Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
The Pact of Umar was a ‘treaty’ forged during the conquest of Jerusalem more than 1400 years ago, at the
beginning of Islamic history. It contributes to laying down the foundations of coexistence between Muslims and
non-Muslims. In it are answers to most contemporary issues, such as: How do we deal with our enemies who fight
us, how do we treat women and children during times of war, is every means permissible to kill enemies, who use
women and boys as human shield, etc. These questions have been addressed in an enlightened manner by modern
laws and customs with the aim of preserving human values and dignity.
This text is replete with humanitarian profundity and dates back 1,400 years. Even in modern times (especially the
20th century), these values were acknowledged, for example in the Introduction to International Humanitarian
Law, Geneva: International Committee of the Red Cross under the section titled: Islamic Arab history.
“In a conscious look at the long-standing Arab-Islamic heritage, we can see how keen it is to assert egalitarian
traditions by adding to its humane character and urging adherence to them in terms of mutual respect. This is
consistent with the provisions and spirit of international humanitarian law, which protects the rights of combatants
and victims of armed conflict.”
This tradition was evident in the era of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the first Caliph Abu Bakr (may Allah
be pleased with him), and was passed on to the second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, (may Allah be pleased with
him), who laid the foundations of coexistence between Muslims and non-Muslims.
This is exemplified in the incident when the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab when he travelled from Jabiyah in
Damascus to Jerusalem. In accordance with a pact between him and the Christians, he entered Jerusalem and set
up a separate room which he cleaned with his companions and prayed there.
Being the leader of the victorious army, he could have prayed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre but he did not.
When asked why he did not pray inside the church, he answered: “If I had prayed inside the church, I was afraid
Muslims would say, ‘This is where Omar prayed’, and then may try to establish a mosque in its place.” This shows
The Pious Caliph’s great wisdom and commitment to values of tolerance.
We have witnessed the emergence of religious and ideological divisiveness in all its ugliness, which presents a
bleak picture of the Arab world.
While speaking about Islam, we are aware that it is capable of rational interpretation. In spite of several
interpretations of religious texts at present, we believe there is room for re-interpretation in the light of new
knowledge in disciplines of sociology, politics and history through which we could review traditional understanding
of sacred texts, in order to promote the spirit of tolerance and respect for pluralism and human rights.