The State of Muslims in the 20th Century

The last Islamic Union in the world was the great and glorious Ottoman Empire. Since its collapse, the Islamic world has been divided into countries great and small. Most of these were for a long time colonized by Western powers. From the 1920s on, the entire Middle East, North Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the Muslims of the Pacific fell under the rule of European colonialist powers, particularly Britain and France. The Muslims of Central Asia and the Caucasus came under the rule of an even harsher regime, the Soviet Russian dictatorship. The Muslims of the Balkans were ruled by non-Muslim peoples such as the Serbs and Croats. 

In short, a large part of the world’s Muslims were colonized for much of the 20^thcentury. After the World War II, the administrations in these Muslim countries adopted communism and assumed an anti-Islamic identity. Ideological trends diametrically opposed to the values at the heart of Islamic moral values gained strength in some of those Islamic countries that obtained independence in the 1950s. The “Arab Socialism” that had a profound influence on the Arab world in the 1950s and ‘60s is one such example.

The Arab Socialism that Developed in the Arab World in the Wake of the Ottomans

Arab socialism was a movement that combined extreme nationalism with a fanatical third world leftism, and was fundamentally supported by the Soviet Union. Arab socialism combined a slightly milder version of Soviet-style communism with strong Arab nationalism, and first came to power in Egypt. Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the officers who overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and then assumed power, soon revealed a conception of government that oppressed the Muslim public. Syria and Iraq followed on the heels of Egypt. Socialist regimes seized power through bloody coups in all these countries.

There was no room for concepts such as peace or moderation in Arab socialists’ programs. On the contrary, the concept of conflict that lies at the heart of Marxist ideology was much more important to them. In that climate, tensions in the Arab world grew rapidly.

As the Islamic Union – the main element that has made the "Pax Ottomana" (“the Ottoman Peace”) in the region possible – was being eliminated, Arab nationalism was stirred up. Arabs were also divided among themselves. Thus it was that following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20^th century, Muslim Arab peoples living in the Middle East and North Africa were left unprotected. Artificial kingdoms appeared in the Arab world, that had previously been bound to the caliphate, in the wake of the caliphate’s elimination. The family of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, who had initiated the “Arab Revolt” against the Ottomans during the First World War I, came to head these kingdoms. During the inter-war period, Muslim lands witnessed the strong presence of colonialist European states. Atheist zionists also raised the climate of violence there in order to establish the state of Israel. Terrorist activities, political assassinations and bombings followed hot on one another’s heels. The region became a war zone. Arab intellectuals and state administrations adopted one aim in order to increase their political influence;to turn the Muslim people away from Islam and introduce artificial ideologies that coalesce around their leaders. 

How Did the Communist Intellectual System Gradually Seize Power in Arab Countries?

- The administration phase: In the period between the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the World War II, the colonialist powers Great Britain and France established an intensely repressive system in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Fascist Germany and Italy were busy repressing Muslims in such countries as Libya and Ethiopia. Enormous pressure was put on religious people in this period, while new generation intellectuals and state administrators were receiving a Darwinist education in Europe. The aim was to distance first the administrators in Arab countries and then the public from Islamic moral values, and thus to maintain the colonialist system. The communist and Darwinist education provided in Europe resulted in the appearance of a communist new generation and ideologies in the Muslim Arab world that were far removed from the moral values of Islam.

- The military phase: Following the end of the World War II, which resulted in the economic collapse of the states of Europe, the cold war began, a struggle between two opposing axes, together with a communist movement among Arab countries. These movements uttered Arab nationalist slogans and also wished to establish a communist-socialist regime. Communist ideology found particular support among the upper echelons of the various militaries because Arab armies had also received Darwinist materialist training in Europe during the colonialist period and consisted of cadres who had been completely distanced from Islamic moral values.

- The coup phase: The Arab socialist-communist movement seized power through a number of coups right up until the 1970s. Arab socialist eras dawned with Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, Colonel Gaddafi in Libya, in Iraq with first General Hassan al-Bakr and then Saddam Hussein and in Syria with the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and Hafez al-Assad. Arab states were communized through these coups. The communist took the name of the Ba’ath Party in politics in Iraq and Syria, and throughout the decades of their rule, communist cadres were installed in the most crucial positions in the state, the army, the civil service and the education system.

- The Beginning of Darwinist Communist Education in Arab Lands: During the cold war, communist regimes in Arab states drew closer to the Soviet Union. Soviet ideologues transferred the Darwinist, materialist and communist education that had formerly been provided in Europe to the Arab countries themselves. As a result of this 30 - 40 year period of education, countries emerged that had Muslim populations but in which all religious institutions had been eradicated, in which communist regimes based on violence had replaced the moral values of Islam.

The Destructive Impact of the Darwinist Communist Intellectual System on the Arab People

From the second half of the 20^th century, Muslim peoples were governed by Darwinist-communist regimes and organizations. In that period, Arab peoples in various countries were subjected to war, ethnic slaughter, terrorist activity or official persecution. Series of communist rebellions led to constant instability and impoverishment. The Muslim public became ever poorer, despite their countries’ huge oil revenues, while these made the ruling classes and their associates even wealthier.

As with other communist regimes, Arab communism used all kinds of despotism to cling onto power and adopted a false mask of Arab nationalism. The climate of love, affection and compassion that had been enjoyed, by way of the moral values of Islam, in the Ottoman period, was replaced by the savagery, barbarity and despotism of communism.

Throughout the period of Ottoman rule, the Middle East preserved its nature as a calm and stable region, unlike today. The departure of the Ottomans from the region at the beginning of the 20thcentury coincided with the arrival of a new power. Atheist zionist leaders were agreed on the need to remove the Ottomans from the region if they were to acquire the Holy Land. The first operations in the light of that objective also represented the first instances of the age of the buying and selling of Arab leaders. Revolts, wars and stratagems first appeared for the sake of ensuring the Holy Land remained out of control. That instability and insecurity have never ended from that day to this, and the tears and bloodshed have never come to an end...

