A Moderate Muslim from Indonesia . . .

Suara Merdeka Cyber News printed a story about a supposed communist threat to Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The story was translated into English and reprinted in IndonesiaMatters.com).

In sum: Muntasir Hamid, the head of the Banda Aceh parliament, said that "communists, or communist tendencies, are about to enter Aceh, or are already in the process of doing so." Therefore,

clerics, village heads, important figures, and Islamic school teachers, would take an active role in heading off the danger and would keep a lookout for any signs of foreign influence, like communism. Aceh was increasingly a focus of world attention, he went on, and the readiness to deal with communism had to be increased.

Hamid hoped that sharia law would provide a solid foundation for the people’s lives and, for example, help them to overcome the communist tendency problem.

Several people commented on the story. One expressed the idea that both communism and democracy are "ideal" but either inapplicable or unworkable in the real world. Still, "There is nothing wrong with being idealistic, [is there]? . . . [And t]here is nothing wrong to try, [is there]?"

I was stunned by how someone who goes by the name Mohammed Khafi replies:

In principle Sharia is also good as a system of both Law and Government, but the implementation is so corrupted by ancient Arab traditions, and the lies and fabrications of Sunnah and Hadith that it is actually a mockery of Allah’s true spirit and principles in Al Quran.

An uncorrupted example of Sharia in application is the treaty signed between Prophet Mohammed and the Monks of St Catherines Monastery in Sinai, it reads:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

This document still exists in the monastery to this day.

Another example is to the Najran code of Conduct which The Prophet issued to his followers.

In the year 10 A.H. (631 CE), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) received a delegation of sixty Christians from Najran in Medinah. The territory of Najran was located south of Bani Khath’am near Yemen, about 450 miles south of Medinah. They were received in the Prophet’s mosque, and the Prophet allowed them to pray in the mosque, which they did facing East. This group of Christians followed Byzantine rite.

In spite of doctrinal disagreements, the Prophet concluded a treaty with the people of Najran. The Prophet dictated the terms of the treaty to Abdullah b. Abu Bakr, who served as one of his scribes, and it was witnessed by five companions whose names are: Abu Sufyan b. Harb, Ghilan b. Amr, Malik b. Auf, Aqra’ b. Habis, and Mughira b. Shu’ba. The treaty provided religious and administrative autonomy for non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic State. All sincere Muslim rulers have adhered to the founding principles of this treaty in managing the affairs of non-Muslim subjects throughout the centuries.

The text of the Code of Conduct:

To the Christians of Najran and its neighbouring territories, the security of God and the pledge of Mohammed the Prophet, the Messenger of God, are extended for their lives, their religion, their land, their property — to those thereof who are absent as well as to those who are present — to their caravans, their messengers and their images. The status quo shall be maintained: none of their rights [religious observances] and images shall be changed. No bishop shall be removed from his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a sexton from his church … For what in this instrument is contained they have the security of God, and the pledge of Mohammed, the Prophet forever, until doomsday, so long as they give right counsel [to Moslems] and duly perform their obligations, provided they are not unjustly charged therewith.”

As can be seen even the Defenders of the Islamic Faith in Saudi Arabia do not appear to uphold the Spirit of these documents! What hope is there for their brainwashed followers to be able to do it?

Peace

As I continue my studies of Islam, honestly, these revelations don't shock me. They give me mild hope that a more "moderate" Islam can win over the more radical version. However, I also realize that, according to Robert Spencer (The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad), the problem is not a lack of such references, but the fact that most Muslims believe the accomodationalist verses of the Qur'an and the peaceful activities of Muhammad all occurred early in his career. Later in his career he became far more militant and disinclined to brook any rivals of any sort.