Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site sdcc6.UUCP
Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcc3!sdcc6!ix442
From: ix442@sdcc6.UUCP (Nidhal Guessoum{|ix})
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion,net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: Arab tolerance
Message-ID: <2336@sdcc6.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Dec-85 17:54:36 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc6.2336
Posted: Fri Dec 20 17:54:36 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Dec-85 20:44:18 EST
References: <460@mhuxm.UUCP> <740@whuxl.UUCP> <10822@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <384@epistemi.UUCP>
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 57
Xref: lsuc net.politics:2602 net.religion:577 net.nlang.india:563
Summary: knowledge of Islam

> >Yakim Martillo writes:
> >
> >Even at best the
> >non-Muslims were assigned second class status and continuous
> >humiliation by Islamic law.  Now at times there have been Muslim
> >rulers who treated non-Muslims much better than Islamic law permits.
> >For such behavior the individual and not Islam deserves the credit.

It is simply outrageous to see Mr. Martillo allow himself to speak
so ignorantly about Islam. Have you at least read the Qur'an ,
Mr. Martillo, to be able to express an opinion about Islam ?
The contrary is absolutely obvious, because I challenge you to
produce one single verse from the Qur'an ,or one single quotation
of the prophet Muhammad (the second source of Islamic juridiction )
that shows that Islam gives second class
status to non muslims. I advice you to save yourself the trouble
of looking for such a proof, there is none.
Second, Mr. Martillo, do you know anything about Islamic history ?
I doubt it. Because you would have known simple facts such as :
	1) When the prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina, the
	   first thing he did after he was declared ruler of the city
	   by the muslim community, was to assure the large Jewish
	   community there ,IN WRITING , that Islam  not only respects 
	   their religious traditions and laws, but makes it an article
	   of faith for the muslims to believe in Moses as a true
	   prophet of God, and therefore no harm would be done to
	   the Jews as long as they too respect the muslim
	   community. They ( Muhammad and the Jews of Medina ) went
	   even further : they signed a pact of mutual defense to
	   defend each other in case an outside force came to
	   attack the city.
	2) The "copt" ( christian ) community in Egypt has been
	   living safely and peacefuly for centuries in a muslim
	   environment. They constitute , I think , about 10% of
	   the total population, i.e. about 4 million people.
	   Similar ( Jewish and Christian ) communities exist to
	   this day everywhere in the muslim world.
	   How do you interpret the fact that a reunion of the 
	   world Jewish council was held in Morocco two years ago?
I think it is clear that Mr. Martillo simply didn't know what he was
talking about. Or if you have some hatred about Islam, Mr. Martillo,
why don't you tell us ? May be someone can help you with that.

> 
> >By the standards of the Middle Ages Islam may have been slightly more
> >tolerant than Christianity but much of Christian intolerance was
> >learned from Muslims.  The inquisition did nothing which the Almohades
> >had not done centuries earlier.  In any case my point was that until
> >Islam shows some tolerance by *modern* standards, Islam is
> >unacceptable as a social/political/religious system in the modern
> >world and Muslims should not be permitted to rule territories.

Refer again to my explanation above. I could expand further, but I
don't type very fast, and I don't have much time.May be next time...
But I hope there won't be a ( similar ) next time... 

			Nidhal Guessoum