Is America descending into 'dhimmi' status?

When Franklin Graham was disinvited to speak at the National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon in accordance with the president's agenda, most Americans were unaware they were witnessing the descent of America into becoming a "dhimmi" nation.

What is "dhimmi"?

A little background:

In A.D. 628, Muhammad sent messages to Chosroes, the Sassanid Persian emperor; Negus, the Abyssinian king; Mugawqis, the ruler of Egypt; Harith Gassani, governor of Syria; al-Mundhir bin Sawa, the ruler of Bahrain; and Heraclius, the Byzantine Roman emperor:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muhammad the slave of Allah and his Apostle. … Peace be upon him who follows the right path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your subjects."

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This convert-or-else message was supplemented by a third option of being subdued into being a "dhimmi" and paying a "jizya" ransom tax:

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"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day … even if they are of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" (Sura 9:29).

In A.D. 638, Caliph Umar conquered the city of Jerusalem after a three-month siege. Jerusalem had been a Byzantine Christian city since Emperor Constantine converted in the fourth century. Caliph Umar instituted the Pact of Umar, officially designating the "dhimmi" status for non-Muslims.

In addition to annually paying the "jizya" ransom tax to their Muslim masters, "dhimmi" had to follow a list of stipulations. If they failed to uphold them, they would not be "protected" and crimes committed against them would go unpunished.

The "dhimmi" status is similar to the way freed slaves were treated in some Southern states after the Civil War.

Democrats passed "Black Codes" or "Jim Crow laws," requiring African-Americans to sit at the back of the bus, use different drinking fountains, live in different neighborhoods, not own firearms or carry knives and, in short, live as second-class citizens. As long as they did not try to be equal, they were "protected."

This is the way Christians and Jews are treated in Muslim lands.

In the 13th century, dhimmi rules were:

1. they are not to build any new places of worship;
2. they are not to repair any old places of worship that have been destroyed by the Muslims;
3. they are not to prevent Muslim travelers from staying in their places of worship;
4. they are to entertain for three days any Muslim who wants to stay in their homes, and for a longer period if the Muslim falls ill;
5. they are not to harbor any hostility toward the Islamic state, or give any aid and comfort to hostile elements;
6. they are not to prevent any one of them from getting converted to Islam;
7. they have to show respect toward every Muslim;
8. they have to allow Muslims to participate in their private meetings;
9. they are not to dress like Muslims;
10. they are not to name themselves with Muslim names;
11. they are not to ride on horses with saddle and bridle;
12. they are not to possess arms;
13. they are not to wear signet rings or seals on their fingers;
14. they are not to sell or drink liquor openly;
15. they are to wear a distinctive dress that shows their inferior status and separates them from the Muslims;
16. they are not to propagate their customs and usages amongst the Muslims;
17. they are not to build their houses in the neighborhood of Muslims;
18. they are not to bring their dead near the graveyards of the Muslims;
19. they are not to observe their religious practices publicly, or mourn their dead loudly;
20. they are not to buy Muslim slaves.

Saudi Sheikh Marzouq Salem al-Ghamdi summarized what is taught in the major schools of Islamic jurisprudence in a television sermon in 2002:

"If the infidels live among the Muslims, in accordance with the conditions set out by the Prophet – there is nothing wrong with it provided they pay the jizya (tolerance tax) to the Islamic treasury.

"Other conditions are … that they do not renovate a church or monastery, do not rebuild ones that were destroyed, that they feed for three days any Muslim who passes by their homes … that they rise when a Muslim wishes to sit, that they do not imitate Muslims in dress or speech, nor ride horses, nor own swords, nor arm themselves with any kind of weapon; that they do not sell wine, do not show the cross, do not ring church bells, do not raise their voices during prayer, they shave their hair in front so as to make them easily identifiable, do not incite anyone against the Muslims, and do not strike a Muslim.

"If they violate these conditions, they have no protection."

When America's leaders make decisions based on not wanting to offend Muslims, they are beginning the process of submitting America into becoming a "dhimmi" nation.

When the current president's agenda was displayed by the Pentagon disinviting Franklin Graham so as to not offend Muslims, Americans witnessed, in effect, the surrendering of some of the very freedoms the government is sworn to protect, namely, the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech.

America – welcome to your descent into becoming a "dhimmi" nation!

William J. Federer is the author of "What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an–A History of Islam and the United States" and "America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations."