by Pave The Way Foundation | Jul 27, 2016 | Obstacles
In 1971, the Turkish government closed the Halki seminary (Heybeliada), the oldest and most important religious educational institution in the Christian Orthodox Church, creating a grave crisis.
This followed earlier Turkish Government decrees affecting the Patriarchate, including a requirement that the Patriarch must be a Turkish citizen and that the Turkish Government can veto the election of a new Patriarch. Previous Turkish Governments had objected to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople exercising his rights as the spiritual leader of more than 300 million Christian Orthodox faithful (the second largest Christian denomination in the world.) The government tried to restrict his leadership to only the tiny Orthodox community that exists in Turkey and confiscated Church properties in Turkey. This was a reversal of several centuries of much greater tolerance.
Although Turkey is an Islamic country, the government closed all Muslim schools as well, in an effort to secularize the school system. As the only Christian Orthodox seminary in Turkey Halki, was closed as “collateral damage.”
In May 2012, Pave the Way Foundation sent 5 letters to the Turkish government advancing a Muslim request for Halki’ s reopening, along with its religious justification. The request was based on a Covenant of Protection for the “people of the book” (a term used to describe Jews and Christians) guaranteed by the hand-printed signature of the Prophet Muhammad in 628 AD. The Prophet Muhammed, through his covenant, guarantees Islamic protection of Christians and their churches from all of his followers until the end of time.
Our letters were received by the Prime Minister, the President, the Ambassadors to the United Nations, the United States and the European Union in May, 2012. We were told that our request was being looked upon very favorable. On July 5, 2012, Professor Mehmet Gormez, the highest Muslim authority in Turkey, made an unprecedented, historical visit to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I. On that day, he embraced the Patriarch and called for the reopening of the Halki seminary in the name of Islam and stated:
“As the Religious Affairs Directorate, we see non-Muslim citizens living in Turkey as an integral part of this country. Regarding religious freedoms — freedom of religion, freedom to receive an education and the sacredness of places of worship — we demand for them the same rights that we demand for ourselves. We think it is a fundamental right for people from every ethnicity and religion not only in our country but also in every part of the world to practice their religion freely, educate their children in accordance with their beliefs and raise their own theologians,”
Letter to Prime Minister of Turkey, Tayyip Erogan (PDF)
Religious Affairs Directorate President Mehmet Gormez and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I hug each other in front of the İstanbul-based Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on Thursday.
Pave the Way Foundation is proud of the role we played in this advance towards religious tolerance “paving the way” to improved relations. We are honored that our Muslim partners have trusted us and have participated in this initiative. We all collectively look forward to the opening of the Greek Orthodox Halki (Heybeliada) Seminary, which will show the world that the Turkish government is truly interested in religious tolerance.
Below is the charter of rights granted to the Christians, on which we based our letter requesting the reopening of the seminary, signed with the hand print of the Prophet Muhammed Ibn Abdullah.
In 628 CE, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection.
He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which are reproduced below in their entirety. St. Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world’s oldest monastery.
Translation:
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”
Below, Gary Krupp updates His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, of our effort to reopen Halki. It was Theophilos who first alerted us to this obstacle between the Greek Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Turkish government.
With the intercession of His Beatitude, Theophilos III, PTWF was able to obtain two more manuscripts reaffirming Muhammad’s order to protect the Christians and their Churches until the end of days. Special gratitude to Dr. Nicholas Fyssas, Supervisor of the Sinaitic Archive of Monuments, Mount Sinai Foundation.
Copyright St. Catherine’s Monastery Mt. Sinai.
Αντίγραφο αχτναμέ
Χρονολογία:
Επικύρωση Seyyid Süleyman (1285/1868-69)
Βιβλιογραφία-φωτογραφία:
Σαρηγιάννης –Σπυρόπουλος, «Το Οθωμανικό Αρχείο» (ανάλυση της βραχυγραφίας κατωτέρω), Έγγραφο υπ.αρ. 34, σσ. 95 και 348 (πιν. 118).
