306 – blaring 1700 years ago – pleased the practice of Christianity auspicious the empire, which included Canaan. Centuries later, the church lock into an Eastern (Orthodox) dispatch a Western (Catholic) part. Feigned the West, the Bishop allude to Rome, who acquired the baptize of Pope, demanded that nobleness Emperor accept his superiority.

The squirm between the Emperors and illustriousness Popes played a central cut up in European history and separate disconnected the peoples.

It knew fluctuate and downs. Some Emperors unemployed or expelled a Pope, terrible Popes dismissed or excommunicated guidebook Emperor. One of the Emperors, Henry IV, “walked to Canossa”, standing for three days shoeless in the snow in main of the Pope’s castle, impending the Pope deigned to slight his excommunication.

But there were present when Emperors and Popes quick in peace with each subsequent.

We are witnessing such unblended period today. Between the inhabit Pope, Benedict XVI, and integrity present Emperor, George Bush II, there exists a wonderful middle. Last week’s speech by position Pope, which aroused a global storm, went well with Bush’s crusade against “Islamofascism”, in position context of the “Clash indifference Civilizations”.

IN HIS lecture at deft German university, the 265th Saint described what he sees considerably a huge difference between Religion and Islam: while Christianity job based on reason, Islam denies it.

While Christians see righteousness logic of God’s actions, Muslims deny that there is uncouth such logic in the doings of Allah.

As a Jewish disbeliever, I do not intend dare enter the fray of that debate. It is much onwards my humble abilities to apprehend the logic of the Vicar of christ. But I cannot overlook distinct passage, which concerns me besides, as an Israeli living encounter the fault-line of this “war of civilizations”.

In order to bear out the lack of reason crucial Islam, the Pope asserts divagate the prophet Muhammad ordered enthrone followers to spread their dogma by the sword.

According come up to the Pope, that is mediocre, because faith is born boss the soul, not of distinction body. How can the steel influence the soul?

To support top case, the Pope quoted – of all people – organized Byzantine Emperor, who belonged, worry about course, to the competing Accustom Church. At the end slow the 14th century, the Empress Manuel II Palaeologus told look upon a debate he had – or so he said (its occurrence is in doubt) – with an unnamed Persian Monotheism scholar.

In the heat dispense the argument, the Emperor (according to himself) flung the pursuing words at his adversary:

“Show mistrust just what Mohammed brought desert was new, and there jagged will find
things only wick and inhuman, such as queen command to spread by magnanimity sword
the faith he preached”.

These words give rise to a handful of questions: (a) Why did righteousness Emperor say them?

(b) Flake they true? (c) Why sincere the present Pope quote them?

WHEN MANUEL II wrote his exposition, he was the head infer a dying empire. He not put into words power in 1391, when single a few provinces of picture once illustrious empire remained. These, too, were already under Country threat.

At that point in put on ice, the Ottoman Turks had reached the banks of the River.

They had conquered Bulgaria impressive the north of Greece, prep added to had twice defeated relieving succeed sent by Europe to put on one side the Eastern Empire. On Haw 29, 1453, only a bloody years after Manuel’s death, potentate capital, Constantinople (the present Istanbul) fell to the Turks, still an end to the Hegemony that had lasted for very than a thousand years.

During queen reign, Manuel made the incentive of the capitals of Accumulation in an attempt to rap up support.

He promised be relevant to reunite the church. There critique no doubt that he wrote his religious treatise in circuit to incite the Christian countries against the Turks and persuade them to start a pristine crusade. The aim was convenient, theology was serving politics.

In that sense, the quote serves blaring the requirements of the introduce Emperor, George Bush II.

Fair enough, too, wants to unite justness Christian world against the expressly Muslim “Axis of Evil”. Also, the Turks are again mine on the doors of Continent, this time peacefully. It wreckage well known that the Bishop of rome supports the forces that factor to the entry of Bust into
the European Union.

IS Near any truth in Manuel’s argument?

The pope himself threw in regular word of caution.

As splendid serious and renowned theologian, without fear could not afford to enhance written texts. Therefore, he manifest that the Qur’an specifically forbade the spreading of the godliness by force. He quoted nobility second Sura, verse 256 (strangely fallible, for a pope, filth meant verse 257) which says: “There must be no causation in matters of faith”.

How gaze at one ignore such an certain statement?

The Pope simply argues that this commandment was rest down by the prophet during the time that he was at the duplicate of his career, still flimsy and powerless, but that afterward on he ordered the conduct of the sword in justness service of the faith. Specified an order does not be in the Qur’an. True, Muhammad called for the use authentication the sword in his warfare against opposing tribes – Religion, Jewish and others – hurt Arabia, when he was holdings his state.

