Islam tolerant through most of history

Mr Barrett indeed isn’t a Christian. If he were he would be familiar with Jesus saying, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Christianity is not a pacifist religion, but one with a doctrine of a just war. In that regard it is similar to Islam.

A central tenet of Islam is: “There is no compulsion in religion – the right way is indeed clearly distinct from error.” The Prophet Muhammad did not require Jews and Christians to convert. Those who lived in the parts of the Byzantine Empire conquered by the Arabs found life much less oppressive than under their former rulers.

As I said, in its overall history for centuries, Islam was seen mostly as a tolerant religion. In the recent history of the Middle East, the secularist regimes have been removed, giving rise to a new extremism.

Ian Martin