ten questions for the muslim next door
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Ten Questions for the Muslim Next Door
April 30, 2009: Also read my new review of Reza Aslan'sHow to Win a Cosmic War
By KamalaDecember 5, 2008
The November/December 2008 issue of Stanford
University's alumni magazine featuresa story about
Stanford grad and author Sumbul Ali-Karamali.She has just published her first book, a guide to
Islam that she wrote in part because bookstores
only carried "dry textbooks," "the occasional slim
volume of Sufi poetry," andafter 9/11"tomeson terrorism and the 'clash of civilizations.'"
Her book,The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the
Media, and that Veil thing, is in part an effort toavert a "clash of ignorances" because the "Western
perception of Islam has become an evil caricature of
reality." As she writes, "moderate Muslims try tochip away a great wall of media misinformation."
The book aims to"clear away the misconceptions
about Islam,"explaining why these "tall tales" continue to "flourish" and "persist."
Ali-Karamali seems well suited to write such a book. A Muslim of Indian descent, she has a
law degree from the University of California, Davis in addition to her undergraduatedegree from Stanford, and a graduate degree in Islamic law from the University of London.
Yet she's all-American: she grew up in California, she's married, she's a mother, and she
practiced corporate law in San Francisco.
The book has received praise from some big names.
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Professor of Islamic Law at the UCLA School of Law, calls it"one of the best three books published on the Islamic faith in the English language since
the tragedy of 9/11." It's "refreshing in its honesty" and "consistently reliable." (Aweb site
run by El Fadl's "Students, Supporters, and Friends" describes him as "the most
important intellectual in Islam and Islamic law today." Among other honors, he was"appointed by President George W. Bush as a commissioner on the US Commission on
International Religious Freedom.")
Reza Aslan, the"internationally acclaimed"author ofNo God but Godand guest on the
Jon Stewart show,calls her"beautiful book" a "corrective" against the "misinformation
about Islam" that "most Americans are bombarded with."
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According to Dr. Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at the University ofEdinburgh, The Muslim Next Door is "refreshingly frank."
The book's back coverasks, "What if you could sit down at a kitchen table with anAmerican Muslim mom and ask anything you wanted about her faith and religious
practice?" In the book's acknowledgments, she writes: "And to everyone who ever askedme a well-intentioned question about Islam: this book is a result of your desire to cross
cultures."
I am very glad that Ms. Ali-Karamali is open to well-intentioned questions.
Because after reading the book, I still have a few.
Ten, in fact.
I hope she'll answer them.
Muhammad's Wife Aisha
Ali-Karamali writes that Aisha (Aysha) was "the one virgin Muhammad married... She
was contracted to the Prophet at a young age, given variously as somewhere between nine
to twelve years. However, the marriage was a formality and unconsummated until she was
well past puberty. The sources variously cite her as somewhere between twelve andsixteen..." (p. 143, emphasis added)
Ali-Karamali writes, "Aysha's youth seems to have apparently appalled some non-
Muslims, much to my surprise," and goes on to explain that it is "unreasonable to beshocked" because it was "consummated only after she was past puberty." In the seventh
century, "puberty meant adulthood."
But Al-Tabari, described by Ali-Karamali herself as an "early Muslim scholar" and a
"highly respected luminar[y] in Islam,"quotes Aisha as having said, "The Messenger of
God married me when I was seven; my marriage was consummated when I was nine."(emphasis added)
Consider also the writings of al-Bukhari, whoseSahih Al-Bukhariis "universally
acknowledged as the most authentic book after the Qur'an" according toan article at
IslamOnline,a web site co-founded by Yusuf al-Qaradawi. (Ali-Karamali calls Qaradawi a"leading Muslim scholar." (p. 220))
Bukhari writes, "the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummatedhis marriage when she was nine years old." (emphasis added)
Alsoaccording to Bukhari, Aisha herself said:
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The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-
al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother,
Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I
went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the
door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became Allright, she took some water and
rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari
women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and
they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my
mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age.(emphasis added)
Andfrom Bukhari once more, Aisha also said:
I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used to play with me.
When Allah's Apostle used to enter (my dwelling place) they used to hide themselves, but the Prophet would
call them to join and play with me. (The playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was
allowed for 'Aisha at that time, as she was a little girl, not yet reached the age of puberty.) (Fateh-al-Bari page
143, Vol.13)
(Note that the parenthesized and emphasized comment is from Fateh-al-Bari (Fath al-
Bari), the"most celebrated"commentary on Bukhari's book.)
In June of this year, a Saudi"Marriage Officiant" wasinterviewed on Lebanese
television: "The Prophet
Muhammad is the model wefollow. He took 'Aisha to be his
wife when she was six, but he
had sex with her only when she
was nine.'" His interviewer did
not contest this statement. Thetranscript ishereand the video
ishere.
Similarly, Dr. Abd Al-Hamid
Al-'Ubeidispokeon Iraqitelevision in March and
defended Muhammad for
having sex with a nine-year-old:
Many criminals, the enemies of Islam, ask: "How could the Prophet Muhammad, at 52 years of age, marry
'Aisha when she was only 8 years old, and consummate the marriage when she was 9 years old?" I say to
them: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Why do you permit your young girls tofornicate? They consider it one of their liberties.
To be sure, Aisha's age at the time of marriage and consummation is today a sensitive
and in some circles, contestedtopic.
Why?
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Ali-Karamali writes, "Muslimsrevere Muhammad as the
embodiment of goodness and
human perfection." (p. 34)Muhammad is "the person
whose behavior every Muslimstrives to emulate." (p. 59,
emphasis added) As IbrahimHooper (spokesman of the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations)once wrote, "AsMuslims, we need to ... ask
ourselves, 'What would the
Prophet Muhammad do?'"