The Communist Leaders of the Arab World

1. IRAQ - Saddam Hussein 

Saddam Hussein was a leading communist and Ba’ath Party militant. As a member of the party, he received a military education based on Darwinism and materialism. It assumed power in Iraq following an internal party coup. Following the Hassan al-Bakr coup, he served as deputy prime minister in the government and seized power himself in 1979 while head of the Revolutionary Command Council. The Ba’ath Party administration then accused 68 of its administrators of treason, and hanged 22 of them. There was now just one center of power in the country following this bloody party revolution. Saddam took a leaf out of the Darwinist Gamal Abdel Nasser’s book and described himself as a socialist revolutionary. He initiated the 8-year Iran-Iraq War in 1980. In 1991 he started the Gulf War by invading Kuwait. Both wars ended in the deaths of millions of Muslims. The attack on the town of Halabja in northern Iraq in which chemical weapons were used and in which tens of thousands of innocent Muslims were killed was just one of the crimes against humanity of Saddam’s regime. Saddam Hussein was also responsible for a massacre after the Gulf War in which tens of thousands of Shiites died.

2. PALESTINE

George HabashA Darwinist, Marxist-Leninist militant. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine founded by him acts in line with the communist ideology of the Palestine Liberation Organization, of which it is a subsidiary. He was responsible for many terrorist attacks and plane hijackings in the 1970s and ‘80s. He sparked the Palestine-Jordanian fighting known as Black September. He also made Lebanon a training ground for communist militants from all over the world.

Palestine Liberation OrganizationIn the initial stage it was set up as a Marxist-Leninist structure. That meant it was for long regarded as a terrorist organization. It was a left-leaning organization largely kept alive by support from the Soviets and socialist Arab countries.

In the same way, al Fatah, set up in 1959 under the leadership of Yasser Arafat was an organization that acted in the light of communist ideology and had a Darwinist-materialist nature. In 1968, al Fatah, which began being influential within the PLO, began preparing for terrorist activities by training guerrillas. The guerrilla group Black September split away from al Fatah in 1971 and in 1972, under the influence of Darwinist indoctrination, ruthlessly killed 11 athletes it had taken hostage at the Munich Olympics.

The recent abandonment of Darwinist, Leninist thinking within both the PLO and al Fatah has led both organizations to work toward protecting the rights of innocent Muslims. 
3. EGYPT - General Gamal Abdel NasserCarried out a coup in 1952 with 9 other officers under the name of the “Free Officers Committee,” overthrowing King Farouk and ruling the country for 20 years. He was one of the revolutionary members of the Arab socialist movement. He developed a nationalist, Darwinist-Stalinist ideology known as Nasserism. The Free Officers were a communist organization and carried out a violent coup in Iraq in 1958, overthrowing and bloodily killing King Faisal.

He stage-managed a fake assassination attempt in 1954, and held the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for it, putting intense pressure on the Muslim population. In the wake of the coup he closed all the political parties and banned the establishment of any new ones. The al-Azhar University and the scholars from it were placed under intense pressure during his rule.

Russia was Egypt’s closest ally in Nasser’s time. The army, the economy, education, the universities and the press all virtually passed into Russian control. Communist and Darwinist views came to dominate the curriculum. Egypt was full of Russian agents. A huge move in the direction of communism began from 1962 in particular. The name of the National Union was changed to the Arab Socialist Union.

Nasser stood as the sole candidate in election in 1965, and stepped up his pressure on the Muslim Brotherhood after receiving 99% of the vote. Many Islamic scholars were arrested and executed, including Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad Qutb and Hassan-al Banna. Thousands of Muslims were tortured and killed.

Communist and revolutionary figures were installed in the judicial system. Following criticism from the Egyptian Judges’ Club in 1969, hundreds of sitting judges were removed from their posts by the Nasser regime and replaced by communist members, in what would come to be known as the “massacre of the judiciary.”

4. ALGERIA - Ahmed Ben Bella 

Ben Bella came to power in the wake of Algerian independence from France. He had previously served as a legionary in the French Army and had received a Darwinist, materialist education in France. He was awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” He brought communists into the state administration and is still involved in the administration of the African Union.

5. TUNISIA – Habib Bourguiba

Habib Bourguiba was under French control right from childhood. He received a Darwinist education and studied law and politics at the Sorbonne. After returning to Tunisia, Bourguiba encouraged the people to revolt, thus establishing the conditions necessary for the French colonialists to eliminate Tunisian Muslims. After independence Bourguiba was made president of Tunisia, but suddenly changed and started following an anti-Islamic policy.

He had Islamic educational institutions closed down, particularly University of Zaytuna, the symbol of Tunisia. He kept the mosques under surveillance and prohibited performance of the prayer outside certain specified hours. He had thousands of Muslims arrested and severely tortured in the prisons. Thousands of Muslims lost their lives in the time of Habib Bourguiba.

6. YEMEN – Imam Ahmad bin Yahya

When South Yemen was administered by the British it was a moderate, pro-Western country. It then became a Soviet ally. North Yemen, on the other hand, remained in the hands of the Darwinist and materialist dictator Ahmad bin Yahya until 1962. He imposed heavy taxes on the tribes of the country, and kept a few prominent members of each one as hostages in the palace in order to keep the tribes under control or prevent any potential tribal revolts. He even took these people along on foreign visits.
 

THE PAHLAVI DYNASTY AIMED TO ESTABLISH A DARWINIST SOCIETY IN IRAN 

7. IRAN: The Pahlavi Dynasty

Reza Shah Pahlavi overthrew the Iranian Soviet Socialist republic, established in 1920 with support from the Bolsheviks, with the help of the British and of guerrillas who had been trained in Russia, and became commander in chief of the army. In 1925 he declared himself Shah and founded the Pahlavi dynasty. Muslims encountered severe pressure throughout the time of Reza Shah Pahlavi, who saw it as his main aim to protect British interests in Iran. Islamic education institutions were closed and Darwinist education imposed instead. Islamic clothing was banned and women were not allowed to cover their heads. The army was restructured by the Europeans. In the early 1960s, the USA replaced the British. Supported by the USA, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi assumed the throne. As Pahlavi’s pressure on Muslims increased, so did popular resistance. Pahlavi’s 65,000-member organization SAVAK [Iran’s security and intelligence secret police] perpetrated enormous slaughter. Protesting students were shot at. Thousands of people lost their lives.

