Antisemitism in Islam - Misplaced Pages

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See anti-Semitism for etymology and semantics of the term. This article is concerned with the relationship between Islam and anti-Semitism. It covers:

The prevalence of anti-Semitism amongst Muslims - and whether it is more or less common than amongst people of other religions.
The positions of the various branches of Islam on anti-Semitism and Jews.
Accusations of anti-Semitism made against Islam, and their consequences.

The Qur'an on Jews

The Qur'an refers to Jews and Christians (and the adherents of some other religions) as "people of the book". The Qur'an states that Jews betrayed the teaching of their prophet Moses and that if they were to uphold the teaching of Moses that they would be a saved nation. Islam also claims that the Jews conspired against Jesus and that God intervened to save him. Muhammad had both mutually beneficial relations with the Jews of Arabia and hostile ones during his conflicts with the Banu Qurayza and other Jewish tribes; Muslims maintain that the Jews violated treaties with Muhammad, while critics claim that he unjustifiably committed ethnic cleansing. The Qur'an also condemns those Jews who it says committed grave sins and turned away from the message revealed to them.

The Qur'an states that "Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to Allah's (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah." (Qur'an ). This verse asserts that the biblical patriarch Abraham was not a Jew, but that he was a "Muslim" in the word's etymological sense of "one who has surrendered (to God)". Many Jews consider this to be anti-Semitic, arguing that it creates a historical anachronism that usurps the founding patriarch of Judaism, for the purpose of promoting a different religion. Muslims argue that calling him a Jew is itself anachronistic; if Abraham was an ethnic Jew, then the Arabs, as his traditional descendants through Ishmael, would equally have to be called Jews, and Judaism as we know it did not take shape until many centuries later. (Such arguments ignore Jewish rules relating to status and matrilineal descent.) Many sceptics would argue that even if Abraham existed at the time, monotheism did not.

Islam mandates a limited level of tolerance for both Jews and Christians, as long as they did not challenge the superior status of Islam. Early verses in the Qur'an limit religious disputations with them to those occurring in a fair manner.

"And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, 'We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).'" (Qur'an )

After Muhammad's efforts to convert the Jews of Yathrib failed, the ayah "Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures. Those who have faith and do righteous deeds,- they are the best of creatures" (Qur'an ) was revealed, and became part of the Qur'an.

However, according to modern interpreters of the Quran, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi and Yusuf Ali, the exact location and time period of the revelation of these verses can not be determined, although the sura was revealed quite early, possibly even before Muhammad's migration to Jewish settlements in Yathrib.

See also Alternative views based on the Qur'an

Dhimmi

Main article: Dhimmi

When Muslim armies conquered nations, people of the Book (a category including Jews) were theoretically not forced to convert to Islam, although in practice they were strongly encouraged (and often coerced) to do so. Under Sharia law they were given the status of dhimmi, which gave them certain rights, deprived them of others, and placed restrictions on religious practice. As dhimmis, Jews were provided with limited autonomy, and allowed to practice their religion subject to restrictions that impeded the ability of dhimmis to congregate, express religious sentiment, convert Muslims or construct houses of worship. Dhimmi had to pay the Jizya poll tax, but were exempted from the Zakat (alms) tax, a different tax required of Muslims, for Muslims. In fact, however, the jizya tax was higher than the zakat, and conquered peoples who refused to both pay it and convert to Islam could in certain periods be subject to the death penalty. The exact treatment of dhimmi varied greatly from place to place, although they were generally regarded as second-class citizens and treated accordingly.

The constitution of Medina, one of the earliest documents of the Muslim community in Medina, which was transmitted by Ibn Hisham states: "The Jews of Banu Awf are a community along with the believers. To the Jews their religion and to the Muslim their religion." For Jewish tribes which had treaties with the Muslim umma, the constitution of Medina states: "A Jew who follows us has a right to the same help and support as the believers, so long they are not wronged by him and he does not help others against them." Many critics, however, question the accuracy of Muslim accounts on the constitution and treaties because of the wording's obvious bias towards and favoring of the Muslims.

