UMAR

This was a document prepared by the Caliph and presented to Christians in Syria to sign if they wanted peace and to be free from assault in Islamic lands. For centuries thereafter these, and variations of them, were conditions imposed on Christians and Jews in Islam lands. Some of these can be recognized as variants of conditions that American and other coalition troops were required to adhere to in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. By today’s standards this was highly discriminatory and a gross imposition on a minority. However at the time, this was one of the more liberal doctrines. Jews and Christians otherwise could live in Muslim lands, practice their religion, work there, live where they would, acquire property, practice professions, and even achieve high office. Jews and Christians rose to the highest ranks of Islamic government administrators including Prime Ministries. Their persons were safe from assault and derisions all provided they followed the Pact of Umar or its current version. In contrast Jewish and Muslim minorities in Christian nations were treated much more harshly. They could practice only a few occupation, were constantly under physical attack, were forced to live in ghettos, had their property seized, and in many cases were tortured and killed.

Hazrat Omar ibn al-Khatab

Hazrat Omar ibn al-Khatab

The Arab Culture has traditionally been one of poetic oratory with much exaggeration. The last of the three statements above was his attempt to limit this tendency when facts were needed. This is one of his desires that was short-lived and is a huge problem in modern Arab administration of most things.

“Zakat” is the practice of giving a percentage of one’s property to the poor. This is similar to the concept of tithing and charity in Christianity and Judaism. One difference today is that many of the Muslim nations use the religious requirements as an element of state policy and the social safety net is intertwined by state and church. The Mormon Church in early Utah had the same amalgam of church and state, but that was abandoned in favor of separation of church and state. Turkey went through the same shift in the Ataturk revolution.

He was in many ways centuries ahead of his time with constructive ideas for any people and age. However, this was one of the exceptions. Unfortunately it became the norm for most Islamic countries even to modern times. Essentially, a bad ruler in this Islamic doctrine can be removed only if he does not follow Islam. For just being unjust or incompetent, revolution is not allowed and prayer is the only recourse. That is one of the major reasons that there have been so few Arab uprisings and revolutions although there have been many assassinations for alleged religious apostasy or insufficiency.

Modern versions are “practice what you preach”. Hypocrisy was always recognized if leaders did not set an example. The Caliph was both the civil ruler and the religious ruler as well. Therefore he made rules for the clergy as well as civil officials.

This principle characterized most Islamic cultures for the next 400 years while Christian Europe was in the Dark Ages and had ignored most of the accumulated Western knowledge of the Greeks and Romans, The Muslims however, kept this knowledge alive and added to it supporting great mathematicians, scientists, philosophers, theologians and physicians. During the 12th century extreme fundamentalists gained control over Islam and this great principle of Umar’s was not only ignored but those who acquired new knowledge were persecuted as “innovators” often a capital crime. When Christian Europe began to rise intellectually, the Muslim societies were declining. Even today, the Islamic cultures are split as to the value of new knowledge and while there are modern Muslim scholars and scientists, there are still major forces throughout Islam who consider knowledge that is not in the Koran or which contradicts the Koran not only false, but heretical, often to be punished even by death.

He had a great deal of respect for the views of scholars and people who had little self or vested interest.

This is a fundamental basis of modern Western law. The accuser bears the burden of proof. At the same time as Umar made this principle part of the Islamic legal system, the law of the Catholic Church was just the opposite—suspects were guilty unless they proved their innocence.

This quotation is very interesting in that he warned his judges that a man who had been flogged would say anything to prevent more pain. Thus any information provided under torture is suspect.

The People of Basra were not Christians or Jews. Most were then Zoroastrians who the Prophet also allowed to maintain their religion if they paid the special tax.

The Romans had experimented with two leaders where each day command shifted from one to the other. It did not work very well and was not continued. Instead the Western world has moved toward a singular leader with very limited powers and many checks and balances plus the possibility of removal.

Omar’s army had conquered the city and he had promulgated a treaty granting other religions the control and sanctity of their holy places. When he was invited to pray in the Church of the Resurrection, a common Islamic practice when they conquered infidel religious institutions, he explained his reasoning to a Christian leader.

He was right given the history of Islam thereafter.