Also, thank you to Rtn Dana and Roadhouse BBQ for once again supporting our Weekly Raffle.

I had a personal phone call from a senior Past President who is unable to join our Friday Zoom Meetings and misses our Friday lunches dearly. But he contributed 10,000 THB to the Weekly Raffle. He is staying ‘engaged’ with
the Club!

The Fund Raising Committee has now been formed and they have had their first meeting for this Rotary Year Chaired by Rtn Steve Wilson. Whilst we are currently constrained with executing our ‘traditional’ events such as Coins,
Golf and Kids Day Out, I am very much aware of some new significant ideas percolating in the Committee relating to arts and another  project considering the notion of leveraging corporate CSR both of which will generate Charity Funds along with  engagement activities for all of our Members with a degree
of longevity.

Fellow Rotarian Frank Crocker provided us with a short video update of his recent  surgery and it was a great way for him to inform all of our Members of his health status which he noted will require more surgery in six months.
Club Members really appreciated hearing from Rtn Frank and I am sure each and every Member cannot wait until we have him back on the microphone with his unique and quick humour entertaining our Friday in-person lunch meetings again. (Thanks to Rtn Worrakit for the video)

Finally I’d like to recognise those Members who are overseas and have taken time to call into our Friday Meeting:

Rtn Alastair Timblick (Italy)                 Rtn Ari Bloed (The Netherlands)

Rtn Elmar Lins (Austria)                     Rtn John Fotiadis (USA)

PP John Quarmby ((UK)                    Rtn Peter Upperton (Australia)

Rtn Poul Weber (Denmark)                Rtn Ron Livingston (Canada)

See you all online on Friday 13^th August.
 

Finbarr O'Connor
President 2021-22

"A new understanding of Prophet Muhammad and Christians"

Speaker : Professor Steve Young

"The first aspect is that there is sufficient evidence Prophet Mohamed gave these covenants during his life time and therefore embody his practices and how he understands his religion, and are therefore a part of SURAH or the life of Prophet Muhammad.

The second aspect is that these have been overlooked by both Muslims and Christians for almost 1,300 years and more research is needed why both religions did not give credit to Prophet Muhammad for tolerance of each
other's beliefs.

Although the original copies of these covenants have not survived, there are enough recensions available in archives in monastries and islamic centres." 

Terms of the Covenants :

• Monks and pilgrims on their journeys received protection for they were proteges and favored subjects (dhimmi). No bishop was to be removed, or monk driven from a monastery, or hermit from his tower.

• No church was to be destroyed, nor money from churches taken to build mosques or houses for Muslims. Muslims were to provide assistance in maintenance of Christian religious buildings and dwellings.

• If Christian woman enters a Muslim household received with kindness and will be allowed to pray in her church. The Najran Covenant provides more explicitly that if a Muslim man takes a Christian woman as wife, he must respect her Christian beliefs; that she can listen to her clerics and follow the path of her own religion. The Najran Covenant also mandates that whoever forces his wife to act contrary to her religion “breaks the alliance of Allah and will enter into open rebellion against the pact of his Messenger and Allah will count him among the imposters.”

• The Najran Covenant provided that no Christian would be made Muslim because “they are covered with wing of mercy”. The Covenant with the Monastery of St Catherine also makes reference to the standard of “mercy” as applying to treatment of Christians. 

• Both covenants commit the Prophet to personally protect Christians party to his covenant, under his security against all harm. The Najran Covenant explains that providing such protection was a duty of the Prophet: “Having authority over them I must govern them protecting them from all damage, ensuring that nothing happens to them that does not happen to the Prophet himself or to his companions” The Najran Covenant provided that the Prophet’s horsemen, footmen, armies, resources would protect Christians wherever they were.

• The Najran Covenant also pledges that no Muslim will abandon the Christians, neglect them, or leave them without help and assistance

• However, the Najran Covenant places reciprocal obligation on Christians that they not help any enemies of Muslims, neither give shelter to such enemies, nor provide them with support. Christians must host Muslims during conflicts when they needed protection for up to three days.

• Both covenants stipulate that Muslims must never contravene the Prophet’s promise of protection until the world ends.

• Both covenants provide for punishment of Muslims who violate these express terms. Any violator “deserves the curse of Allah, be he sultan or another.” “Whoever contravenes the covenant of Allah is a rebel against his covenant and his Messenger.” The Najran Covenant provides that “whoever contravenes or alter this edict will be cast out of the alliance between Allah and his Messenger.” 

It is incumbent upon Christians to acknowledge the good faith and grace of
the Prophet in making these covenants, which are to stand until the end of time and are, by their terms, binding on all faithful Muslims. Reciprocally,
it is similarly incumbent upon Muslims to reflect upon that same good faith
and grace of the Prophet Muhammad as guidance for their own lives.

Steve then told us about similarities between Koranic concepts of good governance and the theories of John Locke which were a part of the American Declaration of independence and is one way of looking into fundamental Muslim beliefs and American tradition. 

Rtn Alastair Timblick , attending the meeting from UK, provided the Vote
of Thanks.

A thoroughly interesting, informative and engaging talk which prompted members to ask many questions, some of which could not be entertained
due to lack of time.

Reported by Rtn Rakesh Sodhia

DEJÀ VOUS… IS IT YOU?