CAIR Council on American Islamic Relations Action Alert # 173 COLUMNIST QUESTIONS PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S HONESTY (WASHINGTON, DC - 5/11/98) - CAIR has received a number of complaints from concerned Muslims about a syndicated column written by Cal Thomas. The column, which appeared in newspapers across the country, dealt with negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Thomas wrote in part: "In an April 18 interview with Egypt's Orbit Satellite Television Channel, Mr. Arafat compared the Oslo accords to the broken truce Mohammed signed with the Koreish tribe 1,300 years ago...Mr. Arafat said, and he likened his orders to cease terrorist attacks against Israel to those of Mohammed, who agreed to a 10-year truce with the Koreish tribe, which was opposed by one of his top aides, Omar Bin Khatif. Khatif called it the 'inferior peace.' "In the interview, Mr. Arafat said, 'I do not compare myself to the prophet, but I do say that we must learn from his steps and those of Salah al-Din...The peace agreement which we signed is an 'inferior peace.'' Mr. Arafat suggested 'we remain quiet. We respect agreements the way that the prophet Mohammed and Salah al-Din respected the agreements which they signed.' "A reasonable person might conclude Mr. Arafat has no intention of living up to the Oslo accords and will use the techniques of Mohammed...to extract as many land concessions as he can from Israel and then launch a war..." TALKING POINTS: The Prophet Muhammad never broke any agreement, regardless of strength or weakness. There is not one shred of evidence to back up this false allegation. With reference to authorities such as Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Saad, Al-Hakim and Bukhari, the following is an outline of the events surrounding the Treaty of Hudaybiah, the usual basis for this false allegation: 1) The Prophet and his companions were prevented by the pagan Arabs from performing their pilgrimage to Mecca (Umrah). Instead of fighting, and despite the willingness of his followers to enforce their religious rights, the Prophet chose a peaceful settlement. 2) Two years later, the pagan Arabs broke the treaty by attacking and killing 20 allies of the Muslims as they slept. It is internationally recognized that when one party breaks a treaty, the other party is released from its obligations. 3) Even after this attack, no bloody revenge was taken against those who broke the treaty. In fact, when the Muslims finally entered Mecca, amnesty was granted to nearly all former enemies. NOTE - Salah al-Din (Saladin), who was a Kurd not an Arab, is recognized by historians as an archetype of chivalrous behavior. The Quran states: "Yes, whoever fulfills his pledge and fears Allah much; verily, then Allah loves those who are the pious." 3:76. Also: "And fulfill (every) covenant." 17:34 In 1996, U.S. News & World Report editor-in-chief Mortimer Zuckerman claimed the Prophet Muhammad had a "doctrine" of deceit in making treaties with enemies while he was weak and violating them when he was strong. In the magazine's June 24 issue, this claim was retracted. The editors wrote: "...We deeply regret any ambiguity in the language; Mr. Zuckerman meant no insult. He was referring to Mr. Arafat's reference to the Prophet and did not intend to state that this was the doctrine of the Prophet...it was the Meccans, not the prophet Muhammad, who broke the peace of Hudaybiah of 628."