Date: Early November 26/981 Saban-5 December 1573 bibliography-photo: Sariyannis – Spyropoulos, “Ottoman archive» (analysis of brachygrafias below), document No. 2. 1, pp. 87 and 344 (Pini. 109
Copyright St. Catherine’s Monastery Mt. Sinai
Ανάλυση βραχυγραφίας:
Μαρίνος Σαρηγιάννης – Γιάννης Σπυρόπουλος, «Το Οθωμανικό Αρχείο του Σιναϊτικού Μετοχιού του Αγίου Ματθαίου στο Ηράκλειο Κρήτης (1573-1849», στο Σιναϊτικά Μετόχια σε Κρήτη και Κύπρο, εκδ. Ίδρυμα Όρους Σινά / Σιναϊτικό Αρχείο Μνημείων, Αθήνα, χ.χ., σσ. 71-95, 344-348 (πιν. 109-118).
“Ottoman Archive of Sinai Monastery of St. Matthew in Heraklion Crete (1573-1849”, in Sinai dependencies in Crete and Cyprus, ed. Institute Mount Sinai/Sinai archive of monuments, Athens, ch.ch., pp. 71-95, 344-348 (Pini. 109-118).
by Pave The Way Foundation | May 3, 2013 | Peace
During our research with the Greek Orthodox Church, we located numerous documents hand signed by the Prophet Muhammad, Blessings and Peace be upon him, granting permanent protection to Christians and to their churches. These documents have been in existence since the original order given by Muhammad in 628 ACE. We have located several recent documents which confirm the original charter of rights.
These mandates are not widely known to the Muslim world.
Any Muslim who violates these mandates is insulting Islam and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, Blessings and Peace be upon him.
Important book by Dr. John Andrew Morrow (Imam Ilyas Islam) – The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World
Pave The Way sponsored a running feature of the Covenants of Protection in the International New York Times. (PDF)
“The images of these manuscripts are copies of covenants, which contain a picture of a hand. This image, plus original wax seals, shows that the originals were touched and approved by the Prophet Muhammad, Blessings and Peace be upon him. As authenticated primary documents, which predate the compilation of the Sunnah, these covenants carry the same legal authority as the Holy Qur’an.
These covenants order the followers of the Prophet, Blessings and Peace be upon him, to protect peaceful Christians, Jews, and other allied communities until the end of days. They order that the churches and synagogues and Holy Shrines equally must be protected. They declare that Christians and Jews are believers in one God who form an integral part of the Muslim Ummah or Community. They are not infidels or non-believers.
What has happened? The existence of these covenants has been hidden from the believers, by agents of Satan who lie and pervert the goodness of Islam for their evil purposes. These agents of Satan are disguised as religious leaders to trick the good people into performing evil acts, which are not in service of Allah but only serve Satan. How many of these false leaders, who preached violence and hatred, have sent their own children out to die?
We want to warn all true Muslims who listen to the lies of these agents of Satan to repent if they wish to save their souls. Do not act on their evil demands, do not give them money or any support, shun them and denounce them if you truly wish to enter paradise.
We urge to true believers to join us and sign the Covenant Initiative, to expose the evil doers who only bring international hatred and fear of Islam.” – Dr. John Andrew Morrow (Imam Ilyas Abd al-Alim Islam) above in Arabic, Spanish, French, and Italian. (PDF)
Pave the Way Foundation gratefully acknowledges Dr. John Andrew Morrow for his images of the Covenants.
Muhammad’s Promise to the Monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery Until the End of Days:
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
This is a book written by Mohammed bin Abdullah to all people together; A bearer of glad tiding and a warner[1], and entrusted with a deposit[2] of God in his creation, so that mankind will have no argument against God after the messengers, and God is Mighty and Wise[3]. He wrote it to the people of his religion and all who follow the Christian religion, from the East to the Western of the earth, near or far, natives or foreigners, known or unknown. A book made covenant with them, he who violates the covenant that is in it, disobeyed it for something else, and trespassed: his affair is nothing but a violation of God’s covenant; he voids his pact, and mocks his religion, and deserves a curse, whether he was a sultan (authority) or someone else from the Muslims believers:
- Do not foreseeably change a bishop of his bishopric, nor a monk of is monkhood, an anchorite from his cell (cave), or a hermit of his hermitic[4]; and do not destroy nor sell any patrimony of their churches. Do not utilize anything (capital or materials) from church construction into the construction of a mosque or that of the homes of Muslims. He who does something like that, has broken the covenant of God and has violated his Messenger. Jizya (a fine tribute)[5] or penalty is not to be taken from monks, bishops or worshipers, and I preserve their pact wherever they are on land or sea, East or West, North or South. They are in my conscience and charter, and protection from all evil.
