The Constitution of Medina. Memory of another model of coexistence

Abstract

Islam has become a major religion in Europe. The challenging question is whether Islam can accept a secular state or not. Some Muslims refer to the so called constitution of Medina. It regards Jews as equal to the Muslims in rights and duties irrespectively of their different religion. The history of Ps.-Sebeos concerning the earliest Muslim conquest of the Holy Land suggests that the rules of the constitution of Medina was still in effect at that time. Jewish texts as well as archaeological and numismatic findings confirm this hypothesis. A radical change seems to have happened during the second Muslim civil war after 691, when an Islamic model of state was imposed.