They want to make nice
138 scholars from all sects of Islam sent a letter to Christian religious leaders today, calling for dialogue and an emphasis on their shared beliefs, saying that the fate of the world is at risk:
The "survival of the world" is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other, leaders of the Muslim world will warn the Pope and other Christian leaders today.
In an unprecedented open letter signed by 138 leading scholars from every sect of Islam, the Muslims plead with Christian leaders "to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions" and spell out the similarities between passages of the Bible and the Koran.
The scholars state: "As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them - so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes."
The phrasing has echoes of the New Testament passage: "He that is not with me is against me" - a passage used by President George Bush when addressing a joint session of Congress nine days after 9/11.
The Muslims call instead for the emphasis to be on the shared characteristics of world's two largest faiths.
The letter (here, in PDF) is filled with Qur'anic quotes emphasizing a peaceful message. The sentiments are lovely and, on their surface, are hard to argue with. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, however, wonders about those verses they fail to mention, which proclaim Islamic supremacy and demand war against Christians and Jews. I have my own questions:
Dear scholars. Do you:
Deny the supremacy of the Verse of the Sword, which, by the Islamic doctrine of abrogation, supercedes all verses commanding peace with non-Muslims?
When the sacred months are over, kill the idolaters wherever you find them, take them captive, lay siege to them and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayers and give alms, let them go. For God is most forgiving and merciful.
(Qur'an 9:5)
On the basis of the shared elements of the Abrahamic faiths, do you renounce Muhammad's acts of violence against the Jews, for example, his conquest of the Jews of the Khaybar oasis, after which he tortured to death a leader of the Khaybar Jews to find his treasure and took his widow as his wife? (I'm sure she was just thrilled.) (Ibn Ishaq's biography of Muhammad, p. 511)
In the name of peace, do you renounce all terrorism against the Jews and other non-Muslims?
Do you renounce the violent jihad that is required by the Qur'an? (Qur'an 8:39)
Do you acknowledge the right of all the dhimmi peoples within Muslim lands (Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahais) to worship freely and build their own houses of worship? Do you renounce the doctrine of dhimmitude forever? How about the Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia?
Do you denounce, firmly and forever, in Arabic and English, the attacks of September 11th, 2001?
Do you denounce and deny forever, in Arabic and English, Osama bin Laden and all who follow him, and the teachings of the Islamists Sayyid Qutb, Sayyid Maududi, and Sheikh Omar bin Bakri?
Will you revoke the death fatwas and denounce the threats against Salman Rushdie, the authors of the Danish Muhammad cartoons, and Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilk?
Give some honest answers to those questions, and maybe we can talk.
LINKS: More at Little Green Footballs, Blue Crab Boulevard, Pat Dollard, and Atlas Shrugs.
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