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MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, condemned on Monday the images that have circulated in Australian media depicting humiliating treatment of Jewish students.
The MWL, which is a non-governmental Islamic organization based in the Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, holds that such treatment clearly violates Islam's call for the respect for human dignity and the Prophet Muhammad's example of honoring the adherents of other religions. Dr. Al-Issa's statement comes in response to images of one Jewish student forced to kiss the foot of a Muslim child in Melbourne, Australia, and another Jewish student pressured to kneel and kiss the shoes of his Muslim classmate.
"This shameful behavior is contrary to the doctrine of Islam and they are barbaric acts," said Dr. Al-Issa, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Organization of Muslim Scholars.
"Anyone who does this is a disrespectful individual who wrongs Islam in faith and morals. The true Muslim is one committed to his or her faith and behavior in all conditions. These values cannot be violated under any pretext," Dr. Al-Issa said. "Muslims believe that Allah Almighty has honored the descendants of Adam, and this is stated as such in the Holy Quran. Islam always respects the adherents of other religions."
Dr. Al-Issa noted that the Charter of Medina, drawn up on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad, firmly established the respect for human dignity in the principles of Islam.
These values have been upheld throughout the centuries, most recently in the Charter of Mecca, which Dr. Al-Issa convened and led in May and was approved by more than 1,200 Muslim leaders, scholars, academics and religious teachers. The Charter focused on combatting the global rise in hate speech and religious intolerance.
Examples from the Holy Scriptures abound of the importance of respecting Jews.
"The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, stood solemnly at the funeral of a Jew," Dr. Al-Issa stated.
In another example, the Prophet one day came to the chamber of his wife Safiyyah, who was the daughter of Jews. The Prophet found Safiyya crying and asked her why she was upset. Safiyya said she heard an abuse leveled against her. The Prophet responded by saying, "You are indeed the daughter of a Prophet, your uncle is a Prophet, and you are married to a Prophet." What he meant was that Safiyya was the daughter of Moses and the niece of Aaron, and worthy of the highest respect.
In Islam, Judaism is considered a religion of divine revelation. Allah called the Jews and Christians "the People of the Book," and Islamic law privileged them.
Followers of the true and moderate Islam must follow this example.
Dr. Al-Issa stated: "The MWL condemns any abusive behavior toward anyone based on religion, culture, ethnicity or color. This includes abuse of Islam by extremists, even if the attacks are from within the Islamic community."
The MWL statement is issued from the universal orientation point of Mecca on behalf of the umbrella of Muslim peoples affiliated with the organization's secretariat, branch bodies and global councils. MWL statements are not an expression of a subjective opinion, and seek only to clarify truth and justice.
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