Some Muslimsquestion the
accuracyof Bukhari's above-mentioned hadith (traditions) and/or cite other hadith that suggest different ages. Even so,as Hwaa Irfanwrote in 2004 on Qaradawi's IslamOnline site, such an argument is a
"challenge" to the "true records that are referred to by Muslims for guidance," writing
that "one of the foremost records depended upon is the collection of hadiths of Prophet
Muhammad in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari." Irfan then proceeds to cite yet two moreexamples from Bukhari (beyond the three mentioned above) stating that Aisha was nine at
the age of consummation.
Here is my first question for Ms. Ali-Karamali:
1. According to many Islamic scholars past and presentincluding a scholar you mention
and praise in your book, Aisha's marriage was consummated at the age of nine. Why didyou write that "the sources variously cite her as somewhere between twelve and sixteen"?
The Definition of the Word "Islam"
Ali-Karamali writes, "Islam has two meanings in Arabic: 'submission' and 'peace'." (p. 33)
The first definition is not in doubt. But according to the Muslim Student Association at
USC, defining Islam as "peace" is number one on their list ofTen Misconceptions AboutIslam:
Misconception 1: Islam is 'the religion of peace' because: the Arabic word Islam is derived from the Arabic
word "Al-Salaam" which means peace.
The explanation:
It might seem strange to think of this as a misconception, but in fact it is. The root word of Islam is "al-silm"
which means "submission" or "surrender." It is understood to mean "submission to Allah." In spite of
whatever noble intention has caused many a Muslim to claim that Islam is derived primarily from peace, this
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is not true... A secondary root of Islam may be "Al-Salaam" (peace), however the text of the Qur'an makes it
clear that Allah has clearly intended the focus of this way of life to be submission to Him.
As further evidence, consider the bookWar and Peace in the
Law of Islamby Majid Khadduri. Ali-Karamali cites this bookas a reference nine times in her chapter titled "Jihad and
Fundamentalism." Khadduriwrites simplythat Islam "means'surrender' or 'submission' to Allah's will." No mention of"peace." (He also happens to describe Islam as a "conquering
nation with world domination as its ultimate aim," but that's
another matter.)
The Qur'an itself refers to the word "Islam" several times,
including verses2.132,2.133,2.136,2.208,3.85,3.102,43.69,
and46.15. In English versions of the Qur'an, sometimes theword is translated into English, and sometimes it's left as
"Islam." Yet every time it is translated, it's translated into some form of "submission" or
"surrender", even in theMuhammad Asad translationthat Ali-Karamali quotes from.
Hence the next question for Ms. Ali-Karamali:
2. Which Islamic or Arabic scholars have translated the word "Islam" as "peace"?
Timothy McVeigh
Ali-Karamali mentions Timothy McVeigh onten different pages of her book. She argues
that "connecting jihad with deplorable crimes like September 11th makes no more sense
than connecting the Christian doctrine of holy war with TimothyMcVeigh's bombing of the Murrah Federal Building." (p.186) She
writes that McVeigh "bombed the Oklahoma Federal Building
pursuant to the dictates of his Christian fundamentalist beliefs." (p.105)
But ina CNN interview in 2001, Lou Michel, co-author ofAmericanTerrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing,said
"McVeigh is agnostic. He doesn't believe in God, but he won't rule
out the possibility." Michel and co-author Dan Herbeck write that
McVeighwould tell friends, "Science is my religion."Michel also
saidthat McVeigh "didn't accept Jesus Christ as his personalSavior, so far as I know."
The UK Guardian reportedthat McVeigh wrote to the Buffalo News saying he was an
"agnostic."
In aletter McVeigh wrote to Fox Newson April 6, 2001, he begins by writing, "I explain
herein why I bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City." He writes that the
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bombing was a "counter attack, for the cumulative raids ... that federal agents hadparticipated in over the preceding years." He sought to "correct the abuse of power we
were seeing in federal actions against citizens." But nowhere does he mention Christianity
or Christian beliefs.
(As one example of contrast, Osama bin Laden's 1996Declaration of War against Americamentions "Allah" over 100 times and cites 16 verses of the Qur'an. And another: during
the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai just last week,"dozens of eyewitness accounts bylocal Indians said the gunmen shouted 'Allah Akbar' from the Jewish center." )
If McVeigh killed 168 innocents "pursuant to the dictates" of his Christian beliefs, surelythere must exist such evidence in his words or writings.
Thus:
3. When and where did Timothy McVeigh explain or suggest that "Christian
fundamentalist beliefs" motivated the Oklahoma bombing?
The Number of American Muslims
Ali-Karamali writes, without citation, that
American Muslims constitute "only 3 percent of the
American population." (p. 32)
Only?
The US populationsurpassed 300 millionin 2006.Three percent would mean 9 million American
Muslims.
In 2007, the Pew Research Center, a "non-partisan
'fact tank'" that "does not take positions on policy
issues," completed a vast study of MuslimAmericans. According totheir report:
The methodological approach employed was the most
comprehensive ever used to study Muslim Americans. Nearly
60,000 respondents were interviewed to find a representative
sample of Muslims. Interviews were conducted in Arabic,Urdu, and Farsi, as well as English.
Their findings? "The Pew Muslim American studyestimates that Muslims constitute 0.6% of the US
adult population." By estimating the under-18
population at 850,000, they estimate a "total of 2.35million Muslims nationwide." That's less than 1% of
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the US population.
There are other documented estimates.
A 2004PBS reportcited demographer David B. Barrett's estimate of 4.1 million American
Muslims, or 1.4% of the population. Barrett's estimate "is the source for several referencetexts, including the Encyclopedia Britannica."
In 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sponsored and published a
report called"The Mosque in America"that "estimates a total Muslim population of 6-7
million in America." They interviewed by telephone representatives from 416 of America's1209 mosques, asking each to report "the number of people associated in any way" with
the mosque. The average response was 1629, including two mosques that "report 50,000
Muslims associated with them." (For some perspective on the likely accuracy of this figure,
the Islamic Center of America,the largest mosque in North America, had3,000 membersas of 2004.) By multiplying this average of 1629 by the number of mosques, they arrive at a
figure of about 2 million American Muslims associated with a mosque. And how does thereport arrive at the total? Estimates of "6-7 million in America seem reasonable in light ofthe figure of 2 million who associate with a mosque."
