Forced Conversion of Yemeni Jews to Islam
Shaul Wallach
whose translation is given below, of 15 Jewish children in Yemen who
were forcibly converted to Islam after their parents were murdered by
highway robbers. This most recent report comes less than a month after
news that a Jew in a city in northern Yemen was kidnapped in the market
and his two daughters taken by a local Muslim religious notable to be
given as wives to his own sons.
The exact number of Jews remaining in Yemen is not known, but
estimates range from less than 1,000 to as many as 6,000. Many of
them live in small towns and cities in the more remote parts of the
country, where central government control does not extend and which
are effectively dominated by fanatic Muslim tribes. Some of the Jews
were unable to leave during the major exodus of Jews to Israel in
1949-1951, while others did not even hear of the opportunity given
to them to leave at the time.
The current rulers of Yemen have granted religious liberty to
the Jews remaining in Yemen. Not long ago the last remaining Jew in
the capital San`a, a man 87 years old, was allowed to leave to join
his family in Israel. Three youths were also allowed to travel to
New York for Torah studies, on the condition that they return
afterwards. Jews from outside the country have been allowed in as
religious teachers. However, in areas of the country where the
authority of the central government is not dominant, the plight of
the Jews is not so good. In one town a house of study (bet midrash)
under construction was destroyed by local Muslims, and was rebuilt
only after government intervention.
This story of forced conversion of orphans is not new to the
Jews of Yemen. In the earlier part of this century, the Imam Yahya
Hamid al-Din, otherwise known to Yemenite Jews as a pious and just
ruler, decreed that all Jewish orphans be adopted and brought up as
Muslims. Yemenite Jews attribute this decree to the traditional Muslim
teaching "Muhammad is the father of orphans". Upon death of a father,
other relatives would always try to hide the orphaned children to save
them from forced conversion by local Muslim religious figures.
A literal translation of today's newspaper article is given
below. I apologize in advance for any mistakes in proper names.
Shalom,
Shaul Wallach
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
15 JEWISH CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS MURDERED FORCIBLY
CONVERTED TO ISLAM IN YEMEN
15 children of a Jewish couple in Yemen, who had been murdered
in a highway robbery, were coerced last week to undergo forced
conversion to Islam after the murder of their parents. The first-born
daughter committed suicide two days after the ceremony of forced
conversion to Islam. This was reported yesterday by a member of the
Makoya sect from Japan, who arrived yesterday in Israel after a visit
to Yemen, where she received the information.
The murder of the parents and conversion to Islam of their children
took place in the city of Bilad-Ans, about eighty kilometers south of
the city of San`a. A member of the Makoya sect from Japan who arrived
in Israel reported this yesterday to Eliav Sela, chairman of the
association "`Uri Teman" for the rescue of the surviving remnant of
the Jews of Yemen. According to her, a few days beforehand she was in
Yemen and received a report of the event by word of an elderly Jew
named Mahfoud `Amram from the city of Bilad-Ans. This elderly Jew has
a brother in Rosh Ha-`Ayin, who confirmed that it is indeed a question
of his brother.
According to the report from Yemen, it all started with the trip
of the two parents to the neighboring village in order to deliver a
large sum of money. The parents were Yosef `Atar (39), son of Yihya
and Razel `Atar, and his wife Rumiya (37), daughter of Yihya and Jana
Sa`ud. On their way highway robbers attacked them, murdered them and
robbed theor money. The robbery and murder were apparently carried out
of a criminal background, without any connection to the couple being
Jewish.
Upon the knowledge of the parents' murder, the Muslim religious
figure Ahmad Midni al-Maz`aqi of the city Bilad-Ans decided to convert
15 children of the murdered to Islam. He took them by force and converted
them to Islam against their will in a ceremony in the city attended by
many. The religious figure later adopted the 15 children. Two days later,
the first-born daughter Gamra (20) committed suicide in a leap into an
abyss from a high cliff. The rest of the children who were forcibly
converted to Islam are who are held with the religious figure are
Shim`on (19), Rina and her twin brother Hibshush (18), Zahira (16),
Razel (15), Suleiman and his twin sister Na`ima (13), Sa`ada (11),
Dawid (10), Yihya (8), Hayyimand his twin sister Warda (6), Sa`id (4)
and Ibrahim (2).
