Stop the lies: terrorism and violence have nothing to do with religion
Leading clerics and activists from around the globe figuratively joined hands today to point out, in the strongest terms possible, that there is no connection whatsoever between terrorism and violence and religion.
Sheikh Abubukar Hassan Malin urged Muslims to find the pontiff and punish him for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Allah in a speech that he said was as offensive as author Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses. “We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion,” he said in Friday evening prayers. “Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim,” Malin, a prominent cleric in the Somali capital, told worshippers at a mosque in southern Mogadishu.
Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that angered many Muslims…In a phone call to The Associated Press, a group calling itself the “Lions of Monotheism” claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying they were carried out to protest the pope’s remarks in a speech this week in Germany linking Islam and violence. Later Saturday, four masked gunmen doused the main doors of Nablus’ Roman and Greek Catholic churches with lighter fluid, then set them afire. They also opened fire on the buildings, striking both with bullets. In Gaza City, militants opened fire from a car at a Greek Orthodox church…
The Taliban “strongly condemned” the remarks, said Mohammad Hanif, who regularly calls the media with statements he says are from the extremist insurgent group. “We also want the pope to apologise before the Muslim umma (nation)”… At least 11 people were killed earlier this year in nationwide protests over cartoons depicting the prophet, first published in a Danish newspaper, that were considered derogatory.
Somalia, again:
Gunmen shot and killed an Italian nun at a children’s hospital in Mogadishu on Sunday in an attack that drew immediate speculation of links to Muslim anger over the pope’s recent remarks on Islam….”SOS hospital is assisted by the Catholic Church and the slain aid worker was a nun,” the source said. “There is a very high possibility the people who killed her were angered by the Catholic Pope’s recent comments against Islam.”…The most high-profile recent killing was of Swedish cameraman Martin Adler in June during an Islamist rally.
The Pope’s remarks were either “the result of pitiful ignorance” about Islam or a deliberate distortion of the truth, said Salih Kapusuz, deputy leader of the strongly Islamic party led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister. “He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages,” Mr Kapusuz added. “Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks, is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini.”
As we came out [of Mass] about 100 Islamists were chanting slogans such as “Pope Benedict go to Hell,” “Pope Benedict you will pay, the Muja Hadeen are coming your way,” “Pope Benedict watch your back”…
Iraq:
“We swear that we will destroy their cross in the heart of Rome … and that their Vatican will be hit and wept over by the Pope,” said Jaish al-Mujahideen (the Mujahideen’s Army) in the statement, whose authenticity could not be confirmed. The statement lashed out at “Zionised Christians and loathsome crusaders” and was accompanied by six films showing attacks against US military targets in Iraq, which it said were “dedicated to the dog of the crusaders (an apparent reference to the Pope) in retaliation for his remarks”. “We will not rest until your thrones and your crosses have been destroyed on your own territory,” said the group, which has claimed many attacks against US and government forces in Iraq.
London, again:
Hani Pahas in the London-based Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Hayat…wrote “the pope’s comments may lead to war”…Hussein Shabakshy wrote…“These are ignorant comments previously made by Adolf Hitler, who spoke of a supreme white race against all the other races, especially the African race”…”such remarks only contribute to the fueling of the fire raging between Islam and the West,” op-ed published in al-Sharq al-Awsat says…
Iraq, again:
An Iraqi insurgent group threatened the Vatican with a suicide attack over the pope’s remarks on Islam, according to a statement posted Saturday in its name on the Web. The statement, which came days after Pope Benedict XVI made comments deemed offensive by many Muslims, does not state the seat of the Holy See directly, but is addressed to “you dog of Rome”…“We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life,” said the message….The same group has claimed responsibility for scores of attacks in Iraq, including the April 2005 downing of a helicopter carrying 11 civilians, including six Americans.
And a report from Le Monde in Paris:
l’Iran a décidé de convoquer l’ambassadeur du Vatican à Téhéran pour “protester fermement” contre le propos du pape, et le grand mufti d’Arabie saoudite a défendu l’esprit du djihad (guerre sainte) dans l’islam, à l’origine “un droit légitimé par Dieu” selon lui. (Iran has decided to recall its ambassador to strongly protest the Pope’s remarks, and the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia has defended the spirit of Jihad (Holy War) in Islam, calling it a legitimate right granted by God.)
UPDATE
Even as clerics and activists were showing their characteristic good will and restraint in demonstrating that there are no connections between violence and religion, dirty kuffars in Australia were sowing seeds of conflict:
The Howard Government’s multicultural spokesman, Andrew Robb, yesterday told an audience of 100 imams who address Australia’s mosques that these were tough times requiring great personal resolve. Mr Robb also called on them to shun a victim mentality that branded any criticism as discrimination.
