From: jodar@chaph.usc.edu (Nicholas Jodar)
Subject: Re: Is it okay under Orthodox Islamic teaching to kill non-Muslim dakwa people?
Originator: zeeshan@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Zeeshan Hasan -Moderator)
Organization: Oberlin College Computer Science
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 15:53:20 GMT
X-Posted-From: occs.cs.oberlin.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <chai.725045883@redwood.cs.uiuc.edu> spectre@uiuc.edu (Ian) writes:
>Asalamulaikum.
>
>I read this article (included below) today. I have heard sentiments
>from American Muslims that it's not proper under Islam to kill dakwa
>people of other religions (unless they attack you physically). 

This is not quite true, but it's close enough under present
circumstances.

>Is this
>an orthodox Islamic belief, or is it just a reflection upon the fact
>that these Muslims who voiced this opinion are Americans, and American
>culture cherishes religious freedom? 

As far as I'm concerned, American culture doesn't cherish 
religious freedom.  This opinion is based on 25 years of 
personal experience.

Besides, American Muslims are no different then Muslims anywhere
else; most are educated to varying degrees (no pun intended), 
some are ignorant, and some are Muslim in name only.

>If American Muslims (or Muslims of
>any other nationality for that matter) have proofs (scripture) to back
>up that position, or if others have proofs to back up the other
>position, could you email me with them? Thank you.

To put it succinctly, There are four Hadud punishments.
(Punishments set by Allah (SWT) for particular crimes.)  These
four are:

- Theft or 'al-Sariqa' (definition clarified by Sunnat)
  <<Amputation of Right Hand>>

- Armed Robbery or 'al-Hiraba' (defined in Qur'an)
  <<Death or Crucifixion or Amputation or Banishment>>

- Illicit Sexual Relations or 'al-Zina' (defined in Qur'an)
  <<Fornication - 100 Lashes, Chaste Spouse Forbidden, and 1yr. Banishment>>
  <<Adultery - 100 Lashes and Stoning to Death>>

- False Accusations of Unchastity or 'al-Qadhf' (definition clarified by Sunnat)
  <<80 Lashes and Rejection of Future Testimony>>


There is also 'al-Ta'zir' or 'Discretionary Punishment' applied
to all other crimes.  Such punishment is almost always of lesser
severity than al-Hadud punishments.  

The Death Punishment is rare in Islam, both because of the
difficulty in bringing such matters to trial (one needs a 
perpetrator who is caught unrepentant and three eye-witnesses,
who will receive the accused's punishment if he is not convicted)
and because the Judge is required to err on the side of leniency.

Capital Punishment in cases of al-Ta'zir is therefore almost 
exclusively reserved to the most heinous of crimes.  These 
include:  Murder, Rape, and Warring against Islam.

Of course, the Islamic Legal System does not exist at this time....


>------ Ramos appeals to Saudi Arabia king for Filipino preacher
>
>MANILA, Philippines (UPI) President Fidel Ramos Tuesday appealed to Saudi
>Arabia's King Fahd to pardon a Filipino born-again preacher scheduled to be
>hung on Christmas Day in Riyadh.

Please note that Islamic Law cannot be justly applied except
within an Islamic State or 'Khilafa.'  (There isn't one, at this
time....)  Such countries as 'practice' various aspects of Islam
are condemned by Allah (SWT) in the Qur'an.

>Magdangal has been accused of preaching the Christian faith in Saudi Arabia,
>a Muslim country. Aside from Ramos' letter, the government also instructed
>the Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia to help secure Magdangal's release.

Preaching, in itself, is not punishable, according to the Sunnat.
There are, however, situations in which a Judge may exercise
al-Ta'zir.  (eg. A 'Druggies for Satan' worshipper passing out
LSD tabs to schoolchildren.)

Opinion:  The Death Penalty is rare in Islam, and the only way 
the above could be justified is if Magdangal was actually an 
agent of insurrection.  (This is doubtful....)

Another possibility would be the existence of a law saying 
'Preaching Christianity == Death' which has been on the books 
for years, with Magdangal repeatedly violating it.  Even so,
such a law is contrary to Islam.

Of course, one has to keep in mind that Muslims are regularly
tortured and executed in Saudi Arabia for criticising the
hypocrisy and corruption of their government.  Alhamdulillah,
the Muslims are getting to the point where they aren't going to
take much more from their 'leader'....

-AQ

[I beg Allah's forgiveness for my weakness and insufficiency in ]
['His' service, and I ask for his protection from Shaitan and   ]
[from my own Desires.  None can protect me except Allah.  If I  ]
[have made any errors, I beg Allah to bring them to my attention]
[so that they may be corrected.  If I have made none, then it is]
[only through the Grace of Allah and all praise is due only to  ]
['Him.'                                                         ]


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