In the city of Bilad-Ans there is a very small Jewish congregation,
and most of the memebers of the congregation have been forcibly converted
to Islam. Sholom `Amram of Rosh Ha-`Ayin came to Israel from the same
city, and he confirmed that by the name of Mahfoud `Amram there is living
in the city only his brother, who is about 80 years old. Sholom `Amram
said: "But my brother is no longer Jewish. We came to Israel in the year
1951 and since then ew are taking action to get my brother and sister
out to Israel, but without success. They were forcibly converted in the
year 1957, and besides Mahfoud I have another brother and sister and
about eighty members of their families, and they were all forcibly
converted." Sholom `Amram added that from time to time he hears about
the members of his family in Yemen, mainly through news which arrives
to Eliav Sela, chairman of the association "`Uri Teman".
It is to be noted that is was reported yesterday in our newspaper
that Avigdor Qahlani, one of those active on behalf of the Jews of
Yemen, denies all the news about the worsening of the condition of
the Jews of Yemen.
Yated Ne'eman, 9 Shevat 5752 (14 January 1992)
Jacob Baltuch
> 15 children of a Jewish couple in Yemen, who had been murdered
>in a highway robbery, were coerced last week to undergo forced
>conversion to Islam after the murder of their parents. The first-born
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>daughter committed suicide two days after the ceremony of forced
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>conversion to Islam.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[...]
> Upon the knowledge of the parents' murder, the Muslim religious
>figure Ahmad Midni al-Maz`aqi of the city Bilad-Ans decided to convert
>15 children of the murdered to Islam. He took them by force and converted
>them to Islam against their will in a ceremony in the city attended by
>many. The religious figure later adopted the 15 children. Two days later,
>the first-born daughter Gamra (20) committed suicide in a leap into an
>abyss from a high cliff. The rest of the children who were forcibly
>converted to Islam are who are held with the religious figure are
>Shim`on (19), Rina and her twin brother Hibshush (18), Zahira (16),
>Razel (15), Suleiman and his twin sister Na`ima (13), Sa`ada (11),
>Dawid (10), Yihya (8), Hayyimand his twin sister Warda (6), Sa`id (4)
>and Ibrahim (2).
[...]
> In the city of Bilad-Ans there is a very small Jewish congregation,
>and most of the memebers of the congregation have been forcibly converted
>to Islam.
>Sholom `Amram of Rosh Ha-`Ayin came to Israel from the same
>city, and he confirmed that by the name of Mahfoud `Amram there is living
>in the city only his brother, who is about 80 years old. Sholom `Amram
>said: "But my brother is no longer Jewish. We came to Israel in the year
>1951 and since then ew are taking action to get my brother and sister
>out to Israel, but without success. They were forcibly converted in the
>year 1957, and besides Mahfoud I have another brother and sister and
>about eighty members of their families, and they were all forcibly
>converted."
Could any Muslim netter please comment?
John Elghani/10000000
> Today's Israeli Orthodox daily "Yated Ne'eman" carried the story,
>whose translation is given below, of 15 Jewish children in Yemen who
>were forcibly converted to Islam after their parents were murdered by
>highway robbers. This most recent report comes less than a month after
No one wants to see those parents murdered, but at least they forced them
to Islam, they did not force them to DEATH which is exactly what the
Israelis are doing to Muslim and Christian children on a daily bases.
They kill the mother and the child.
This child at least has a chance to see life and make up his mind in the
future, but the Occupied land's child winds being locked up in a grave
for good after he receives a bullet in the eye- which is typical.
That was another way of cheap propaganda on your behalf; try again.
jle
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above is my own posting and has nothing to do with the opinion of
Locus Computing Corporation.
Jacob Baltuch
In article <1992Jan15.18...@locus.com> j...@locus.com (John Elghani/10000000) writes:
[on recent forced conversion to Islam of Jewish orphans in Yemen]
>This child at least has a chance to see life and make up his mind in the
>future, [...]
Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
Ridha Souissi
They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older. Probably
by then the Palestininians will all be kicked out from their
homeland by then, and their will be enough housing.
Ron Evans
sou...@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
>>Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
>>in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
>They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older.