Conclusion:

BY ALLAH’S LEAVE, ISLAM WILL ENTER A GOLDEN AGE WITH THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

Muslim countries were not governed in the light of Islamic moral values in the 20th century. As can be seen from the examples cited throughout this text, their rulers were Darwinists, communists and totalitarians. Their military officers underwent communist training. In other words, even though they were Muslim, there was no difference between them and the Soviet Union or other Eastern Bloc countries. The reason why the region has remained backward is not Islam, as Darwinist, materialist circles have attempted to suggest for so many years, but the fact that due to this communist mindset people did not live according to the moral values of Islam. The ruling class in the Arab world and the people in general have only just started to be freed from the influence of this Darwinist and communist education. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s taking on the Palestinian problem and protecting the Palestinian people as shown at the Davos summit, followed by the way the Arab world expressed its longing for the Ottoman Empire and Islamic moral values are manifest examples of this. Following the end of the Darwinist rule that lasted for the last 150 years and the refutation of all its claims, a huge re-awakening of faith has begun in the Arab world, as in the rest of the world. Adnan Oktar’s Atlas of Creation, the giant work that reveals the fraudulent nature and invalidity of Darwinism, thus neutralizing it, and his other works that have been downloaded millions of times, have made a major contribution to this.

This awakening in the Islamic world, that began with the collapse of Darwinism and the Darwinist dictatorship in the 21^st century, will, by Allah’s leave, result in the Turkish-Islamic Union. When the time ordained by Allah comes, Islamic moral values will rule the world and Islam will embark on the Golden Age, for so long awaited in the light of the hadiths of the Prophet (saas).

When Allah’s help and victory have arrived and you have seen people entering Allah’s religion in droves, then glorify your Lord’s praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning. (Surat an-Nasr, 1-3)

The Ideologues of Arab Communism   • Arab socialism was developed under the influence of such 19th century Darwinist and materialist philosophers as the German Johann Fichte and Auguste Comte of France.  • Michel Aflaq, regarded as the founder of Arab communism, was Syrian. His mother was Jewish and his father Christian. He received a Marxist education in France, followed by studies in the 1930s at the Sorbonne, the bastion of Darwinism and communism. The first constitution of the Ba’ath Party founded in Syria by Aflaq in 1943 was drafted by him, based on Marxist and anti-religious ideas. The word “religion” did not even appear in the constitution. [i] In 1953 the party merged with the Arab Socialist Movement, becoming the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party. The party was established on Darwinist, Marxist and socialist principles. It was later organized in all Arab countries, especially Lebanon, Jordan, South Yemen, Iraq and Libya. It operated secretly in some countries and openly in others. He served as minister of education in Syria. After Syria, Aflaq sought sanctuary in Iraq, being the one who found and raised Saddam Hussein in ideological terms, and who brought him to power. He was also a founder of the Iraq Ba’ath Party and one of the regime’s ideologues. He continued as deputy president of the Iraq Ba’ath Party until his death in 1989. After his death, Saddam Hussein announced him as a Muslim and had a tomb built for him. But the new Iraqi administration pulled the tomb down.  • Ali Salih al-Sa’di was an Iraq Ba’ath Party ideologue and took the party down a communist, Stalinist path.  • Zaki al-Arsuzi, a Syrian Ba’ath Party ideologue and founder, studied in the Department of Philosophy in the Sorbonne. Ideologues such as Sati’ al-Husri were also under the influence of the Nazi-German racism of the time.  [i] Sosyal Bilimler Ansiklopedisi [Social Sciences Encyclopedia], Risale Publications: 1/111-112.

Statements by Mr. Adnan Oktar Regarding the Darwinist, Materialist Intellectual System That Took over in Arab Countries  “In time they extended their tentacles into all Islamic countries, like an octopus. [For example,] Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt. Egypt came under the control of communists. Iraq fell into the hands of Stalinists, thanks to Saddam. Syria was also in Stalinist hands through Hafez al-Assad. Yemen also fell into communist hands. Palestine was already a school for communists, it was the communists’ training camp. They spread Darwinism to the whole Islamic world. That is what the tradition says: Seventy thousand turbaned religious scholars will follow the Dajjal [the Antichrist]. In other words, they will be communists, Darwinists and materialists, and will cunningly lead Muslims toward lack of religion and lack of faith. That is what the hadith implies. This also implies communist religious scholars.” (From a live interview with Adnan Oktar on 22 March, 2009, for Kanal 67)

”SEVENTY THOUSAND SCHOLARS WITH TURBANS FROM MY COMMUNITY WILL FOLLOW THE DAJJAL.” 
(Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, p. 796)
1 Robert M. Young, Darwinian Evolution and Human History, Historical Studies on Science and Belief, 1980
2 Alan Woods and Ted Grant, "Marxism and Darwinism", Reason in Revolt: Marxism and Modern Science, London, 1993
3 Alex de Jonge, Stalin and the Shaping of the Soviet Union, William Collins Sons & Limited Co., Glasgow, 1987, p. 22
4 Mehnert, Kampf um Mao's Erbe, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1977 

Darwinist Corruption in Arab Countries

What does “Arab socialism mean”?
How did Social Darwinism lead to the formation and spread of Arab socialism?
How did this ideology, which led to the deaths of millions of innocent people, infiltrate into Arab countries?
What destructive effect did the Darwinist Communist intellectual system have on the Arab people?
What does Adnan Oktar have to say on the subject?
In what major developments have Adnan Oktar’s Atlas of Creation, which has had a huge global impact, and his other works read by millions of people, been instrumental, by Allah’s leave?

Communists have always been among the most fervid adherents of Social Darwinism. This relationship between Darwinism and communism goes back to the founders of both “isms.” Marx and Engels, the founders of communism, read Darwin’s Origin of Species as soon as it was published and admired the book’s “dialectical materialist” approach. Correspondence between Marx and Engels shows that they both considered Darwin’s theory to be “the foundation of communism in terms of the natural sciences.” Indeed, in his book Dialectics of Nature, written under the influence of Darwin, Engels praised Darwin and tried, in his own eyes, to make a contribution to the theory of evolution in the chapter “The Part Played by Labor in the Transition from Ape to Man.”

All the Russian communists who followed Marx and Engels' path, such as Plekhanov, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, adopted Darwin’s theory of evolution. Plekhanov, regarded as the founder of Russian communism, is famous for regarding Marxism as "Darwinism in its application to social science." 

