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"Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Fatimah
10/11/01 at 10:42:44
Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam By Ibrahim Negm Ibrahim Negm is director of the Islamic Center of the South Shore in Valley Stream and adjunct assistant professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at St. John's University. October 11, 2001 NY Newsday IN HIS major work, "Religious Extremism in the Lives of Contemporary Muslims," Saudi scholar Abdul Al-Mutairi asserts, "In reality, Islam recognizes extremism as a disease. It is something that the teachings and the practices of Islam caution against. Indeed, from an Islamic perspective, it is something that should be purged from society." Oftentimes, however, the acts of extremists have helped bolster the notion that Islam is on a collision course with the West. Numerous examples of how extremism has posed a challenge to the very foundation of the religion can be cited from the past, most notably the 1981 assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, but this is particularly true of the recent communiqué of Osama bin Laden. On Sunday, after the United States began its military attack against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, a tape emerged of bin Laden, still the prime suspect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, in which he urged the Muslims to fight a "jihad" against Americans. Most Americans saw this statement as not only provocative, but defiant. All Muslims here should, too. In Islamic law, for a claim to be religiously credible, it has to echo two things: the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and the Sunnah, the sayings of the prophet Muhammad. Without these as a basis, the claim carries no religious weight. It is tantamount to opinion based on one's personal interpretation. Bin Laden's statement is just that. More than that, bin Laden's use of the word jihad represents how the whole notion of a "holy war" has become one of the most misunderstood and abused aspects of Islam. There are some Muslims who exploit and misuse this concept for their own personal and political objectives, as bin Laden has. Its use this way, in turn, has led many non-Muslims here and elsewhere to misunderstand the concept as well. Terrorism is not jihad, and aggression is not jihad. Such brutal and violent acts, to use an Arabic word, are "fasad," or mischief. This is addressed in the Quran: "When it is said to them, Make not mischief on the Earth, they say, Why? We only want to correct things. Indeed, they are the mischief makers, but they realize it not." The mistranslation of the term jihad into a "holy war" also has helped eclipse its universal and wide application to nearly every aspect of human life as understood by Islam, both inwardly and outwardly. The term means "the striving of the good and the elimination of evil." Instead, it has become highly commercialized, equated with terror and aggression. Looking at the Islamic tradition, one can find that Islam utterly forbids any form of aggression or terror against innocent civilians. In the Quran, a jihad can be declared by a state only and not by individuals or organizations. The concept even carries an ethical code: Do not begin hostilities; end them, and work for peace. And, most importantly, fight only those who fight you. There should be no collective punishment, and non-combatants should not be harmed. "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors," Allah says clearly. In a jihad, when one decides to do something, he or she should make sure that such an act ultimately benefits the public welfare of the Muslim community. If the interests of the Muslim community are harmed, the action is automatically rendered as un-Islamic. As various prominent Muslim jurists and scholars around the world have pointed out, the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon must be condemned. I think it is important for both Muslims and non-Muslims to come to a fuller understanding of the key issues surrounding this whole debate. We must avoid hasty and immature judgments. It is equally important for authentic and mainstream scholars to help correct, inform and present credible and weighty theses to counteract and refute the ideas advanced by the minority. They should assert that Islam strives to establish a world order where all human beings - Muslims and non-Muslims - can live with justice and in peace, harmony and goodwill. Any Muslim who doubts this, listening instead to bin Laden and his associates, should read the following passage from the Quran: "And the recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely He does not love the unjust. And whoever defends himself after his being oppressed, these it is against whom there is no blame. The way to blame is only against those who oppress men and revolt in the earth unjustly: these shall have a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgiving, these most surely are actions due to courage." From an Islamic point of view, any wrong action, like that of bin Laden's, has consequences. The perpetrators have to bear the consequences. Most Muslims should support President George W. Bush's strategic military action, while also urging the government to fight only the perpetrators, not the civilians. I pray to God Almighty that the strikes occur without much harm to our American military and to the innocent Afghan people, and I hope that our government will end the military action as soon as the criminals are apprehended.
NS

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Kashif
10/11/01 at 11:14:45
[quote] Most Muslims should support President George W. Bush's strategic military action, while also urging the government to fight only the perpetrators, not the civilians.[/quote] Masha'Allah we should *support* the military aggression against our brothers.
NS

