Do Islamic mosques across America — and Islamic community centers — teach Jizzia and other marks of second class citizenship? Why not ask your Islamic religious leaders?
The following may be reproduced if credit is given to Ami Isseroff and MidEastWeb:
“About 638 AD, the Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab, entered the city of Jerusalem, then called Aelia Capitolina by the Romans or “Ilia” by the Arab conquerors.
“According to tradition, Omar granted to the people of Jerusalem and to the Patriarch Safronius a covenant of peace and protection which came to be known the Covenant of Omar, or the Code of Omar. In addition, to ensure the care and protection of Christian and Jewish Holy places, Omar entrusted each of the major holy places to the care and protection of a different Muslim family.
Many non-Muslim scholars believe that the covenant of Omar was actually written at a later date, since the earliest manuscript can only be dated from the eleventh century, and because they believe that it represents customs that had accumulated over the centuries. However, there is no definitive proof that the document is not genuine.
“For some reason, this document has gained a very bad reputation among critics of Islam. However, considering the fate of conquered populations in general at that time, it seems to be very liberal, and the intention was to protect and reassure the Christian population of Jerusalem.
The institution of the Jizziya tax and other marks of second class citizenship were not invented by Omar, but rather copied from the custom instituted in other conquered Muslim cities, based on the Qur’an. We must remember that when the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem several hundred years later, Muslims and especially Jews were evicted.
Omar seemingly did not keep one promise of his covenant, which reads “None of the Jews shall reside with them in Ilia’.” In fact, Omar allowed the Jews, formerly excluded from Jerusalem by the Christians, to return and live there, though under Muslim rule, each group lived in different quarters of the city.
written by Ami Isseroff