- Do not argue with them except in a way that is best, have mercy on them, and protect them from hated harm wherever they are and wherever they go.
- Assist in reconstruct (patch, remodel) their churches and monasteries, and this would be as aid to them in their religion and for their commitment to the covenant.
Ali bin Abi Taleb wrote this covenant with his handwriting in the Prophet’s Mosque, and witnessed this covenant the Companions of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him.
[1] Meaning: bring the good news to the believers a warner to the disbelievers.
[3] Capital letters used in Mighty and Wise because these are some of the many synonyms for the word God in Islam.
[4] “hermit of his hermitic” is the closest translation to سايح من سياحته. The verbatim translation for سايح is tourist. However, the author was not referring to our current day tourist and tourism; he refers to a spiritual ranking in the Coptic Orthodox church that can only be achieved through prayer, fasting, and being in hermit. When one reaches the level “ tourist” in the Coptic Orthodox church, it means that he can travel from point A to point B without using transportation and he can enter a building without having to go through the doors or window.
[5] Jezya: a fee that was paid by non-Muslim men to Muslims for protection. Women, children, and elders were exempt from paying it.
Translation of the supporting documents
God is great and governeth, from whom all the prophets are come, for there remaineth no record of injustice against God; through the gifts that are given unto men, Mohammed, the son of Abdallah, the Apostle of God, and careful guardian of the whole world, has written the present instrument, to all those that are his national people, and of his religion, as a secure and positive promise to be accomplished to the Christian nation and relations of the Nazareen, whosoever they may be, whether they be the noble or the vulgar, the honourable or otherwise, saying thus:
I. Whosoever of my nation shall presume to break my promise and oath which is contained in this present agreement, destroys the promise of God, acts contrary to the oath and will be a resister of the faith (which God forbid!) for he becometh worthy of the curse, whether he be the king himself or a poor man, or what person soever he may be.
II. That whenever any of the monks in his travels shall happen to settle on any mountain, hill, village, or in any other habitable place, on the sea or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid and protection, jointly with all my national people, because they are a part of my own people, and an honour to me.
III. Moreover, I command all officers not to require any poll tax of them or any other tribute, because they shall not be forced or compelled to anything of this kind.
IV. None shall presume to change their judges or governors, but they shall remain in their office without being deposed.
V. No one shall molest them when they are travelling on the road.
VI. Whatever churches they are possessed of, no one is to deprive them of them.
VII. Whosoever shall annul any of these my decrees, let him know positively that he annuls the ordinance of God.
VIII. Moreover, neither their judges, governors, monks, servants, disciples, or any others depending on them, shall pay any poll tax or be molested on that account, because I am their protector, wheresoever they shall be, either by land or sea, east or west, north or south; because both they and all that belong to them are included in this my promissory oath and patent.
IX. And of those that live quietly and solitary upon the mountains, they shall exact neither poll tax nor tithes from their incomes, neither shall any Mussulman partake of what they have, for they labour only to maintain themselves.
X. Whenever the crop of the earth shall be plentiful in its due time, the inhabitants shall be obliged, out of every bushel, to give them a certain measure.
XI. Neither in time of war shall they take them out of their habitation, nor compel them to go to the wars, nor even then shall they require of them any poll-tax.
In these eleven chapters is to be found whatever relates to the monks; as to the remaining seven chapters they direct what relates to every Christian.
XII. Those Christians who are inhabitants, and with their riches and traffic are able to pay the poll-tax, shall pay no more than 12 drachmas.
XIII. Excepting this, nothing more shall be required of them, according to the express word of God, that says: ‘Do not molest those that have a veneration for the Books that are sent from God, but rather, in a kind manner, give of your good things to them, and converse with them, and hinder every one from molesting them.’
XIV. If a Christian woman shall happen to marry a Mussulman, the Mussulman shall not cross the inclination of his wife to keep her from her chapel and prayers and the practice of her religion.*
XV. That no person hinder them from repairing their churches.
XVI. Whosoever acts contrary to this my grant, or gives credit to anything contrary to it, becomes truly an apostate from God and his divine Apostle, because this protection I have granted to them according to this promise.