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Learner
10/11/01 at 11:46:51
slm [quote]Most Muslims should support President George W. Bush's strategic military action[/quote] Why should I support the military action against a group of people who deny they had nothing to do with the WTC tragedy? I personally do not agree with Usamah upon targeting American civilians because they pay tax dollars...and the ulama that I am in contact with do not hold that view either, rather they say it is un-Islamic to target innocent civilians even in war. However, you can call Usamah bin Laden whatever you want - you can call him bloodthirsty, a barbarian, a savage or a monster etc. But you have to remember that Usamah is an honest muslim. He agrees with the WTC crashes but denies any involvement and regrets not being able to carry out the attack himself. He praised those who carried out the attacks whosoever they may be. The important thing here is to understand that Usamah denies carrying out the attacks and so do the taliban. There is a world of a difference between agreeing to an act carried out by a third party and admitting that it was you who in fact carried out the action in question. Agreeing does not mean admitting! Under the rule of law, Usama can only be charged of the crime if there is substantial evidence beyond reasonable doubt. But if the evidence has not been gathered or presented beyond reasonable doubt then how can we charge him of that crime? Not only are we charging him and making him suffer for the crime himself but also a nation of millions of men, women and children that have no direct attachment to him? I suppose this is just the "American way" huh? wlm

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
bhaloo
10/11/01 at 11:54:27
slm Well said brothers! No Muslims should support Bush's military action, for what you are supporting is a war, a war not on terrorism but a war on Islam, make no mistakes about it.  By supporting Bush's actions you are supporting the killings of innocent Muslims around the world.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
NewJehad
10/11/01 at 11:57:19
The khawarig are the dogs of Jahanum... the sifat of the khawarig is that they are very harsh with the believers and very gental with the disbelievers... who fits this bill today?

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Fth016
10/11/01 at 12:45:06
Learner wrote: [quote]The important thing here is to understand that Usamah denies carrying out the attacks and so do the taliban. There is a world of a difference between agreeing to an act carried out by a third party and admitting that it was you who in fact carried out the action in question. Agreeing does not mean admitting![/quote] Usama bin Laden could be lying about his involvement in the terrorist attacks (and has lied about previous attacks) because of the Sahih Muslim hadith that says Muhammad allowed lying during war and two other circumstances.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
se7en
10/11/01 at 13:08:03
We will not have discussions on how good or bad Osama bin Laadin is on the board. If you'd like to discuss this, join the mailing list discussed in the thread [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=general&action=display&num=5065]here[/url].

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
NewJehad
10/11/01 at 13:16:17
the fact is he is Muslim. If he says he did not do it we trust him until proven otherwise. now bush say's he is guilty, so does blair, these are kaffars, not just kaffars but the worst of kaffars. who do we believe? the chose is clear.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
BroHanif
10/11/01 at 17:02:59
I can understand these puppets where they come from. Today it is the Aqsa, Tomorrow the Haram Sharif and on the third day an all out attack on Medina. Until the ummah does not wake up,  we are sitting ducks.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
DaSouljah
10/11/01 at 18:42:41
praising an action/trajedy is just as bad as committing it. My opinion! :)

