There is so much discussion in the media about Islamophobia that few people think about the much greater phobia that exists today, namely the Muslims’ fear of the Judeo-Christian people and ideology. While Islam borrowed much of its structure and folklore from the Judeo-Christian traditions, it is designed around a strict prohibition against affiliating with or emulating anything that could be considered Judeo-Christian. The only exception is when Muslims use Jews and Christians for their own strategic advantage.
The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book defines a phobia as:
- Persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation
- Compelling desire to avoid what is feared
- Impaired ability to function at normal tasks
Islam began as an Arabic alternative to the monotheism of Judaism and Christianity, but instead of supplanting those religions, Islam found it could advance and extend its influence only by armed aggression. When the Jewish tribes in Medina rejected Islam, Muhammad’s followers drove two of the tribes from the city and annihilated the third in an act of cold genocide. But the dehumanization of Jews was already in place: they weren’t really humans, but rather, as Muhammad called them, “brothers of monkeys.” (Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, para. 684)
As Islam expanded outside of the Arabian Peninsula, the neighboring rulers were invited to submit to Islam or suffer the consequences: Muhammad wrote to the king of Oman and his brother, “Embrace Islam… If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of your country; but if your refuse my Call, you’ve got to remember that all of your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your land, and my Prophethood will assume preponderance over your kingship.” (Saifur Rahman, The Sealed Nectar, p. 227-228)
When there were no more possessions to take as booty, the advancing Muslims subjected their new subjects to debilitating taxation (jizyah) which they were forced to pay in abject humiliation in status and appearance so that there could not possibly be anything attractive to Muslims about Christianity or Judaism. (See Reliance of the Traveler, section o11.) But, ironically, the fear of Christians and Jews persisted.
When the Quran was compiled into its final form, one Surah was clearly out of place because it was neither in chronological order nor in order of length. That was Surah 1, “The Opening.” Surah 1 was actually the 48th Surah “handed down” chronologically, and by length, it would be Surah 93 or higher. Not only was Surah 1 placed foremost in the Quran, but it became a required recitation in the Muslim’ daily prayers. In fact, that Surah is recited 17 times a day by devout Muslims. Surah 1 constitutes a formula “poison pill” against Jews and Christians:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Alamin .
The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense.
You we worship, and You we ask for help.
Guide us to the Straight Way.
The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not of those who earned Your Anger (i.e., Jews), nor those who went astray (i.e., Christians).
(Source: Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilal and Muhammad Muhsin Khan, with parenthetical inserts based on the authors’ footnotes.)
Muhammad himself affirmed that this prayer is against Jews and Christians in the reliable Bukhari hadith 1.749, which reports:
Allah's Apostle said, "Say ‘Amen' when the Imam says ‘Ghair-il-maghdubi 'alaihim wala-ddal-lin;’ not the path of those who earn Your Anger (such as Jews) nor of those who go astray (such as Christians); all the past sins of the person whose saying (of Amen) coincides with that of the angels, will be forgiven.”
Here one must ask, if Allah wanted mankind to follow the “straight path,” wouldn’t Allah put the emphasis on how to identify that particular desirable path, and not obsess about which paths to avoid?
This Judeo-Christian-Phobia is further reinforced by this command in the Quran:
Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. God does not guide the wrongdoers. (Surah 5:51)
Of course, the advancement of Islam required Muslims at times to pretend to be friendly with non-Muslims, particularly when they are outnumbered, as is the case in the United States. A special exception was granted for them: "Those who are forced to recant while their hearts remain loyal to the Faith shall be absolved.” (Surah 16:106) Also, there is an exception when precaution (root: taqiyya) or self-defense is necessary: “Let believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful – he that does this has nothing to hope for from God – except in self-defense.” [Muhammad Asad renders it literally, “unless you fear from them something that is to be feared.”] (Surah 3:28)
The avoidance of Jews and Christians is also spelled out in Sharia Law, as contained in Reliance of the Traveler for reference. "It is unbelief (kufr) to turn from the sunna [established custom based on Muhammad’s example] in order to imitate non-Muslims when one believes that their way to be superior to the sunna.” [Section 24.1(2)] A Muslim woman may not marry a Christian or Jew [Section m6.7(5)]; a non-Muslim may not adopt a Muslim [m13.2(c)] or even an orphan whose religion is unknown [k28.1]; it is not lawful to send Muslim children to Christian schools (m13.3); a non-Muslim is treated as an inferior in a Muslim court [o22.12]; a Muslim endowment cannot be used to help build a church or print the Torah or the New Testament [k03.6(6)]; some schools of Sharia Law say it is unlawful to greet non-Muslims first [r33.2]; and some schools say selling a Quran or other sacred book to a non-Muslims is forbidden [k1.2(e)]. All of these Sharia Laws prevent Muslims from interacting normally with others on an equal basis, absent any phobias.
The reason for this Judeo-Christian-Phobia is that the ideology of Islam is very fragile. The contradictions and errors in the Quran are so numerous (See http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/contra/by_name.html) that Muhammad had to introduce the concept of abrogation where the invalid verses were replaced by better, corrected ones. (Surah 2:106) Muhammad even acknowledged that some verses were given to him maliciously by Satan (Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, para. 240). Needless to say, an all-knowing God and a true prophet would have gotten it right the first time. No other sacred book besides the Quran warns, “Believers, do not ask questions about things which, if made known to you, would only pain you; but if you ask them when the Quran is being revealed, they shall be made plain to you… Other men inquired about them before you, only to disbelieve them thereafter.” (Surah 5:102) No other sacred book tells doubters to go hang themselves: “If anyone thinks that God will not give victory to His apostle in this world and in the world to come, let him tie a rope to the ceiling of his house and hang himself.” (Surah 22:15)
A better cure for Judeo-Christian-Phobia in Muslims would be for them to abandon the Quran as nonsense and embrace a religion that puts the priority on loving God and loving ones neighbor regardless of his race, religion, or national origin.