Trotsky declared that “Darwin's discovery is the highest triumph of the dialectic in the whole field of organic matter.” ²

“Darwinist education” played a major role in the formation of the communist cadres. It is a fact confirmed by historians, for instance, historians note the fact that Stalin was religious in his youth, but became an atheist because of Darwin's books. ³

Mao, who slaughtered millions of people, openly described the philosophical basis of the order he established as "Chinese socialism is founded upon Darwin and the theory of evolution." ⁴
In short, there is an insoluble bond between the theory of evolution and communism. The theory of evolution maintains that living things are the work of chance, and it also provided a supposed scientific justification for atheism. That is why communism, a totally atheist ideology, is inescapably bound to Darwinism. The fact that communism, based on Darwinist materialist thinking, slaughtered millions of people in Arab countries alone throughout the 20^th century, gives one a better idea of the disasters Darwinism has inflicted on the world.

The Good News with Unity

This book was written in the summer of 2003. It would have been very difficult to speak about a Turkish Islamic Union 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago, because neither the world in general nor the Islamic world in particular fulfilled the necessary criteria for forming such a union. To the contrary, many conditions would have prevented it. However, after a series of changes from 1980 onward, the idea of such a union was no longer unrealistic. Let's examine these changes one by one.

Muslims Have Become Freer

The last "Turkish Islamic Union" was the great Ottoman Empire. Since its collapse, the Islamic world has been divided into many nation states that remained, some for a prolonged period of time, under colonial rule. From 1920 onward, most of the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Muslims of Southeast Asia came under the rule of European colonial powers, in particular France and Britain. Muslims of Central Asia and the Caucasus first fell under the rule of the Russians and later on, and even worse, the Soviets. The Balkan Muslims came under the rule of such non-Muslim people as the Serbs and Croatians, whose rulers, after the Second World War, accepted communism.

In short, the majority of Muslims lived under colonial rule. With the end of colonialism in the 1950s and 1960s, Muslims began to achieve their independence. Britain first withdrew from the Indian subcontinent and then the Middle East. In the Indian subcontinent, India, West and East Pakistan (later to become Bangladesh), were created. In the Middle East, the various Arab nations gained their independence. In Southeast, Malaysia and Indonesia declared their independence in 1965.

At the end of the 1980^s the Eastern Bloc disintegrated, and in 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and many Muslim peoples won their independence. In Central Asia, the Muslim Turkish nations finally rid themselves of Russian/Soviet rule after 150 years and became independent republics. The end of communism also freed the Balkan Muslims. Bosnia-Herzegovina was freed from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia and emerged as a Muslim nation in central Europe, and Albania was freed from Enver Hoxha's oppressive and blood-thirsty communist regime.

Except for Muslims living as minorities in various countries or under occupation (e.g., Palestine and Kashmir), Muslims now rule themselves. This great political change made it possible to speak of a Turkish Islamic Union.

Irreligious Ideologies Are Losing Their Effect

Even though Muslim nations became independent from the 1950^s onward, this did not necessarily mean that they had gained awareness. To the contrary, in some of these Islamic countries, ideologies opposing the central tenets of Islam became dominant. One example is Arab socialism, which deeply affected the Arab world in the 1950^s-1960^s. Suddenly, militant Arab nationalism that was incompatible with Islam's morality and based upon Marxist methods and rhetoric became prominent. Although, it receded almost as quickly as it had appeared, it wasted time and caused tension.

Apart from that, Muslim nations were scattered between extremes and were divided into two main camps dominated by America and the Soviet Union. Nevermind moving together, they were almost equally divided between these two poles. Most Arab countries were close to the Soviet Union. "Muslim" Egypt saw no problem in siding with India during its war with Muslim Pakistan. It only became possible to define the Islamic world as such in terms of politics, strategy, and culture after the cold war ended, when the "Islamic world" began to play an important role.

During the twentieth century, major changes took place in the Islamic world: In 1950s and 1960s, many Muslim countries became independent, and in the 1990s, communism collapsed, which enabled most Muslims living under its system to achieve a better and more comfortable life.

The process of cleansing the Islamic world from the remnants of the cold war era still continues. The developments taking place alongside this suggest that a more democratic and compassionate climate is taking shape, one that will create a more conducive atmosphere for a better understanding, telling, and practicing of the Qur'an's values. Traditional intra-Muslim differences are softening with recent developments in the Middle East, such as Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ahs praying together in the same mosque for the first time in history.

Civilization Becomes Importan in International Relations

The end of the cold war ended the "compulsory" division of Muslims into two opposing political camps. Civilizations, instead of political ideologies, have begun to gain ground. As Samuel Huntington said, people were no longer defined by the question of "which side are you on?" but of "who are you?"⁵³ For many people, spread out from the Balkans to Central Asia, and from the Far East to Africa, who previously had identified themselves as "socialist," "Yugoslav," "Soviet," "anti-communist," or "nationalist," it became more important to determine which civilization they represented.

Huntington's "clash of civilizations" theory, which expresses this fact, is important in this regard. Huntington predicted that the twenty-first century would be defined by civilizations, rather than nation states or political groupings, and that the dominating identity would be the "civilization" identity. And, he was right. He also correctly predicted that these civilizations would be based upon religion. However, he was wrong to suggest that conflict would determine the relationship between civilizations, for it is more likely that this relationship will be based upon friendship and cooperation. To make this happen, all that Huntington and others who think like him must do is to abandon the biased Social Darwinist worldview that misdirects them.

The end of the cold war is not the only reason for the world to be defined in terms of civilizations. Another important reason is the fall of atheism and the rise of religion. These developments are closely associated with the beginning of the collapse of the materialist philosophies, due to new social and scientific discoveries that are disproving them, that have had a cultural monopoly over the world for the past two centuries. In particular, scientific developments are eroding the roots of materialism, and this enables people to see the evidence for Allah's existence more clearly. At a time in which belief in Allah is gaining momentum and people are turning anew to religious morality, faith in Islam is also growing rapidly.

Everyone Is Talking About Islam

Another noticeable development is the universal recognition of the fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Furthermore, Islam is the most important subject of current affairs. The situation of perhaps 30 or 40 years ago was altogether different. The world was thinking within the cold war's narrow ideological framework and many people believed, due to the materialistic worldview's influence, that religious morality could not be a defining factor in the lives of people and communities. But at the beginning of the 1980s, Islam suddenly became the most talked about subject on the planet, and the West realized that Islam's morality was a great power that could set people as well as nations in motion.

