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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Muslima]

That's not true. The caliphate was tolerant of other religions because they Wanted to be, and above all because that is what is dictated by the Qu'ran. They were not minorities over a course of centuries, they could have dictated whatever laws they wanted had they chose to do so. [/quote]

Not all religions. Only Abrahamic religions. The Quran clearly dictates teeth-gritting tolerance only to Jews and Christians. No one else.

[quote=Muslima]
Umar's treaty when he conquered Jerusalem is seen today by far as one of the most progressive treaties in History and one of the first and most significant guarantees of religious freedom in history. [/quote]

The dhimma treaty Umar made with the Christians of Syria is one of the most repressive documents ever signed.   The treatment of non-Muslims at the hands of Muslims, like everywhere else by everyone else, was dictated by political, and not clerical factors.  Let's see what the good people of Syria have agreed to.  Bolding mine:

In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate. This is a letter to the servant of God Umar [ibn al-Khattab], Commander of the Faithful, from the Christians of such-and-such a city. When you came against us, we asked you for safe-conduct (aman) for ourselves, our descendants, our property, and the people of our community, and we undertook the following obligations toward you:

[b]We shall not build, in our cities or in their neighborhood, new monasteries, Churches, convents, or monks' cells, nor shall we repair, by day or by night, such of them as fall in ruins or are situated in the quarters of the Muslims.[/b]

We shall keep our gates wide open for passersby and travelers. We shall give board and lodging to all Muslims who pass our way for three days.

We shall not give shelter in our churches or in our dwellings to any spy, nor bide him from the Muslims.

We shall not teach the Qur'an to our children.

[b]We shall not manifest our religion publicly nor convert anyone to it. We shall not prevent any of our kin from entering Islam if they wish it.

We shall show respect toward the Muslims, and we shall rise from our seats when they wish to sit.

We shall not seek to resemble the Muslims by imitating any of their garments, the qalansuwa, the turban, footwear, or the parting of the hair. We shall not speak as they do, nor shall we adopt their kunyas.

We shall not mount on saddles, nor shall we gird swords nor bear any kind of arms nor carry them on our- persons.[/b]

We shall not engrave Arabic inscriptions on our seals.

We shall not sell fermented drinks.

We shall clip the fronts of our heads.

We shall always dress in the same way wherever we may be, and we shall bind the zunar round our waists

[b]We shall not display our crosses or our books in the roads or markets of the Muslims. We shall use only clappers in our churches very softly. We shall not raise our voices when following our dead. We shall not show lights on any of the roads of the Muslims or in their markets. We shall not bury our dead near the Muslims.

We shall not take slaves who have beenallotted to Muslims.

We shall not build houses overtopping the houses of the Muslims.[/b]

(When I brought the letter to Umar, may God be pleased with him, he added, "We shall not strike a Muslim.")

We accept these conditions for ourselves and for the people of our community, and in return we receive safe-conduct.

If we in any way violate these undertakings for which we ourselves stand surety, we forfeit our covenant [dhimma], and we become liable to the penalties for contumacy and sedition.

Umar ibn al-Khittab replied: Sign what they ask, but add two clauses and impose them in addition to those which they have undertaken. They are: "They shall not buy anyone made prisoner by the Muslims," and "Whoever strikes a Muslim with deliberate intent shall forfeit the protection of this pact."

[quote=Muslima]
The Caliph is not appointed by God rather he is elected by the people and assumes authority through the bayah contract. Without this bayah he cannot be the head of state. This is totally opposite to the post of a King or Dictator who imposes his authority on the people through coercion and force. Non-Muslims are referred to as dhimmi (people of contract) in the Caliphate, which means they enjoy the full rights of citizenship. [/quote]

No, he is not elected by the people.  At best, he is elected by a handful of the most powerful Muslim men.  In the only instance of the caliphate - the Ottoman empire - the caliph was elected from the litter of male children born to the sultan by his concubines.  Most of the Ottoman Turkish sultans had slave mothers. [/quote]

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