Author: NS Rajaram
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 6, 2008
It's a monumental study that throws light
on the scriptural basis of intolerance and its manifestations in history
The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred
Texts to Solemn History
Author: Andrew Bostom
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Price: $39.95
Islam, we are constantly told, is a religion
of peace and brotherhood. According to this view, terrorists taking innocent
lives in its name are either ignorant of the true teachings of Islam or are
driven to violence as a last resort because of injustices suffered at the
hands of the victims -- Hindus, Jews and Christians. This claim of scriptural
innocence and the historical reality are examined in detail in the monumental
work, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism, by Andrew Bostom, the compiler of
the equally monumental The Legacy of Jihad.
But first we must ask: Can we accept teachings
and conduct in the name of religion that would be unacceptable on humanistic
grounds? Quranic passages -- "When the sacred months are passed, kill
those who join other gods with God (Allah) wherever ye shall find them; and
seize them, besiege them with every kind of ambush..."; and, "Gather
against them all your armies and your horses so you may strike terror in the
hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies..." -- need to be reinterpreted.
The scope of The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism
is broader than what the title suggests. It is better seen as a study of the
theology and practice of intolerance than as a study limited to the persecution
of Jews under Islamic rule. Unlike Hindus who encountered the full fury of
Islam five centuries after its founding, Jews have had to deal with it right
from the start in countries stretching from Spain to Iran. We thus have not
only the authentic scripture of Islam but also abundant historical records
by Jews, Christians and Muslims. These are presented in a systematic manner,
allowing us to get a vivid picture of the treatment of non-Muslims.
These records make it clear that there is
no middle ground in Islam, of a spirit of live and let live. In the words
of the philosopher KD Prithipaul of the University of Alberta (conveyed to
this reviewer), Muslims can live only "as an oppressive majority or a
turbulent minority". Even the Indian Sufi Shayk-Ahmad Sirhindi wrote:
"Whenever a Jew is killed it is for the benefit of Islam." This
was long before the creation of Israel.
In spite of this vast and unambiguous record
spanning over a thousand years, there is no shortage of 'liberal' intellectuals
who extol the tolerance shown by Islam. Economist Amartya Sen wrote that when
the "Jewish philosopher Maimonides was forced to emigrate from an intolerant
Europe in the 12th century, he found a tolerant refuge in the Arab (Muslim)
world". The truth is that the 'intolerant' Europe Maimonides had to flee
happened to be Spain then under Berber Muslim rule, which, according to Foujad
Ajami, "made the life of Spanish Jews... utter hell".
The depth of hatred for Jews that permeates
the Islamic scriptures is truly staggering, but Moses Maimonides (1135-1204)
noted also a parallel tendency for denial: "Never did a nation molest,
degrade, debate and hate us as much as they (Muslims)... Although we were
dishonoured by them beyond human endurance,... we have acquiesced, both old
and young, to inure ourselves to humiliation." This could well have been
written about Hindus, especially their modern prophets of 'secularism.'
As part of this denial, Jews themselves joined
hands with some apologist scholars to create the myth of a 'Golden Age' of
Spain under Islamic rule. Jane Gerber explodes this myth: "The aristocratic
bearing of a select class of courtiers and poets, however, should not blind
us to the reality that this tightly knit circle of leaders was neither the
whole of the Jewish history nor of Spanish Jewish society." This applies
equally to the myth of India's 'Golden Age' under the Mughals with its 'synthetic
culture' propagated by secularist historians.
Academic whitewashers of the Islamic record
like Amartya Sen have now been joined by a brand of 'moderate' Muslims who
claim that the extreme Wahaabi brand of Islam in force in countries like Saudi
Arabia is a deviation from the true teachings. A prime example of these is
Ed Husain, a reformed British radical Muslim and author of The Islamist. These
'moderates' are lionised by the establishment, especially in Britain. The
same establishment, on the other hand, shuns serious critics like Ibn Warraq
and the late Anwar Shaikh who raise
uncomfortable questions.
A curious thing about these so-called moderates
is that they live in open non-Islamic societies like the UK, the US and India
where they enjoy the protection of democratic Governments. Their message of
moderation is for public consumption and never taken to those who really need
it -- the fundamentalists who rule Saudi Arabia, the Taliban, Al Qaeda and
their ilk. In effect, they are little more than apologists.
The message to these 'moderates' is -- lip
service is not enough. They must take a forthright stand and play an active
role in reforming the Islam. All other religions -- Hinduism included -- have
reformed themselves and continue to do so.
In summary, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism
leaves little doubt that intolerance and violence are not a recent phenomenon
due to Israel or Ayodhya or anything else, but only the latest phase in a
theology and history that goes back 1,400 years. It is an indispensable source
for every serious student of religion, especially of Islam and its history.
