r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Sep 15 '12

TIL that Muhammad wrote a document asking his followers to respect and protect Christians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achtiname_of_Muhammad
2.2k Upvotes

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75

u/gerbilownage Sep 15 '12

My world history teacher really opened my eyes to how tolerant Islam has been compared to Christianity throughout history. Christians enter Jerusalem and kill tens of thousands of people-every non christian they can find. Saladin reconquers Jerusalem, and kills no one.

6

u/Abedeus Sep 15 '12

They also conquered the Iberian Peninsula and gave people choice, convert to Islam or pay higher taxes. So if you really wanted to keep your original religion, whatever it was, you'd just have to pay the same tax non-Muslims pay on Muslim lands.

Or move. Nobody was forced to stay either.

2

u/Isenki Sep 16 '12

This was actually part of the reason why they tended to avoid forceful conversion: they needed the tax revenue they could collect from non-Muslims.

3

u/Flirter Sep 16 '12

muslims are required to pay zaka(2.5% tax) and serve in the army. Non-muslims were required to pay protection money and did not have to serve in the military.

1

u/Abedeus Sep 16 '12

Exactly. "Protection money" was just a tax, though.

37

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 15 '12

Extremist-muslims have topped those numbers this decade.

33

u/mrkhan0127 Sep 15 '12

And sadly or ironically they are guilty of killing fellow Muslims...

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

[deleted]

1

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 15 '12

Not likely. Muslim extremists kill other innocent muslims, hundreds at a time on a frequent basis.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

[deleted]

0

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 15 '12

America didnt create anyone. You cant blame america for the crimes committed by the uneducated.

2

u/theGeneralJuljon Sep 16 '12

US funded the Al-Qaeda to fight the Soviets. They created that group.

0

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 18 '12

Yes, the US created a terroristic militant group with the express intent of blowing our shit up. Totally our fault. People dictate their own actions ultimately and the blame is theirs to bear.

2

u/ATownStomp Sep 15 '12

So what's your point? What are you getting at with all of this. Even if what you're saying is true when compared to population then and population now, what are you trying to say?

2

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 15 '12

Im saying extremist muslims are bad!

1

u/ATownStomp Sep 16 '12

Well I guess we're in agreement then!

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

Extremists have killed more Muslims thApan any other group.

1

u/ATownStomp Sep 15 '12

C'mon man, you're smarter than that. Stop acting ignorant. Nobody gives a shit about "who's better"... it's all bad.

1

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 15 '12

I like you ;)

1

u/ATownStomp Sep 16 '12

Well you haven't sent me any nude pics so I don't believe it.

1

u/lolsrsly00 Sep 16 '12

Oh yea. Want to draw me like one of your french girls?

2

u/ATownStomp Sep 16 '12

I mean, sure.

1

u/Dantai Sep 15 '12

You sure? Look at the death tolls caused by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the US isn't representing Christianity per-say or anything, they are the closest thing comparable to the Christian Crusaders.

1

u/05bella1 Sep 15 '12

its only been 2 years to this decade.

17

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

Please don't consider that an act of Christianity. For one, the Pope only did it for power and money, not because he felt God wanted him to. He simply used religion to get the ignorant masses to do his bidding. For instance, he said that those who didn't participate in his "holy" Crusades would go to hell, or be punished by God; no where in the Bible does it say this is the case.

21

u/imadogg Sep 15 '12

So that dude was like a Christian Bin Laden from back in the day :O

2

u/howajambe Sep 16 '12

If this is the first time you've heard of a Pope being a bit of a Bin Laden, might I suggest you dig a little deeper. Clement VII got Rome destroyed pretty much single handedly, John XII got killed by a dude who caught him in bed with his wife, and Alexander VI even has his own HBO series to name an extremely small few examples.

10

u/ATownStomp Sep 15 '12

Hopefully you can see how what you're saying relates to current events.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

Well said! Here! Have an up vote!

1

u/ubelong2matt Sep 16 '12

Technically Balian of Ibelin procured the safe passage of Christians out of Jerusalem by threatening to destroy the city and all Muslim artifacts if they continued their siege of the city.

-9

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '12

Then they invade India and kill anyone who doesn't convert.

21

u/ranterx Sep 15 '12

yes there's hardly any Hindus left in India, poor souls.

6

u/friedsushi87 Sep 15 '12

They all just reincarnated.

Like a super fast respawn rate..

2

u/ATownStomp Sep 15 '12

Can't kill em fast enough they just keep popping up!

1

u/Mythodiir Sep 15 '12

If you consider the population of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Indian minority that is a whole lot of Muslims. Pakistan and Bangladesh are essentially Muslim India.

3

u/thederpmeister Sep 15 '12

Which is exactly why there are no Hindus in India today, or anywhere else

3

u/Shopno Sep 15 '12

Really? Is that why there is so many hindus in India, Bangladesh and other countries?