Self-isolation is the standard operating procedure for Islam

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Nov 4, 2022 at 00:19

Dear Dr Pipes,

You presented a scenario in which Muslim Israelis can become true partners in the governance of the nation and reap the benefits for their communities. I think that is just a dream becauss partnership is not one of Islam's priorities. Isolationism is what Muslims like.

Imagine, for a minute, that I, a Hindu, go to an event in a church or synagogue and decline to eat the cake being served there. Imagine that I refuse to eat the cake because it is connected with the God of the old or new testaments and so cannot be eaten by me.

If I do such a thing, I will undoubtedly call myself an irrational bigot. But, Muslims in India are openly encouraged not to consume any food served in Hindu temples because such food is connected with a polytheistic belief system.

This is just one example; self-isolation by not partaking in the joys and pains of non-Muslim populations is a standard operating procedure for Muslims.

Muslims, in India, have devised their own dress code, their on language, their own script, their own Islamic educational institutions, their own political parties, their own Muslim-only ghettos, and their own Sharia-based personal legal system. Mingling with others and being parts of the melting pots is not one of Islamic priorities.

This self-isolation is not an accident. If your eventual goal is to carve out a separate Allah-sanctioned Islam-only landmass, why mingle and why create a melting pot. Throughout the last 14 centuries, isn't this what Muslims have done in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Or, in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Islamic behavior is predictable and certain.

Your hope that an Israeli victory can make the Israeli Muslims value partnership, is a noble hope. I say "Amen" to that. BUT, I also believe that for that to happen we will have to challenge the very core of the Islamic doctrine. Little by little, everyday, we all must challenge this core. I say "Amen" to that too.

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