The Specter of Jizya Returns to Egypt

And this is the way it will go in one country after another as the Arab Winter descends over the Middle East.

FROM FRONTPAGEMAG.COM:

The Specter of Jizya Returns to Egypt

Posted By Raymond Ibrahim On December 16, 2011 @ 12:17 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 6 Comments

In Egypt, calls for jizya—the tribute doctrinally demanded and historically collected from conquered infidels—are increasing day by day, by those who wish to be true to the words of Koran 9:29:

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor forbid that which Allah and his Messenger have forbidden, nor follow the religion of truth [Islam], from the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves utterly subdued."

Accordingly, days ago, Ahmed Imran—a candidate of Egypt’s Salafi party, the “Party of Light,” which won some 20% of votes in recent elections—called for the return of jizya (which was abolished under colonial pressure in the mid 19th century). Sounding like a Western apologist of Islamic supremacism, he distorted history and spoke of jizya in glowing terms:

"I say to those who fear that we might govern, that it was the Muslims who liberated the Copts from Roman slaughter and that Copts are obligated to pay the jizya, and it will only be half a dinar, taken from the rich and given to their poor."

Earlier, Abu Shadi, another Salafi leader—though not one running for office, and so extra candid—announced that Egypt’s Christians must either convert to Islam, pay jizya and assume inferior status, or die.

Nor is the return of jizya limited to Salafi discourse. Running for Egypt’s presidency, Hazem Abu Ismael, a former Muslim Brotherhood member still affiliated with the group, said he would impose jizya on the Copts.

And Dr. Mohamed Saad Katatni—the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party which won 40% of the votes—reportedly said that Copts would not pay jizya now, implying that the idea of collecting tribute from subdued “dhimmi” Copts is very much alive among the Brotherhood, only dormant till a more opportune moment (naturally, the Brotherhood later denied he said such a thing).

Moreover, increasing numbers of attacks on Christians in Egypt revolve around extorting jizya. For instance, last summer a priest was almost

"killed at the hands of the Salafis because of his refusal to pay them jizya money…. [T]he church’s priest had declared that the Copts would not pay jizya, in any way, shape, or form. This is what caused the Salafis to want to banish him from the region, so they could collect jizya from the Copts."

Here, then, is another truism: Wherever and whenever there are calls to return to “true Islam”—whether by 9th century Ibn Hanbal, 14th century Ibn Taymiyya, 18th century Abdul Wahhab, or 21st century Salafis, and the countless no-names in between—it is the surrounding non-Muslims who will always be first to suffer; first, in the words of Koran 9:29, to “pay the jizya [tribute] with willing submission, and feel themselves utterly subdued.”

Salafi group in Alexandria pledges to implement Islamic Sharia

Well, it hasn’t taken long for the rats to come out of the sewers.  What we're seeing here is the first chapter of what will become a bloody power struggle amongst the various factions in Egypt to take control of the government.  But no matter which group comes out on top, the world will be poorer for it as it will make Egypt another Salafist stronghold. The people most immediately in danger will be the Copts who make up about 10% of the population.  They have suffered murder, discrimination and repression under the so called secular regime of Mubaric.  Once the country comes under the control of true, pious Muslims, the Copts will be crushed, exterminated and driven from their homeland.

FROM ALMASRYALYOUM.COM:

Salafi group in Alexandria pledges to implement Islamic Sharia

The Salafi group in Alexandria said it is seeking to implement Islamic Sharia law no matter how difficult the task.

During a conference held at Amr Ibn al-Aas mosque in Giza on Friday, several of the group's leaders called on non-Muslims to accept the rule of Islam which it argues provides sufficient protection for them.

Salafi leaders also said they are holding their conference to respond to “media attacks” and “the lies of liberalism” and general “anti-Islamic” sentiment.

Saeed Abdel Azeem, a Salafi leader, said that some people are waging a fierce campaign against the Salafi movement even though the group shuns violence. This began shortly after the results of the recent referendum on constitutional amendments were announced, he said, adding that the media, Mohamed ElBaradei, Amr Moussa and liberal parties consider themselves allied together against Islamists.

"But no matter how strongly it is attacked, Salafism is continuously advancing, and this attack won’t affect it," he said.

Ahmed Farid, another Salafi leader, said liberal and secular attacks have become increasingly ferocious, even though Salafism represents the correct understanding of Islam, and the attackers are actually harming themselves.

He said some claim that Salafis are more dangerous than Jews.

"We want Islamic law to be implemented, and will not accept anything short of that, so as to avoid a reversion to the pre-Islamic age," he concluded.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.