Thank you for one of the best arguments this newsgroup
has seen in support of Israel.
--
Ron Evans (rev...@math.ucsd.edu)
Danny Keren
#In article <92014.140...@BARILVM.BITNET# Shaul Wallach <F66...@BARILVM.BITNET> writes:
## Today's Israeli Orthodox daily "Yated Ne'eman" carried the story,
##whose translation is given below, of 15 Jewish children in Yemen who
##were forcibly converted to Islam after their parents were murdered by
##highway robbers. This most recent report comes less than a month after
#
#No one wants to see those parents murdered, but at least they forced them
#to Islam, they did not force them to DEATH which is exactly what the
#Israelis are doing to Muslim and Christian children on a daily bases.
#They kill the mother and the child.
#
#This child at least has a chance to see life and make up his mind in the
#future, but the Occupied land's child winds being locked up in a grave
#for good after he receives a bullet in the eye- which is typical.
#
#That was another way of cheap propaganda on your behalf; try again.
#
#
#jle
This post, together with the "snow over Palestine" string, and his
brilliant piece of toilet prose, rise severe concerns about Mr. Elghani's
health. It seems that not only has his right neuron gone out, the
left one is not doing so good either.
By the way, I seem to remember two Jewish mothers that were
murdered with their children: Ofra Mozes, she and her 6 year old son
were burned to death by a molotove cocktail while driving in their
car, and Rachel Weiss: she and her three children, aged 1,2 and 4, were
burned to death in a molotove cokctail attack on a bus. But they were
just "fair game", right Mr. Goldfield? Right, Mr. Firth?
-Danny Keren.
Shaul Wallach
sou...@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
>
>In article <1992Jan15....@news.cs.brandeis.edu>
>ja...@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Jacob Baltuch) writes:
>>Besides his usual hateful drivel...
>>
>>In article <1992Jan15.18...@locus.com> j...@locus.com (John
>Elghani/10000000) writes:
>>
>>>This child at least has a chance to see life and make up his mind in the
>>
>>Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
>>in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
>
>
>They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older.
I'm sorry to say this, but like their fellow Jews in Syria, they
cannot flee. According to a traveller who visited Yemen nearly two
years ago on a French visa, the Jews in Yemen live in fear of action
the government may take if they were to try to leave. But even were
the government to let them, they still could not leave. Public
transportation still does not exist in many parts of Yemen, and
travellers can easily fall prey to highway robbers like those who
murdered the parents of these children on their way to the next
village.
This does not mean that the Jews of Yemen would not leave if
they could. Of all the Jewish communities scattered throughout the
world, they were among the first to return to the Land of Israel
when the Turkish rulers gave permission to Jews to settle in 1882.
The first Yemeni Jewish immigrants settled in Silwan (Siloam), just
outside the Old City of Jerusalem, a village that has been in the
news recently. By 1948, about half of the Jewish community in Yemen
had immigrated to Israel, a larger fraction than that of any other
Jewish community in the Diaspora.
> Probably
>by then the Palestininians will all be kicked out from their
>homeland by then, and their will be enough housing.
There is room for everyone to live here in peace with each other.
In the last two years nearly 400,000 refugees from Russia have been
settled, and not at the expense of a single Palestinian. Even the
residents of a tiny Bedouin camp near Haifa, an area earmarked for a
new housing project, have successfully resisted efforts to resettle
them elsewhere in Israel.
Unfortunately, reactions of people like you and John Elghani give
Israelis an excuse to suspect the sincerity of Palestinians, many of
whom truly desire peace. May I kindly refer the two of you to more
enlightened responses by your fellow Arabs in soc.culture.arabic.
The first sura of the Qur'an (Fatiha), which is recited as part
of many Muslim observances, starts with the verse "Bism Allah al-Rahman
al-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).
As I understand it, Muslims, just like Jews, are commanded to show the
same mercy and compassion in their own lives which they ascribe to
their Creator.
Where is your compassion?
Shalom,
Shaul Wallach
Ridha Souissi
>
> sou...@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
>
>>>Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
>>>in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
>
>
>>They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older.
>
>
> Thank you for one of the best arguments this newsgroup
> has seen in support of Israel.
>
Why did you delete the rest of my message?
