islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Life of Prophet Muhammad and the Birth of JihadAlthough many idolaters of Mecca submitted to Islam on that day, the recalcitrant ones were allowedto stay in the practice of idolatry, based on an agreement Muhammad had reached with Meccan leader AbuSufyan. This concession lasted only for one year. During the next Hajj pilgrimage (631), Allah suddenlyrevealed a number of verses (9:1–5)—particularly verse 9:5—which commanded the annihilation of idolworshipby giving the idolaters a choice between conversion to Islam and death: ‘Then, when the sacredmonths have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, andprepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor due, then leave theirway free…’With this command, the practice of idol-worship was completely banished from Arabia duringMuhammad’s life-time. A choice between death and acceptance of Islam, therefore, became the standardsanction in Islam for the Pagans, idolaters, animists, heathens and atheists.Jews in IslamProphet Muhammad initially exhorted the Jews to embrace Islam and accept him as their prophet. When theyadamantly rejected this offer, he decided to deal with them harshly. First, he attacked the Jewish tribe of BanuQaynuqa of Medina soon after his stunning victory against the Quraysh at Badr. After defeating the Jewishtribe, he wanted to slaughter the surrendered Jews as records Al-Tabari: ‘They were fettered and he(Muhammad) wanted to kill them.’ 127 But a strong intervention by Abdullah ibn Obayi—the famed hypocriteof Islamic annals—prevented Muhammad from slaughtering the Jews en masse. Instead, he exiled the wholecommunity from their ancestral homes.When Muhammad next attacked Banu Nadir, the second major Jewish tribe of Medina, the followingyear on a flimsy excuse and Abdullah ibn Obayi, still a powerful leader, threatened to fight on the Jewish side.The Prophet again settled for exiling them. When the last Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza was attacked twoyears later, Muhammad ignored weakened Abdullah’s condemnation and went back to his original plan,which was intended for dealing with the Banu Qaynuqa Jews three years earlier. He slaughtered all thegrown-up men and enslaved the women and children. The captured wealth of Banu Qurayza and captivewomen and children were distributed amongst his followers. The young and prettier ones among the femalecaptives were reduced to sex-slaves. The Prophet also sold some of women overseas to acquire horses and weapons.In sum, when the Jews rejected Islam, Muhammad attacked them one by one in which the adultmales were to be executed and the women and children enslaved. This remained the final writ for the Jews inthe book of Prophet Muhammad.Christians in IslamThere was no major Christian presence around Mecca and Medina. Therefore, Muhammad did not have thekind of bitter and sustained confrontations with the Christians as he had wih the Pagans and Jews. However,his intent of dealing with the Christians can be traced in a few letters he sent to overseas Christian kings orgovernors: of Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Syria, and Byzantium. Here, two letters will be dealt with: one sent tothe Christian kings of Oman (628) and the other to the Christian prince of the Ayla tribe during his expeditionto Tabuk (630). The Oman government Website keeps a copy of Prophet Muhammad’s letter to the Oman kings: 128127. Al-Tabari, Vol. VII, p. 86128. This document has now been removed from the Oman Government Website(http://www.mofa.gov.om/oman/discoveroman/omanhistory/OmanduringISlam). Wikipedia preserves a copy of it athttp://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Quotations_on_Islam#Official_Oman_Site50