Professor Ishan Bagby, currently Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of
Kentucky, wrote the CAIR report. In a 2001AP article, Bagby called his estimate a"guestimation." "I'm not going to hang my hat on 6 million, but I think it's reasonable in
terms of guesses," Bagby said. "We need more thorough and accurate studies and more
comprehensive studies. I think this is the best that we have now." (Interestingly, ProfessorBagby islistedas a member of the outside advisory board for the 2007 Pew study that
estimated 2.35 million.)
To provide some insight into why some Muslims might have an incentive to inflate suchpopulation figures, consider the words of CAIR's Executive Director Nihad Awad (from a
Washington Post article): when "asked why his group settled on an estimate of 7 million in
its press statements rather than Bagby's range of 6 million to 7 million," he "said theorganization had used 6 million for six years. 'If we still used the number six,' he said,
'people would say, "Haven't we grown?"'"
And yet, even 7 million is still 20% smaller than the 9 million estimate given by Ali-
Karamali, which leads to the question:
4. What is the source for your book's estimate that Muslims make up 3% of the USpopulation? Why did you decide to use this estimate instead of those from other recent
studies?
Suicide Bombing
Ali-Karamali takes a strong stand against the legitimacy of suicide bombing: "suicide
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bombers are terrorists ..., and they arenot acting within the rules of warfare in Islam." (p.170) She continues:
Suicide isforbidden in Islam. The use of force against noncombatants is also forbidden in Islam. Moreover,
terrorism, defined as the secret and clandestine use of force against civilians, is forbidden.
She explains that "some groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad themselves characterizetheir activities as jihad." (p. 187), and then appears to take a strong stand against their
tactics: "Under Islamic law, however, even groups who have legitimate grievances may not
use terrorism to achieve their ends." (emphasis added)
Yet the "leading Islamic scholar" Yusuf al-
Qaradawi (p. 220) has repeatedly justified
suicidal Palestinian attacks against Israeli
citizens. And impressively, he somehowmanages to express this justification without
contradicting Ali-Karamali at all!
Such an attack is not "suicide" but"martyrdom"because"Allah ... has
given the weak a weapon the strong donot have and that is their ability to
turn their bodies into bombs as
Palestinians do."Indeed:
a clear distinction has to be made here between
martyrdom and suicide. Suicide is an act or instance of
killing oneself intentionally out of despair, and finding
no outlet except putting an end to ones life. On the
other hand, martyrdom is a heroic act of choosing tosuffer death in the Cause of Allah, and thats why its
considered by most Muslim scholars as one of the
greatest forms of Jihad.
Similarly, in apostingon Qaradawi'sIslamOnline web site, we learn thatthe Islamic Fiqh Council of the international Organization of the Islamic
Conference "stresses that martyr operations are a form of jihad, and carrying out
those operations is a legitimate right that has nothing to do with suicide or
terrorism." (emphasis added)
Qaradawi has said that Israeli victims are neither noncombatants nor civilians. Hetold the BBC: "An Israeli woman is not like women in our societies, because she is a
soldier." He hasalso said, "Israeli society was completely military in its make-up
and did not include any civilians." (emphasis added)
Do others share Qaradawi's views? He believes so.According to the BBC:
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He said hundreds of other Islamic scholars are of the same opinion. In this respect, he is very much in tune
with what the vast majority of people in the Arab world believe.
Given that the man Ali-Karamali calls a "leading Muslim scholar" uses an alternative
dictionarywhere suicide is "martyrdom," where terrorism is "jihad," and where
innocent civilians are "military," forgive me for seeking clarification from her:
5. Do you condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization? How do you propose convincing
Sheikh al-Qaradawi, the "hundreds of scholars" that agree with him, and all of hisfollowers that the tactics of Hamas violate Islamic law?
Bin Laden: Muslim?
Ali-Karamali writes:
A leading Muslim scholar, Yusef al-
Qaradawi, issued afatwa immediatelyafter the attacks, declaring that Osama
bin Laden could not call himself a
Muslim. (p. 220)
This would in fact be a big deal.
In 2005, Judea Pearl, the widowof Wall Street Journal reporter
Daniel Pearl (executed by al-
Qaeda),criticized an American
"fatwa"against terrorism fornot being strong enough:
A fatwa that specifically condemned
Bin Laden, that invoked the strongest
punishments available under Muslim
law, that clarified the meaning of terrorism, and that singled out for condemnation religious figures who
support violencethose would be the words the entire world needs to hear.
Unfortunately, on Qaradawi's IslamOnline web site, the fatwa makes no mention of binLaden. AnEnglish press releasefrom September 14 reads: "Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, a
world renowned Muslim scholar, was among the first to issue a fatwa (religious degree)
denouncing the actions of terrorists, regardless of their faith and nationalities." But
nothing about bin Laden.
Even in theautomatically-translated version of the longer Arabic article, there is no
mention of Osama bin Laden.
Further, just a few days later, on September 16, Qaradawi appeared on his weekly Al-
Jazeera television program, Shari'a and Lifeand said, "I ... think that Osama bin Laden no
longer has the means to carry out something like this."
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In October 2001, aquestion in the "Ask the Scholar"section of Qaradawi's web site askedif bin Laden is a terrorist.Dr. Ali Jum ah Muhammad, Mufti of Egypt and holder of a PhD
in Islamic Jurisprudence from Al-Azhar, responded:
To say that Ibn Laden and his group are terrorists is something related to personal judgment rather than a
fatwa. It is better that such matter be left for an impartial judiciary to decide, by probing into evidence and
addressing related issues that will help it reach final decisions, instead of playing tricks with peoples mindsand avoid dealing with the issue extensively.