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>Ron Evans (rev...@math.ucsd.edu)
Ridha Souissi
>
> The first sura of the Qur'an (Fatiha), which is recited as part
>of many Muslim observances, starts with the verse "Bism Allah al-Rahman
>al-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).
>As I understand it, Muslims, just like Jews, are commanded to show the
>same mercy and compassion in their own lives which they ascribe to
>their Creator.
>
> Where is your compassion?
Where is the compassion of the Jews in Israel towards the poor
Palestinians?
>
>Shalom,
>
>Shaul Wallach
Ridha.
Danny Keren
##[on recent forced conversion to Islam of Jewish orphans in Yemen]
##
##Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
##in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
#
#
#They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older. Probably
#by then the Palestininians will all be kicked out from their
#homeland by then, and their will be enough housing.
Well, maybe your post explains why a million Jews from Arab countries
fled to Israel. I hope Palestinians are not kicked out, but if they are
they can use the houses these Jews occupied (or have they already been
taken by the 200,000 Palestinians that were kicked from Kuwait).
-Danny Keren.
Gennady Feygin
To this I must add the following --- Jews remain in Yemen AGAINST their will.
The same is true of Jews in Syria and Iraq. They are not just people of
inferior status - they are SLAVES, with no right to leave, a property of
the state. Of course these violations of elementary human rights are
quite all right by the standards of our world and UN. No unanimous
condemnation by Security Council is forthcoming regaring any action
directed against Jews.
Mr. Souissi's suggestion that the children flee when they get older
is an insult. But he feels it is a good suggestion! Fine then I have
an equally good sugesstion: all Arabs loose all right to complain
about violations of their rights until they demonstrate how exactly
they are prevented from improving their situation by fleeing
Judea and Samaria for any Arab country. Who is stopping them?
If Israel is stopping Arabs from fleeing, I am prepared to lead
a demonstration at Toronto consulate against such a policy! ;-)))
Well, how about it Mr. Souissi? Is what is good for the goose also
good for the gander?
gf
Jacob Baltuch
Why did you delete the rest of Shaul's message?
Jacob Baltuch
>Even the
>residents of a tiny Bedouin camp near Haifa, an area earmarked for a
>new housing project, have successfully resisted efforts to resettle
>them elsewhere in Israel.
I believe Shaul's refering to Ramyah, close to Carmiel, are you not, Shaul?
I'm glad it turned that way.
A few weeks ago I was really bored at work and reading old tpm stuff
and I found a telephone number supposedly at Ramyah. I called and
I talked to an Arab woman who said she was not at Ramyah but at Kfar
Beni [?] and she didn't know much about the story. (They probably just
set up that line temporarily) She told me her husband knew and would
I call back when he gets home. I called back *three* times and
everytime managed to miss her husband!!! I then gave up (suddenly
worrying about my company's telephone bill :-) If any one wants to
call the number was in a pnmideast posting. Just remember the woman
doesn't have a clue and you'll have to get her husband.
John Elghani/10000000
The Palestinians have already been kicked out of their homeland. Where
have you been? Don't you listen to the news? Are you from Mars?
Shaul Wallach
sou...@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
> ...
>Where is the compassion of the Jews in Israel towards the poor
>Palestinians?
Their compassion ranges over all aspects of human life, from
the material to the legal and the religious.
Materially, the Palestinians of the occupied territories enjoy a
standard of living which, while admittedly not as good as that of Israelis,
nevertheless compares very well with that of any Arab country. Consider
the following figures, taken from the World Almanac and Israel Statistical
Yearbook:
Per capita income (most recently available figures):
West Bank & Gaza $1,460
Syria 1,360
Jordan 1,400
Lebanon 690
Yemen 410
Literacy (%)
Israeli Arabs 70
Syria (males only) 78
Jordan 71
Lebanon 75
Yemen 25
Infant mortality (per 1000)
Israeli Arabs 14
Syria 40
Jordan 55
Lebanon 48
Yemen 132
The spread of universal education in the territories is shown
by the fact that in 1990, more than 98% of those aged 15 to 17 had at
least 1 year of education, compared with less than 17% of those aged
over 65. Nearly 10% of the whole population had more than 12 years of
schooling, compared with less than 1% in 1970.
