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Medina Safe Havens - A solution for refugees

Link to blog post published on Muslim Matters.org with reader comments When the prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his early followers were faced with immense persecution in the city of Mecca, Muhammad instructed his followers to escape from this persecution rather than continue to suffer under it. Under the Prophet’s instruction, his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina in AD 622, thus leaving the birthplace of the Prophet and of the religion of Islam. The Prophet was soon to follow, traveling under the cover of darkness and hiding along the way in a cave to protect himself from the Meccan enemies who pursued him. After the migration to Medina, Muhammad ultimately signed a compromising treaty with the Meccans to promote peace and safety for the Muslims. Thus, the concepts of migration in order to escape persecution, re-establishment of communities, and compromise for peace were all central to the Prophet’s life and to the experience of the early Mus

Immigration can create Medina Safe Havens

I recently had a conversation about this topic that yielded a new practical point worthy of exploring. An alternative form of creating Medina Safe havens can be achieved by offering entrepreneurial-based, open and permanent immigration. Right now most rich Muslim countries do not allow immigration that enriches the host country. By allowing USA style immigration it is possible that many rich Muslim countries can vastly improve their internal economics and offer a safe haven for many hardworking, oppressed Muslims throughout the region.

Muslim migration to safe havens

* revised version of original article targeted for non-Muslim publications* When the prophet Muhammad and his early followers were faced with immense persecution in the city of Mecca, Muhammad directed his followers to escape from this abuse rather than continue to suffer from it. Under the prophet’s instruction, the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina in AD 622, thus abandoning their holy city. After this migration the two cities of Mecca and Medina remained hostile and fought multiple wars but ultimately signed a treaty called Hudaybiyya. This treaty’s main focus was to establish peace between the two cities but constituted a lot of unpopular comprises by the Muslims. The key compromises made by the Muslims included unequal treatment of defectors and denial of Muhammad to use his title as a Prophet. Thus, these beliefs in migration as a resolution to persecution, the re-establishment of communities, and unequal compromise for peace and strategic objectives were all central to Mu

Link to article and comments on Muslim Matters

Link to article and comments on Muslim Matters

Medina Safe Havens - 700 word version

When the Prophet Muhammad and his early followers were faced with immense persecution in the city of Mecca, Muhammad instructed his followers to escape rather than continue to suffer. Under the Prophet’s instruction, the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina in AD 622, thus leaving the birthplace of the Prophet and of the religion of Islam. After this migration, Muhammad signed a treaty with the Meccans that, despite providing peace and safety for the Muslims, proved to be a great compromise on their part. Thus, the concepts of migration to escape persecution, re-establishment of communities, and compromise for peace were all central to the Prophet’s life and to the experience of the early Muslim community and provide strong precedents that modern-day Muslims facing oppression can follow in order to maintain liberty, dignity, and progress. Today, there are millions of Muslims facing persecution as they struggle to survive in war zones and refugee camps throughout the world. It has been