society of the Arabs, the duties of subject and citizen
imposed a feeble restraint; and Mahommed, in the exercise of a peaceful
and benevolent mission, had been despoiled and banished by the injustice
of his countrymen." It has been fully shown in the foregoing paragraphs
that the Moslems in Mecca enjoyed neither safety nor security. Religious
freedom was denied to them, though they were harmless and peaceful
members of the community. Besides this they were expelled from their
homes, leaving their families and their property in the hands of their
persecutors, and were prevented from returning to Mecca, and were
refused access to the Sacred Mosque; and, above all, they were attacked
by the Meccans in force at Medina.

[Sidenote: 19. Justification of the Moslems in taking up arms against
their aggressors.]

The persecution of the early Moslems by the Koreish was on religious
grounds. They would not allow the believers to renounce the religion of
their forefathers and profess Islam. Their intolerance was so strong and
harsh that they tortured some of the professors of the new faith to
renounce the same and to rejoin their former idolatry. "Taking away the
lives, the fortune, the liberty, any of the rights of our brethren,
merely for serving their Maker in such manner as they are persuaded they
ought, when by so doing they hurt not human society, or any member of
it, materially, is evidently inconsistent with all justice and humanity:
for it is punishing those who have not injured us, and who, if they
mistake, deserve only pity from us."[174] The early Moslems had had
every international right to resent persecution and intolerance of the
Meccans and to establish themselves by force of arms, to enjoy their
religious liberty and to practise their religion freely.

[Sidenote 20. The first aggression after the Hegira was not on the part
of Mohammad.]

Some of the European biographers of Mohammad say, "that the first
aggressions after the Hegira were solely on the part of Mahomet and his
followers. It was not until several of their caravans had been waylaid
and plundered, and blood had thus been shed, that the people of Mecca
were forced in self-defence to resort to arms."[175]

This is not correct. The aggressors, in the first instance, were the
Koreish, who, as already shown, followed up their persecution of the
Moslems by an attack upon the city in which the Prophet and his
followers had taken refuge. Even taking it for