The fraction of births in hospitals on the West Bank rose from
13% in 1968 to 52% in 1990.
The proportion of households having gas or electric stoves rose
from 33% in 1974 to 85% in 1985. Those having a refrigerator rose
from 14% in 1972 to 66% in 1985. Those having a black and white TV
rose from 10% in 1972 to 66% in 1985, and those having a private
car rose from 2% in 1972 to 10% in 1983. More than 90% of the houses
in the territories were electrified by 1985.
It would be revealing to know how many families in Yemen have
any of these facilities today.
Religiously, Palestinians have complete freedom. The Muslim
waqf of Haram al-Sharif (on the Temple Mount) has liberty to do
what it pleases. Please refer to the article in the September/October
1991 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, pp. 60ff. to see how
little the Israelis have been supervising Muslim building there,
even when it endangers archaeological sites.
Legally, even expulsions of known incitors and PLO activists
is subject to the due process of law, as the current case of 12
activists illustrates. The world's censure of these measures, motivated
only by security considerations, contrasts starkly with its silence
over the expulsion of 300,000 Palestinians from Kuwait, whose only
crime was belonging to the same people whose members on the West
Bank cheered the Iraqi SCUDs by last year on their way to Tel-Aviv.
Today the legal rights of Palestinians are seen to by Israeli human
rights organizations. What Syrian or Yemeni human rights organization
seeks to protect the rights of the Jews there, whose presence poses
no threat at all to the existence of these countries?
On the personal level, Israelis actively seek friendships with
there fellow Palestinian citizens. Here at Bar-Ilan I have personally
helped students from Jaljulya and Taibeh with their studies, and even
tried once to help one of them rent an apartment. One of my friends
from Iksal (near Nazareth) just submitted a master's thesis on
al-Amaar al-Suleimaniyyah in Islam here at the Department of Arabic.
Where in the Arabic world do Jews have such educational opportunities?
Two weeks ago, when I was waiting for a Egyptian-born friend to
arrive by bus at the train station in Tel-Aviv, a Druse man from
Usfiyyah approached me and asked me for money to take the train home.
I willingly gave him. This week, an Arab woman knocked at our door
with a similar request, and my wife did not send her away empty-handed.
I strongly suggest that you come to Israel and see for yourself
how the Palestinians live. You are personally welcome for dinner at
my house, and we will give you as nice a reception as we did my Egyptian
friend, Inshallah.
Shalom,
Shaul Wallach
Dept. of Chemistry
Bar-Ilan University
Ramat-Gan, Israel
Tel: 972-3-5318634
Ridha Souissi
I said what I said in a sarcastic manner in Reply to Jacob who
said that those converted Jews in Yemen might be killed if
they chose to return to Judaism. So I told him they can always
flee. Of course you know that there is no compulsion in religion
in Islam, and people who enter Islam by their own will.
If the reported story about the Jews in Yemen is correct, then the
authorities there made a mistake especially for the older kids.
For the young ones, it doesn't matter anyway.
BTW did these kids have any family, relatives left who could take
care of them?
Scott Gibson
Does their lack of compassion mitigate yours?
--
******************************************************************************
"Oh no! I said too much; I haven't said enough..." - R.E.M.
Scott Gibson {ames!ncar!noao!asuvax,mcdphx}!anasaz!qip!scott
Disclaimer: These opinions are my own, and may change without prior notice.
Gennady Feygin
So ... forcible conversion of Jews is just a joke to you, something to
be just dismissed with a few snide remarks. And so is the possibility
that they might be killed for a "crime" of reasserting their faith.
> So I told him they can always
>flee. Of course you know that there is no compulsion in religion
>in Islam, and people who enter Islam by their own will.
I know nothing of the sort. Jacob describes a very real case
of compulsion in Islam, from the way you choose to treat it
as not even worthy of much discussion I am forced to assume
that this is an everyday occurence in Moslim world.
>If the reported story about the Jews in Yemen is correct, then the
>authorities there made a mistake especially for the older kids.
To describe forcible conversion as a mistake is like calling
rape a mild social deviation.
>For the young ones, it doesn't matter anyway.
How is violating the rights of younger children better than that
of older children? Is this what your religion teaches as moral
and ethical behaviour? I hope these are just your personal
views and not the official position of Islam.
