Page 432 - Bigotry: The Dark Danger

Bigotry:
The Dark Danger

cursed, however, is one that has betrayed the community of
believers, has behaved hypocritically in other words, and has even
killed prophets. God regarded their killing prophets as grounds for
cursing them. He also describes them as a community that stabs

believers in the back by "breaking their covenant." These people also
represented a threat to the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and to devout
believers. In other words, this community of deniers is cursed, not
from emerging from among a Jewish society or because of their
denial alone, but because of their crimes in the Sight of God. It is

important for this difference to be properly understood.

The Idea of Not Taking Jews and

Christians As Friends

One of the verses of the Qur'an that fanatics and some oppo-
nents of Islam in the West point to as supposed evidence for
enmity toward Jews and Christians is in Surat al-Ma'ida:

You who have faith! Do not take the Jews
and Christians as your friends [patrons];

they are the friends of one another. Any of
you who takes them as friends is one of

them. God does not guide wrongdoing peo-
ple. (Qur'an, 5:51)

The word "friend" appears two times. The original Arabic of the
word "friends" in the passage "Do not take the Jews and Christians

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