Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!crackers!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!shari
From: gwydion@tavi.rice.edu (Basalat Ali Raja)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Questions regarding Israel
Message-ID: <1990Nov5.005838.9071@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 5 Nov 90 00:58:38 GMT
References: <1990Oct24.212609.7687@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <1990Oct30.162059.5042@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Sender: shari@wpi.WPI.EDU (Shari Deiana VanderSpek)
Organization: Rice University, Houston, Texas
Lines: 25
Approved: shari@wpi.wpi.edu


In article <1990Oct30.162059.5042@wpi.WPI.EDU> hermetic@byron.acs.washington.edu (Heracleitos the Obscure) writes:

>As I understand it, Islam mandates tolerance of (at least) the 'people of the
>book' (is this to be understood as only Jews and Christians?); thus (and I
>would welcome correction of any error) any differences a pious Muslim would
>have with the State of Israel would (theoretically) have a political and >not<
>a religious basis. Certainly Islamic countries have historically been more 
>tolerant of Jews and Christians than Christian states have been of Muslims and
>Jews (at least generally and until very recent times). 

I understand that at least in the US, there is a very fine
line between politics and religion.  Such is not the case 
with Islam.  Israel has taken over Muslim lands, and still
holds them, refusing to acknowledge th eexistence of the
state of Palestine.  Furthermore, it insists on brutalizing
the Palestinians and jailing them when they try to protest.

Given this, it is difficult to not view Israel in an
unfavourable light.  This view is as much religious as 
political; an unjust and brutal occupation is never 
somewthing that can be ignored.  The same goes for 
Russia's attempted occupation of Afghanistan, as well as
for South Africa and even some Arab regimes which utilize
a similar brutality.