What If the CrusadesHadNever Happened?
Just Like Today:
Sistani equates unbelievers with excrement
The distaste that Muslims have for unbelievers, who are called the
"vile st of crea ture s" in the Qur' an (98: 6). is not a thin g of the past. The
Iraq iShi'it e leader Grand Ayatol lah Sayyid Ali Husayn i Sistan i, who hasbeen
hailedby many in the West as a reformer, a moderate, and a hope for democracy
in Iraq and the Middle East at large, makes it quite clear in hisrel igi ous rul ing s
tha t the Isl ami c con tem pt for unb eli eve rs is sti ll ver y muc h inef fe ct. Th is is
th e pe rspe ct iv e th at ca us ed th e Zo ro as tr ia ns to dw in dl efro m a vibr ant
maj ori ty to a tin y and desp ise d min ori ty.Amo ng Sist ani 's vol uminous rulings
on all manner ofquestionsconcerning Islamic law is thisillua
minating little list:
The following ten things areessentially nails [unclean]:- Uri ne 7. Pig
- Fec es 8. Kafir [unbeliever]
- S e me n 9. A l c o h o l i c liquors
- Dea d bod y 10. The sweat of an ani
- B l o o d malwhopersistently
- D o g unclean things]'eats naiasat [i.e.,
Sista ni adds. "the entir e bodyof a Kafir , inclu ding his hair andnails ,and
allliquid substances of his body, are najis." ( unclean )
Dou ble stan dard aler t: Sist ani is res pec ted thro ugho ut the West ern
wor ld. But imagine the international outcry if, say, Jerry Falwell said that
non-Christianswere on the level of pigs. feces, and dog sweat.