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Learner
10/12/01 at 09:33:42
slm   :) [quote]We will not have discussions on how good or bad Osama bin Laadin is on the board.[/quote] I agree totally. It would be premature and naïve of me to pass that kind of a judgement without having the full facts in front of me. Furthermore, some lurkers may get the wrong impression of Islam, being unable to distinguish the difference between Islam and the Muslims. Just to clarify – I did not say that Usamah was a good Muslim or a bad Muslim, I just stated that he was an honest Muslim. [quote]Usama bin Laden could be lying about his involvement in the terrorist attacks (and has lied about previous attacks) because of the Sahih Muslim hadith that says Muhammad allowed lying during war and two other circumstances. [/quote] You are quite right that Usamah could be lying. Usamah could be lying as much as Bush could be lying. Again, there is no credible evidence or proof beyond reasonable doubt to suggest that Usamah has lied in the past. On the other hand there is solid evidence that Bush did lie on a continual basis; during his election campaign where he claimed to know America’s foreign policies towards certain countries of the world but when questioned he didn’t even know the rulers in those countries let alone the policies towards them; his inability to answer questions relating to the financial aspects of running the country though he arrogantly claimed to be able to pull America out of a crisis – these are just two lies which the world has seen and heard with their own ears direct from the horse’s mouth. There are many more lies which you may know very well but I will not linger on. Such evidence presented in the court of law is sufficient enough to label Mr Bush as a liar whose testimony in any given case is questionable.  Suffice it to say that these are only the initial months of his Presidency, and we all know how much “truth” American presidents tend to preach to their own nation if not others: does Monika Lewinsky ring any bells? Another point to note though not as vital as others, would be that Usamah had no reason to lie knowing that he made it blatantly clear to the rest of the world that he wants Americans to be killed. As I mentioned before a lot of scholars have denounced him for thinking like this and preaching the same to others. If he approved of the crashes and praised the ones who carried it out (though he claims not to know them) why would he deny to have carried out the attack if it was indeed him? His network claimed responsibility for all the other attacks on US “interests” in the Gulf so why would he deny this attack? Usamah knows that by his mere agreeing to the attacks he would warrant America’s wrath upon himself. But why did he fall short of admitting to the attacks though he knows the retaliatory consequences would be the same? Would it be because he genuinely did not commit those atrocities? [quote]praising an action/tragedy is just as bad as committing it. My opinion![/quote] On a philosophical level I agree with you. But is the  retribution upon those who carried out the attack and those who agree to the attack to be the same?   If that be the case then the entire American Government and population that agrees to the sanctions imposed upon Iraq would be guilty of killing half a million Iraqi children and retribution upon them all would be to the same degree. If Israeli people agree to the occupation in Palestine then they are all guilty of that crime and hence need to be punished equally. Note: here I do not make a distinction between the men and women, young and old, the military or civilian but just make a clear distinction between those who agree to the occupation and those who do not. In the same way the entire Serbian Population would be guilty of ethnically cleansing Bosnians because public opinion stated it was “ok” to kill Bosnian Muslims. Likewise the entire German population would be guilty of the holocaust. In the same way I can think of hundreds of other crimes committed by people where other people generally agree to those crimes though they would not commit the act themselves. But of course, by now you realise that this is  not the rational approach to identify the criminals and bring them to justice. The rational approach is to identify the criminals who perpetrated the act  with evidence beyond reasonable doubt, then to find them and bring them to justice (whether they are Muslims or not) without bringing harm upon more innocent civilians (whether the civilians are Muslims or not). In the light of the current situation, the declaration of jihad against the unjustified American onslaught is just because to defend and protect yourself, your family and your land is jihad. One final point, as Se7en pointed out from her Q&A notes, we should  refrain from creating a causal link between what happened on 11th September and the suffering of the Muslims due to America’s foreign policies.  Creating a causal link between the two implies that those who carried out the attacks were Muslims. Our fight for Muslim freedom has been a long one and wasn’t created since the 11th September incidents or the fame of Usamah. We should try and raise these points and issues with tact and diplomacy when conversing with non-Muslims or holding a dialogue with them. O you who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor: for God can best protect both. Follow not the desires (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort justice, or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well- acquainted with all that ye do. - Quran 4:135 wlm  :)

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Fth016
10/12/01 at 09:00:29
Learner, I was stating a possible justification that Usamah bin Laden would use IF he is lying. I agree that President Bush is an incompetent leader and he has made several fabrications.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
amal
10/12/01 at 09:08:03
slm, I agree a %100 with learner.Baraka Allah fika ya akhi.This has to be the most sensible post from fellow board members i've read since the start of this whole ordeal. [quote] On a philosophical level I agree with you. But is the  retribution upon those who carried out the attack and those who agree to the attack to be the same? If that be the case then the entire American Government and population that agrees to the sanctions imposed upon Iraq would be guilty of killing half a million Iraqi children and retribution upon them all would be to the same degree. If Israeli people agree to the occupation in Palestine then they are all guilty of that crime and hence need to be punished equally. Note: here I do not make a distinction between the men and women, young and old, the military or civilian but just make a clear distinction between those who agree to the occupation and those who do not. In the same way the entire Serbian Population would be guilty of ethnically cleansing Bosnians because public opinion stated it was “ok” to kill Bosnian Muslims. Likewise the entire German population would be guilty of the holocaust. In the same way I can think of hundreds of other crimes committed by people where other people generally agree to those crimes though they would not commit the act themselves. [/quote]

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
se7en
10/13/01 at 00:47:07
wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatAllah, [quote]Just to clarify – I did not say that Usamah was a good Muslim or a bad Muslim, I just stated that he was an honest Muslim. [/quote] Again, this is a statement that can be misconstrued.   Please keep any comments or opinions about "Osama's Islam" off the board.

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Sparrow
10/13/01 at 07:48:53
Hello all, Once again I feel I should apologize for the ignorance my questions might reveal.  However, it is all in striving to learn more about Islam and get my heart and mind around what has occured from 9/11 on.  Here I go.... - is there anything Islamically wrong about the fact that Bin Laden is in hiding while the Afghan people suffer for his (supposed) crimes?  As an "honest Muslim," as Learner calls him, is he under any obligation to turn himself in and (hopefully) put an end to the bombing?  And what has he done in the past to help these war torn people? - I have massive confusion about the Taleban. People who know WAY more than I about Islam say the Taleban practice and promote a pure form, but what I see and hear doesn't match with the things *I've* been taught about Islam from those same people.  For instance, Islam seems to me to be a truly charitable, big-hearted religion, yet I've never heard anything (from western or eastern sources)about what the Taleban have done as of late to improve the lives of their people from a humanitarian point of view.  Islam also seems quite sensible to me, but is it sensible to nitpick the length of a man's beard while that man's family is slowly starving to death?  What have they done to stem the tide of starvation?   I'm not saying that Islamic dress and appearance are irrelevant, it just seems to me that the Taleban could make better use of their time.  They (all of us!) should be handing out cheeseburgers and hugs to the Afghans, not punishing them more. If someone has articles or even a book to recommend on the Taleban I'd appreciate it. Thanks! Sparrow