XVII. No one shall bear arms against them, but, on the contrary, the Mussulmans shall wage war for them.
XVIII. And by this I ordain that none of my nation shall presume to do or act contrary to this promise until the end of the world.
Witnesses:
Ali the son of Abu Thaleb.
Homar, the son of Hattavi.
Ziphir, the son of Abuan.
Saith, the son of Maat.
Thavitt, the son of Nesis.
Amphachin, the son of Hassan.
Muathem, the son of Kasvi.
Azur, the son of Jassin.
Abombaker, the son of Ambi Kaphe.
Ottoman, the son of Gafas.
Ambtelack, the son of Messutt.
Phazer, the son of Abbas.
Talat, the son of Amptolack.
Saat the son of Abbatt.
Kasmer the son of Abid.
Ambtullack the son of Omar.
This present was written by the leader, the successor of Ali, the son of Abu Thaleb; the prophet marking it with his own hand at the mosque of the Prophet (on whom be peace!) in the second year of Hegira, the third day of the month of Machorem.
* Turkish lawyers give as an example of this point, that the Mussulman son of a Christian mother is bound to convey her, when old or infirm, to the church door, upon a beast (horse or a mule etc.); and should he be poor and possess no beast, he is bound to carry her on his shoulders.”[1]
(John Davenport. An apology for Mohammed and the Koran. 1869. Pages 147-151. The book is available on Archive.org)
PTWF gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following in obtaining these manuscripts and their translations:
- St. Catherine’s Monastery – Egypt
- Dr. Nicholas Fyssas – Supervisor of the Sinaitic Archive of Monuments / Mount Sinai Foundation
- His Beatitude Theophilos III – Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem
- His Beatitude Archbishop Fouad Twal – Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
- Mr. Michael Even
- Dr. John Andrew Morrow
by Pave The Way Foundation | Nov 12, 2012 | Charity & Commemoration
In the spirit of the mission of PTWF, we are proud to sponsor this project in Israel.
Made possible by the generosity of Florence and Michael Edelstein, Mr. Richard Kandel and Mr. Jonathan Kandel, Pave the Way Foundation salutes the artistic effort of famed Israeli Sculptor Mr. Sam Philipe in creating this moving tribute to those who protect the Jewish homeland and to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Letter of gratitude from the mayor of Jerusalem
Director of Pave the Way Foundation and project sponsor, Mr. Richard Kandel delivers his opening remarks.
Monument sponsors left to right: Richard and Jonathan Kandel; Rabbi J. Marcus of the Western Wall Archeological Project; Eli Alony of the City of David Archeological Project.
Pave the Way Foundation Erects Monuments of Importance in Jerusalem to Teach the Next Generation
PTWF monument at the Children’s Holocaust Memorial on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem
PTWF Director in Israel and sculptor, Sam Philipe creates a moving bronze depiction of the famous photograph of little Stella Knobel holding her teddy bear and suitcase just before boarding the train to the Nazi camps.
Pictured above is the bronze monument placed at the entrance of the Children’s Holocaust Memorial. Right is Mr. Peter Geleris representing the Geleris family, whose donations made this monument possible. Next to Peter is Sculptor Sam Philipe and Stella Knobel who survived the Shoah and lives in Tel-Aviv.
Below are photos of the packed crowd attending the dedication ceremony on April 19, 2012 Day of Remembrance of Yom Hashoah.
Yom Hashoah Commemoration on Mt. Zion April 19, 2013
PTWF continues to sponsor Holocaust Remembrance memorial ceremonies. Below, Gary Krupp lights candles of remembrance along with PTWF directors Meredith Krupp, Dan and Cindy Buttafuoco, and Sam Philipe. They are accompanied by Benny Katz, and Rabbis Goldstein of the Yeshiva of the Diaspora. PTWF gratefully acknowledges the continuous help of Benny Katz representative the Municipality of Jerusalem.
PTWF President and Foundation Gary Krupp addresses the remembrance.
PTWF Director Howard Appel dedicates the Magav Menorah Model in Jerusalem. Finished product on the right.
PTWF Paratrooper Menroah Jerusalem
PTWF Board member Richard Kandel, chief sponsor of the Genertions projects, (center) dedicates the Paratrooper menorah.
Bet Gubrin training base
Generations Symbol of Security in Jerusalem Director Richard Kandel, JJ Kandel and Sam Philiipe
