The Status of Non-Muslim Minorities Under Islamic Rule

[ceetee]

Dhimmitude: the Islamic system of governing populations conquered by jihad wars, encompassing all of the demographic, ethnic, and religious aspects of the political system. The word "dhimmitude" as a historical concept, was coined by Bat Ye'or in 1983 to describe the legal and social conditions of Jews and Christians subjected to Islamic rule. The word "dhimmitude" comes from dhimmi, an Arabic word meaning "protected". Dhimmi was the name applied by the Arab-Muslim conquerors to indigenous non-Muslim populations who surrendered by a treaty (dhimma) to Muslim domination. Islamic conquests expanded over vast territories in Africa, Europe and Asia, for over a millennium (638-1683). The Muslim empire incorporated numerous varied peoples which had their own religion, culture, language and civilization. For centuries, these indigenous, pre-Islamic peoples constituted the great majority of the population of the Islamic lands. Although these populations differed, they were ruled by the same type of laws, based on the shari'a.

This similarity, which includes also regional variations, has created a uniform civilization developed throughout the centuries by all non-Muslim indigenous people, who were vanquished by a jihad-war and governed by shari'a law. It is this civilization which is called dhimmitude. It is characterized by the different strategies developed by each dhimmi group to survive as non-Muslim entity in their Islamized countries. Dhimmitude is not exclusively concerned with Muslim history and civilization. Rather it investigates the history of those non-Muslim peoples conquered and colonized by jihad.

Dhimmitude encompasses the relationship of Muslims and non-Muslims at the theological, social, political and economical levels. It also incorporates the relationship between the numerous ethno-religious dhimmi groups and the type of mentality that they have developed out of their particular historical condition which lasted for centuries, even in some Muslim countries, till today.

Dhimmitude is an entire integrated system, based on Islamic theology. It cannot be judged from the circumstantial position of any one community, at a given time and in a given place. Dhimmitude must be appraised according to its laws and customs, irrespectively of circumstances and political contingencies.

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This was raised in the now-closed thread about Barak Obama. Please refrain from turning this thread into a flame war...

Personally, I don't see how this Muslim viewpoint differs from the way any other Middle-Age conquerors treated their vanquished foes. The Crusaders certainly didn't treat those in the lands they conquered by showering them with rose petals. Nor did the Greeks or Romans. Leonidas answered "Molon Labe" for a reason.

The only difference as I see it is that where Islamic law has remained constant for centuries, we in the west now consider ourselves "enlightened". We're above enslaving the populations of those we conquer. Or are we? In conquering Iraq, haven't we created a tribute-nation? Are the Iraqis really free to find their own destinies? They probably will be, in some future time, but for now, aren't they our dhimmis?

The question asked in that now-closed thread was something like "How would you like to live under Sharia?" The answer, of course, is that I wouldn't. No normal Christian American would. People have made comments the gist of which imply that if more Muslims get elected to office, that's what we would face here. My reply is that as long as our Constitution is in force, that's impossible. That may cause a conflict within those Muslims running for office; that's their problem, not mine. As for the rest, my main hope is that we, the people, remain vigilant, and refuse to be conquered.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

IBTL

Look at it this way: are all the Christian politicians currently in office forcing Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. to live under Christian Law?


Heck does every Christian politician in office live his/her _own_ life by Christian precepts?


Lots of folks seem to have this cookie-cutter notion that all Muslims (heck, all "others") are identical, and that a US congressman from Gary Indiana must be the exact same kind of guy who attacks US embassies.


-MV

 

[gunsmith]

All the Muslim folks I have met

Have been friendly, smart and pro gun.

 

[Justin]

Closed. You want to debate religion, do it somewhere else.