During a recent interview, Dr.Muhammad Shu‘ban, a professor at Al Azhar University, made clear that the Copts, Egypt’s Christian minority, will pay the jizya—what is often referred to in the West as the Islamic “poll tax.” According to the Al Azhar professor, “If non-Muslims were to learn the meaning of ‘jizya,’ they would ask for it to be applied—and we will apply it, just the like Islam commands us to.” His logic is that, if Christians pay the jizya, they will be “protected.” Most Western apologists for Islam also claim that jizya money was paid to protect conquered dhimmis, though they often imply protection from outside enemies, non-Muslims. In fact, the jizya was/is protection money from surrounding Muslims themselves—precisely Shu‘ban’s point: pay up and maybe your churches won’t be burned and your girls abducted.
Translated by Coptic Solidarity. Source: El Fagr