This past March, almost seven years later, Qaradawiechoedthe same sentimentsdespite the fact that bin Laden claimed
responsibility for the 9/11 attacksin 2004:
"I ask Osama bin Laden to surrender and to hand himself over to an
international tribunal in order to respond to the charge that he ordered
the attacks of September 11," said al-Qaradawi in an interview with the
Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
According to the well-known Muslim scholar, it is still not established "ina definitive way by the American secret services in their reports," of bin Laden's responsibility in the attacks
that occurred in New York and Washington in 2001.
So apparently Qaradawi issued a ruling that Osama bin Laden could not call himself a
Muslim just two days after the 9/11 attacks; he removed any bin Laden references from thecondemnations on his web site; and he then proceeded to spend six and a half years
questioning whether bin Laden is behind 9/11, even after bin Laden himself claimed
responsibility.
Perhaps the Muslim next door can help with this mystery:
6. Could you provide the text of Qaradawi'sfatwa that declared "Osama bin Laden couldnot call himself a Muslim"? Why do you think Qaradawi has since refused to acknowledge
bin Laden's responsibility for 9/11?
Female Circumcision/Clitoridectomy
Consider the
following two
statements:
1. "Clitoridectomy is aloathsome
procedure
unequivocally
antithetical
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to the principles of Islam."
2. "Circumcision is obligatory (for every male and female) by cutting off the piece of
skin on the glans of the penis of the male, but circumcision of the female is bycutting out the clitoris (this is called khufaad)."
One of these is the opinion of Ali-Karamali.
The other is fromReliance of the Traveller,a manual of Islamic law certified in 1991 by Al-Azhar University as a reliable guide to the "practice and faith of orthodox Sunni Islam."
(Ali-Karamali calls Al-Azhar "one of the great centers for Islamic studies." (p. 115)).
As inconvenient as it may be, #1 is from theMuslim Next Door.
The other one, fromReliance of the Traveller, is referencedhereandhere.
As Ali-Karamali points out, Egyptian Islamic clerics banned female circumcision in 2007.This is of course good news, but one can't help but ask: if it's "unequivocally antithetical to
the principles of Islam," what took them so long?
In fact, the ban in Egypt is a product of years of debate and international pressure, and
was only (finally) instituted after a 12-year-old girldied undergoing the procedurea little
tidbit Ms. Ali-Karamali doesn't mention.
TheReliance of the Traveller isn't the only Islamic source to
decree female circumcision as part of Islam. Here area few
more:
In 2003, Dr. Munir Muhammad Fawzy, a specialist ingynecology and obstetrics at 'Ein Shams UniversityMedical School in Egypt, was quoted in the weekly Al-
Haqiqa: "The Prophet [Muhammad] commanded women
to perform circumcision using the expression, 'Performcircumcision for girls.'"
Dr. Abu Leila, a lecturer at Al-Azhar (that "great centerfor Islamic studies") said in 2003: "The Prophet
[Muhammad] reaffirmed this custom, and we inherited it
as Muslims..."
In 2000, the ever-present and "leading Islamic scholar" Sheikh al-Qaradawi ruledin afatwa on the issue, "Anyone who thinks that circumcision is the best way toprotect his daughters should do it ... I support this, particularly in the period in
which we live."
And on the subject of Muslims "next door," the"frequently asked questions" (FAQ)
section of a Toronto Mosque's web site, with answers from "prominent muslim scholars
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around the world," includes a response to the question, "What is Islam's position on femalecircumcision?" (#19). The answer begins by citing Ibn Qudamah, an Islamic scholar
known for his"vast knowledge, wisdom and wit":
Circumcision is obligatory for men, and it is an honour for women, but it is not obligatory for them. This is
the opinion of many scholars. (Imam) Ahmad said: For men it is more strictly required, but for women it is
less strictly required.
The response goes on to quote Muhammad as having said, "Circumcision is a Sunnah for
men, and an honour for women," though "there is some debate" as to this statement's
authenticity.
Thepage showing this question and answeris actually an image of the Mosque's FAQ page
as it existed on October 1, 2008.
It hassince been removed.
Why?
Because the Mosque leaders finally realized that female circumcision is indeed
"unequivocally antithetical to the principles of Islam"?
Or perhaps because the Toronto Starexposed this teaching (and many others) in
November 2008?
Ali-Karamali laments, "the popular media in the West still often portrays this practice asIslamic."
One wonders why.
Here's one more question for Ms. Ali-Karamali:
7. In light of (a) Yusuf al-Qaradawi's personal support of female circumcision, (b) thestatement from an Al-Azhar lecturer that Muhammad "reaffirmed this custom," and (c)
Ibn Qudamah's judgment that female circumcision is an "honour for women," do you still
claim female circumcision is "unequivocally antithetical to the principles of Islam"?
Honor Killings
As the United Nations Population Fundexplains,
Throughout the world, perhaps as many as 5,000 women and girls a year are murdered by members of their
own families, many of them for the "dishonour" of having been raped, often as not by a member of their own
extended family.
Honor killings are "associated with the community's or thefamily's demand for sexual chastity and virginity."
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0038.htmhttp://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0038.htmhttp://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0038.htmhttp://www.imagebam.com/image/6e890919919970http://www.imagebam.com/image/6e890919919970http://www.imagebam.com/image/6e890919919970http://www.khalidmosque.com/en/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=94&categories=General+Questions+%28Sisters%29&parent_id=0#tophttp://www.khalidmosque.com/en/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=94&categories=General+Questions+%28Sisters%29&parent_id=0#tophttp://www.khalidmosque.com/en/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=94&categories=General+Questions+%28Sisters%29&parent_id=0#tophttp://www.thestar.com/article/535278http://www.thestar.com/article/535278http://www.thestar.com/article/535278http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/ch03.htmlhttp://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/ch03.htmlhttp://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/ch03.htmlhttp://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24329http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/ch03.htmlhttp://www.thestar.com/article/535278http://www.thestar.com/article/535278http://www.khalidmosque.com/en/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=94&categories=General+Questions+%28Sisters%29&parent_id=0#tophttp://www.imagebam.com/image/6e890919919970http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0038.htm -
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Ali-Karamali tackles the subject head-on: "Honor killings are not Islamic... Islam does not
require, sanction, or encourage honor killings." (p. 160)
But if this is the case, why doesReliance of the Traveller, certified in 1991 by Al-Azhar as a
guide that "conforms to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni Community," state"retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and
without right,"but "not subject to retaliation" is"a father or mother (or their fathers ormothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring"?
In line with this, considerArticle 340 of the Jordanian penal code as of 1999:
(a) He who discovers his wife, or one of his maharim [female relatives of such a degree of consanguinity as
precludes marriage], while committing adultery with another man and kills, wounds, or injures one or both
of them, is exempt from any penalty; (b) He who discovers his wife, or one of his sisters or female relatives,
with another in an illegitimate bed, and kills, wounds, or injures [one or both of them] benefits from a
reduction of penalty. (emphasis added)
Commendably,according to MEMRI, "in mid-1999, Jordanian human-rights activists
managed to enlist the Jordanian crown and government to assist its campaign to win
tougher penalties for honor-murderers." But attempts to abolish or amend Article 340"met with fierce resistance from the public and its leaders alike":
In the heat of the Jordanian debate, this parliamentary coalition of several Islamist groups, most of whom
affiliate with the Muslim Brethren, issued afatwa that declared honor-killings are seen as favorable by Islam;
male relatives should punish their female relatives and not leave this duty to the state. Ibrahim Zayd al-
Kaylani, head of the Jordanian Islamic Action Front (IAF)'sIfta ' committee, said that a man who restrains
himself from committing an honor killing, leaving this unpleasant burden to the government, "negates the
values of virility advocated by Islam." Article 340, Kaylani added, is based on "the Islamic principle that
allows a Muslim to defend his honor, property, and blood." Muhammad Uwayda, dean of Zarqa
University's Sharia College and a member of the lower house, stated that while the Sharia does prohibitindividuals from taking the law into their own hands, "cases where a man catches his wife committing
adultery are the exception." The IAF issued afatwa to the effect that "canceling Article 340 would contradict
the Sharia." (emphasis added)
The Women's International Networkreported on the samefatwa(religious ruling); on the
same day that thousands of protesters denounced Article 340 outside the Jordanian
Parliament,
The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, issued a fatwa ... stating that
'cancelling Article 340 contradicts Islamic Sharia.'
The Muslim Brotherhood, of course, is no fringe group. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, whomAli-Karamali calls a "leading Muslim scholar," is"one of the Muslim Brotherhood's
spiritual leaders in the world."The Muslim American Society, which claims to be"America's Largest Muslim Grassroots Organization,"wasfounded by Muslim
Brotherhood leadersin America and accordingto the Chicago Tribuneis simply the
operating name for the Muslim Brotherhood in the USA.
Nonetheless, in December, 2001, minor amendments were made to Article 340. A guilty
http://upload.mn/files/5llfgida2pv9w2yyk723.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/5llfgida2pv9w2yyk723.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/5llfgida2pv9w2yyk723.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/3npls6bbu0ozncy64uue.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/3npls6bbu0ozncy64uue.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/3npls6bbu0ozncy64uue.jpghttp://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_26/ai_62140817/pg_1http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_26/ai_62140817/pg_1http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_26/ai_62140817/pg_1http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_26/ai_62140817/pg_1http://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=3896http://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=3896http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0409190261sep19,0,3204424,print.storyhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0409190261sep19,0,3204424,print.storyhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0409190261sep19,0,3204424,print.storyhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0409190261sep19,0,3204424,print.storyhttp://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/08/muslim_brotherhood_phonebook_c.phphttp://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=3896http://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://www.cesnur.org/2004/qaradawi.htmhttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_26/ai_62140817/pg_1http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4107http://upload.mn/files/3npls6bbu0ozncy64uue.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/3npls6bbu0ozncy64uue.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/5llfgida2pv9w2yyk723.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/5llfgida2pv9w2yyk723.jpg -
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man would receive only a "reduction of penalty" instead of full exemption from penalty,and women who find and kill their husbands for committing adultery would receive the
same "benefit." Unfortunately, over the next year, the amendments appeared"to have
made little difference": there were more than 20 honor killings and killers received"lenient sentencesnot exceeding one year." In 2006, 15 - 20 Jordanian women werekilled
by relatives.
Islam's influence on honor killings extends beyondJordan. Just this year in Iraq,17-year-old Rand Abel-
Qader was murdered by her father. He did it, he
proclaimed to his neighbors, to "cleanse his honour"because she worked alongside (and had been seen
"conversing intimately") with a British soldier.
According to Rand's mother, he used his feet to pressdown on her throat until she suffocated, at which point
he called for a knife and began to stab her.
Rand's mother said, "I screamed and called out for her
two brothers so they could get their father away from
her. But when he told them the reason, instead of saving
her they helped him end her life."
The father was arrested, but, according to Rand's mother, "he was released two hours later
because it was an 'honour killing'. And, unfortunately, that is something to be proud of forany Iraqi man."
Why exactly was he released?
At the police station where the father was held Sergeant Ali Jabbar told The Observer last week: "Not much
can be done when we have an 'honour killing' case. You are in a Muslim society and women should live under
religious laws." (emphasis added)
Hence the eighth question for Ms. Ali-Karamali:
8. If Islam does not sanction honor killings, why would Al-Azhar (that "great center for
Islamic studies") certify a manual of Islamic law that rules killing one's offspring is notsubject to retaliationand why would any mainstream Islamic group issue a religious
ruling that harsher penalties for honor killings would
"contradict the Shari'a"?
