The developments of the past two decades have shown that fundamentalist groups, with their medieval values and violent practices, have extended their influence and are now threatening Western countries, especially after carrying out attacks in France, Belgium, Germany and the United States and after hundreds of young men from various European countries have joined the ranks of ISIS. In some Arab countries, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Libya, minorities are afraid of co-existence with Muslims, following the gross abuses carried out against the Yazidis in Sinjar, the displacement of Christians in Mosul and the murder of Copts on the shores of the Mediterranean in Libya.
The most important challenge for Muslims today is restoring trust, reassuring the other and making amends with the world. This can only be done by liberating religion from the grip of fundamentalist groups and restoring peace to it. The best way to achieve this end may well begin with reforming the national state, ending the interference of political authorities in well-known religious institutions and initiating a systematic review and comprehensive rectification of all the concepts distorted by the extremists, including the relationship of Islam to the other.
According to Quranic texts and the prophetic experience, Islam honors man as a human being, regardless of his beliefs, gender, language, civilization or color. Diversity, plurality and difference is a Sunnah or a way of the ways of God. God Almighty says: "And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community, but they will not cease to differ." (Hud, 118). He ordered Muslims to coexist with the "other" in peace, cooperation and familiarity, and to have dialogue and debate with them in friendliness. God Almighty says: "Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, loves those who act justly." (Al Mumtahanah, 8). God is asking for the highest degree of righteousness and charity and the highest degree of justice. He also says: "And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best" (Al ‘Ankabut, 46). He says: "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you" (Ali ‘Imran, 63). In his Sahih (1312), al-Bukhari recounts that the Prophet SAWS came across a funeral, and he was told that it was the funeral of a Jew. He responded by saying, "Isn’t it a soul?" Moreover, the Prophet SAWS died and his shield on loan from a Jew (Sahih Muslim, 1603). He could have borrowed from his companions, and they would not have begrudged him anything, but he wanted to teach his ummah.
In the prophetic experience with the People of the Scriptures, we should mention two important charters. The first is the Charter of Medina recognizing the pluralistic social reality and the equal rights of all groups. The document names twenty groups, nine of which are Muslim and eleven non-Muslim. It does not cross out or banish any group, not even the polytheists mentioned in article 20. Moreover, the charter considers the Jews an ummah of Muslims, to each its own religion, as stated in article 24. Despite that, Hebrew Jews (Banu Qurayza, Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir) – and not all Jews – turned against the Muslims at very critical times and cooperated with the polytheists.
The second constitutional document was written by Prophet SAWS in the year of the covenants, 10 AH, to the Christians of Najran who had come in delegations to the Prophet SAWS after his defeat to Quraysh and Khaibar. The first paragraph in the document says: "I commit myself to support them, to place their persons under my protection, as well as their churches, chapels, oratories, the monasteries of their monks, the residences of their anchorites… I will protect their religion and their Church wherever they are found… with utmost vigilance on my part, the People of my House, and the Muslims as a whole." He also mentioned another important aspect: "If the Christians approach you seeking the help and assistance of the Muslims in order to repair their churches and their convents or to arrange matters pertaining to their affairs and religion, these must help and support them. However, they must not do so with the aim of receiving any reward. On the contrary, they should do so to restore that religion, out of faithfulness to the pact of the Messenger of Allah, by pure donation, and as a meritorious act before Allah and His Messenger." This means that if Christians want to build their churches, Muslims should assist them without considering this help a debt. When Easter came and the Christians of Najran were still in Medina, the Prophet SAWS opened the doors of the mosque to them, and they prayed their own prayers. When a delegation of Abyssinian Christians came, the Prophet let them stay at the mosque and personally showed them hospitality and served them, saying, "They have honored our companions (those who migrated to Abyssinia with Ja’far ibn Abi Taleb), I would like to honor them myself."
Since the Umayyad period, Christians have held their public celebrations in the streets, led by crosses and clergy, and these celebrations were not held in isolation from the Muslims. It was also customary during the reign of Harun al-Rashid to decorate the streets and for the Christians go out on Easter in a large procession. According to Will Durant, the early Abbasid period was one of the flourishing eras for the tolerance showed to Christians in practicing their religious rites, building churches and monasteries, and equality with Muslims in jobs. The official jobs included hundreds of Christians, and there were so many Christians rising to high offices as to rouse Muslim suspicions. (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Chapter 13, p. 132). It is also striking that the Mongols kidnapped a group of citizens that included Muslims, Christians and Jews. During the negotiations, the Emir of the Mongols, Kutlushah, wanted to release the Muslim prisoners only. The Caliph refused, and insisted on releasing everyone. And they were all released.
The rights of polytheists, atheists, pagans, Magi, Buddhists, Hindus and others were also viewed as equal to those of Muslims, without discrimination, and they were citizens just like the others. Last judgment is by God. Their rules are like those of the People of the Scriptures, they have their religions and Muslims have their own, and the relationship between them is one of dialogue, charity and cooperation. When the Muslims conquered Persia and these religions appeared, they consulted among themselves. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf said that he heard the Prophet SAWS say that they should be treated as the People of the Scriptures. Yet, it should also be said that there were abuses carried out by some of the caliphs against non-Muslims. However, most of the time, these abuses were not limited to them, as such injustice was also inflicted on Muslims and on anyone who opposed the political authority, like Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
In conclusion, the verse "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion" (Al Baqarah, 256) remains one of the most important objectives that religion instilled in societies. Muslims should not initiate any religious fighting or war as claimed by extremist organizations. The only reason that legitimizes fighting is self-defense when anyone, even if a Muslim, initiates an attack against you. The Almighty says: "Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged." (Al Hajj, 39). He also says: "So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he assaulted you." (Al Baqarah, 194). If the Quraysh pluralists had not caused harm to the Prophet, insulting him and expelling him from his land, he would not have touched them, saying only: "so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve, for you is your religion, and for me is my religion." Had Persia and Byzantine not started fighting him and killing his messengers, he would not have attacked them.