Raja Petra (Pete) makes a bold assertion which seem to put Turkish
Muslims in a good light. In his article 'What does Christmas mean to you'
he points out Muslims who took the lead in protecting Jews when they
were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (1492) of Spain.
This puts a dark light on all Christendom for what the Spanish did during
Jewish pogroms. However, an interesting Muslim narrative that tells half
the story.
This is a Wikipedia entry on anti-semitism in Turkey
'In general, the migration of Jews from Western Europe to Ottoman Empire
was greeted kindly by the authorities. In 1553, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
taking up the opinion of his personal doctor and adviser, Moses Hamon,
reconfirmed the orders of Mehmed II, which prohibit local courts from
adjudicating the cases pertaining to alleged Jewish ritual murder.[15] He also
successfully counter-measured the intention of Pope Paul IV to succumb the
Jews of Ancona into the hands of the Inquisition.[16]
However, later the attitude of the authorities towards the Jews deteriorated.
In 1579 Sultan Murad III reportedly heard that Jewish women wore silk clothes
decorated with precious stones, and ordered the destruction of all Jews in the
Empire.[17] Even though the decree was lifted, thanks to Shlomo Ashkenazi,
the adviser to the Grand Vizier, a special clothing was ordered for Jews to wear.
In particular, women were forbidden to wear silk, and men have been prescribed
to wear a special form of hat.[12]
There were a number of known cases of blood libel in the 19th century on the
territory of the Ottoman Empire: Aleppo (1810), Beirut (1824), Antioch (1826),
Hama (1829), Tripoli (1834), Jerusalem (1838), Rhodes and Damascus (1840),
Marmora (1843), Smyrna (1864). The most famous of them were the Rhodes
and Damascus affairs, both in 1840, both of which had major international
repercussions.'
Alas, Pete's narrative
'Today, the Jews have their own homeland. And many who eventually reached
Palestine did so through Turkey mainly because they were saved by the Turks
and did not die in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. To me, this is what Christmas
is all about. It is about those brave souls, Muslims from Turkey, who stood up to
the Germans and insisted that any European with a Turkish passport, even Jews,
was a Turkish national and should be given immunity from the gas chamber.'
It seems to me all of Christendom seems to have to take blame when a King and
Queen of Spain decrees an Evil Pogrom, and all of Islam should be showered
with Praise for the Kindness of Suleiman the Magnificent. The most despicable
of characters in the Nazi Regime, Haj Amin Al-Hussein, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
conveniently forgotten. His role in forming the SS Handzar Divisions. His role in
butchering Jews ,and unholy alliance with the Nazis. What was going to happen
to the Jews after the Arabs got their independence from the West, promised by
Hitler's regime. Only the narrative that Arab Turks exemplifies what Christmas is
about.
That's the problem with one-sided narratives. Bend Truth however one likes.
I suppose it justifies Anti-Semitism today. Simply, the narrative that Muslims
were benevolent and kind to Jews. In turn, Jews betrayed their kindness in Israel ,
and Gaza. Keep on painting Half-Truths or should i say Half-Lies
Muslims in a good light. In his article 'What does Christmas mean to you'
he points out Muslims who took the lead in protecting Jews when they
were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (1492) of Spain.
This puts a dark light on all Christendom for what the Spanish did during
Jewish pogroms. However, an interesting Muslim narrative that tells half
the story.
This is a Wikipedia entry on anti-semitism in Turkey
'In general, the migration of Jews from Western Europe to Ottoman Empire
was greeted kindly by the authorities. In 1553, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
taking up the opinion of his personal doctor and adviser, Moses Hamon,
reconfirmed the orders of Mehmed II, which prohibit local courts from
adjudicating the cases pertaining to alleged Jewish ritual murder.[15] He also
successfully counter-measured the intention of Pope Paul IV to succumb the
Jews of Ancona into the hands of the Inquisition.[16]
However, later the attitude of the authorities towards the Jews deteriorated.
In 1579 Sultan Murad III reportedly heard that Jewish women wore silk clothes
decorated with precious stones, and ordered the destruction of all Jews in the
Empire.[17] Even though the decree was lifted, thanks to Shlomo Ashkenazi,
the adviser to the Grand Vizier, a special clothing was ordered for Jews to wear.
In particular, women were forbidden to wear silk, and men have been prescribed
to wear a special form of hat.[12]
There were a number of known cases of blood libel in the 19th century on the
territory of the Ottoman Empire: Aleppo (1810), Beirut (1824), Antioch (1826),
Hama (1829), Tripoli (1834), Jerusalem (1838), Rhodes and Damascus (1840),
Marmora (1843), Smyrna (1864). The most famous of them were the Rhodes
and Damascus affairs, both in 1840, both of which had major international
repercussions.'
Alas, Pete's narrative
'Today, the Jews have their own homeland. And many who eventually reached
Palestine did so through Turkey mainly because they were saved by the Turks
and did not die in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. To me, this is what Christmas
is all about. It is about those brave souls, Muslims from Turkey, who stood up to
the Germans and insisted that any European with a Turkish passport, even Jews,
was a Turkish national and should be given immunity from the gas chamber.'
It seems to me all of Christendom seems to have to take blame when a King and
Queen of Spain decrees an Evil Pogrom, and all of Islam should be showered
with Praise for the Kindness of Suleiman the Magnificent. The most despicable
of characters in the Nazi Regime, Haj Amin Al-Hussein, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
conveniently forgotten. His role in forming the SS Handzar Divisions. His role in
butchering Jews ,and unholy alliance with the Nazis. What was going to happen
to the Jews after the Arabs got their independence from the West, promised by
Hitler's regime. Only the narrative that Arab Turks exemplifies what Christmas is
about.
That's the problem with one-sided narratives. Bend Truth however one likes.
I suppose it justifies Anti-Semitism today. Simply, the narrative that Muslims
were benevolent and kind to Jews. In turn, Jews betrayed their kindness in Israel ,
and Gaza. Keep on painting Half-Truths or should i say Half-Lies
