NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 10 November) – Coming from the same forebear Abraham, the Jews and the Muslims have many common beliefs and practices, among others, the belief in one and only God and in retributive justice, explicitly expressed in the principle “an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
The Torah, holy Book of the Jews, particularly Exodus 21-25, prescribes that “If there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
On the other hand, Surah Al-Ma’dah 5:45 of the Quran, the Muslims’ holy Book, mentions the phrase “eye for an eye” referring to retributive justice (al-qasas), a legal concept, known as the law of equality in punishment, otherwise stated as “let the punishment fit the crime.” In Islamic law, the punishment for a crime should be equal to the gravity of that crime, not greater or less.
Specifically, the Quran says: We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds. But whoever gives up his right as charity, it is an expiation for him. Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then it is those who are the Wrongdoers.
Thus, the atrocious and indiscriminate killing now obtaining in Gaza, results from the operation of the law of vengeance both observed and upheld by the Israelis and the Palestinian Hamas.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth dictates the vicious Israeli- Hamas war. It sees no end and will continue to be pursued that way until all of them are already blind and toothless.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental)