Naftali Bennett Quotes
Factually, the Temple Mount is the precise location of the Temple. It's the holiest place in the world for Jews. It's the third holiest place for Muslims. And we need to respect each others' rights, freedom of religion.
Bennett, Naftali. Interview with Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour, CNN, 10 Nov. 2015.
Islam was not very strong at this point and the followers of Muhammad were relatively few and the Medina area contained Arab Non-Believers, Jews as well as the new Muslims. Muhammad drew up this document and got the non Muslims to agree to it. Not only were Jews able to practice their religion freely (as were the non-Muslim Arabs) but there was not tax on the non Muslims that was imposed later when the Muslims were much stronger relative to others. Also, which surprises many Jews and Muslims alike, the Community – the Ulma – the People included the Jews and Arab Non Believers. Today it is only the Muslims.
This was a remarkable public statement for its time. No other political leader of an Islamic country would dare claim that people have a right to be atheists. Very few would even suggest that people should be free to choose their own religion.
This sura illustrates why peace treaties between Islamic and non Islamic countries are difficult to negotiate and enforce. For some fundamentalist Muslims, even making a peace treaty with Israel would constitute a transgression of the word of God. Nonetheless, the first treaty that the United States ever made was with a Muslim nation—Tripoli.
This quotation illustrates that a narrow orthodox view of Islam is not the only one in Arab nations. Khaled is not an obscure cleric, but a popular television personality. While his views are considered heresy by many orthodox Muslims, the narrow view is by no means universal. Orthodox Islamists believe that God has commanded that all mankind be Muslims and the ones who are not are either ignorant so need to be “educated”, or evil and therefore should be killed. However, Muhammad ordained that an exception should be made for “Children of the Book”—Jews and Christians who revere the Old Testament. This was at a time when Christians would not allow any other form of worship but Christianity. Christianity, Judaism and most other religions have become tolerant of other religions and allow open alternative worship. Islam which early on led the way to tolerance, has in many countries gone back to the intolerance that existed amongst many Christians at the time of Muhammad.
One of the great historical religious puzzles is how Islam evolved from its origin of respect for other religions, to one where a large number of Islamic leaders preach that not only is Islam the only true religion but all other religions are enemies of Islam, and the preaching of hatred for Christians, Jews, Bhai, Budhists and other religions.
Naftali Bennett is an Israeli politician who led the Jewish Home party between 2012 and 2018 and currently serves as an MK for New Right. Between 2013 and 2015, he held the posts of Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Minister of Economy and Minister of Religious Services. From 2015 he continued as Minister of Diaspora Affairs and became Minister of Education. From 2019 to 2020 he was Minister of Defense.
