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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ancient coin hunter, post: 4294303, member: 87200&quot;]I should have included the text of the 7th-century letter to the Christians of St. Catherine as I alluded to above. Here it is, translated from the Arabic. A bit if a different perspective from what we hear nowadays. A bit of a Byzantine island in a sea of nascent Islam...</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>This</b> is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Verily</b> I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>No</b> compulsion is to be on them.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Neither</b> are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>No one</b> is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims&#039; houses.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Should</b> anyone take any of these, he would spoil God&#039;s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>No one</b> is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The</b> Muslims are to fight for them.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>If</b> a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Their</b> churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>No one</b> of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I thought it might be of interest...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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