1. Myths
and Politics: Origin of the Myth of a Tolerant Pluralistic Islamic Society
Lecture
of 31 August 1995 at a Symposium on the Balkan War (Chicago, Illinois)
under the auspices of the Lord Byron Foundation For Balkan Studies and
The International Strategic Studies Association.
Ten years ago when I came to America for the launching of my book The
Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam, I was struck by the inscription
on the Archives Building in Washington: "Past is Prologue". I had thought
- at least at the beginning of my research - that my subject related to
a remote past, but I realized that contemporary events were rapidly modernizing
this past. Muslim countries, where Islamic law - the shari'a - had
been replaced by modern juridiction imposed by the European colonizing
powers, were abandoning the secularizing trend, replacing it with Islamization
in numerous sectors of life... More
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2. The Decline
of Eastern Christian Communities in the Modern Middle East
Lecture
of 11 November, 1996 at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Middle
Eastern Unit and The Faculty of Humanities. Chair: Dr. David
Satran (Department of Comparative Religion)
I have been asked to address you today on the decline of Eastern Christian
communities in the modern Middle East. This process of Christian demographical
declined has, however, been a permanent trend in Islamized lands, sometimes
accelerated by specific events, sometimes stabilized. But the process of
withering away has always been there from the beginning and, with the passing
centuries, Christian populations that formerly constituted majorities dwindled
to minorities - even disappearing from certain regions... More
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3. PAST
IS PROLOGUE: The Challenge of Islamism Today
Testimony
of 29 April 1997, at the U.S. Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill
(Human Rights Caucus)
Testimony
on 1 May 1997 Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Subcommittee on Near
Eastern and South Asian Affairs. Hearing on Religious Persecution in
the Middle East
An
Historical Overview of the Persecution of Christians under Islam.
To fully understand the present tragic situation of Christians in Muslim
lands, one must comprehend the ideological and historical pattern that
is conducive to violations of human rights, even though this pattern does
not seem to be a deliberate, monolithical, anti-Christian policy. However,
as this structure is integrated into the corpus of Islamic law (the
shari'a),
it functions in those countries that either apply the
shari'a in
full, or whose laws are inspired by it... More
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4. Persecution of Jews and Christians: Testimony vs. Silence
Lecture at the Ethics and Public Policy Center
(President: Elliott Abrams) on Thursday, 2 April 1998
(Respondents: George Weigel and Paul Marshall)
"...I have no pleasure
in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live..."
(Ezekiel 33:11)
I wish
to thank Elliott Abrams for giving me the privilege of sharing with you
some reflections on the meaning of Testimony vs. Silence. But we must first
ask ourselves - testimony about what? And also - testifying for which purpose?
To answer
the first question, we can say that the Bible - to mention but this aspect
- testifies to a supra-human and an immanent order of values or, more simply,
to a divine presence within the universe and humanity ... More
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5. Contemporary Arab and Muslim perceptions of the Other
1st session: The Contemporary Middle East:
minorities, pluralism, Dhimmitude
Presentation at the International Conference at
the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Paris, on Monday 11 June 2001
The perception of the Other in contemporary Arab and
Muslim societies is very differentiated; the situation in Turkey can not
be compared with the situation in Afghanistan. Perception of the
Other is clearly influenced by history and culture, and if traditional
prejudices have never been condemned in a society, they will be all the
more meaningful, particularly if they are justified by religious interpretations&
More
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6. A Culture of Hate
Introduction to an "analysis
and discussion" at the United Nations (Geneva), 31 July 2001, organized
by the NGO, Association for World Education. (Spoken in French)
These past years there has never
been so much talk of the dialogue of civilizations and the culture of peace,
while one is confronted with an absoulute culture of hate, of an outburst
of terrorism against civilians, of discrimination, and of religious intolerance.
More
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7. Anti-Christian Anti-Zionism, in "Sens" (Sept.-Oct.
2001)
The Judeo-Christian conflict has lasted for nearly two
millenia. Much ink has flowed to justify the slanders inciting to hate
and pogroms, or to obliterate accusations and defend the victims.
No century and no Christian country has been spared Israel's existentialist
struggle against Hate ... More ...
8. PDF File More ...
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