Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Islam critiqued objects to state practices; Taxes are extortion?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Some insidious critics like calling it "protection money". Every taxation system in the world is in fact aimed at providing protection; either by financing a system that preserves the well-being of the society as a whole, or by protecting against punishment, since failing to pay results in sanctions.

Under that system non Muslims are obviously favored since they enjoy a sort of autonomy within a state and may live by the regulations of their own religions as long as these do not create a conflict with the state religion (drinking alcohol privately for example). The rules applied by the later caliphs relating to "ghiyar", the dresscode of the dhimmis, was not intended to be discriminatory. When Muslims entered a foreign land and ruled over it, they were initially in minority. For this reason the ruler would tell the non-Muslims to wear a distinct clothing already belonging to their culture and not copy the Muslim dresscode.

An example is that of the zunnar/belt which was inherited from the Greek culture and originally not an item Muslims wore. This dress code regulation was actually reciprocal if one considers that the prophet himself used to tell his people not to act or dress like non-Muslims. Further for purely convenient and administrative purposes, this distinction avoided confusing situations where one person would be reprimended although he might be subject to different rights and obligation than another.

Dhimmis may deliberate, individualy deny, or reform their religious laws to their liking and to fit their desires without any concern about the laws of the state, again, so long as no conflict occurs between the 2. For example it is well known that Christian and Jewish elites enacted laws preventing their people from resorting to a Muslim judge in cases where their own laws were unfavorable.

Because they get to keep their religion and rules and can never be forced to renounce them, the only citizen obligation that applies to them is the payment of the jizya either volontarily or through force if they decide to remain in Muslim land but rebel against that only law.

Although punishment isn't prescribed for Muslims refusing to acquit themselves of the taxes, since these taxes are caritative and it would obviously be absurd to punish someone for refusing to be charitable, Muslims on the other hand do get punished for refusing to acquit themselves of other citizen obligations that do not apply to dhimmis, including fighting for the country's defence.

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