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Zunar (Islamic Yellow-Badge Practices): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Coptic and Jewish Badges.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Left: Yellow badge made mandatory by the Nazis, worn to identify Jews in France. Right: 10th century badge incorporating a cross, worn to identify Christians in Egypt.]] | [[File:Coptic and Jewish Badges.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Left: Yellow badge made mandatory by the Nazis, worn to identify Jews in France. Right: 10th century badge incorporating a cross, worn to identify Christians in Egypt.]] | ||
'''Zunār''' (زنار) was a wide yellow belt made of cloth. It was part of the clothing that [[non-Muslims]] under [[Dhimmitude]] were required to wear in order to differentiate themselves from Muslims. | |||
The | The requirement to wear it were dictated by Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Rightly-guided [[Caliph]], and formed one of his many "well-known conditions" in the [[Pact of Umar]] (637 AD).<ref>[http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986 Tafsir ibn Kathir - Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace]</ref> | ||
The [[Yellow Badge|yellow badge]] that was to be eventually used by the Nazis as a badge of shame against the Jews was actually first introduced by a Muslim caliph in Baghdad in the 9<sup>th</sup> century as a variant of the zunār. This then spread to the western world during medieval times.<ref>Bernard Lewis - [http://press.princeton.edu/titles/1434.html The Jews of Islam] - Princeton University Press, June 1, 1987, pp. 25-26.</ref> | |||
== | As recently as 2001, Afghanistan's Hindus were required to wear yellow badges to segregate "un-Islamic" and "idolatrous" communities from [[Islam|Islamic]] ones.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/news/05/22/taleban.hindus/index.html|2=2012-05-14}} Taliban to mark Afghan Hindus] - CNN, May 22, 2001</ref><ref>Jack Kelley - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2001-05-22-talibanids.htm|2=2012-05-14}} Taliban: Hindus must wear identity labels] - USA TODAY, June 19, 2001</ref><ref>T.C. Malhotra - [{{Reference archive|1=http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-lawmakers-condemn-taliban-treatment-hindus|2=2012-05-14}} US Lawmakers Condemn Taliban Treatment Of Hindus] - CNS News, July 7, 2008</ref> | ||
Traditional Islamic sources proscribe Islamic rulers to impose the [[Dhimmitude|dhimma]] or pact of "protection" upon non-believers living in their realms. This pact includes inter alia the responsibility of the protected dhimmis (Christians or Jews under the "protection" of the dhimma) to pay a special tax, not propagate their religion, not take Muslim women as wives, and also to wear special articles of clothing to distinguish them from non-Muslims inter alia. These articles of clothing took many forms, such as a special color of cloth or a specially colored belt, and may have influenced later European Christian traditions of enforcing special colors of clothing on non-believers, particularly Jews, and even the Nazi practice of forcing Jews to wear the "Judenstern" or yellow "Jew-star." | |||
The | The yellow badge (or yellow patch), also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with [[antisemitism]].<ref>"''But the wearing of a badge or outward sign — whose effect, intended or otherwise, successful or not, was to shame and to make vulnerable as well as to distinguish the wearer…''" - D'Ancona, Jacob (2003). The City Of Light. New York: Citadel. pp. 23–24. ISBN 0806524634.</ref> | ||
This badge, that was to be eventually used by the Nazis against the Jews, was actually first introduced by a Muslim [[caliph]] in Baghdad in the 9<sup>th</sup> century as a variant of the [[Zunar|zunnār]] belt. This then spread to the western world in medieval times.<ref name="Bernard Lewis">Bernard Lewis, [http://press.princeton.edu/titles/1434.html The Jews of Islam], Princeton University Press, June 1, 1987, ISBN 9780691008073, pp. 25-26.</ref> | |||
==Origin and | ==Origin and history== | ||
Under [[Dhimmitude]], the Islamic system of governing [[Non-Muslims|non-Muslim]] populations and their interactions with Muslims, Muslim superiority was expressed through numerous ways, including [[ | Under [[Dhimmitude]], the Islamic system of governing [[Non-Muslims|non-Muslim]] populations and their interactions with Muslims, Muslim superiority was expressed through numerous ways, including [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)|laws]] that established what colors, clothing or hats they were permitted or not permitted to wear. | ||
In Islamic [[Sunni|orthodoxy]], the use of distinctive clothing or marks for Jewish and other religious communities can be traced back to the [[Pact of Umar]] (637 AD), a pact that contains the terms dictated by the second Rightly-guided Caliph,<ref>"''...This is why the Leader of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, demanded his well-known conditions be met by the Christians, these conditions that ensured their continued humiliation, degradation and disgrace.''" - [http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986 Tafsir ibn Kathir, Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace]</ref> and seems to reflect Prophet [[Muhammad]]'s wishes for his followers to look and act "differently" than the Jews.<ref>"''Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do.''" - {{Bukhari|7|72|786}}</ref><ref>"''Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) used to stand up for a funeral until the corpse was placed in the grave. A learned Jew (once) passed him and said: This is how we do. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sat down and said: Sit down and act differently from them.''" - {{Abudawud|20|3170}}</ref> | In Islamic [[Sunni|orthodoxy]], the use of distinctive clothing or marks for Jewish and other religious communities can be traced back to the [[Pact of Umar]] (637 AD), a pact that contains the terms dictated by the second Rightly-guided Caliph,<ref>"''...This is why the Leader of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, demanded his well-known conditions be met by the Christians, these conditions that ensured their continued humiliation, degradation and disgrace.''" - [http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986 Tafsir ibn Kathir, Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace]</ref> and seems to reflect Prophet [[Muhammad]]'s wishes for his followers to look and act "differently" than the Jews.<ref>"''Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do.''" - {{Bukhari|7|72|786}}</ref><ref>"''Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) used to stand up for a funeral until the corpse was placed in the grave. A learned Jew (once) passed him and said: This is how we do. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sat down and said: Sit down and act differently from them.''" - {{Abudawud|20|3170}}</ref> | ||
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In the early Islamic period, non-Muslims were required to wear distinctive marks in public, such as metal seals fixed around their necks. Likewise, they were not allowed to wear colors associated with Islam, particularly green.<ref>Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples, London: Faber and Faber, 1991, ISBN 0571166636, p.117</ref> The practice of physically branding Jews and Christians appears to have been begun in early medieval Baghdad and was considered highly degrading.<ref>Bernard Lewis, Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry Into Conflict and Prejudice, 1999, W. W. Norton & Company press, ISBN 0393318397, p.131</ref> | In the early Islamic period, non-Muslims were required to wear distinctive marks in public, such as metal seals fixed around their necks. Likewise, they were not allowed to wear colors associated with Islam, particularly green.<ref>Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples, London: Faber and Faber, 1991, ISBN 0571166636, p.117</ref> The practice of physically branding Jews and Christians appears to have been begun in early medieval Baghdad and was considered highly degrading.<ref>Bernard Lewis, Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry Into Conflict and Prejudice, 1999, W. W. Norton & Company press, ISBN 0393318397, p.131</ref> | ||
Christians and Jews were forced to wear special emblems on their clothes. The yellow badge was first introduced by a caliph in Baghdad in the 9<sup>th</sup> century<ref name="Bernard Lewis"></ref> as a variant of the zunnār belt and spread to the western world in medieval times. Even in public baths, non-Muslims wore medallions suspended from cords around their necks so no one would mistake them for Muslims. Belts, headgear, shoes, armbands and/or cloth patches were also used. Under [[Shiite|Shi'ite]] rules, they were not even allowed to use the same baths.<ref name="Bernard Lewis"></ref> In 1005 the Jews of | Christians and Jews were forced to wear special emblems on their clothes. The yellow badge was first introduced by a caliph in Baghdad in the 9<sup>th</sup> century<ref name="Bernard Lewis"></ref> as a variant of the zunnār belt and spread to the western world in medieval times. Even in public baths, non-Muslims wore medallions suspended from cords around their necks so no one would mistake them for Muslims. Belts, headgear, shoes, armbands and/or cloth patches were also used. Under [[Shiite|Shi'ite]] rules, they were not even allowed to use the same baths.<ref name="Bernard Lewis"></ref> In 1005 the Jews of Egypt were ordered to wear bells on their garments.<ref name="Ulysse Robert">[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2317-badge|2=2012-05-15}} Yellow badge] - Jewish Encyclopedia, accessed May 15, 2012</ref> | ||
Apart from Jews, Hindus living under Islamic rule in | Apart from Jews, Hindus living under Islamic rule in India were often forced to wear yellow badges as well. During the reign of Akbar the Great, his general Husain Khan 'Tukriya' forcibly made Hindus wear discriminatory yellow badges<ref>Harbans, Mukhia (2004). The Mughals of India. Blackwell Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 9780631185550.</ref> on their shoulders or sleeves.<ref>Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (1968). Panjāb Under the Great Mughals, 1526-1707. Thacker. p. 128.</ref> | ||
The yellow badge first appeared in | The yellow badge first appeared in Europe via the Fourth Council of the Lateran of 1215 which ruled that Jews and Muslims must be distinguishable by their dress (Latin "habitus")". The Jewish Encyclopedia entry notes: "The idea of such a discrimination seems to have been derived from Islam, in which the dress of the Jews was distinguished by a different color from that of the true believer as early as the Pact of Omar (640), by which Jews were ordered to wear a yellow seam on their upper garments (D'Ohsson, "Histoire des Mogols," 1854, iii. 274)."<ref name="Ulysse Robert"></ref> | ||