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
Kashif
10/13/01 at 08:48:47
Hi Sparrow Perhaps this press release from the Australian Muslim Public Affairs Council sheds some light on the first part of your question UNDERSTANDING THE REASONS FOR TALIBAN DEFIANCE by A. Butler The refusal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to capitulate to US demands to hand over Osama Bin Laden is seen in the West as proof that it is complicit with him in the terrorist attacks on the United States. To ask the question as to why the Taliban are refusing to hand over Bin Laden, is almost as treasonous as to ask whether US foreign policymay have contributed a little bit to creating the anger that led people to sacrifice their lives by flying planes into buildings. However, if there was ever a time to question the accepted reality, it is now.  Australia has made a military commitment to join this war against "evil".  No one knows where this war will end. All that is known is that the first "evil" to be fought is in Afghanistan . There is a strong likelihood that there will be casualties.  If Australian soldiers end up lying in body bags on the potholed tarmac of some airfield in Central Asia, it will be too late to ask what this war was all about.  Whilst we all hope it doesn't happen, the Wild West bravado ("Wanted dead or live") and talk of a never-ending war against evil will be of little comfort to widows and orphans. If we ask the question as to why the Taliban has refused to hand over Bin Laden, we find the answer is far more complex than the standard "Taliban are evil" retort. It is highly unlikely that the Taliban are protecting Bin Laden because they agree with or hold tacit approval for the crimes that Bin Laden is alleged to have committed.  Neither the Taliban nor the Afghan people have any history of terrorist attacks on foreign soil. There is not a single Afghan amongst those accused of the September 11 atrocities. The Taliban have never formally uttered the types of extremist pronouncements commonly attributed to Bin Laden.  On the contrary, they have made numerous public statements opposing terrorism and have consistently reiterated that they want peace with the West. To understand why the Taliban are not handing over Bin Laden, requires some understanding of the cultural context of the Taliban regime.  The Taliban are primarily made up of people belonging to Afghanistan's majority Pashtun ethnic group.  The defining feature of Pashtun culture is an ancient code of honour known as Pashtunwali. Pashtunwali consists of three inviolable principles.  They are named, in Pashtu: Melmastia, Badal, and Nanawatey.  Melmastia means to show hospitality to all visitors without any hope of remuneration.  Badal literally means  revenge, but means specifically to avenge a wrong. Nanawatey is derived from the verb meaning to "go in" and means to offer sanctuary to one who seeks it. To illustrate nanawatey, there is a famous story from history.  Mahmud Shah Ghaznawi, the 11th century sultan, was hunting for a deer in the region known as Ghazna.  Whilst chasing the deer, it ran into the tent of a Pashtun nomad.  Mahmud Shah approached the tent, with his soldiers, and asked the nomad to give him the deer.  The Pashtun replied, "This deer has come to me for 'nanawatey'.  You can kill me, but I will never give her up."  Mahmud Shah was amazed at the reaction, and left the man a bag of gold. Bin Laden has taken nanawatey with the Taliban, thus the constant Taliban reference to him as their "guest". As a guest, they cannot give him up without violating every ideal of honour that they were raised with.  It is difficult for Westerners to understand, but for a Pashtun, death would be preferable and more dignified to breaking this code of honour. As can now be seen, it is preferable to most Pashtuns to fight the most powerful military machine in the world, than to surrender someone they view as their guest. However, the Taliban and Pashtun people are also extremely religious. As such, the only thing which can overrule Pashtunwali is the shariah (Islamic law). Yet the shariah demands proof. The solution to the current problem lies in the provision of the proof to the Taliban.  There are already religious rulings from the highest authorities in the Muslim world, such as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, condemning the terrorist attacks and calling for the perpetrators to be punished.  All that remains is the proof linking these crimes to Bin Laden. To make demands on Afghanistan without showing proof is just bullying. To put Afghanistan in the cross hairs without showing proof is vigilantism.  To pull the trigger is murder.
NS

Re: "Bin Laden's Message Distorts Islam"- Imam Ibrahim Negm
bhaloo
10/13/01 at 11:34:43
slm Sparrow, there is a Taliban mail list discussion. send an email to: taliban_info-subscribe@yahoogroups.com There are some detailed articles (insha'Allah appearing in the next day or two) appearing there explaining who the Taliban are and questions about the Taliban can be asked there.
NS
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