In the 1990^s, the West's interest in Islam increased further, as indicated, in part, by the rise in the number of articles on Islam appearing in the media. The greatest interest in Islam came after 9/11, a tragedy that was totally contrary to Islam's morality. Westerners, in particular Americans, began to make great efforts to understand and know Islam closely. Currently, researchers and members of the media are very interested in Islam. Even though some of this research is biased, it is drawing the world's attention to Islam and causing many more people to look at its morality. (For further information, please see Harun Yahya, The Rise of Islam [Kuala Lumpur: A. S. Noordeen, 2003].)

Increasing Global Dialogue and Solidarity between Muslims

Islam is the most rapidly spreading religion in the world. Many people in the West are making an effort to learn about its morality and frankly express the admiration and interest they feel for Islam. (Blair: Koran inspired me)

Another important development that cleared the way for the Turkish Islamic Union is globalization, a process that began in the 1980^s and gained momentum in the 1990^s with the advancements in communications technology, in particular the Internet. Some Muslims view globalization as the carrier of Western culture, and thus consider it to be a negative development. In reality, however, this process enables the whole world to enter into an intense cultural dialogue with itself in a common language. Globalization also makes it easier for Muslims to access information and increase their cooperation and dialogue with each other to previously unseen levels. In effect, globalization has been an important catalyst for the Islamic world's ongoing enlightenment.

The Internet, an important gift to all of humanity, demonstrates the vast growth in dialogue between Muslims. Thanks to it, joint efforts expanded and the possibility of accessing information increased and diversified. As a result, whole new generations that think, read, develop ideas, and produce solutions were born across the world. Dr. Farish A. Noor, a Malaysian political scientist who teaches at Freie University of Berlin as visiting professor, says the following about globalization's effect on the Islamic world:

As a result of improving communications technology and facilitating the freeflow of information and knowledge, Muslims are now free (or freer) to go directly to the core of Islamic learning itself: The major texts, narratives and ideas of Islamic thought are no longer confined to rare books stored in remote libraries…

One of the consequences of this breakdown of traditional hierarchies and rigid educational structures is the creation of new Islamically-conscious and educated constituencies. Access to Islamic texts and knowledge has meant that Muslim women and lay Muslims are also allowed to learn, discuss and comment more about Islam. This is happening all over the Muslim world thanks to the creation of global Islamist networks...⁵⁴

To use Noor's terminology, "these are glimpses of a Muslim world where time and space no longer serve as barriers."⁵⁵ 

Both the Internet and the global media unite the world's Muslims. An event in one Islamic nation can be watched in all others at once, and thus becomes an issue for Muslims everywhere. All of these means demonstrate that the Islamic world can look forward to a much brighter future.

Westerners' Search for the Ottomans

As we have been stressing from the onset, creating the Turkish Islamic Union will benefit Muslims and non-Muslims alike and will have a just, democratic, and progressive nature. After its formation, other civilizations, especially the West, will be dealing with a stable and trustworthy authority with which they will be able to have friendly and peaceful relations. As the Turkish Islamic Union will be responsible for preventing and curing the radical elements that appear in the name of Muslims, the West will have no cause for such worries.

Daily Turkiye, 3.12.2002 (The truth on which the world is agreed... THE OTTOMANS LEFT AND PEACE CAME TO AN END) The New York Times wrote that the fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire lay at the root of most of the international problems and conflicts. Daily Milliyet, 28.4.2003 (The Guardian: As the Ottomans Left, the Problems Began)

One sign that foretells this union's arrival is its necessity, which the West recognizes. A power vacuum on old Ottoman soil has been diagnosed, and the idea that setting up a similar system could cure the problem is finding a growing audience. As history shows, the Ottoman Empire brought peace and stability to this area. And, based upon this success, applying the Ottoman model to this troubled area will go a long way toward solving its current problems and unrest. For example, in his article, entitled "A World Still Haunted by Ottoman Ghosts" The New York Times (March 9, 2003), David Fromkin begins by saying that "A ghost has been haunting the United States. It is the specter of the Ottoman Empire" and continues:

Today, the more ambitious spirits in the Bush administration propose not merely to invade Iraq, but to use it as a base for transforming the Arab Middle East. Once before in modern times, Western countries—England and France—set about remaking these Ottoman lands. After emerging victorious from World War I, they redrew the map of the Middle East. Iraq was one of the artificial states to emerge.

After World War I, Britain and France, by defeating the Ottoman Empire, won control of the Arab lands, and with it, a tantalizing bauble: the likelihood that vast deposits of oil might be found there.

The Europeans and their American business partners hoped to establish stable and friendly regimes. After they redrew the borders in the early 1920's, Britain and France introduced a state system, and sought to supply political guidance too. But the system did not endure. Instead, the area grew more turbulent and unsettled.

Looking back, it is clear that many characteristics of the Middle East, some of which President Bush would like to change, were shaped by the five centuries of Ottoman rule.⁵⁶

Daily Ortadogu, 4.12.2002 THEY WISH THE OTTOMANS WERE BACK The fact that present day wars in many countries, from the Caucasus to the Balkans and the Middle East, began with the end of Ottoman rule is on foreigners' agendas. Daily Yeni Safak, 18.12.2001 (THE OTTOMANS LEFT AND PEACE CAME TO AN END)

Daily Bugun, 17.09.2009 (TURKEY AND SYRIA HAVE LIFTED THE VISA REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN THEM) Daily Zaman , 20.09.2009 (EVERY DAY IS NOW A HOLIDAY ON THE SYRIAN BORDER!) Daily Star , 24.072009 (A GIANT UNION IN THE MIDDLE EAST) Daily Bugun , 18.09.2009 (BASRA AND EDIRNE WILL BE LINKED TOGETHER)

Daily Milli Gazete, 6.06.2008 (BEFORE ALL ELSE, TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION) Daily Zaman , 20.09.2009 (EVERY DAY IS NOW A HOLIDAY ON THE SYRIAN BORDER!) Daily Star , 24.07.2009 (A GIANT UNION IN THE MIDDLE EAST) Daily Bugun, 18.09.2009 (BASRA AND EDIRNE WILL BE LINKED TOGETHER)

