Author links Koran to intolerance of Jews Andrew Bostom, author of "The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism" links the Koran and centuries of tradition to Muslim intolerance of both Jews and Christians in countries dominated by Islam. Monday, July 21, 2008 by <http://www.energypublisher.com/subs.asp?b=39> Martin Barillas <http://www.energypublisher.com/subs.asp?b=39> See all articles by this author http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=15772 In an exclusive interview, author and physician Andrew G. Bostom showed how familiar he is with the Koran and subsequent commentary and Islamic law but also with the history of relations between Islam and Judaism. His newest book "The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism: from Sacred Texts to Solemn History" (Prometheus Books) deserves to go on the reference shelf for quick consultation by any journalist, researcher, or anyone else curious about Islam and its centuries of relations with Christianity and Judaism. And anyone who wishes to learn whether Islam is indeed a religion of peace will learn how the Koran itself has inspired some Muslims to violence against Jews (and Christians) ever since Muhammad came out of the wastes of the Arabian peninsula 1200 years ago. Asked whether it is possible for Christians and Jews to live unmolested while living in Muslim lands, given the centuries-old custom of imposing not only humiliations but a head-tax called jizya on them, Bostom answered "There is no sign of that yet." If indeed there were a rejection of such practices, asked Bostom, "then where is the outcry from Islamic scholars? Where is the outcry from the Al Azhar (the renowned center of Islamic learning in Cairo)? Where is the protest against the violence and extremism in Iraq?" Even in 2008, Coptic Christians in Egypt have had to contend with violence from Muslim extremists and onerous requirements for repairing or building churches. Likewise in areas controlled by Muslim extremists in Iraq beyond the normal scope of US forces, Christians are being subjected to kidnappings, murder, and exile. Being a physician, Bostom referred to the various manifestations of Islamic intolerance or tolerance of "People of the Book" (al- Kitâb) - Jews and Christians - with a reference to medical terminology. "A forme fruste is medical term that refers to an incomplete manifestation of a disease entity", in reference to treatment meted out to Christians and Jews in Islamic countries. "I don't see signs that Muslim practice has relegated these teachings to the back burner." In the first part of his book, Bostom probes in an essay "Islamic Antisemitism - Jew-Hatred in Islam" - noting that more than a thousand years ago Jews in the Middle East were so afflicted by hatred and depredations directed at them by Muslims that they had to invent a word to describe it. Jews, and Christians, were forced under Islamic law to wear distinctive clothing, show deference to Muslims, and pay the jizya. While the jizya or head-tax is not now generally imposed, it is now re-emerging in places like Iraq, said Bostom, where Christians are compelled to pay ransom and extortion money by Muslim gangs. Christians, like Jews, are forced to leave or face violence. When asked whether he sees a possibility of change, Bostom said I cant give up hope, even while It is at most a remote possibility that the region is headed back towards some sort of individualism. Nevertheless, said Bostom, there are courageous individuals within Islam such as Ibn Warraq and Ayaan Hirsi Ali who condemn Islam's intolerance of non-Muslims. But the most scathing charge made by Bostom in his new book is that anti-Semitism is actually essential to Islam and has roots in the Koran itself. According to Bostom, Muslim tradition holds that it was a Jewish conspiracy that led to the poisoning death of Mohammed. Bostom added "The with the creation of Israel, dhimmi Jews liberated from the sharia were an unbearable affront to the Islamic order and this has triggered, predictably, the widespread exploitation of these eschatological motifs calling for mass destruction of the Jews." Bostom seeks to debunk in his latest book the notion that Muslim animosity towards Jews is confined entirely to the 20th century and that it has been sparked by the protracted Israeli-Arab conflict. He referred to multiple references cited by the various authors contributing to "The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism" that use Muslim texts from different time periods and locations to prove the point that Muslim animosity towards Jews as a people is pervasive. In the interview, Bostom cited Sheikh Ahmad al-Farooqi Sirhindi - an Indian Muslim of the 1500s - who is quoted "Whenever a Jew is killed, it is for the benefit of Islam." Some modern scholars ignore or obscure this legacy of Islam, said Bostom. But in the first chapter of his book, Bostom notes the scholarship of S.D Goitein who reviewed literature of one thousand years ago and who could assert that a unique strain of Islamic Jew hatred was extant even then in Egypt. Jews had to coin a specific term to describe Islamic animosity while living as a barely tolerated people in such places as Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. Law and custom dictated that Jews - and Christians - show deference to Muslims in all matters, wear prescribed clothing, and even dismount their beasts of burden in the presence of Muslims. While acknowledging that history has been marked at times by anti-Semitism on the part of Christians, Bostom remarked that the Muslim version is "profoundly different and what disturbed me is the depth to which it appears in the Koran itself." He noted that Jews are likened to apes and swine and that in the Koran they are cursed by David, and Jesus "Mary's son." However, the Jesus of the Koran bears no resemblance to the Jesus known to Christians, said Bostom, while Islam is predicted to vanquish Christianity on the day of Resurrection while the Jews will go to hell in the Muslim eschatology. Not only Israel, but the United States has had to contend with suicide missions of fanatics who detonate bombs that kill themselves and others, or immolate themselves in attacks as on September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington DC. Bostom averred that the Muslim concept of martyrdom varies significantly from the Judeo-Christian concept of "witness" the translation from the Greek of the root word for martyr. Bostom noted the work on suicide in Islam by Franz Rosenthal who contended in a work published in 1946 that suicide is neither sanctioned nor forbidden by Islam. Suicide, in the cause of Islam, then is extolled by Mohammed himself and seconded by imams and commentators of Islamic tradition ever since. When asked specifically about Muslim inroads in Europe (especially Spain) where its influence is growing, Bostom said such efforts are "part of the Islamic idea of supremacy. They still believe Spain is theirs." The efforts of Muslim leaders, such as Spain's Mansur Escudero, are part of an effort to make that part of the world "permanently part of Dar al Islam said Bostom, who added that petitions and gestures, such as Escudero's insistence that public Muslim prayer be allowed in a Catholic church that once was a mosque in Cordoba, are headed towards "reconquest." Southern Spain, or Andalucía, was long a part of the Muslim world or Dar al Islam. Thousands of Muslim immigrants from Morocco and elsewhere in the Muslim world are coming to Spain illegally but finding refuge there. As their presence grows, demands by the Muslim community in Spain are becoming more insistent as it is elsewhere in Europe. Shifting from Europe to the Mideast, Bostom referred to the Arab/Israeli conflict. He quoted Abu Iyaad - a lieutenant of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a founder of the Fatah terrorist organization - as saying "We cannot allow historical Palestine to become another Andalucía" as noted by author Bat Yeor. "This shows how deep-seated these beliefs are", added Bostom. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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