Bin Laden's Motivations
Ali-Karamali writes:
http://tinyurl.com/6lof6fhttp://tinyurl.com/6lof6fhttp://tinyurl.com/6lof6fhttp://tinyurl.com/6lof6fhttp://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/27/iraq.military1http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70634http://tinyurl.com/6lof6fhttp://tinyurl.com/6lof6f -
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... although people like Osama bin Laden use religious symbolism and terminology to legitimize their attacks,
their purpose is not to wage war against all non-Muslims. I hear frequently the view that bin Laden fights the
U.S. because we're a country of Jews and Christians. This is incorrect. Bin Laden does not oppose the U.S.
because it is a non-Muslim country ... but because he sees the U.S. as responsible for the turmoil in some of
the Islamic world today.(p.192, emphasis added)
Yet an essay authorized (or perhaps even written) by Osama bin Laden himself saysotherwise:
... what the debate truly revolves around ... is the word of the Messenger [Muhammad] as has been relayed by
Ahmad and others from Ibn Omar: "I have been sent in the final hours with the sword, so that none is
worshipped but Allah alone, partnerless. My provision has been provided under the shadow of my spear, and
humiliation and contempt is upon whoever opposes my command. Whoever imitates a people is of them."
And his saying in the two authentic [accounts of Bukhari and Muslim] as relayed by Ibn Omar: "I have been
commanded to battle mankind until they declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah. [Let them] uphold prayer and render alms; if they do so, they safeguard their blood and
possessions from me, except for Islam's due, and their fate is with Allah."
He also said, per Berida as found in Muslim and Ahmad: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah appointed
someone as leader of an army or detachment, he would especially exhort him to fear Allah and be good to theMuslims with him. Then he would say: 'Attack in the name of Allah and in the path of Allah do battle with
whoever rejects Allah. Attack!but do not embezzle [the spoils], nor behave treacherously, nor mutilate [the
dead], nor kill the children. If you happen upon your idolatrous enemies, call them to three courses of action.
If they respond to any one of these, accept it and stay yourself from them. [1] Call them to Islam: If they
respond [i.e., convert], accept this and cease fighting them... [2] If they refuse to accept Islam, demand of
them thejizya [poll tax]: If they respond, accept it and cease fighting them. [3] But if they refuse, seek the aid
of Allah and fight them."
Thus our talks with the infidel West and our conflict with them ultimately revolve around one issueone that
demands our total support, with power and determination, with one voiceand it is: Does Islam, or does it
not, force people by the power of the sword to submit to its authority corporeally if not spiritually? Yes.
There are only three choices in Islam: either willing submission; or payment of the jizya, through physical
though not spiritual, submission to the authority of Islam; or the swordfor it is not right to let him [an
infidel] live. The matter is summed up for every person alive: Either submit, or live under the suzerainty of
Islam, or die... Are these options a part of the faith or not?(emphasis added)
The essay was originally published in Arabic for a Saudi audience,
and henceunlike most of the propaganda al-Qaeda has producedover the yearswas not intended for American non-Muslim eyes.
It was translated for the first time by Raymond Ibrahim and
published in his book,The Al-Qaeda Reader. A scanned version of
the excerpt beginshereand endshere.
Beyond serving as a complete contradiction to Ali-Karamali's claim
regarding bin Laden's motivations, this excerpt sheds light onseveral additional arguments that Ali-Karamali makes:
Firstly, Osama bin Laden goes well beyond "religious symbolism
and terminology." In fact, his entire argument here is based onthreehadith [sayings of Muhammad] from authentic Islamic
sources. These three hadith are easily verifiable:Ahmad 2.50/Abu Dawud 4.314,Sahih
Muslim 1.33, andSahih Muslim 19.4294.
http://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaeda-Reader-Raymond-Ibrahim/dp/038551655Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaeda-Reader-Raymond-Ibrahim/dp/038551655Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaeda-Reader-Raymond-Ibrahim/dp/038551655Xhttp://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/1t8grvvstt8jo7vn9xbm.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/1t8grvvstt8jo7vn9xbm.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/1t8grvvstt8jo7vn9xbm.jpghttp://books.google.com/books?id=kN3V_Cs6gswC&pg=PA500http://books.google.com/books?id=kN3V_Cs6gswC&pg=PA500http://books.google.com/books?id=kN3V_Cs6gswC&pg=PA500http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4294http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4294http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4294http://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaeda-Reader-Raymond-Ibrahim/dp/038551655Xhttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4294http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/001.smt.html#001.0033http://books.google.com/books?id=kN3V_Cs6gswC&pg=PA500http://upload.mn/files/1t8grvvstt8jo7vn9xbm.jpghttp://upload.mn/files/kwb7cu09o6thcb3wv5h9.jpghttp://www.amazon.com/Al-Qaeda-Reader-Raymond-Ibrahim/dp/038551655X -
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Secondly, despite Ali-Karamali's repeated assurances that Muhammad "never entered into
a war that was not defensive" (p. 55), these hadith demonstrate Muhammad's offensive
intentions toward fighting all of mankindand certainly are used by al-Qaeda and binLaden to argue to their audience that they are simply living up to the authentic
requirements of their Islamic faith. (Could this be the reason scholars like Yusuf al-Qaradawi are so reluctant to explicitlycondemnor"excommunicate"Osama bin Laden?)
Finally, Ali-Karamali writes that the purpose of the Qur'an's fighting verses,
contrary to media impressions, was not to command Muslims to unconditionally go find themselves some
unbelievers and kill them if they did not immediately convert at sword-point. If it had been ... Muhammad
would have attacked the various non-Muslim peoples living around him and killed them for the sole reason
that they were unbelievers. That is something he never did. (p.174)
This is a very interesting statement. Twice, in just two sentences, Ali-Karamali refutes the
claim that Islam calls for unbelievers to convert or be killed.
But as the hadith (and bin Laden) explicitly call out above, Muhammad did not call
Muslims to kill unbelievers "if they did not immediately convert." He didnot kill non-Muslims "for the sole reason that they were unbelievers." There wasand always has been
in Islamthe critical third option for unbelievers to submit to Islam's authority in body if
not in spirit.
