Along with agriculture, herding and trade, the ghazu was a recognized part of the seventh-century Arabian economy, and those who indulged in it were often celebrated as Robin Hoods of a sort. But the bounty raid was also a national pastime””a sport for turning boys into men. As is the case with piracy today, these earlier raids almost always ended without bloodshed, since any death was sure to bring on a cycle of vendetta killings every tribesman was eager to avoid””a cycle that Somali pirates recently promised to set into motion in response to the killing of pirates by American and French special forces.
All this might be of purely antiquarian concern except for the fact that Muslims today regard Muhammad not only as God’s final prophet but also as the human being par excellence. The Hadith, an Islamic scripture second in authority only to the Quran, records thousands of instances of Muhammad’s beliefs and actions, so Muslims can follow his example on matters as detailed as the cut of his beard. If Christians ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” Muslims ask, “What Would Muhammad Do?”
There are of course ways to read the Islamic sources as antithetical to piracy, but Muhammad himself both organized and participated in the seventh-century overland equivalent of the high-seas buccaneering that now bedevils world trade.
Not that this wasn’t foretold:
[blockquote]The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” [/blockquote]
Genesis 16:11-12
This is a good point. The problem with Islamists is that they will not accept any modifications of the medieval Islamic system. Modernist Muslims try to find ways around the ancient rules without rejecting the faith. Naturally, as a Christian, I think they should free themselves from the yoke of Islam and accept Christ. Practically speaking, for the time before the Lord returns, we all should hope that the modernist Muslims are able to make changes.
“If Christians ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” Muslims ask, “What Would Muhammad Do?””
– Indeed they do; in fact that’s the essence of the Sunna, reported at vast length in the ahaditha and the Sira. Whereas for Christians, asking ‘WWJD?’ is not necessarily the right question, since He is God Incarnate.
“There are of course ways to read the Islamic sources as antithetical to piracy…”
… such as reading them backwards in Swahili …
“… but Muhammad himself both organized and participated in the seventh-century overland equivalent of the high-seas buccaneering that now bedevils world trade.”
It was just time-honored Arab custom, now given the prophetic seal of approval. Since he was The Perfect Man (TM), it couldn’t be wrong. In fact, it was exemplary, and the inspiration for the Bey of Algiers.
“The point is not to see Muhammad as a criminal”
… ‘cos that might be injurious to one’s health.
“… the ghazu was not a crime during Muhammad’s time, as long as it was conducted in accordance with the agreed-upon rules of the game (no raiding during the pilgrimage to Mecca, for example).”
Uh, that’s alright then.
“Just as Christians of good will have a duty to revisit age-old practices and beliefs that have no place in the modern world (e.g., anti-Semitism) ….”
Antisemitism had no place in the ancient world either, but now it has a new lease of life, thanks to, um, Islam…