The Norwegian Anders Brevik raised his hand to make the standard salute of the rightwing anti-Muslim European parties, at the beginning of his ongoing trial, on counts of killing 77 people last July in the worst massacre in Norway's modern history. The killer does not recognize the authority of the court, rejects multiculturalism and avows his hostility to Islam. So what did he do? He killed as many Christians as he could. Terrorism, like disbelief, is one and the same everywhere. Terrorism in Norway thus reminded me of the terrorism of al-Qaeda and similar organizations that were spawned by it. Indeed, when the likes of Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi could not find ‘Jews and Crusaders' to kill, they turned to killing Muslims instead, from Morocco to the Gulf, Afghanistan, India and everywhere else. I leave the European countries to deal with the extremism and terrorism in their midst and focus instead on our countries. I want to cite (once again) the Umari Covenant to the Christian people of Jerusalem, after the Muslims peacefully conquered the city in 15 AH (638 AD). The Commander of the Faithul Umar ibn al-Khattab said in the covenant which bore his name: “This is an assurance of peace and protection given by the servant of Allah Umar, Commander of the Believers to the people of Ilia [Jerusalem]. He gave them an assurance of protection for their lives, property, church and crosses as well as the sick and healthy and all its religious community. Their churches shall not be occupied, demolished, or taken away wholly or in part. None of their crosses or property shall be seized. They shall not be coerced in their religion nor shall any of them be injured. None of the Jews shall reside with them in Ilia. The people of Ilia shall pay Jizia tax [head tax on free non-Muslims living under Muslim rule] as inhabitants of cities do. They shall evict all Romans and thieves. He whoever gets out shall be guaranteed safety for his life and property until he reaches his safe haven. He whoever stays shall be safe, in which case he shall pay as much tax as the people of Ilia do. Should any of the people of Ilia wish to move together with his property along with the Romans and to clear out of their churches and crosses, they shall be safe for their lives, churches and crosses, until they have reached their safe haven. He whoever chooses to stay he may do so and he shall pay as much tax as the people of Ilia do. He whoever wishes to move along with the Romans, may do so, and whoever wishes to return back home to his kinsfolk, may do so. Nothing shall be taken from them, their crops have been harvested.” Witnesses to the Covenant from among the companions of the Prophet included Khaled ibn al-Walid, Amr ibn al-Aas, Abdul Rahman bin Auf and Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan. 1400 years after the Umari Covenant, the Geneva Conventions were adopted. The Third Geneva Convention in particular addressed the treatment of prisoners of war. The reader may find the Convention in any encyclopedia or the internet, in all languages. But I insist that the Umari Covenant was superior to the Convention, not to mention that it had preceded it by a long time. Al-Farouk Umar gave his Covenant to Patriarch Sophronius, who was known as ‘the Golden Tongue, the Protector of the Church', after the Patriarch and his parish welcomed Umar, because he saved them from the tyranny of the Byzantines. Similarly, the Copts of Egypt thereafter welcomed Amr ibn al-Aas. Al-Muqawqis and his men resisted ibn al-Aas, and reneged on their covenants. But Ibn al-Aas pardoned them, and they welcomed him again, because they found that the Muslims would save them from the tyranny of the Byzantine Church. Furthermore, Amr ibn al-Aas did not burn the library of Alexandria, as some Western historians claimed afterwards when they knew the truth, namely that Julius Caesar burned the Great Library when he invaded Egypt before 48 BC, and that Emperor Theodosius later on burned the “Lesser Library” in 389 AD. I took the reader on a tour through the beautiful history of the Arabs and Muslims, before I reached the ‘abyss' that we find ourselves in today. There are enemies waiting for the slightest mistake. If the mistake is small, then they would make ‘mountains out of molehills'. But if the mistake is a big one, then the controversy would not end, not in a year or even many years. I can give a thousand examples to thus support my demand that Arabs and Muslims seek extreme caution in their deeds and their actions, so as to not give their enemies the excuse to attack them. The Muslims will not demolish churches in their countries. And yet, I read every day a news story about this particular subject, or that Christianity in the Middle East is finished, or even that the Copts in Egypt are in trouble and that their only options are to either die or emigrate. Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the home of the Two Holy Mosques, and has the largest reserves and production of oil, then Saudi Arabia is feared because of its position and envied because of its wealth. Enemies thus do not see that there is unemployment and poverty in Saudi Arabia, and that it is not ‘Eldorado' as they have come to portray it. In the New York Post, a Likudnik tabloid, I read this title: Syrian bombings kill 27, as Saudi Arabia arms rebels. I want to say that linking the death of Syrians to the Saudis arming the opposition cannot be innocent. At the same time, news linking members of the Saudi royal family to terrorism have spread for a while now. This has been seasonal news, or circulated in all seasons, since 11/09/2001, after being falsely raised by members of Congress bought by the Israel lobby, while none of it has ever been proven. In short, if the Muslims want to follow a good example, then there is the biography of Umar ibn al-Khattab. If the Muslims don't find there something that can guide them to dealing with a modern day situation, then there is always Al-Azhar. [email protected]
