Through Force or Faith? — Page 282
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 282 Politics The third area of human activities is associated with the internal organizational policies of various nations and their relations and interactions with each other and that is known as political system. Islam defined, for the first time, several principles of politics and threw light on international affairs. In Judaism, politics depended upon the will of the Kings or religious leaders. Christianity promoted the idea: ‘Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s’ (Matthew 23:21), and thus the rights of the rulers were established to some extent but the limits of the same were not defined and no mention was made of the rights of the public. Who should be the ruler? Responding to this question, the Bible says that the ruler can only be from your nation and who shares your religion (Deuteronomy 17:15). Thus all who did not belong to their religion were deprived of this right. Islam did not place any such restriction and the door, to become head of state, is open to all. Islam gave elaborate guidance to rulers that it is their obliga- tion to govern the people with justice and equity: اًرْيِصَبَو اَذِا ْمُتْمَكَح َنْيَب ِساَّنلا ْنَا اْوُمُكْحَت ِلْدَعْلاِب١ؕ َّنِا َهّٰللا اَّمِعِن ْمُكُظِعَي ٖهِب١ؕ َّنِا َهّٰللا َناَك اًۢعْيِمَس And that, when you judge between men, you judge with justice. And surely excellent is that with which Allah admonishes you! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing ( S u rah an-Nis a’ , 4:59).