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The Qur'an have binding instructions for the treatment of the subjected 'dhimmis', the Christians and the Jews: "Make war upon such of those to whom the scriptures have been given as believe not in God, or in the last day... and who profess not the profession of truth, until they pay tribute out of hand, and they be humbled." For payment of a moderate poll-tax ('jizyah') which exempted them form military service and to which only men fit for service and able to pay were liable, and for the payment of 2 12 per cent of their annual income instead of the alms-tax binding on the Muslims who did not have to pay any poll-tax but had, instead to do military service. In particular, they were allowed to practice their religion as they pleased. Never did Islam want-- like the Church-- to convert the world, but "only to be the ruling religion and to be acknowledged as such. Wherever this is the case, it tolerates believers of other religions." Becker stresses the fact that it is impossible to talk of fanaticism against Christianity". "Religious war against the Christians does not therefore carry the catchword "death or Islam" but it merely wants to achieve the recognition of Islamic authority, whilst freedom in religious practice is granted." There is an obvious financial reason the Arab Muslims did not force the conversion of the subjected Christians and Jews, but even impeded it: the Muslims did not have to pay any tax apart from the alms-tax in the first few centuries. Therefore the basis of the Arab financial administration was first and foremost the poll-tax imposed on the non-Muslims. With each able-bodied Jew or Christian who converted to Islam, a tax-payer was lost. Financial reasons have always wielded great power! According to Becker: "In the territories first conquered by the Arabs, recognition of the Islamic religion was totally voluntary: it was even not wished for, because the Islamic state economically presupposed a large number of non-Islamic subjects. Only in a very small measure can one therefore talk of the expansion of the religion by the sword. The conquest of the old world by the Arabs was not the same as converting to Islam." Thus in Egypt after 500 years of Islamic rule the Muslims formed only 50 per cent of the whole population. The fact that the Christians of Syria and Egypt, and those of the Coptic and Monophysite churches, joyfully welcomed the invasion of the Muslim conquerors is due to the century-long persecutions of these minority groups by the orthodox Church, especially under the Emperor Heraclius, who had sent an army against Muhammad and had thus caused the Arab campaign of conquest. The treaty which Caliph 'Umar entered into with the city of Jerusalem is an example of the manner in which Christians were treated by their Islamic rulers..
(154:1)
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