Page 173 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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gion is concerned.” (Surat al-Baqara: 256). Many verses of the Qur’an
command that the rights of adherents to other religions must be re-

spected, and that they must be allowed to live in the best manner possi-
ble, and protected and safeguarded, especially Christians and Jews. This
is why in the history of Islam, in societies dominated by the morality of
the Qur’an, non-Muslim minorities lived in an atmosphere of true peace
and security and practiced their faith and traditions free of fear. They
were not oppressed, they were not forced to act against themselves, and
no one tried to enslave or exterminate them because they were different.

Even if at present, certain circles try to portray Islam differently,
anybody who takes the opportunity to study the Qur’an and the life of
our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and has a good
grasp of history is aware of the understanding Islam ordains. One of
these is the well-known author Amin Maalouf. The renowned French
author of Christian–Lebanese origins writes in his book Les Identitées
Meurtrières (Deadly Identities) that the history of Islam is full of examples
of affection and justice:

“From the very beginning of Islamic history its society was easily suitable for co-
existence. At the end of the last century (the 19th century) more than half the pop-
ulation of Istanbul, the capital of the greatest Islamic nation, consisted of non-
Muslim minorities like Greeks, Armenians and Jews. Can you fathom a Paris,
London, Vienna or Berlin in the same era where more than half the people are non-
Christians, for instance Muslims and Jews? Even today, many Europeans would
feel annoyed hearing the muezzins call to prayer. I am not passing judgment, I am
just stating a fact; throughout the history of Islam, coexistence and tolerance were
real for a long time. For me, the history of Islam proves the infinite potential of co-
existence, tolerance and effective dialogue in Islam.” 75

As it has no interest whatsoever in establishing “coexistence and ef-
fective dialogue”, it is not surprising to see that radical Hindu national-

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)