British journalist Timothy Garton Ash expressed similar views in an article published in The Guardian (March 27, 2003). Ash, dealing with the problems of Albanians in Kosovo and the Kurds in northern Iraq, says "in both cases, we are still wrestling, nearly a century later, with the legacy of the Ottoman empire," and concludes:

Let's face it: when this bleedin' war is over, we'll be back in 1918, confronting many of the same questions in the same places that our grandparents wrestled with, from the Balkans to the Middle East. And we still don't have answers. Sometimes I think we should reinvent the Ottoman empire.⁵⁷

It is obvious that at a time when even the West is discussing how to reinvent the Ottoman Empire, Muslims should give it serious consideration. The developments taking place since the beginning of the fifteenth century Hijri show that Muslims are at a historic crossroad. We all must be worthy of this responsibility.

We Are Making Step by Step Progress toward the Turkish-Islamic Union

There has been an apparent acceleration toward the formation of the Turkish-Islamic Union since this book was first published. The active role in foreign policy and fine results obtained by Turkey have confirmed that it must be the leader of the Turkish-Islamic world, while major steps have also been taken within the Turkish-Islamic world. These major advances include the acceleration toward the establishment of an Islamic Common Market, Syrian officials raising the question of lifting the border between Syria and Turkey, Iraqi leaders calling for unification with Turkey, the peoples of many Turkish-Islamic countries saying "We want the Turkish-Islamic Union," historic developments between Armenia and Turkey and the raising of the question of opening the border, headlines referring to the need of the world for a new Ottoman Empire, increased economic and cultural collaboration between Muslim countries, and a large number of reports in the foreign press referring to the need for Turkey as leader.

These developments will gather pace in the future, and the world will soon witness the foundation of the Turkish-Islamic Union.

Daily Turkiye,, 20.10.2008 (THE BALKANS ARE LONGING FOR THE OTTOMANS )

(above) Daily Yeni Asya, 27.04.2009 (TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT COUNTRY) (below) Daily Milliyet, 17.02.2009 (WE APPRECIATE TURKEY'S LEADERSHIP)

Muslims and the People of the Book

Allah calls to the Abode of Peace and He guides whom He wills to a straight path. (Surah Yunus: 25)

In the Qur'an, Allah calls Jews and Christians the "People of the Book" and reveals in detail how the Muslims should interact with them. From the birth of Islam onward, compassion and mutual understanding between Muslims and the People of the Book have usually been very good, for even though their holy books and some of their beliefs have been tampered with, they still have many moral values and concepts based upon Divine revelation. In the Qur'an, Allah encourages respectful and civilized conduct between Muslims and the People of the Book. For example, Muslims can eat their food and vice versa, and Muslim men can marry their women (Surat al-Ma'ida: 5). These rules show that it is possible for individuals belonging to these three religious communities to have friendly and neighborly relations, bond as relatives, and accept each other's invitations to share a meal.

Our Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), was always just and compassionate to Jews and Christians and sought to establish an atmosphere of mutual compassion and love among all members of these Divinely revealed religions. During his lifetime, he made agreements and gave assurances that the Christians and Jews could practice their religions freely and continue their existence in autonomous communities. In the early years of Islam, some of the Muslims who had endured Meccan oppression and cruelty sought refuge with Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia, with the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) blessing. On the other hand, the believers who migrated to Madinah with him developed a model of coexistence that became an example for all succeeding generations. In the period of Islam's growth, this entered history as an example of Muslim compassion and justice toward Jews and Christians.

For instance, the text of an agreement dictated by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and written down by the Christian Ibn Harris b. Ka'b and his fellow Christians stated: "The religion, churches, lives, chastity and goods of all Christians living in the East and the West are under the protection of Allah, the Prophet and all believers. None of those living by Christianity will be forced to turn to Islam. If any Christian is subjected to any killing or injustice, Muslims must help him."³⁴And then read this verse from the Qur'an: "Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way, saying, 'We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 46)

Numerous accounts relate that our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) attended Jewish and Christian wedding receptions, visited their sick, and hosted them generously. When the Christians of Najran visited him, he spread out his cloak and asked them to be seated thereon. His marriage to the Egyptian Christian Maria is an example of this mentality. Following his death, the good treatment accorded to the People of the Book had at its heart the same compassion that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had shown toward these two communities throughout his life.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. ADNAN OKTAR BY THE GULF TODAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 2008 Adnan Oktar: The people of Israel are descended from the prophets, they are the children of our own prophets. They follow the law of the Prophet Moses (pbuh), and they have brought that law, that faith, right down to the present day. It is therefore irrational and incompatible with good conscience to try to deprive these immaculate people of their state and nation, to seek to exile them or refuse them the right to life.Muslims are affectionate and compassionate and full of love. They are our brothers, of course, and have the right to live. They are first-class people, who live as they choose, trade and engage in art and science in the region. So why should they be exiled or troubled or deprived of the right to peaceful life? No reasonable person could accept that. Nor do I accept it. Of course they must live in peace and happiness, and have their security guaranteed. They will live in plenty and abundance in the Turkish-Islamic Union. The commandment of the Qur'an is crystal clear, as are the Sunnah and practices of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The people of the Book were perfectly at ease in the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The people of Israel were perfectly at ease. They were living in Jerusalem then, in the region that is Israel. They were happy and wealthy. Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) treated them with love and affection. One can marry Jewish girls, eat meat they have prepared, sit down at their tables, visit their homes and be friends with them, and that was what happened in the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and is his Sunnah. The same applies to Christians. As you know, one of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wives was a Christian. She is our mother, whom we recall with love and respect. I am not only talking about Judaism here. The same goes for Christians. They are also people with the right to live in happiness and peace, with the right to comfortable lives, with the right to live in wealth and abundance, and we must see they enjoy and rejoice in it.

Muslims Treated the People of the Book with Compassion and Justice

Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way-except in the ease of those of them who do wrong-saying, "We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him." (Surat al-Ankabut: 46)

Christianity was born on Palestinian soil but spread towards present-day Syria and Iraq because of the Christian church's oppressive rule. When our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) began to teach Islam, there were many Jewish and Christian communities in southern Arabia. Therefore, from the very beginning of Islam, Muslims, Jews, and Christians maintained a dialogue.