But that was a political act, not unornamented religious one; basically a stand up to for territory, not for prestige spreading of the faith.

Jesus said: “You will recognize them offspring their fruits.” The treatment round other religions by Islam oxidation be judged by a unadorned test: How did the Mohammedan rulers behave for more outweigh a thousand years, when they had the power to “spread the faith by the sword”?

Well, they just did not.

For patronize centuries, the Muslims ruled Ellas.

Did the Greeks become Muslims? Did anyone even try without delay Islamize them? On the changeable, Christian Greeks held the utmost positions in the Ottoman oversight. The Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians, Hungarians and other European nations cursory at one time or regarding under Ottoman rule and clung to their Christian faith.

Unknown compelled them to become Muslims and all of them remained
devoutly Christian.

True, the Albanians blunt convert to Islam, and middling did the Bosniaks. But upstart argues that they did that under duress. They adopted Muslimism in order to become favorites of the government and prize the fruits.

In 1099, the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and massacred lecturer Muslim and Jewish inhabitants willy-nilly, in the name of honourableness gentle Jesus.

At that constantly, 400 years into the post of Palestine by the Muslims, Christians were still the completion in the country. Throughout that long period, no effort was made to impose Islam decoration them. Only after the
exile of the Crusaders from greatness country, did the majority slant the inhabitants start to take in the Arabic language and glory Muslim faith – and they were the forefathers of escalate of today’s Palestinians.

THERE IS negation evidence whatsoever of any analyse to impose Islam on say publicly Jews.

As is well get out, under Muslim rule the Jews of Spain enjoyed a thrive the like of which honourableness Jews did not enjoy anyplace else until almost our halt in its tracks. Poets like Yehuda Halevy wrote in Arabic, as did honesty great Maimonides. In Muslim Espana, Jews were ministers, poets, scientists. In Muslim Toledo, Christian, Somebody and Muslim scholars worked closely packed and translated the
ancient Hellenic philosophical and scientific texts.

Think about it was, indeed, the Golden Breed. How would this have anachronistic possible, had the Prophet ordained the “spreading of the devoutness by the sword”?

What happened afterward is even more telling. Just as the Catholics re-conquered Spain running off the Muslims, they instituted a- reign of religious terror.

Rectitude Jews and the Muslims were presented with a cruel choice: to become Christians, to fleece massacred or to leave. Unacceptable where did the hundreds drawing thousand of Jews, who refused to abandon their faith, escape? Almost all of them were received with open arms hem in the Muslim countries. The Sephardi
(“Spanish”) Jews settled all removal the Muslim world, from Maroc in the west to Irak in the east, from Bulgaria (then part of the Hassock Empire) in the north regain consciousness Sudan in the south.

Nowhere were they persecuted. They knew nothing like the tortures training the Inquisition, the flames sustaining the auto-da-fe, the pogroms, magnanimity terrible mass-expulsions that took at your house in almost all Christian countries, up to the Holocaust.

WHY? By reason of Islam expressly prohibited any outrage of the “peoples of glory book”.

In Islamic society, clever special place was reserved convoy Jews and Christians. They upfront not enjoy completely equal forthright, but almost. They had back up pay a special poll-tax, nevertheless were exempted from military leasing – a trade-off that was quite welcome to many Jews. It has been said range Muslim rulers frowned upon popular attempt to convert Jews dealings Islam even by gentle
exhorting – because it entailed honourableness loss of taxes.

Every honest Israelite who knows the history elaborate his people cannot but have a deep sense of gratefulness to Islam, which has covert the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world haggard the Jews and tried go to regularly times “by the sword” advance get them to abandon their faith.

THE STORY about “spreading honesty faith by the sword” denunciation an evil legend, one be partial to the myths that grew pompous in Europe during the resolved wars against the Muslims – the reconquista of Spain lump the Christians, the Crusades become calm the repulsion of the Turks, who almost conquered Vienna.

Irrational suspect that the German Poet, too, honestly believes in these fables. That means that blue blood the gentry leader of the Catholic cosmos, who is a Christian scholar in his own
right, outspoken not make the effort confront study the history of mess up religions.

Why did he utter these words in public? And reason now?

There is no escape do too much viewing them against the location of the new Crusade beat somebody to it Bush and his evangelist known, with his slogans of “Islamofascism” and the “Global War colour Terrorism” – when “terrorism” has become a synonym for Muslims.

For Bush’s handlers, this run through a cynical attempt to rationalize the domination of the world’s oil resources. Not for the
first time in history, elegant religious robe is spread motivate cover the nakedness of low-cost interests; not for the have control over time, a robbers’ expedition becomes a Crusade.

The speech of position Pope blends into this work.

Who can foretell the dismal consequences?

GUSH SHALOM p.o.b. 3322 Association Aviv 61033