Views based on the Qur'an

Muslims consider Judaism as one of the divinely revealed faiths, though they believe that Judaism as it actually is, has been corrupted and that the authentic message of God is preserved in the Qur'an; a great number of the Prophets of Islam are the Children of Israel (Bani-Israel):

"We gave him Isaac, and Jacob: all We guided and before him, We guided Noah, and among his progeny David, Solomon, Ayub, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron: Thus do We reward those who do good. And Zakariya and Yahya, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of righteous. And Isma'il and Elisha and Jonah (Yunus) and Lut. And to all we gave favour above the nations." (Qur'an )

Many other prophets are considered to be the descendants of the tribe. "Bani-Israel" itself means the children of Israel and more or less concerns those of Jewish faith. Those who the Bani-Israel tribe consisted of were regarded as "the preferred ones", as mentioned in the Qur'an:

"O Children of Israel! Call to mind My favour which I bestowed on you and that I preferred you to all others (for my Message)" (Qur'an )

However, according to Qur'anic verses, the particular tribe showed constant ungratefulness towards God and did not obey the command of their great prophets.

"Shame is pitched over them (Like a tent) wherever they are found, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allah and from men; they draw on themselves wrath from Allah, and pitched over them is (the tent of) destitution. This because they rejected the Signs of Allah, and slew the prophets in defiance of right; this because they rebelled and transgressed beyond bounds." (Qur'an )

Muslim beliefs that certain Jews had been transformed into apes and pigs

A number of verses in the Qur'an refer to Jews being transformed into apes or pigs, specifically Suras , and .

Muslim scholars differ as to what happened. Some suggest that the people were indeed transformed into animals. Others, however, argue that the trangressors began to behave in the manner of animals. Furthermore, Sayyid Qutb argues that there was no transformation (physical or otherwise), rather the Quran only observes that the people began to act like animals (by their free will) when they forsaked God's Laws (regarding Sabbath) and followed thier physical desires.

Muslim scholars, however, agree that in anycase the punishment was not meeted on all inhabitants. In the city there were inhabitants that sinned and those that didn't. The inhabitants who were sincere to God were saved and are considered with "honour".

According to Prof. Khaleel Mohammed, Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University, "many Muslim preachers use the verses in a manner that is totally wrong, demonizing all Jews." Thus Hamas says:

"Allah did not mete out the punishment of transformation on any nation except the Jews. The significance of it is actual change in the appearance of the Jew and perfect transformation from human to bestial condition... from human appearance to the form of genuine apes, pigs, mice, and lizards..."

Similarly, the following quotes are excerpted from a sermon broadcast on Palestinian TV by Dr. Mustafa Najem, Dec. 6, 2002:

"The Jews...are the brothers of monkeys and pigs...Allah has warned us against their evil and their arrogance, and has said: 'You will find that the most brazen among mankind, with hatred towards the believers, are the Jews and the Idolaters.' ...The Jews are Jews, and we are forbidden to forget their character traits even for a moment, even for a blink of an eye. O Servants of Allah! The Jews are those who tried to murder your Prophet in order to expunge the call (to Islam)....Prayer and blessing to the Imam of the Jihad fighters, Mohammed, who waged a Jihad against the Jews...The Jews...are Idolaters, heretics, whose faith is false."

In the Muslim Aghlabid dynasty (9th through 11th century, North Africa) Jews were forced to wear a patch that had an image of a monkey, and were also forced to affix the same image to their homes. For Christians, the image was that of a pig.

A May 2006 study of Saudi Arabia's revised schoolbook curriculum discovered that the 8th grade books included the following statements:

They are the people of the Sabbath, whose young people God turned into apes, and whose old people God turned into swine to punish them. As cited in Ibn Abbas: The apes are Jews, the keepers of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christian infidels of the communion of Jesus.

Some of the people of the Sabbath were punished by being turned into apes and swine. Some of them were made to worship the devil, and not God, through consecration, sacrifice, prayer, appeals for help, and other types of worship. Some of the Jews worship the devil. Likewise, some members of this nation worship devil, and not God.

