Paying the jizya in Denmark
I wrote the other day about the influence of jizya in the death of Archbishop Paulus Rahho in Iraq. Now read this story about a Danish church paying the jizya not to be attacked… in Denmark. After non-stoppable racist attacks on church goers, they have arrived to a solution to their problems.
Now the church employs two Muslim fellow citizens as “bodyguards” to protect the church from vandalism and church-goers vehicles. The church is delighted: Since the Muslims are paid for protecting Christians from fellow Muslims, by far not as many churchgoers cars were damaged, nor was the church vandalized or Christians attacked in the vicinity of the church.
Amazing.
Tags Technorati: jizya, Denmark, Islamism, racist attacks on church goers, attacks on Christians,
The linked article refers uses as its source another article from a German source which in return uses as its source the following very brief article in Kristeligt Dagblad:
http://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/artikel/290659:Kirke—tro–Muslimer-holder-vagt-ved-dansk-kirke
The two bodyguards are members of a local group of parents, similar to a neighbourhood watch. They were employed as bodyguards three years ago on a volunteer basis to deal with a group of young Muslims who were harassing church-goers and their cars at the time.
Since that time, there has been no further problems for church goers. And the local ministers find that dialogue between Christians and Muslims has improved because of this close cooperation.
This dialogue is important because the ministers want to do missionary work to the Muslim community.
A Christian newspaper in the year 2008 prints a brief follow-up on a story from 2005 and concludes that things have gone well.
A German news site does a questionable translation of the story in which it mixes it with another recent story and forgets to mention that the picture it lifted from Kristeligt Dagblad does not even depict the church in Gellerup.
The article is then translated into English in a no more qualified manner, and suddenly my church, which in the real world is well known to be uncompromising and yet have a good working relationship with local Muslim religious leaders, is paying the jizya.
As much as I respect what you are trying to do, this is not good journalism. And if the example of my church shows anything, it is that coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Gellerup is possible.
J Boller
July 6, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I understand. But would it be the same if those bodyguards weren’t Muslims? If it were different, then there is no dialogue and your church it’s already paying jizya. If it weren’t, then it’s a consequence of dialogue between religions, and it would be truly good.
You know, I am full into integration and dialogue between religions, but for a dialogue to be well done, both parts need to desire it. And normally only Christians want dialogue not the other part. There can be exceptions, but they are only exceptions.
blogfreeworld
July 7, 2008 at 9:26 am