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Name
Remco
- Netherlands
Profession
pofessor
Question
Throughout the Islamic history, non-Muslim minorities were labeled dhimis, is this another variant of ‘second-class citizens’?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
The term dhimmis has a great meaning in Islam. Thus it means the person whom deserves protection, care, immunity and security. The word dhimmah means protection, security, and care. This status was historically given to non-Muslim minorities living with Muslim majorities in order to protect them against any sort of oppression and injustice from ignorant people and fanatics. Accordingly, it should not be translated as a second class citizens, thus dhimmis were part of Islamic civilizations, they held different important posts in Islamic administrations. They were having equal rights with Muslims. Yet, I shall point out that any unfair or unjust treatment to the people based on their faith is seen in the eyes of Islam as abnormal and incorrect regardless if it is done by a Muslim or a non-Muslim. Islam stands for equality, fairness, social and economic justice for all mankind regardless of their faith and religion.
Based on that, we shall differentiate between human deeds and the correct and just teachings of religions be Islam, Christianity or Judaism.
All in all, dhimmis have never been treated as second class citizens rather they were considered as normal citizens like others.
This is evident from the experience of four hundreds years that Muslims spent in Spain and Europe at large. Let us go back to real and correct teachings of Islam. We will surely and certainly find that Islam is about justice, integration, cooperation, communication and good neighborhood with others at all levels.
Name
Tayeb
- Afghanistan
Profession
linguist
Question
How Islam views non-Muslim minorities, are they considered citizens of the country where they live or what; what is their legal position?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
As I said earlier non-Muslim minorities are considered citizens of the countries where they live. They are not second nor they are third class citizens. They have equal rights and obligations towards their nations, countries and humanity at large. History is the witness that during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) Muslim majorities were living side by side with non- Muslim minorities in Madinah and the first universal constitution which includes all human values and principles was drafted and implemented by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) upon his arrival in Madinah.
In this constitution he made it clear that Madinah belongs to Muslims and non-Muslims and both of them have equal rights and obligations. They have to cooperate and integrate and communicate positively and sincerely. They are all responsible for the wellbeing and welfare of people of Madinah. Accordingly, I shall reiterate that any deviation from these Prophetic practices towards non-Muslims should not be seen as an Islamic practice rather a fanatic and unjust practice.
All in all, minorities, Muslims or non-Muslims, should have equal rights and obligations and all forms of discrimination based on gender or religion is un-Islamic and fully rejected by the teachings of Islam. Yet, human deeds and behavior should not be a reference to judge Islam or other religions especially when those behaviors and actions are arbitrary and unjust.
Name
Dalia
- Egypt
Profession
editor
Question
I want to ask about Jiziyah, I heard that non-Muslims should pay a sum of money called jiziyah, is not this a form of discrimination against non-Muslims.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Jiziyah refers to a tribute or a tax which is paid by non-Muslims to the State as a contribution to defend them and protect them in case of any war or to provide them the basic needs when they will need it due to the age or illness etc.. In other words, it is equal to Zakah that the rich Muslims must pay.
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the reign of Abu Bakr and `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) Zakah was a State affair either in collecting or distributing. All capable Muslims were asked to pay and jiziyah was paid by non-Muslims. Later at the time of `Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) Zakah and jiziyah both became a religious duty in which the State was no longer involved either in collecting or distributing.
Therefore, jiziyah should not be seen as a form of discrimination rather as a form of balancing between the contributions of all members of the society. In other words, discrimination based on religious belief is considered in the eyes of Islam as injustice to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Yet, it is up to the States to impose upon capable citizens, Muslims and non-Muslims, fair taxes based on public interest. These fair and just taxes must take into account the abilities and capacities of individuals. Having said that, I shall stress that jiziyah remains as a form of contribution that non-Muslim minorities pay to the welfare and advancement of the society. It is having equal contribution from Muslims in the form of Zakah and sadaqah.
As for the name jizyah, there is no prohibition of changing its name and calling it tax or tribute or any name they like. This is due to the fact that the essence is to contribute to the national economy and welfare of all in the future.
Name
Arnold
- Eritrea
Profession
Question
What is the Islamic ruling regarding constructing worship places for non-Muslims in Islamic countries.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
It is the duty upon just and fair rulers to provide followers of all faiths with decent and clean worship places in order to enable them to perform their worship in security and harmony. In this regard, there is no harm or prohibition for Muslim rulers to construct worship place or provide lands for construction for non-Muslim minorities in Islamic countries. At the same time Muslim minorities in non-Islamic countries should also be provided with decent and clean worship places (mosques). This treatment is based the concept of respect of religion that must be practiced by rulers who are responsible for all citizens regardless of their religions. Yet, I shall stress that building or constructing a worship place should not be seen as a personal contribution from the rulers but it has to be taken from the national budget which represents common contributions of all citizens regardless of their faiths and religions. So, it is justified if a ruler constructs a worship place for minorities who have positively contributed to the national economy or budget!