>BTW did these kids have any family, relatives left who could take
>care of them?
My guess is that relatives would not be allowed to approach children,
since that would interfere with the process of "islamization".
gf
Shaul Wallach
>>>sou...@ei.ecn.purdue.edu (Ridha Souissi) writes:
>>>
>>>##
>>>##Do they really? My understanding is that, the way Shari'a is understood
>>>##in Yemen, apostasy is punishable by death.
>>>#
>>>#
>>>#They can always flee to Israel when they grow up older. Probably
>>>#by then the Palestininians will all be kicked out from their
>>>#homeland by then, and their will be enough housing.
>
>I said what I said in a sarcastic manner in Reply to Jacob who
>said that those converted Jews in Yemen might be killed if
>they chose to return to Judaism. So I told him they can always
>flee. Of course you know that there is no compulsion in religion
>in Islam, and people who enter Islam by their own will.
>If the reported story about the Jews in Yemen is correct, then the
>authorities there made a mistake especially for the older kids.
There was no mistake. As was reported in soc.culture.arabic, the
Zaydi Shi`i school in Yemen regards these children as born Muslims,
there being no father to bring them up as Jews. This "orphan law" has
been in effect at least since the 1920's. See S.D. Goitein, "Jews and
Arabs" (Schocken Books, 1974), pp. 77ff.
According to Norman A. Stillman in his book "The Jews of Arab
Lands" (Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1979), p. 103,
apostacy after conversion to Islam is (or at least was) indeed a
capital crime. He illustrates with the following case (pp. 103-104):
In 1834, for example, Sol Hatchuel, a fourteen-year-old girl
from Tangier, was executed in Morocco, having been charged
with accepting Islam, which she denied.
>For the young ones, it doesn't matter anyway.
What do you mean by this? Are they somehow less important?
>BTW did these kids have any family, relatives left who could take
>care of them?
In the newspaper story it was stated that the Jewish community
in Bilad-Ans was very small, and most of them had already been
forcibly converted (or brought up as Muslims). It is difficult
for relatives to hide children as their own, once news of the
death of a father spreads around town. One of my best friends,
now a judge in a Rabbinical court and head of a yeshiva, told
me just the other day that he was a small child when his parents
died in Yemen. He said that he was passed from family to family
until he was finally smuggled out of the country to Aden. Many
children were not that fortunate.
Goitein adds (pp. 76-77) that Jews were forbidden to leave Yemen
unless they forfeited all their property. The reason for this was that
as protected people (dhimmis), they had safeguards only while living
in Yemen. Sunni Palestine, not to mention Zionist Israel, was regarded
in Shi`i Yemen as "enemy territory" (Dar al-Harb). This should explain
why fleeing the country was so difficult. It also demonstrates the
great love of the Yemenite Jews for the Land of Israel. Despite the
great hardships, they started emigrating in 1882, and by 1948 about
half of the whole community had settled in Israel, a larger fraction
than that of any other Jewish community in the Diaspora.
Shalom,
Shaul Wallach
Ridha Souissi
>
>
>>For the young ones, it doesn't matter anyway.
>
>How is violating the rights of younger children better than that
>of older children? Is this what your religion teaches as moral
>and ethical behaviour? I hope these are just your personal
>views and not the official position of Islam.
>
I meant that the conversion of young kids doesn't count because
they are not mature yet and cannot be accountable of what they
say. Nevertheless it is something that should not have happened.
It is against the teachings of Islam. What can I say stronger than
this. I have no authority to change it anyway.
Adam Shostack
>>gf
But they can be killed by for converting back to Judaism. Thus, their
age doesn't matter.
You could say things like:
The treatment of Yeminite Jews is dusgusting, and dispicable. I fully
support the right of those Jews, along with all other Jews in all
Muslim nations to sell their property at a fair price, and move to
Israel. I'm glad that Israel exists to take in Jewish refugees
created by barbarians acting in the name of Islam, and I hope to see a
peaceful resolution to the conflicts in the area so that all Jews can
move peacefully to Israel, where they will be free of forced
conversions.
Just a thought...
Adam Shostack ad...@das.harvard.edu
What a terrible thing to have lost one's .sig. Or not to have a .sig
at all. How true that is.