(This means: Sure, Jews can live in Hamastan -- asBelow, in answer to a question, a Hamas official states that under Hamas rule, Jews would live " in accordance with [Islamic] ethics, religious teachings, and historical values."
dhimmis, a subservient population.)
To Muslims, the history of non-Muslims living under Islamic rule has been benign, and they characterize Jews as having lived peacefully in Arab and Muslim countries for centuries.
But this view of history doesn't square with what we know, historically, about what "toleration of minorities" -- the acceptance of dhimmi status -- in Arab lands meant. It meant that non-Muslims, (i.e., those who did not wish to convert to Islam) would have to show subservience to Muslims in many everyday respects. Only then would non-Muslims be permitted "to live in peace." Hence, the prospect of Jews living "in accordance with Islamic ethics, religious teachings, and historical values" in a prospective Hamastan isn't that thrilling. //Mark Finkelstein
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hamas: 'Jews lived peacefully in Arab countries'
If ever Hamas were to conquer Palestine it seems that what lies in store for their non-Muslim minorities is a dhimmi future, according to this interview with a top Hamas official on Islamonline.net.
By Bataween
DAMASCUS — When IslamOnline.net announced to its audience a scheduled exclusive interview with Dr. Mousa Abu Marzook, a top Hamas leader, it received a flood of questions from its diverse global audience.
One question was put forward by a person who identified himself as an Israeli Jew who wanted to make up his mind about Hamas "independently of the local news sources."
He wanted to know the kind of state Hamas would establish if it ever rises to power in Palestine, and whether it would expel Jews if Israel was dismantled.
"[We will deal with Jews] in accordance with our ethics, religious teachings, and historical values," Abu Marzook, the deputy head of Hamas political bureau, told IOL. He highlighted how Jews lived peacefully for centuries in Muslim and Arab countries. [Without using the term dhimmi]
"Jews lived freely and ran prosperous businesses in Egypt and Baghdad, and the markets of Baghdad are evidences of what the Jews owned."
[comment by bataween: Colour me cynical, but whatever happened to those prosperous businesses and Jewish-owned markets, Abu Marzook? All appropriated by Arab governments without a penny in compensation to their Jewish owners.]
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For information about dhimmitude see Bat Ye'or's article.