Name
Selma
- Australia
Profession
Question
Now in Egypt, the Muslim brotherhood achieved sweeping success in the parliamentary elections; their slogan is “Islam is the Solution”, does not this slogan represent a threat for the Christian minority living there.
Answer
Certainly, history is the witness that the real Islam has never been and will never be a threat for non-Muslims. 400 years of the presence of Islam and Muslims in Spain and Europe show that Islam doesn't represent any form of threat for non-Muslims. Thus, Islam stands for coexistence and cooperation between followers of different faiths.
Islam condemns all forms of compulsion or oppression against people in the name of Islam. The glorious Qur'an is full of verses which condemn forcing the people to convert to Islam. It also rejects any belief based on compulsion or forcing. Of course, there is no doubt that when Islam is correctly and comprehensively understood, it has sustainable solution for corruptions, social injustice, oppression, discrimination, compulsion, dictatorship, selfishness, crimes, backwardness, low productivity, violence, indiscipline, terrorism, fanaticism, extremism and unemployment. In other words, the real teachings of Islam stand against all odds, moral disease and inefficiency.
In this context, I believe you do agree with me that, Islam should not be seen as a threat but as a choice to tackle terrorism, fanaticism, extremism, corruption, social injustice and dictatorship. Having said that I shall point out that any wrong interpretations or false implementation of the teachings of Islam should not be considered as Islam thus Islam has been misunderstood by Muslims as well as non-Muslims.
All in all, Christian minority should not feel or worry of any threat if the real teachings of Islam are implemented and practiced. Surely, it is a danger and threat when the teachings of Islam are hijacked by extremist, intolerant and fanatic people. Then, the beauty of the teachings will be a threat not only for non-Muslims but for Muslims even. Let us pray that the real Islam which has a lot of respect to other faiths, prevails for the betterment of humanity.
Name
Kamal Funsho
- Nigeria
Profession
Question
Respected scholar;
As-Salamu `Alalykum,
I think that the fear and concerns of many non-Muslim communities from applying the Islamic laws or Shari`ah can be attributed to their misunderstanding of the nature of the Islamic political system, they believe that an Islamic state is a theocratic one in that it should be ruled and administered by clergymen and that it rules out any participation of communities of other religions –if it did accept their existence form the very beginning; how can such a claim be refuted.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Truly, Islam nowadays is deeply misunderstood by many non-Muslims as well as by Muslims due to their improper understanding of its noble and comprehensive teachings. For instance, so many Muslims think that Islam is only considered practised by a state when it implements criminal law. While the implementation of other laws such as political, economic, and social, doesn't have a similar importance. This is a partial and very unacceptable application of Islam. Certainly, it will never be successful rather it will defame Islam and upgrade misunderstanding of Islam. At the same time, many non-Muslims think that Islam is only concerned about killing or cutting peoples' hands and heads. They ignore that Islam is about tolerance, transparency, social, economic and political justice, productivity, advancement, efficiency, cooperation and comprehensive development for all aspects of human life.
All in all, I believe that Muslims as well as non-Muslims should deepen their understanding of the teachings of Islam. They should comprehensively learn more and more about the essences, objectives, purposes of Islam. It is only through proper and correct understanding of Islam all threats and false accusations would be refuted.
Name
Estes
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
With regard to the jizyah, some scholars say that it substitutes the participation of non-Muslims in the army, but if they did participate in the army and defended the country side by side with Muslims, are they still liable to Jiziyah.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
As I said earlier that jizyah is a tax or monetary contribution from capable non-Muslims to the economy of the state. It is similar to Zakah which is used to be paid by Muslims to the state at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr and `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).
However, it is up to the ruler to decide on the amount as well as the criteria of who should be paying this tax (jizyah) to the state. Thus, there is no specific text that details the amount and the criteria of who should pay. In this regard, the participation or non participation of non-Muslims in the army should not be taken as a ground to decide on who should pay jizyah, thus the payment has to do with the capacity and ability and not any thing else, and it also has to do with any ground that might be considered by the ruler.
All in all, the jizyah issue comes under legal policy (syasah shar`iyah) which is determined by considering public interest and the consequences of actions and deeds.
Name
Ruth
- United States
Profession
Question
It is clear that most of the confusion and misunderstanding is related to Jiziyah; some questions need to be answered:
1- Is there any problem if the Jizyah was given any other name to avoid the sensitivity raised by this term.
2- Can it be considered a substitute for the Zakah paid by Muslims
Answer
Thank you fro your question.
Certainly, there is no problem of giving any other name to jizyah as Caliph `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did it upon the request of non-Muslims at his time. The name is not important but the essence which I translated as a tribute or contribution from non-Muslims to the economy of the state. Accordingly, there is no prohibition in changing the name if non-Muslims want so.
Yes, jizyah is very similar to Zakah paid by Muslims with some differences in terms of the amount and types of the wealth. In other words, Zakah amount is fixed and its wealth is determined. However, there is no harm of considering the payments of Zakah as the payment of jizyah or any taxes imposed by the ruler. In other words, the ruler should try his level of best to balance between the payment of Zakah and jizyah or any other taxes.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