Straw man, Ms. Ali-Karamali?
Indeed, the third choice for non-Muslims under Islamic rule (other than conversion or
death) was to becomedhimmis. Dhimmis are second-class citizens in Islamic society, forced
to pay an additional tax known as thejizya to their Muslim rulers and forced to obey awide range of humiliating rules to feel "subdued." All of this is encapsulated in a single
Qur'anic verse, 9.29for Muslims, the literal word of God:
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by
Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book
[Jews and Christians], until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
Ali-Karamali writes later that non-Muslims "paid thejizya in return for retention of their
religion and culture, exemption from military duty, and protection from the state againstaggressors." (p. 179) No mention of the humiliating and oppressive rules that went along
with the tax to make them feel "subdued"; I'll save that topic for my final question.
But first, let's ask Ms. Ali-Karamali about bin Laden and his objectives:
9. Given al-Qaeda's statement that their conflict with the West "ultimately revolve[s]
around one issue"that Islam forces people "by the power of the sword to submit to its
authority corporeally if not spiritually," do you still believe that bin Laden opposes the USonly because it's "responsible for the turmoil in some of the Islamic world today"?
http://www.danielpearl.org/news_and_press/articles/word_choice.htmlhttp://www.danielpearl.org/news_and_press/articles/word_choice.htmlhttp://www.danielpearl.org/news_and_press/articles/word_choice.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-08-11-muslims_x.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-08-11-muslims_x.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-08-11-muslims_x.htmhttp://www.drury.edu/ess/Logic/Informal/Strawman.htmlhttp://www.drury.edu/ess/Logic/Informal/Strawman.htmlhttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.drury.edu/ess/Logic/Informal/Strawman.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-08-11-muslims_x.htmhttp://www.danielpearl.org/news_and_press/articles/word_choice.html -
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Christians and Jews Under Islam
As mentioned above, Islam allowed non-Muslims to keep their religion while submitting to
Islamic rule.
An often-quoted Qur'anic versestates"there should be no compulsion in religion"; Ali-Karamali cites it as well. (p. 193)
While there are many disagreements about the context of this verse, the Islamic scholarTabari (a "highly respected luminary" according to Ali-Karamali)explainedthat Jews and
Christians "are not to be compelled to enter Islam if they submit to paying the jizyah."
Ali-Karamali writes that "the Qur'an did not mandate" thejizya "as a necessarilytheological practice." (p. 194) And yet,verse 9.29 of the Qur'anseems to suggest otherwise:
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden byAllah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book
[Jews and Christians], until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
(emphasis added)
(Curiously, Ali-Karamali does not mention this verse in her discussion of the Qur'an's"fighting verses.")
Regardless, while Ali-Karamali concedes thejizya as a price for tolerance of non-Muslimsunder Islamic rule, she ignores the final element of verse 9.29: "and feel themselves
subdued."
Ibn Kathir, described on Qaradawi's website as a"great scholar,"offers his
perspective on this verse:
Paying thejizya is a sign of"disgrace," paid "in defeat and
subservience." Thedhimmis (Jews and Christians
under Islamic rule) should feel
"disgraced, humiliated, and
belittled;" Muslims "are not
allowed to honor" them. They are"miserable, disgraced, and
humiliated."
And yet, Ali-Karamali writes that the Qur'an "specifically enjoins respect of unbelievers"
and "forbids discourtesy to Jews and Christians." (p. 82)
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/002.qmt.html#002.256http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/002.qmt.html#002.256http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/002.qmt.html#002.256http://books.google.com/books?id=sIXpFtvp2JYC&pg=PA253http://books.google.com/books?id=sIXpFtvp2JYC&pg=PA253http://books.google.com/books?id=sIXpFtvp2JYC&pg=PA253http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1159951477045&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah%2FLSELayouthttp://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1159951477045&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah%2FLSELayouthttp://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1159951477045&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah%2FLSELayouthttp://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1159951477045&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah%2FLSELayouthttp://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html#009.029http://books.google.com/books?id=sIXpFtvp2JYC&pg=PA253http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/002.qmt.html#002.256 -
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For Ali-Karamali, the second caliph Umar's treatment of Christians provides evidence ofIslamic tolerance:
...when the second caliph of Islam, Umar, conquered Jerusalem in 638, the Muslims left Christians free to
practice Christianity and visit the holy places. (p. 195, emphasis added)
The"famous exegete"Ibn Kathir, again in his commentary ofverse 9.29, gives a bit moredetail surrounding the second caliph's treatment of Christians:
'Umar bin Al-Khattab ... demanded his well-known conditions be met by the Christians, these conditions that
ensured their continued humiliation, degradation, and disgrace. (emphasis added)
According to Ibn Kathir, the Christiansagreed to many of Umar's conditions, including:
Not to build new churches Not to restore existing churches Not to publicly practice Christianity Not to invite anyone to Christianity Not to sound their church bells To "move from the places we sit" if Muslims "choose to sit in them"
Ibn Kathir adds that Umar required the Christians to agree to one more clause:
If we break any of these promises ... you are allowed to do with us what you are allowed of people of defiance
and rebellion.
As for the Jews, Ali-Karamali writes that a "big myth in the making is the idea that Jewsand Muslims have always been deep ... enemies." (p. 230) She continues, "It is a myth.
Muslim Spain is just one example of how Jews and Muslims (and Christians, as well) lived
in a multicultural, multireligious society..."
Unfortunately, Islamic oppression ofdhimmi Jews was still alive and well in Muslim Spain.
Maimonides, a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher, wasborn in 1135 in Muslim Spain. Fouad Ajami, Professor of
Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University,explained
that Maimonides fled Spain because the Muslim rulers "madethe life of Spain's Jews ... utter hell."