With the spread and strengthening of Islam, the region's Jews and Christians came under Muslim rule. Relations based upon compassion and mutual understanding continued, and various agreements made at the time of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) granted the Jewish and Christian communities certain privileges that guaranteed their rights and existence. The privileges granted to the monks of the St. Catherine Monastery at Mt. Sinai are examples of this. These documents guaranteed the legal, religious, and social rights of those Jews and Christians who came under Muslim rule or acknowledged Islam's sovereignty. Problems were resolved by referring to these documents. For example, the history books mention that the Christians in Damascus presented the documents recording their privileges to Caliph Umar when they encountered a problem and asked him to resolve the issue accordingly.³⁵ 

The caliphs who succeeded the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) practiced Allah's justice according to the prophetic Sunnah. In the conquered lands, both the native population and the new arrivals lived in peace and security. For example, Abu Bakr, the first caliph, gave the following command to his army before sending them toward Syria:

Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules to keep by heart: Do not commit treachery nor depart from the right path. You must not mutilate, nor kill a child or an aged man or woman. Do not destroy a palm tree, nor burn it with fire, and do not cut any fruitful tree. You must not slay any of the flocks or herds or camels, save for your subsistence. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them to that to which they have devoted their lives. You are likely, likewise, to find people who will present to you meals of many kinds. You may eat, but do no forget to mention the name of Allah.³⁶

The rapid growth of Islam brought Byzantine-ruled Syria and Egypt, as well as Sassanid-ruled Iraq, under Muslim rule. Each of these regions had large Christian populations. These Jews and Christians witnessed first hand the Muslims' justice and compassion. None of them were asked or pressured to change their religions or traditions. No practice or intervention that would have altered the existing social order or unsettled them was permitted. Various Christian sects that were being oppressed by Rome or Byzantium actually preferred Muslim rule. The Western historian Phillip K. Hitti writes:

Under the stimulus of Islam, the East now awoke and reasserted itself after a millennium of Western domination. Moreover, the tribute exacted by the new conquerors [Muslims] was even less than that exacted by the old, and the conquered could now pursue their religious practices with more freedom and less interference.³⁷

According to Princeton scholar and author Samuel Moffet:

Under the patriarchal caliphs and all through the turbulent years of the civil wars, apart from the killings and horrors to be expected in any war, treatment of Christians in the [Muslim] conquered territories of Persia and Byzantine Syria proved to be remarkably generous.³⁸

You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to heedfulness. Fear Allah. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 8) Allah commands you to return to their owners the things you hold on trust and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. How excellent is what Allah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (Surat an-Nisa': 58)

When examining their social and religious lives under Islamic rule, the following picture emerges:

On Islamic territory, true freedom of religion existed. No one was forced to change his or her religion, and communities that rebelled and came back later under the authority of Islam were given the same rights as before. The Islamic authority, save for a few exceptions, never intervened in the election of patriarchs or the appointment of religious authority, and guaranteed not to intervene by signing various agreements. These communities continued to speak their own languages in their private lives as well as in their religious lives. For instance, the Nestorians who left the Byzantine church chose to leave their Greek language also for the Suryani (Assyrian) language, and were free to do so. In the Christian and Jewish schools, religious education continued freely, and monasteries and other institutions that educated the community's future religious leaders preserved their autonomous status. Likewise, the sanctuaries of other religious denominations were protected by the Muslim authorities. During the conquest, places of worship were never harmed, for synagogues and churches were guaranteed protection by agreements made with the People of the Book from the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

... There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite Allah's Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doign good. They are among the righteous. (Surah Al 'Imran: 113-114) People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of the Book that you have kept concealed, and passing over a lot. A Light has come to you from Allah and a clear Book. By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of Peace... (Surat an-Nisa': 15-16)

In agreements dating back to the initial period of Islam, clauses allowed Muslims to stay in monasteries while traveling. This shows that Muslims sought to develop a dialogue based on mutual respect with the People of the Book. Moreover, these communities were also permitted to rebuild derelict churches or build new synagogues and churches when they wished. For instance, the St. Sergius monastery outside Madain was destroyed by Patriarch Mar Emme (644-647 ce) but rebuilt at the time of caliph Uthman. Many such examples can be cited: Uqba, the governor of Egypt, helped build a monastery for the Nestorians; during Mu'awiya's reign a church in Edessa was renovated, and the Marcos church was commissioned in Alexandria. The fact that churches and synagogues in Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq still remain is an indicator of the Muslim's respect for other Divinely revealed religions. Another example of Muslim compassion is the Monastery of Mt. Sinai, one of Christianity's important pilgrimage sites.

Şüphesiz Allah, size emanetleri ehline (sahiplerine) teslim etmenizi ve insanlar arasında hükmettiğinizde adaletle hükmetmenizi emrediyor. Bununla Allah, size ne güzel öğüt veriyor!... (Nisa Suresi, 58)

The source of the Muslim's compassion is the Qur'an's morality, which says:

… if Allah had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where Allah's name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. Allah will certainly help those who help Him … (Surat al-Hajj: 40)

The People of the Book were free to celebrate their festivities as part of their religious tradition in their places of worship as they wished, and Muslim leaders often joined these celebrations. The Nestorian Patriarch Isho'yab III (650-60 ce) wrote a letter to the Bishop of Persia following the Muslim conquest that voices the Muslim leadership's compassion toward the People of the Book from a Christian perspective:

The Arabs to whom God has given at this time the government of the world … do not persecute the Christian religion. Indeed, they favour it, honour our priests and the saints of the Lord and confer benefits on churches and monasteries.³⁹

Besides these freedoms and respect, the justice and fairness with which these non-Muslim communities were treated is remarkable too. The Muslim leaders' sense of justice was renowned, and many Christians brought their cases to the Islamic courts even though they had their own courts. At one time, the number of Christians using Islamic courts reached such high numbers that the Nestorian patriarch Mar Timothee I (780-825 ce) issued a declaration warning Christians.

