[net.politics] "Islamic Tolerance": textual sources

cramer@sun.uucp (Sam Cramer) (01/12/86)

Concerning anti-Jewish quotes from the Koran, Nidhal writes:

>  1) " Believers , take neither the Jews or Christians for your
> friends ..."   Qur'an according to Matt Rosenblatt...
> The Arabic word that he ( or he "translation") translates as
> "friends" is "awleah," which means "rulers and protectors,"
> not friends ( then it makes sense .) 

Well, I'm not up on classical Arabic, but either way you read it,
it sounds pretty bad - either you can't have Jews or Christians as
friends or you can't have them as rulers.  The latter may explain 
some of the source of Moslem hostility toward Israel - it appears 
from this quote that it is unacceptable to Moslems that non-Moslems 
rule over them.

Here are few more fun quotes from the Koran and the "hadith" 
(accounts of the sayings and deeds of Mohammed and his companions):

	"Thou wilt surely find that the strongest in eminity against
	those who believe [Moslems] are the Jews and the idolators..."
	     	the Koran, sura V, verse 85

	 "A Jew will not be found alone with a Muslim without
	 plotting to kill him".
	 	Eight century hadith							
and, finally, a quote from an old friend:

	"The Koran says that the Jews are the Moslems' worst enemies."
		Muammar Qaddaddi

Sam Cramer	sun!cramer

steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) (01/13/86)

> 
> Well, I'm not up on classical Arabic, but either way you read it,
> it sounds pretty bad 
> 
> Sam Cramer	sun!cramer

	Hmm, it seems the Koran is like many religious works,
it is a bit ambigious.   The following quote from the Koran,
chapter 109 "The Unbelievers" does not sound too bad to me.
It is pretty close to the way I think about people of different
religious persuations.

 	In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
	Say: 'Unbelievers, I do not serve what you worship, nor do
	you serve what I worship.  I shall never serve what you 
	worship, nor will you ever serve what I worship.  You
	have your religion and I have mine.'

-- 
scc!steiny
Don Steiny @ Don Steiny Software 
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