Alternative views

Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi, a leader of the Italian Muslim Assembly and a co-founder and a co-chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship, is among those who believe that the authentic teachings of Muhammad as expressed in the Qur'an and the Hadith, were misinterpreted by those who attempt to transform Islam from a religion into a secularized ideology. Palazzi insists that "The Qur'an Says that Allah Gave the Land of Israel to the Jews and Will Restore Them to It at the End of Days" and cites the Qur'an to support this view:

"Pharaoh sought to scare them out of the land : but We drowned him together with all who were with him. Then We said to the Israelites: 'Dwell in this land . When the promise of the hereafter comes to be fulfilled, We shall assemble you all together ." (Qur'an )
"And when Moses said to his people: 'O my people, call in remembrance the favour of God unto you, when he produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave to you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin.'" (Qur'an )

Historic events of Muslim persecution of Jews

Around 1000 CE the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim in Egypt ordered the killing of many Jews. Soon after its foundation by Yusuf ibn Tashfin, the Almoravid dynasty attempted to expel all Jews from Morocco in 1107; this effort soon petered out, and in fact one of their own military leaders was Jewish. However, its successor and overthrower the Almohad dynasty offered Christians and Jews the choice of conversion or expulsion; in 1165, one of their rulers ordered that all Jews in the country convert on pain of death (forcing the Jewish rabbi, theologian, philosopher, and physician Maimonides to flee the country.) This policy was reversed by the succeeding Marinid dynasty in 1212.

During his wanderings Maimonides also wrote the The Yemen Epistle, a famous letter to the Jews of Yemen, then experiencing severe persecution at the hands of their Muslim rulers. In it Maimonides describes his assessment of the treatment of the Jews at the hands of Muslims:

…on account of our sins God has cast us into the midst of this people, the nation of Ishmael , who persecute us severely, and who devise ways to harm us and to debase us…. No nation has ever done more harm to Israel. None has matched it in debasing and humiliating us. None has been able to reduce us as they have…. We have borne their imposed degradation, their lies, their absurdities, which are beyond human power to bear…. We have done as our sages of blessed memory have instructed us, bearing the lies and absurdities of Ishmael…. In spite of all this, we are not spared from the ferocity of their wickedness and their outbursts at any time. On the contrary, the more we suffer and choose to conciliate them, the more they choose to act belligerently toward us.

As an example of referring to Jews dishonourably as an untrustworthy group, Bernard Lewis cites a common Muslim oath formula: ", may I become a Jew."

Modern anti-Semitism by Islamic clerics

Anti-semitic statements are particularly common amongst Muslim clerics in the Middle East; this may be reasonably ascribed to the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has created much anger and polarized religious views in the region.

The following sermon was delivered at the Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, Palestinian Authority. The speaker was Sheik Ibrahim Madhi, and it was broadcast on Palestinian Authority television. August 3, 2001

"We must all seek a role in the Jihad and the battle. We said and we still say: 'Even if we, the entire (Palestinian) people, stood in line and signed for the Jews that we want peace, they would not accept it. The Qur'an is very clear on this: The greatest enemies of the Islamic nation are the Jews, may Allah fight them...'

"All spears should be directed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah, the nation that was cursed in Allah's book. Allah has described them as apes and pigs, the calf-worshipers, idol-worshipers.

"Whoever can fight them with his weapons, should go out ; whoever can fight them with a machinegun, should go out; whoever can fight them with a sword or a knife, should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands, should go out; This is our destiny. The people who are the most hostile toward the believers are the Jews and the Polytheists... The Jews have exposed their fangs. Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst. They have nuclear power, but we have the power of the belief in Allah..."

"The Prophet said: 'The Jews will fight you, and will establish you as rulers over them...' We blow them up in Hadera, we blow them up in Tel Aviv and in Netanya, and in this way, Allah establishes us as rulers over these gangs of vagabonds.

"Blessings for whoever assaulted a soldier... Blessings for whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head."

The following sermon was also delivered at the Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, Palestinian Authority, The speaker was Sheik Ibrahim Madhi. June 8, 2001. In the name of Islam the speaker calls for suicide bombers to destroy all Jews.