The People of the Book living in Muslim-ruled lands were not considered captives, but dhimmis, which gave them a legal status: non-Muslim people who recognized Muslim authority paid a jizya tax. In return, their lives and property were protected, they enjoyed freedom of thought and religion, were exempted from military service, and allowed to resolve their internal affairs by their own laws. From time to time, the jizya tax was even returned to them. A majority of historians recognize the fact that the dhimmis lived under a compassionate and just system. The renowned historian Bernard Lewis states:

But by and large their [dhimmi's] position was infinitely superior to that of those communities who differed from the established church in western Europe in the same period. They enjoyed the free exercise of their religion. …⁴⁰

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. ADNAN OKTAR BY AKHABER, NOVEMBER 2nd, 2008  Adnan Oktar: The Turkish-Islamic Union I am talking about is based on love, and has nothing to do with racism or pretensions to greatness. It is Allah Who is great, and we are merely His servants. It is a concept that embraces all nations, protects and watches over them, includes Christians and Jews and is eager to welcome them into the Turkish-Islamic Union. That is not how it was before. There was the idea of Turkish Union, which included some skull measuring idea. It could be interpreted as [Turks] being the greatest and strongest race, and other races were therefore nothing. But there is no such thing. Allah creates all races. They are all our brothers. Russia will be revived in the Turkish-Islamic Union. We want Armenia to join. We want Georgia to join, and we even want Israel to be included in it. We have many Turkish brothers from among the Karaite Jews. Even if they are not Turkish, they are the children of the Prophets Moses and Abraham (peace be upon them both), descended from the prophets. We will embrace them all, insha'Allah. Just so long as they love Allah with great fervor, pay attention to what is lawful and forbidden, and continue to respect the prophets and the angels. There can be no division or separation among us as long as they do that, insha'Allah.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. ADNAN OKTAR BY AZERBAIJAN AZERNEWS, OCTOBER 23rd, 2008 Adnan Oktar: Of course Turkey will be a Great Turkey, that is for certain. I underline that, not 99% but 100%. Turkey will be the leader of the Turkish-Islamic world. The whole world will see this in 10 to 20 years. I am here, you are here, everyone is here. This is very clear, by the will of Allah. There is no other alternative to this. This is the destiny of humanity, insha'Allah. That is how it will be. There is already Turkish predominance in the Islamic world. Turkic countries are mainly Muslim. But within Islam, Christianity and Judaism are seen as brother faiths. They are regarded as the People of the Book and regarded with love. They are also a part of the Turkish-Islamic Union. Israel, for example, is also a part of the Turkish-Islamic Union because Judaism is an old Islamic faith. But after Islam came, Islam has become the real, true faith, of course. Thus the former has been annulled. The faith brought by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the valid faith now. But their abiding by that law and by that faith is accepted by the Qur'an. Allah tells us of the People of the Book, that there will be People of the Book. We invite them to Islam, but they are in any case the People of the Book even if they are not Muslims. That is the law. That is because they are loyal to the law of the Prophet Moses (pbuh), and continue with it. Christianity is loyal to the faith of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and they continue as a community loyal to him. We call them the People of the Book. One can marry them, Muslims can take their daughters as wives. One can eat their food, eat animals they have slaughtered. You can eat meat prepared by Jews. You can eat their food, go and eat in their homes. One can be their guest, talk with them, and you can go and stay in their homes, and they in yours. What does this mean? It means an air of close brotherhood and friendship. What does what I am describing mean, for someone to get married, take someone into his home, live with her as his wife for years and combine their lives together? It is a bond of close friendship and brotherhood. Christians are also a part of the Turkish-Islamic Union. Any Christian country bordering an Islamic country can join the Turkish-Islamic Union if it so wishes. They can be invited to join, and join with no difficulty if they accept. And they will be welcomed with joy. Therefore, Turkey will be the leader of the Muslims and Christians and Jews. It is and will be the leader. And it will offer them all peace, security and justice.

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "On the Day of Judgment I will dispute with anyone who oppresses a person from among the People of the Covenant [i.e., a Dhimmi], or infringes on his right, or puts a responsibility on him which is beyond his strength, or takes something from him against his will,"⁴¹ thereby describing the correct attitude toward dhimmis. In line with this morality, Muslims considered it one of their important responsibilities to protect the non-Muslims under their authority. During a war with the Byzantine army, our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ordered that the tax collected from non-Muslims be returned, for the Muslim army was unable to protect them.⁴² This is the type of morality that he taught Muslims. Another good example of compassion and consideration is Umar's words to an old dhimmi woman: "By Allah, we would not be fair if we take from him when he is young and disgrace him when he is old."⁴³ Taking the jizya only from non-Muslims is not unjust, because Muslims had to serve in the army; non-Muslims were exempt from military service.

… Each one believes in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers. They say, "We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord! You are our journey's end." (Surat al-Baqara: 285) Şüphesiz, Kitap Ehlinden, Allah'a; size indirilene ve kendilerine indirilene -Allah'a derin saygı gösterenler olarak- inananlar vardır. Onlar Allah'ın ayetlerine karşılık olarak az bir değeri satın almazlar. İşte bunların Rableri Katında ecirleri vardır... (Al-i İmran Suresi, 199)

For centuries, Muslims lived side by side with Jews and Christians in peace and security. Those Jews and Christians who lived in Muslim-ruled lands engaged in free trade and acquired property, chose their desired profession, held offices in the state bureaucracy, and even worked in the ruler's palace. They benefited from the official policy of freedom of thought, were part of their society's scientific and cultural life, and wrote books that we still have today. The exercise of their rights was not challenged or prevented. Considering that at the same time in Europe people belonging to other religions or non-Orthodox sects were cast out, persecuted, and killed, and books that published different views were burned in piles, the freedoms and peace that reigned in the Islamic world becomes even more significant.

All of these practices are requirements of the Qur'an's morality prescribed for Muslims. Peace and security were the norms in the lands administered by Muslims practicing this morality. Muslim administrations sought the people's happiness and prosperity and developed systems that set the standards for generations to come. The Islamic world of today needs to return to the Qur'an's morality and our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) path.

All of these historic facts point to another important matter: Remodeling the Islamic world according to the Qur'an's values is not only important for Muslims, but also for all members of other religious denominations living here as well as for members of all civilizations, especially those living in the West. The existence of strong nations based on the Qur'an's values will remove the West's concerns about the Islamic world and become one of the cornerstones of world peace.