Page 78 - Islam Denounces Terrorism

76 Islam Denounces Terrorism

The Constitution of Medina consists of 47 items. Items 1
through 23 concern Muslims, while items 24 through 47 concern
Jewish tribes settled in Medina. Reference being made to Christians,
who were much fewer in number, is also important in terms of par-

ticipation by members of different faiths.

An analysis of the Constitution of Medina in a report titled "A
Reassessment of Medina Charter according to Professor Leonard
Swidler's Pluralism Perspective" states that the Constitution is a
significant document in displaying the Prophet's efforts in uniting
the city and bringing the groups together around the law, which
was explicitly announced to the people.

According to this report, in terms of law, each individual had
equal rights, enjoyed the freedom to choose their own religion and
participating in war together with Muslims while under all circum-
stances, they were prohibited from engaging in any separate agree-
ments with the enemy, showing an effort to establish a strict soli-

darity of the Medina groups. The author of the report says that this
political and religious text aimed at establishing a new society
around the values of equality and freedom. As it was emphasized
in the Constitution, the superiority of the law over the individual
was the basic step in attaining the goal of securing an atmosphere
of dialogue and co-existence. The items of the Constitution also sig-
nified the equal responsibility of each individual in defending the
city. According to this report, given that the names of all the groups
in the city are cited one by one, the Constitution - and thereby the

Prophet - recognized all these groups in the city as legal entities and
took them into account. (Kenan Çetinkaya, Amerika'da Diyalog

anlayışı ve Medine Vesikası [Understanding of Dialogue in America and
Medina Charter])