Muhammad’s Sword (part 1 of 2)

Rating:
Font size:
A- A A+

Description: A Jewish atheist speaks about the notion that Islam spread by the sword.  Part One: Emperors and Popes.

  • By Uri Avnery (http://gush-shalom.org, 23/09/06)
  • Published on 26 Feb 2007
  • Last modified on 21 Jan 2021
  • Printed: 867
  • Viewed: 49,143 (daily average: 8)
  • Rating: 2.7 out of 5
  • Rated by: 92
  • Emailed: 3
  • Commented on: 2
Poor Best

Muhammad_s_Sword_(part_1_of_2)_001.jpgSince the days when Roman Emperors threw Christians to the lions, the relations between the emperors and the heads of the church have undergone many changes.

Constantine the Great, who became Emperor in the year 306 - exactly 1700 years ago - encouraged the practice of Christianity in the empire, which included Palestine.  Centuries later, the church split into an Eastern (Orthodox) and a Western (Catholic) part.  In the West, the Bishop of Rome, who acquired the title of Pope, demanded that the Emperor accept his superiority.

The struggle between the Emperors and the Popes played a central role in European history and divided the peoples.  It knew ups and downs.  Some Emperors dismissed or expelled a Pope, some Popes dismissed or excommunicated an Emperor.  One of the Emperors, Henry IV, “walked to Canossa”, standing for three days barefoot in the snow in front of the Pope’s castle, until the Pope deigned to annul his excommunication.

But there were times when Emperors and Popes lived in peace with each other.  We are witnessing such a period today.  Between the present Pope, Benedict XVI, and the present Emperor, George Bush II, there exists a wonderful harmony.  Last week’s speech by the Pope, which aroused a world-wide storm, went well with Bush’s crusade against “Islamofascism”, in the context of the “Clash of Civilizations”.

In his lecture at a German university, the 265th Pope described what he sees as a huge difference between Christianity and Islam: while Christianity is based on reason, Islam denies it.  While Christians see the logic of God’s actions, Muslims deny that there is any such logic in the actions of Allah.

As a Jewish atheist, I do not intend to enter the fray of this debate.  It is much beyond my humble abilities to understand the logic of the Pope.  But I cannot overlook one passage, which concerns me too, as an Israeli living near the fault-line of this “war of civilizations”.

In order to prove the lack of reason in Islam, the Pope asserts that the prophet Muhammad ordered his followers to spread their religion by the sword.  According to the Pope, that is unreasonable, because faith is born of the soul, not of the body.  How can the sword influence the soul?

To support his case, the Pope quoted - of all people - a Byzantine Emperor, who belonged, of course, to the competing Eastern Church.  At the end of the 14th century, the Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus told of a debate he had - or so he said (its occurrence is in doubt) - with an unnamed Persian Muslim scholar.  In the heat of the argument, the Emperor (according to himself) flung the following words at his adversary:

“Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”.

These words give rise to three questions: (a)            Why did the Emperor say them?  (b)        Are they true?  (c)        Why did the present Pope quote them?

WHEN MANUEL II wrote his treatise, he was the head of a dying empire.  He assumed power in 1391, when only a few provinces of the once illustrious empire remained.  These, too, were already under Turkish threat.

At that point in time, the Ottoman Turks had reached the banks of the Danube.  They had conquered Bulgaria and the north of Greece, and had twice defeated relieving armies sent by Europe to save the Eastern Empire.  On May 29, 1453, only a few years after Manuel’s death, his capital, Constantinople (the present Istanbul) fell to the Turks, putting an end to the Empire that had lasted for more than a thousand years.

During his reign, Manuel made the rounds of the capitals of Europe in an attempt to drum up support.  He promised to reunite the church.  There is no doubt that he wrote his religious treatise in order to incite the Christian countries against the Turks and convince them to start a new crusade.  The aim was practical, theology was serving politics.

In this sense, the quote serves exactly the requirements of the present Emperor, George Bush II.  He, too, wants to unite the Christian world against the mainly Muslim “Axis of Evil”.  Moreover, the Turks are again knocking on the doors of Europe, this time peacefully.  It is well known that the Pope supports the forces that object to the entry of Turkey into the European Union.

Is there any truth in Manuel’s argument?[1]



Footnotes:

[1] Disclaimer: All views of this author are not held by IslamReligion nor purported by Islam – IslamReligion.

Poor Best

Parts of This Article

View all parts together
User Comments View comments

Add a comment

  • (Not shown to the public)

  • Your comment will be reviewed and should be published within 24 hours.

    Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Other Articles in the Same Category

Most Viewed

Daily
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Total
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Editor’s Pick

(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

List Contents

Since your last visit
This list is currently empty.
All by date
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Most Popular

Highest rated
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most emailed
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most printed
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most commented on
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Your Favorites

Your favorites list is empty. You may add articles to this list using the article tools.

Your History

Your history list is empty.

Minimize chat