 |
|
Some
would reawaken the passion of the Crusades
|
Compared
with what was written and said by some of the most prominent
Christian reformers of the past, such as Martin Luther of
Germany, Pope Urbana II, Francis Voltaire of France, Queen
Isabella of Spain or Queen Victoria of Colonial Britain, Charles
Moore’s December 12 article in the London Daily Telegraph is
a very mild attack on Islam.
There
is nothing new in his assertion that Islam is a barbaric faith
that denies the freedom of all people, including its own
adherents. There are no surprises in his attack on Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a pedophile, or on Islam as
anti-Christian faith. What is new is the article’s timing and
its belligerent tone.
His
message echoes what many Christian scholars of the past have
said: Christianity will be secured only when Islam is completely
annihilated or defeated or changed to suit the interests of
European Christian elites.
The
intention is clear. They wish to create an enemy out of Islam
and let the people engage in street fights to the point that
Muslims decide to relinquish their citizenship of America and
Christian European countries, and force those who intend to
convert to Islam to think twice.
Muslim
scholars have written volumes on issues raised by Charles Moore.
His ignorance is evident, judging by his reliance on stories
that have long been identified as unauthentic. For instance, the
issue of `Aisha's marriage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) at the age of nine has been dealt with at length by several
past and contemporary scholars, with the conclusion that the
story cannot be accepted as fact.
The
issue of dhimmis has also been extensively dealt with in
several scholarly Muslim works that have proven that
“dhimmi” was not a derogatory term, but rather an
institution to protect Christian and Jewish minorities.
It
is ironic that Moore is attacking Islam for being intolerant of
other religions while ignoring the entire history of the
persecution of Christians and Jews at each other’s hands.
Christian Hitler's persecution of Jews in Germany is not by any
means a secret. Interestingly, many Christian scholars now deny
that Hitler was Christian, despite his numerous statements
showing his full faith in Christ as "son of God" and
the Messiah.
Christian
zealots don’t have to go to Jerusalem anymore; Muslims now
live in their midst. |
|
As
for the religious persecution of Christians in the Muslim world,
Charles Moore has to look no further than the history of 20th
century Europe and modern Latin America. More Christians are
being killed in Latin America by intolerant Christian groups
than anywhere in the Muslim world. Under dictatorial right-wing
regimes supported by the United States and several European
countries, hundreds and thousands of Christians were killed in
Latin America because of their beliefs.
South
Africa offers a very recent example of institutionalized
persecution among Christians, with white Christians persecuting
black Christians.
This
does not mean that there are no problems between Christians and
Muslims in the Muslim world. However, it is the repression and
general lack of freedom in most countries, rather than an
intolerance towards other faiths, that is responsible for the
situation, as both Muslims and non-Muslims are denied their
rights to freely express themselves.
Obviously,
Moore’s article is part of a long-term strategy for those who
actively seek to see our world divided by war, to create hatred
against Muslims and an Islam portrayed as the “anti-Christ.”
In so doing, they hope to reawaken the anti-Muslim passion of
the Crusades. This time, however, the zealots do not have to
journey to Jerusalem to rid the world of the anti-Christ,
because Muslims and Islam now live in the midst of their own
societies.
It
was a strategy that many Christian zealots applied in the past
to rid their societies of Jews. It is a strategy that some want
to use for much the same purpose, albeit against Muslims.
However,
within Christian scholarship, there is a growing trend that
seeks to move beyond the ideology of the Crusades. There are
many Christian scholars who sincerely believe that Islam is
being vilified by certain special interest groups. These
scholars should be the first to challenge writers like Charles
Moore, whose pens emit nothing but hatred against Islam and
Muslims.
Dr. Aslam Abdullah is
editor of the weekly Muslim Observer, the monthly Minaret
and director of the Islamic Society of Nevada in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
