Given the recent ethnic cleansing that has been going on in the Middle East that has been perpetrated by ISIS/The Islamic State, this might be a bit of an eye opener for most people out there as it turns out that the prophet Muhammad – the founder of Islam don’t you know – actually wrote a letter during his lifetime which specifically guaranteed Christians the right to self governance, the protection of their churches and monasteries and the freedom to practice their own religion in Muslim populated areas. Say what?

This commandment is known as the Achtiname of Muhammad and is supposed to be followed by Muslims until the end of time, which really does lead us to question just why all the shit that is going down in the Middle East currently is actually happening when the guy who founded the religion has explicitly stated that it shouldn’t be happening, in fact the exact opposite should be happening. Fucking longting really.

The article was devised due to the fact that Muhammad travelled and spent time in a Christian monastery – St Catherine’s in south Sinai, Egypt – which you can see above,  where he engaged with many interesting and fruitful discussions with the monks based there. As such, he devised a charter guaranteeing them the same privileges that Muslims enjoyed, and that these should be enjoyed by Christians far and near across the land. It is estimated that this was written at some point in AD 670.

Since then the original Achtiname has been copied several times and placed in several different religious centres including the library of St. Catherine’s itself and its legitimacy has been confirmed by several Islamic judges throughout history. It is also signed with a handprint of Muhammad which was a common way for him to authenticate his documents during his life.

Obviously scholars have still questioned several aspects of it, but these generally relate to the list of witnesses present at its beginning rather than the actual content itself.  Even despite these questions though, the very fact that even a disputed document of this sort exists should be enough to make Islamic militants at least question what they’re doing over there at the moment/for the last however long.

You can see a picture of the Achtiname below, and also read a full translation of it underneath that too:

This translation is from Richard Pococke:

1. Muhammad the son of ‘Abd Allah, the Messenger of Allah, and careful guardian of the whole world; has wrote the present instrument to all those who are in his national people, and of his own religion, as a secure and positive promise to be accomplished to the Christian nation, and relations of the Nazarene, whosoever they may be, whether they be the noble or the vulgar, the honorable or otherwise, saying thus.I. Whosoever of my nation shall presume to break my promise and oath, which is contained in this present agreement, destroys the promise of God, acts contrary to the oath, and will be a resister of the faith, (which God forbid) for he becomes worthy of the curse, whether he be the King himself, or a poor man, or whatever person he may be.

2. That whenever any of the monks in his travels shall happen to settle upon any mountain, hill, village, or other habitable place, on the sea, or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid, and protection, jointly with all my national people; because they are a part of my own people, and an honor to me.

3. Moreover, I command all officers not to require any poll-tax on them, or any other tribute, because they shall not be forced or compelled to anything of this kind.

4. None shall presume to change their judges or governors, but they shall remain in their office, without being deported.

5. No one shall molest them when they are travelling on the road.

6. Whatever churches they are possessed of, no one is to deprive them of them.

7. Whosoever shall annul any of one of these my decrees, let him know positively that he annuls the ordinance of God.

8. Moreover, neither their judges, governors, monks, servants, disciples, or any others depending on them, shall pay any poll-tax, or be molested on that account, because I am their protector, wherever they shall be, either by land or sea, east or west, north or south; because both they and all that belong to them are included in this my promissory oath and patent.

9. And of those that live quietly and solitary upon the mountains, they shall exact neither poll-tax nor tithes from their incomes, neither shall any Muslim partake of what they have; for they labor only to maintain themselves.

10. Whenever the crop of the earth shall be plentiful in its due time, the inhabitants shall be obliged out of every bushel to give them a certain measure.

11. Neither in time of war shall they take them out of their habitations, nor compel them to go to the wars, nor even then shall they require of them any poll-tax.

12. In these eleven chapters is to be found whatever relates to the monks, as to the remaining seven chapters, they direct what relates to every Christian.

13. Those Christians who are inhabitants, and with their riches and traffic are able to pay the poll-tax, shall pay no more than twelve drachms.

14. Excepting this, nothing shall be required of them, according to the express order of God, that says, ‘Do not molest those that have a veneration for the books that are sent from God, but rather in a kind manner give of your good things to them, and converse with them, and hinder everyone from molesting them’ [29:46].

15. If a Christian woman shall happen to marry a Muslim man, the Muslim shall not cross the inclination of his wife, to keep her from her church and prayers, and the practice of her religion.

16. That no person hinder them from repairing their churches.

17. Whosoever acts contrary to my grant, or gives credit to anything contrary to it, becomes truly an apostate to God, and to his divine apostle, because this protection I have granted to them according to this promise.

18. No one shall bear arms against them, but, on the contrary, the Muslims shall wage war for them.

19. And by this I ordain, that none of my nation shall presume to do or act contrary to this my promise, until the end of the world.