Menahem Milson Quotes
From its inception, Islam was not merely a religion, but also a political community, the nation of Islam (ummat al-Islam). Muhammad was not merely a prophet communicating the word of God, but a political leader. Hence, any victory by the army of a Muslim state over non-Muslims is perceived as a victory for Islam itself.
This quotation helps to explain the religious revelry in military achievements in Islam.
Menahem Milson, Israeli Professor of Arab Studies, Reform vs. Islamism in the Arab World Today, August 22, 2005
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Gabriel exaggerates in the sense that while the quotation is correct for many Muslims, it is by no means true of all. Iran for example is an Islamic theocracy, but Turkey is a 99 percent Muslim nation which is totally secular and in some ways is much more restrictive of Islamic teaching and practice than most secular democracies. The fundamentalist Muslim view of the state and religion is essentially the same as the ultra orthodox Jews and Christians. It is true that a greater proportion of Muslims believe in the merging of civil and religious law than Jews and Christians, but by no means all. The non Arab Muslims are much less likely to see the unity of state and religion.
The notion that Islam would be practiced by individuals was in the Ayatollah’s view insufficient. Islam must also control the government—the head.
Here Khomeini takes the classic Islamic view of the Koran that leaders should be obeyed unless they do not follow Islam. To the leaders of Islamic nations, this means that even if the state is not a theocracy, the Muslim clergy has the final say as to whether a ruler may justly remain in power since they are the ones who determine if a ruler is properly following Islam.
This is one of the early calls for a partition of India which was to be so disastrous after the Second World War. The “free Muslim state of states” turned out to be Pakistan where they have been fighting amongst themselves about how much Sharia would prevail.
Some people read this part of the declaration as saying that if Muslims are in the majority and control the nation, there is no problem with violence. But if the Muslims are in the minority, they will likely be violent. Needless to say, this alarms most Western nations.
This quotation illustrated the extreme polarization between the current fundamentalist Muslims, and the Muslim modernists and the West. Kamal Ataturk, the great leader and stateman who is the father of modern Turkey, is castigated by the author for leading the new Turkish parliament to depose the Caliph – the civil and religious autocrat, one of whom reigned from after the death of Muhammad till his abolishment in 1924. Most of the rest of the world credits Ataturk with being one of the great leaders of all time—one who led a democratic revolution which transformed Turkey into the only Muslim secular democracy, requiring pubic secular European type education for all children, giving women the right to vote (before the U. S. even), adopting a European alphabet and dress, and outlook on life—creating most remarkably a total cultural revolution with virtually no loss of life. No revolutionary leader, before or since has led so extensive a political and cultural revolution, and it was a bloodless revolution. Turkey, into the 21st century, was by far the most powerful, industrialized, scientific and modern nation of Muslims in the world and others were far behind. Yet many Islamic theologian still castigate Atatork for his great achievements as being against the will of God.
This principle explains why so many Islamic governments are monarchies and dictatorships. Islamic legitimacy requires the ruler to be sure that the society functions according to Sharia (Islamic Law). It is better if the ruler is selected by the senior and responsible members of society but that is not required. He could be a king or a dictator. And it is irrelevant how he comes to power under this interpretation so long as he rules following Islamic law. Saudi Arabia is an excellent example of a dictatorial monarchy which is considered legitimate since it follows Islamic law. Some modern Muslims do not support this traditional view and believe that a legitimate ruler must be selected by the will of the people.
Perhaps this quotation gives the best insight to the major difference between an Islamic perspective of law and the Western. The latter places the rights of the individual on a par with or even superior to that of the society as a whole. The former is more concerned with the effect and result on society as a whole than concern with the individual rights of single individuals.
Jerusalem has been holy to the Jews, Christians and Muslims. It was the Capital of the ancient Jewish kingdom from ~1000BC. In ~960BC Solomon built the first Jewish Temple. Babylonians conquered and destroyed the temple which was rebuilt and completed in 68 BC under the Jewish King Herod and then destroyed by the Romans 2 years later. In 135 the city was sacked and the Byzantine Christians controlled the city. In 638 the Muslims conquered the city and built The Dome of the Rock Mosque on the ruins of the sanctuary of King David. In 1099 Crusaders conquered Jerusalem slaughtering the Muslim & Jewish inhabitants. In 1187 the Muslims retook the city and held it till the fall of the Ottomans in 1917. England ruled it until the 1948 partition; then Israel & Jordan ruled but Jews were not allowed to worship at the temple site. In the 1967 War Israel retook Jerusalem. Although Muslims can still worship at their Mosque, the President resents anyone but Muslims controlling the Holy City.
