Hindutva, Zionism and Cultural Nationalism

And not just that; to believe in all prophets and their scriptures without discrimination is made an article of faith for the Muslims.

Say (Oh Muslims!); "We believe in God, and the Revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)." (2:136) Prophet Muhammad epitomised this Quranic philosophy. His Saheefat -al- Madinah the Constitution of the city-state of Medina which was enacted around 622 soon after his migration to Medina treated the Jewish minority of Medina on a par with the Muslims. According to the renowned Muslim scholar Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah this secular and democratic enactment was “the first constitution ever written for a state in the history of the world.”

Article 25 of Saheefat -al- Madinah states that the Jews “shall be considered as a community along with the Believers; for the Jews their religion and for the Muslims their religion.” The relevant Arabic phrase is ummah ma'al mu'mineen. Dr. Hamidullah cites another narration of the constitution by Abu Ubaid which uses the phrase ummah min al-mu'mineen meaning, “a community forming part of the Believers.” Indeed many Muslim exegetes could not come to terms with the Prophet's exemplary display of religious freedom. And this prompted Dr. Hamidullah to write in a footnote that “the Jews are also believers in God, monotheists. So there is nothing therein [in the clause ummah min al-mu'mineen ] for a pious Muslim to be shocked at.”

There are also instances of the Prophet having ruled in favour of Jews in some of their disputes with Muslims. And in 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabella issued the 'Edict of Expulsion' against the Jews of Spain, the Muslims nations welcomed them. According to the French-Jewish scholar Isidore Loeb there were about 235,000 Jews in Spain in 1492 out of which 50,000 were forcibly converted to Christianity and the rest were expelled. They migrated to various parts of the world including Europe and America with 20,000 dying en route. Loeb writes that a total of 122,000 Jews were given refuge by the Muslims of Algiers, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Turkey. Yet, the 32