Maimonides himselfwrote:
... God has hurled us in the midst of this people, the Arabs, who have
persecuted us severely, and passed baneful and discriminatory legislation
against us, as Scripture has forewarned us, 'Our enemies themselves shall
judge us' (Deuteronomy 32:31). Never did a nation molest, degrade, debase
and hate us as much as they. (emphasis added)
Ali-Karamali argues that thejizya tax "according to the modern
view, is not an Islamic requirement for today's world, where no differences at all should be
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503544972&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FPrintFatwaE+http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503544972&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FPrintFatwaE+http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503544972&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FPrintFatwaE+http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.washingtonpost.com/WPC-edit-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001553_pf.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/WPC-edit-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001553_pf.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/WPC-edit-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001553_pf.htmlhttp://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/25/41/http://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/25/41/http://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/25/41/http://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/25/41/http://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/25/41/http://www.washingtonpost.com/WPC-edit-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001553_pf.htmlhttp://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503544972&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FPrintFatwaE+ -
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made on the basis of religion." (p. 194)
Unfortunately, not all Muslims agree.
As noted byAndrew Bostom, the December 23-26, 2005 edition of the Wall Street Journal
included an interview with Hassam El-Masalmeh, a Hamas leader from Bethlehem, whosaid this of thejizya for non-Muslims:
We in Hamas intend to implement this tax someday. We say it openlywe welcome everyone to Palestine but
only if they agree to live under our rules.
As Bostom writes, El-Masalmeh wasn't the first Palestinian leader to speak publicly about
bringing back thejizya. Sheik Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Madhi conveyed a similar message
during asermonbroadcast live on Palestinian Authority Television in 2001:
We welcome, as we did in the past, any Jew who wants to live in this land as a Dhimmi, just as the Jews have
lived in our countries, as Dhimmis, and have earned appreciation, and some of them have even reached the
positions of counselor or minister here and there. We welcome the Jews to live as Dhimmis, but the rule in
this land and in all the Muslim countries must be the rule of Allah.
With that, it's time for the last question for Ms. Ali-Karamali:
10. How do you reconcile the Qur'anic injunctions to make non-Muslims "feel subdued"
and, according to the Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir, "miserable," "disgraced," "humiliated,"
"degraded," and "belittled"with your book's point that the "Qur'an forbids discourtesy
to Jews and Christians"?
Conclusion
At the end of her book, Ali-Karamali writes that "it is time for genuine understanding anddialogue," with a wish that "we can separate the daily distortions from the reality."
Hopefully, in that spirit, she will be willing to answer the ten questions presented here.
But the questions aren't just for her.
Eight world-renowned experts on Islamhave praised The Muslim Next Doorfor its
"honesty" and for being "refreshingly frank," "consistently reliable," "comprehensive,"
and "intelligent."
I invite them to respond as well:
Dr. John Esposito Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl Dr. Eboo Patel Dr. Chibli Mallat Reza Aslan
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5116http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5116http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5116http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP24001http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP24001http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP24001http://muslimnextdoor.com/reviews.htmlhttp://muslimnextdoor.com/reviews.htmlhttp://muslimnextdoor.com/reviews.htmlhttp://muslimnextdoor.com/reviews.htmlhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jle2/http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jle2/http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=386http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=386http://ifyc.org/about_core/staff/executive_leadershiphttp://ifyc.org/about_core/staff/executive_leadershiphttp://www.mallat.com/http://www.mallat.com/http://www.rezaaslan.com/http://www.rezaaslan.com/http://www.rezaaslan.com/http://www.mallat.com/http://ifyc.org/about_core/staff/executive_leadershiphttp://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=386http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jle2/http://muslimnextdoor.com/reviews.htmlhttp://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP24001http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5116 -
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Dr. Ali Asani Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Dr. Carole Hillenbrand
Additional NotesDecember 9, 2008:
o Robert Spencer wrote about these questions atJihadWatch.o Ms. Ali-Karamali and seven of the eight experts mentioned above have now
been explicitly invited via email to address these questions; no one has
responded so far.o Ms. Ali-Karamali was invited to speak at a Palo Alto, CA public high school
this past Friday.
o Ms. Ali-Karamali is scheduled to speak at Kepler's Book Store in MenloPark, CA onTuesday, February 10. Perhaps she'll be taking questions?
oOne reader had this reaction to these questions: "To equate all expressions ofIslam with bin Laden, Hamas, and other terrorist arms of fundamentalism is
the same brand of blood libel that led to the slaughter of my own peopleunder another brand of fanatacism." Yet nowhere above do I write anything
even close to this. In fact, some courageous Muslim reformers have been
working very hard to advocate "expressions of Islam" that are truthful andcompletely peaceful:Tawfik Hamid,the late Tashbih Sayyed, andKhalim
Massoud, to name a few.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~nelc/faculty/asani.htmhttp://www.fas.harvard.edu/~nelc/faculty/asani.htmhttp://www.asmasociety.org/about/b_rauf.htmlhttp://www.asmasociety.org/about/b_rauf.htmlhttp://www.imes.ed.ac.uk/index_pages/staff_pages/prof_hillenbrand.htmlhttp://www.imes.ed.ac.uk/index_pages/staff_pages/prof_hillenbrand.htmlhttp://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023818.phphttp://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023818.phphttp://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023818.phphttp://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=7533http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=7533http://www.keplers.com/?sec=programs-events&subsec=upcoming-eventshttp://www.keplers.com/?sec=programs-events&subsec=upcoming-eventshttp://www.keplers.com/?sec=programs-events&subsec=upcoming-eventshttp://www.tawfikhamid.com/http://www.tawfikhamid.com/http://www.tawfikhamid.com/http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/28357http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/28357http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/28357http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.reformislam.org/http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/28357http://www.tawfikhamid.com/http://www.keplers.com/?sec=programs-events&subsec=upcoming-eventshttp://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=7533http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023818.phphttp://www.imes.ed.ac.uk/index_pages/staff_pages/prof_hillenbrand.htmlhttp://www.asmasociety.org/about/b_rauf.htmlhttp://www.fas.harvard.edu/~nelc/faculty/asani.htm