In islamic Sharia ,Dhimmi's are given very less privilages.this means ,the situation of minorities will be pathetic to say the minimum.look at saud for an inspiration.
Christian Plight In The Middle East - The Philadelphia Bulletin Archives
Your concerns are understandable. In fact, there are many rules in Islam that appear to be oppressive.
Another example is inheritance laws, in which the male members of the family inherit a much larger proportion of the inheritance. On the face of it, this appears to be very sexist indeed.
However, closer scrutiny reveals that in fact it would be an unfair burden on the male if he were given an equal share. This is because it is haraam (forbidden) for the male members of the family to keep all their money.
The male members of the family have to provide for the female members (such as daughters, wives etc) out of their share, and the female members of the family can keep all their money and spend it on whatever they like. The wife for example does not have to give her husband any money, and she doesnt even have to spend it on her kids (if she wishes), that is the husbands responsibility. Inheritance is sanctioned in accordance with specific obligations.
The female members of the family can even take male members to court, if they refuse to provide for them although they have sufficient funds to be able to do so. This is called the law of Nafaqa.
Further reading:
Muslim Personal Law
I have written about inheritance laws in order to highlight how things can be misunderstood. Hopefully, this will set the context for my response to The Jizya tax, which is also a grave misunderstanding:
Jizya can be translated as payment in return and is paid by all Jews and Christians* living under protection of the Islamic state. In a society ruled by shariah, the Muslims also have to pay a tax called Zakah to all those outlined in the following verse:
Qur'an chapter 9 verse 60:
"Alms are meant only for the poor, the needy, those who administer them, those whose hearts need winning over, to free slaves and help those in debt, for God's cause, and for travelers in need. This is ordained by God; God is all knowing and wise."
Zakah has to be paid by every adult amongst the Muslims who is sane and financially able. Jizya by contrast is only obligatory upon adult males amongst the non-Muslims who are sane and financially able; the female non-Muslims are exempt. The non-Muslims are exempt from paying the zakah, and in some instances the non-Muslims who are eligible to pay Jizya were also exempt from that! Christian monks for example did not pay any tax of such sorts.
jizya means 'payment in return'. What they're getting in return is protection by the Muslim state along with all the benefits and exemptions from military service. This tax was ridiculously low (one dinar per year.)
So basically it was a situation where the state protected the Jews and Christians, gave them all the benefits, didn't make them risk their lives as the Muslims did, and didn't require them to pay the zakah tax, which is 2.5% of total savings, jewelry and property at the end of the year. Three quick points:
1. If a Muslim country came under attack , Muslims were required to defend it. Christians and Jews didn't need to ever raise a sword, but were still protected because their payment of jizya earned them the protection of the Muslims.
2. While Muslims were required to pay 2.5% of their savings, jewelry, and property, Christians and Jews were not required to pay jizya on property, livestock, crops or produce, and only paid at all if they could afford it. Who do you think has the more difficult burden?
3. It comes down to this. Muslims pay the higher Zakah tax and are required to defend their country (including Jews and Christians.) Jews and Christians paid a lower tax and didn't need to ever fight.
* Sometimes, other faiths were also given Jizya status, not just Jews and Christians. Moreover, if the non-Muslims agreed to fight alongside the Muslims in case of war, they Jizya would be excused:
The following is taken from Wikipedia:
Under Caliph Umar the Zoroastrian Persians were given People of the Book status, and jizya was levied on them. Christian Arab tribes in the north of the Arabian Peninsula refused to pay jizya, but agreed to pay double the amount, and calling it sadaqa, a word meaning "alms" or "charity". According to Yusuf al-Qaradawi the name change was done for the benefit of the Christian tribesmen, "out of consideration for their feelings".
Fred Donner, however, in The Early Islamic Conquests, states that the difference between sadaqa and jizya is that the former was levied on nomads, whereas the latter was levied on settled non-Muslims. Donner sees sadaqa as being indicative of the lower status of nomadic tribes, so much so that that Christian tribesmen preferred to pay the jizya.
Jabala b. al-Ayham of the B. Ghassan is reported asked Umar "Will you levy sadaqa from me as you would from the [ordinary] bedouin (al-'arab)?" Umar acceded to collecting jizya from him instead, as he did from other Christians.
Sir Thomas Arnold, an early 20th century orientalist, gives an example of a Christian Arab tribe which avoided paying the jizya altogether by fighting alongside Muslim armies "such was the case with the tribe of al-Jurajimah, a Christian tribe in the neighbourhood of Antioch, who made peace with the Muslims, promising to be their allies and fight on their side in battle, on condition that they should not be called upon to pay jizya and should receive their proper share of the booty".
This is interesting:
In his message to the people of Al-Hirah, Khalid bin Walid is recorded as saying (in reference to the jizya), "When a person is too old to work or suffers a handicap, or when he falls into poverty, he is free from the dues of the poll tax; his sustenance is provided by the Muslim Exchequer."[citation needed] A letter attributed to Khalid bin Walid said that "This is a letter of Khalid ibn al-Waleed to Saluba ibn Nastuna and his people; I agreed with you on al-jezyah and protection. As long as we protect you we have the right in al-jezyah, otherwise we have none.
According to Muslim accounts of Umar, in his time some payers of the jizya were compensated if they had not been cared for properly. The accounts vary, but describe his meeting an old Jew begging, and assisting him; according to one version:
Umar said to him, "Old man! We have not done justice to you. In your youth we realized Jizyah from you and have left you to fend for yourself in your old age". Holding him by the hand, he led him to his own house, and preparing food with his own hands fed him and issued orders to the treasurer of the Bait-al-mal that that old man and all others like him, should be regularly doled out a daily allowance which should suffice for them and their dependents.
In Khurasan, the native aristocracy reduced jizya, while increased taxes on the Muslim inhabitants, in order to prevent non-Muslim conversion to Islam.
Taken from here:
Jizya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
we can safely conclude, that the payment of Jizya is not as some portray.
I can provide references from hadith also, however that will make this post allot longer. I will be more than happy to share these prophetic sayings with you if you request.