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Common Ground - Islam and Buddhism

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COMMON GROUND BETWEEN ISLAM AND BUDDHISM<br />

monasteries. 30 It is clear that up until the Mongol invasions of the<br />

thirteenth century, <strong>Buddhism</strong> was still widespread in Eastern Muslim<br />

l<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> Buddhists could be found in Iran <strong>and</strong> Central Asia.<br />

After the Mongolian invasion of these l<strong>and</strong>s, Muslims suffered<br />

greatly <strong>and</strong> many of their subjects found an opportunity to exact<br />

revenge for previous Muslim transgressions. The level of animosity<br />

felt against the Muslims by some of their previous subjects is<br />

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stantly being incited by the Buddhist priests to acts of oppression<br />

towards the [Muslims] <strong>and</strong> the persecution of the<br />

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�������������������������������������<br />

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a b<strong>and</strong> of idol-worshipping Buddhist priests made a request<br />

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-<br />

lims] that they might hold a controversy with him <strong>and</strong> get<br />

him to prove the superiority of the faith of Muhammad <strong>and</strong><br />

his prophetic mission—otherwise, he should be put to death.<br />

��������������������������������������<br />

ensued upon the claim of Muhammad to be a prophet <strong>and</strong><br />

the manner of his life as compared with that of other prophets.<br />

At length, as the arguments of those accursed ones were<br />

weak <strong>and</strong> devoid of the force of truth, they withdrew their<br />

h<strong>and</strong> from contradiction <strong>and</strong> drew the mark of oppression<br />

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according to the rites <strong>and</strong> ordinances of the [Muslim] law, in<br />

order that his unbecoming movements in the performance<br />

of this act of worship might become manifest to them <strong>and</strong> to<br />

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who was with him had placed their foreheads on the ground<br />

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summoned, greatly annoyed them <strong>and</strong> knocked their heads<br />

with force upon the ground, <strong>and</strong> committed other abomina-<br />

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30. Glasse, 302.<br />

126

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