It was later revived by the | It was later revived by the German Nazis. After the invasion of Poland in 1939 there were initially different local decrees forcing Jews to wear a distinctive sign, during the General Government. The requirement to wear the Star of David with the word "Jude" (German for "Jew") inscribed was then extended to all Jews over the age of six in the Reich (current day Germany, Austria, parts of Poland, Slovakia and Luxemberg where German speakers predominated) and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German-occupied Czechoslovakia) (by a decree issued on September 1, 1941, signed by Reinhard Heydrich) and was gradually introduced in other German-occupied areas, where local words were used (e.g. Juif in French, Jood in Dutch). | ||
This practice was again revived most recently in the Islamic world, where in 2001, | This practice was again revived most recently in the Islamic world, where in 2001, Afghanistan's Hindus were required by the [[Taliban]] to wear yellow badges to segregate "un-Islamic" and "idolatrous" communities from [[Islam|Islamic]] ones.<ref name="Hindus1">[{{Reference archive|1=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/news/05/22/taleban.hindus/index.html|2=2012-05-14}} Taliban to mark Afghan Hindus] - CNN, May 22, 2001</ref><ref name="Hindus2">Jack Kelley - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2001-05-22-talibanids.htm|2=2012-05-14}} Taliban: Hindus must wear identity labels] - USA TODAY, June 19, 2001</ref><ref name="Hindus3">T.C. Malhotra - [{{Reference archive|1=http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-lawmakers-condemn-taliban-treatment-hindus|2=2012-05-14}} US Lawmakers Condemn Taliban Treatment Of Hindus] - CNS News, July 7, 2008</ref> | ||
==Islamic | ==Islamic timeline== | ||
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="100%" | ||
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==See | ==Related practices== | ||
===Stamping the necks of dhimmis who paid the Jizyah=== | |||
A related practice to visually distinguish those who had and had not paid the Jizyah (described below as the 'poll-tax'). | |||
{{Quote|{{citation|title=Economic Functions of an Islamic State: The Early Experience|author=S. M. Hasanuz Zaman|publisher=The Islamic Foundation|year=1991|pages=214-215|ISBN=0860372022|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40360540-economic-functions-of-an-islamic-state|edition=Revised}}|In order to manage the affairs of the land, '''Caliph 'Umar''', first had experienced persons survey it and then conduct a census of the population which was also to be subjected to poll-tax [defined by the author as Jizyah]. It is not known how large a team of assistants they took with them because a survey of the whole province could not be undertaken by only one or two men in a reasonable time. Residential areas and houses were excluded from survey. Similarly the undergrowth, area covered under water, or the area inaccessible to water, and mounds (''tala'') were also excluded. Thus the total area of surveyed land was reportedly 36 million ''jarib'' or 125 ''farsakh'' in length and 80 ''farsakh'' in breadth or 10,000 square ''farsakh''. '''In order that people should not evade poll-tax [defined by the author as Jizyah] by pretending to have been counted, a seal was fixed on their necks after they had been counted. A man without a seal was declared to be unprotected [i.e. they would have no civil rights or protections]. Thus about 550,000 persons were dealt with in this way.'''}} | |||
=== Taliban issues yellow badges for Afghani Hindus === | |||
{{Quote|{{citation|title=Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia|author=Ahmed Rashid|year=2010|ISBN=9780300163681|url=https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300163681/taliban|page=218|publisher=Yale University Press|edition=2nd}}|As pressure mounted on the Taliban, the moderate wing within its leadership – who despised the Arabs, was opposed to international terrorism, and was secretly willing to negotiate with the United Nations and others – suffered a major setback when their leader, Mullah Mohammed Rabbani, died of cancer in a Karachi hospital on 16 April. Rabbani was the de facto second in command of the Taliban and had strongly opposed the growing influence of the Arabs on the movement. With Rabbani gone, Al Qaeda persuaded Mullah Mohammed Omar to issue extreme edicts imposing mandates that were unrelated to Afghan culture and tradition. '''Over a few weeks the Taliban''' ordered the closing down of foreign hospitals, '''declared that all Afghan Hindus would have to wear yellow badges''', banned the Internet, put eight Western humanitarian workers on trial and forced the UN’s World Food Programme to shut down its bakeries, which had provided affordable bread to millions of hungry people.}} | |||
==See also== | |||
*[[The Pact of Umar]] | *[[The Pact of Umar]] | ||
==External | ==External links== | ||
*[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2317-badge|2=2012-05-15}} Yellow badge] ''- Jewish Encyclopedia'' | *[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2317-badge|2=2012-05-15}} Yellow badge] ''- Jewish Encyclopedia'' | ||
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{{Reflist|30em}} | {{Reflist|30em}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Dhimma]] | ||
[[Category:Islamic Law]] | [[Category:Shariah (Islamic Law)]] | ||
[[Category:Human rights]] | [[Category:Human rights]] | ||
[[Category:Antisemitism]] | |||
[[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | |||
[[Category:Caliphate]] | |||
[[Category:Islamic History]] | |||