Weren't the Maccabees and Hasideans a lot like the Taliban?

Question

1 Maccabees 2:44, "They organized an army, and struck down sinners in their anger and renegades in their wrath; the survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety. And Mattathias and his friends went around and tore down the altars; they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of Israel...."

1 Maccabees 3:5, [about Judas Maccabeus].. "He searched out and pursued those who broke the law; he burned those who troubled his people. Lawbreakers shrank back for fear of him...." [the "Law" here is the religious law].

The "renegades" are those who wanted to assimilate with Greek culture.

if the truth offends you, then you are the one with the problem, not me.

Oh for crying out loud, people! I am NOT arguing that the Taliban was Just, but that the Maccabees may have been just as UNJUST.

Answer 1

I would not go that far...

were they religious zealots? Yes, I do not think that anyone would argue that they were not, but it was not the case of the radical religious groups attacking innocent men and women that were just trying to live freely it certainly was not.

You have to remember that the Maccabeen war was reactionary. What it was were the powerful Hellenistic Jews like Jason the high priest had convinced the Seleucid government to impose religious restrictions so that they could be they would look less foreign and would be more accepted into Hellenistic society.

the result was the Maccabees rose up and fought against a government that was restricting their freedom of religion.

naturally the Hellenistic Jews were just as much of the enemy as the Syrian/Greeks.

the "renegades" as you call them lived in peace until they imposed their Greek culture on those that did not wish it.

Answer 2

No, OMG.

Have you thought about the fact that making those comparisons can be offensive to others?

I don't think this is my problem at all. I think the guy who answered below me read your statements exactly the same as I did. You are not getting your point across. More importantly, it's not really a question, it's an argument, and should be on a chat forum somewhere. Ignorance is not acceptable from a scholar. Suggesting that the Maccabees and the Taliban had the same motives and same level of culpability is an absurdity and demonstrates that you do not understand the political situation in which the Maccabees lived and what they fought for.

The only way your ideas make sense to me is if you are trying to argue that the oppression of the Maccabees wasn't specifically religious in nature. Put yourself in their shoes and think about how that could possibly be true. Are you an athiest that you do not understand what motivates people who have faith, and how much and deeply offended they can be when their culture is oppressed?

Answer 3

To some degree. The difference was they were nationalists fighting against a foreign occupier.

Answer 4

well does not matter which faith or what religion they belong to. infact such people hardly are following what Allah(God) has taught them. but something really needs to be done about them before everything slips out of hand.

no one can justify killing someone, infact i feel that it is time for all of us to clean up the dirty laundry such people have created. irrespective of who they are, where they are from and which faith they belong to, they are humans and no human accd to Quran has the right to take someone elses' life.

the verse from Quran will show that Allah condems unnecessary and unwanted fighting and killing in His name as well as in the name of his messenger muhammed-pbuh (verse 32). it also says describes the punishment in Hereafter for such people who kill innocents and cause mischeif in this world (verse 33), be it muslim or who so ever. punishments are sdame for all those who cause misheif on earth.

Al-Maeda | 120 verses | The Table Spread سورة المائدة
Sura #5 | Madina

32 For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.

33 The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom;

A long comes the Sunnah that says: [Sunnah] The Messenger of Allah (saas) said, "One who kills a non-Muslim person under protection (Arabic: dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."

this is what i learnt and this is what i have beleived in all my life.

Answer 5

The analogy certainly sounds appropriate given these quotes.


oh, and to the first answerer:
"If the shoe fits..."

Answer 6

Although I don't agree with you argument - even if you are right - does that make Taliban in the 21st century just?

Answer 7

I have always thought of the Inquisition. However, they were far more creative with their torture.