One of the problems with the West’s understanding of dhimmitude is the erroneous information conveyed by scholars of Islam such as Bernard Lewis and his frequent disinformation; e.g. 1974 “”The dhimma on the whole worked well” and again in 2006 ““. . . ‘dhimmi’-tude [derisively hyphenated] subservience and persecution and ill treatment of Jews . . . is a myth.”
Joan Peters and Bat Ye’Or knew better and wrote of the appalling circumstances of dhimmitude in Arab nations and denounced it….rsk
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/The-end-of-dhimmitude-337085
This is a cultural and political game-changer with revolutionary significance, for Israel, the Middle East and the global scene.
We are now witnessing one of the most dramatic developments in the historic configuration of relations among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Christians in Israel’s Galilee are courageously promoting their pre-Islamic non-Arab identity as an old-new collective Aramean/Aramaic-speaking Oriental narrative. This is a cultural and political game-changer with revolutionary significance, for Israel, the Middle East and the global scene.
Under the leadership of Father Gabriel Nadaf, an Orthodox priest from Yafia near Nazareth, and Shadi Khalloul, a Maronite activist and army reserve officer from Gush Halav, the Christian Recruitment Forum has been established. While all non-Jews in Israel, excepting the Druse and Circassians, are exempt from the military draft, a new promotional effort has been undertaken to further encourage Christian youth to voluntarily enlist. This initiative expresses both a desire to serve the state and integrate into Israeli society, conveying that Christians are committed to the security and welfare of the Jewish state of Israel.
The rationale behind this Christian campaign and its momentous meaning are profound. From the early days of the Arab war against Zionism, and continuing until today with the Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state, the mainstream Christian community as fellow Arabs in the country allied with the Muslims.
The Arab nationalist political parties, from the Communist forerunner to Balad, were led and represented by Christians and Muslims alike.