"Allah is almighty. Had He wanted - He would have beaten them. But He tests you in suffering. We must prepare the ground for the army of Allah that is coming according to the predetermination. We must prepare a foothold for them. Allah willing, this unjust state will be erased - Israel will be erased; this unjust state, the United States, will be erased; this unjust state, Britain, will be erased - they who caused this people's Nakba ..."

"Blessings to whoever waged Jihad for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever raided for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying "Allahu Akbar, praise to Allah, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger....Just as the building collapsed over the Jews in their sinful dancing floor - I pray to Allah that this oppressive Knesset will collapse over the heads of the Jews."

The following sermon was delivered at the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan mosque in Gaza. The speaker was Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, an appointed member of the Palestinian Authority Fatwa Council, and is former acting Rector of the Islamic University in Gaza.

"Have no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, fight them, wherever you are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill the Jews, the Americans, who are like them, and those who stand by them. They are all in one trench against the Arabs and the Moslems. ... It is forbidden to befriend Israelis or to aid them. Don't love them or enter into agreement with them, don't help them or sign accords with them. Anyone who does this is one of them. This is the word of Allah, blessed be He. They, they are the terrorists. They should be slaughtered. They should be murdered. Such is the word of Allah."

Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the leading imam of the Grand mosque located in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, referred to Jews as "the scum of the human race" and "offspring of apes and pigs". During his sermons he also said:

"The worst ... of the enemies of Islam are those... whom he... made monkeys and pigs, the aggressive Jews and oppressive Zionists and those that follow them: the callers of the trinity and the cross worshippers... those influenced by the rottenness of their ideas, and the poison of their cultures the followers of secularism..."
"Monkeys and pigs and worshippers of false Gods who are the Jews and the Zionists."

Anti-Semitism by extremist groups

Many Islamic extremist groups seeking to eliminate the state of Israel, which they regard as occupied Muslim land, have openly expressed anti-Semitic views. This is especially true of the Al Qaeda terrorist group and the Palestinian Hamas (which references The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in its Covenant).

Notes

Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck (1977). "An Exegesis of Sura Ninety-Eight". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 97 (4): pp. 519–530. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
Maududi, Sayyid Abul Ala (1967). The Meaning of the Quran.
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Holy Quran. {{cite book}}: Check |first= value (help)
"Mutation of Israelites", Internet Sacred Text Archive. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
"Hizbullah Al-Manar TV’s Children's Claymation Special: Jews Turn Into Apes & Pigs, are Annihilated & Cast into the Sea",, Middle East Media Research Institute, December 16, 2005. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
Glazov, Jamie, "Symposium: The Koran and Anti-Semitism", FrontPageMag.com, June 25, 2004. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
Solnick, Aluma, "Based on Koranic Verses, Interpretations, and Traditions, Muslim Clerics State: The Jews Are the Descendants of Apes, Pigs, And Other Animals", Middle East Media Research Institute, November 1, 2002. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
Arlandson, James, "Allah's special little apes and pigs", The American Thinker, January 26, 2005. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
Maududi, Sayyid Abul Ala (1967). The Meaning of the Quran.
Qutb, Sayyid (1999). In the Shade of the Qur'an (book).
Maududi, Sayyid Abul Ala (1967). The Meaning of the Quran.
Glazov, Jamie, "Symposium: The Koran and Anti-Semitism", FrontPageMag.com, June 25, 2004. (retrieved May 3, 2006)
The Hamas monthly publication Falastin Al-Muslima (London), September 1996, series of articles by Ibrahim Al-'Ali, pp. 54-55.
"Kird", Encyclopaedia of Islam Online (2006)
Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance (pdf), Freedom House, May 2006, pp.24-25.
Maimonides, ‘’Epistle to the Jews of Yemen”, translated in Stillman (1979), pp. 241–242
Lewis (1984), p. 41
^ "A question of Leadership". BBC News. August 21, 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

References

Lewis, Bernard (1984). The Jews of Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691008078.
Stillman, Norman (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 082760198.
Islamic Anti-Semitism as a Political Instrument, Yossef Bodansky, Freeman Center For Strategic Studies, 1999
Viré, F. "Kird", Encyclopaedia of Islam Online, eds. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912. Retrieved May 2, 2006

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