Here is a particularly audacious exercise in deception from Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, the Mufti of Syria. I say deception because his assertions are so flagrantly at variance with the Qur’an and Sunnah that he simply must know that what he is saying is false. And while it is remotely possible that he is attempting to work a loophole by saying that Muhammad never said these things while knowing that the Qur’an does say them, on the pretext that Allah, not Muhammad, wrote the Qur’an, there is enough in the Hadith to show that Muhammad said the same things as well. Detailed explanations below.
“Syria’s Mufti: Islam commands us to protect Judaism,” from Haaretz, January 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Syria’s foremost Muslim leader declared on Tuesday that Islam commands its followers to protect Judaism, according to Army Radio.
“If the Prophet Mohammed had asked me to deem Christians or Jews heretics, I would have deemed Mohammed himself a heretic,” Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, the Mufti of Syria, was quoted as telling a delegation of American academics visiting Damascus.
“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.” — Qur’an 5:17
“They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.” — Qur’an 5:72
“The Jews call ‘Uzair [Ezra] a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!” — Qur’an 9:30
Of course, that is the Qur’an, not Muhammad. So here’s Muhammad:
“When the last moment of the life of Allah’s Apostle came he started putting his ‘Khamisa’ on his face and when he felt hot and short of breath he took it off his face and said, “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets.” The Prophet was warning (Muslims) of what those had done.” — Bukhari 1.8.427
“Once ‘Umar was informed that a certain man sold alcohol. ‘Umar said, ‘May Allah curse him! Doesn’t he know that Allah’s Apostle said, “May Allah curse the Jews, for Allah had forbidden them to eat the fat of animals but they melted it and sold it.”‘” — Bukhari 3.34.426
Hassoun may also be referring to the “true” Christians and Jews as envisioned by the Qur’an — the portion of the People of the Book who accept Muhammad as a prophet and become Muslim: “If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors” — Qur’an 3:110. In Islamic theology, the People of the Book who have faith are those who convert to Islam, while those who do not are the people who are known as Jews and Christians in the world today. So Hassoun could be slyly referring to these converts to Islam from Judaism and Christianity, saying that they are not heretics, while knowing that his hearers will understand him to be referring to the world’s Jews and Christians.
Hassoun, the leader of Syria’s majority Sunni Muslim community, also told the delegates that Islam was a religion of peace, adding: “If Mohammed had commanded us to kill people, I would have told him he was not a prophet.”
“And slay them wherever ye find them…” — Qur’an 2:191
“…and slay them wherever ye find them…” — Qur’an 4:89
“…slay the idolaters wherever ye find them…” — Qur’an 9:5
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” — Qur’an 9:29
“Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks…” — Qur’an 47:4
And Muhammad:
“Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.” — Bukhari 9.84.57
“During the last days there will appear some young foolish people who will say the best words but their faith will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have no faith) and will go out from (leave) their religion as an arrow goes out of the game. So, wherever you find them, kill them, for whoever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.” — Bukhari 9.84.64
“I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform a that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.” — Bukhari 1.2.24
And there is much more in this vein.
Religious wars were the result of politics infiltrating systems of faith, he said, asking:
“Was Moses of Middle Eastern or European descent? Was Jesus a Protestant or a Catholic? Was Mohammed Shi’ite or Sunni?”
1. Middle Eastern. 2. Neither. 3. Neither.
And so?
According to the Mufti, the conflict between Israel and its Arabs neighbors has nothing to do with an Islamic war against Judaism.
That’s not what Hamas or Hizballah or Islamic Jihad say. Has the Mufti ever strolled over to their Damascus offices and remonstrated with them?
“Before you got American citizenship, and I got Syrian citizenship, we were all brothers under the dome of God,” he said.
Jews had once lived in Syria peacefully and with fair treatment, he added, explaining that his own grandfather had a Jewish partner.
“Jews lived in Syria for years and they still have a role in Syrian society,” he said.
As long as they knew their place as good submissive dhimmis.