“We live in a world of terrorism where evil acts are being regularly perpetrated in the name of your faith,” Mr Robb said at the Sydney conference. “And because it is your faith that is being invoked as justification for these evil acts, it is your problem. You can’t wish it away, or ignore it, just because it has been caused by others. Instead, speak up and condemn terrorism, defend your role in the way of life that we all share here in Australia.”
Mr Robb said unless Muslims took responsibility for their destiny and tackled the causes of terrorism, Australia would become divided. Mr Robb, the parliamentary secretary for immigration and multicultural affairs, said it was important for migrants to learn English. “I see as critical the need for imams to have effective English language skills — it is a self-evident truth that a shared language is one of the foundations of national cohesion,” he said.
On the eve of Mr Robb’s release today of a discussion paper on a new citizenship test, the chairman of the Government’s Muslim Reference Group, Dr Ameer Ali, said Opposition Leader Kim Beazley’s idea of a values test was silly, as was the need for a universal English test.
Can’t Mr. Robb see that all his talk about a common language and common culture is hurtful and divisive? Can’t he act with the same concern, restraint, and good will demonstrated by the clerics and activists above?
September 17th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
I’m confused on what, according to Islam, the authorities should do here in Sydney Australia - are they supposed to stay out of Muslim preaching, or is it their responsibility to “take care of it”? As the article you linked to suggested, the authorities are saying it’s a problem for Muslims to take care of. But nobody wants to hold the hot potato. (link)
Sydney Islamic clerics ‘preaching jihad’
Monday Sep 18 06:32 AEST
Islamic clerics in Sydney and Melbourne are preaching martyrdom and jihad to young followers, terrorism analysts say.
Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna says religious leaders in the two capitals are preaching violence to impressionable followers.
Dr Gunaratna says the teachings are increasing the risk of a terrorist attack, most likely a suicide bombing, in Australia.
“We have seen a number of Australian clerics preaching jihad and martyrdom,” Dr Gunaratna told The Australian without naming names.
“The most likely form of attack in Australia is a suicide attack for jihad. You will need to make arrests in time.”
OK, the onus is on us to make arrests when needed. (And I do hope when the time comes we make those arrests in time, as the British did in breaking up the Bojinka II plot of 2006.)
Australian terrorism expert Clive Williams, who runs a course at the Australian Defence Force Academy, said young Muslims were being recruited for jihad through “Koran classes”.
“They are doing it differently now,” Mr Williams told The Australian without identifying any of the recruiters.
“They are advertising for Koran classes and then selecting a few people for (their) inner circle.”
So this “they” - these would be the same people the government says must be responsible for opposing jihad.
(It would appear the working definition of a “moderate” Muslim is one who is watched closely and who is not bold enough to promote jihad despite being watched.)
But wait…
Sydney’s Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali has rejected the claims.
“There is no evidence to substantiate these claims,” he told the newspaper.
Melbourne’s Sheikh Mohammed Omran said he was unaware any such preaching was going on.
“If it was true, the authorities will take care of it,” he said.
So the finger points back at the government. They will take care of it.
Sooner or later, if things go on like this, there’s going to be a jihad operation the authorities won’t stop in time, maybe a Bali blast at Bondi or something like that.
It looks like the blame game, the finger-pointing, has already started, in anticipation so to speak.
Which way should the finger point? I think the government, from John Howard down, is doing the best it can. I don’t think Muslim preachers - or the members of their flock who seem to be so ready to be influenced in certain directions - are doing the best they can to keep Australia safe.
So, the government does have to get involved in Muslim preaching, and if every preacher has to give every sermon in English for the benefit of a policeman standing next to him and taking notes, so be it. (We can only hope the police are as sensitive as possible about doing what it seems to be up to them to do.)
Better yet, expel as many of these people as can legally be expelled, and don’t allow any more in. Because people who will only refrain from facilitating suicide murder as long as strong external pressure is maintained on them are a menace. And no, even if they agreed to stop raving on about jihad for a while, till they had increased the supply of susceptible listeners and the coast was clear, that would not be good enough in my opinion.
And internationally, keep backing the Americans all the way. Because jihad is global, and the threat won’t be over till it’s crushed globally, and Australia sure isn’t going to achieve that on its own.
September 18th, 2006 at 2:56 am
I think you left an sarcasm tag open.
/sarcasm
There that ought to do it for you.
September 19th, 2006 at 12:44 am
(laughing) Oh, I get you.
Good blog, by the way.