Saturday, July 08, 2006

Clearly, there is "error" in Terror

"Two buildings were bombed and two thousand people died on September 11," he smiles. "And then they continued on and hit the Pentagon!" A chorus follows: "Takbeer! Allahu Akbar!" That's what I saw on CNN a few hours ago. And yes, I know that CNN isn't exactly a reliable source of information, but this was sickening. It was a gathering of Muslims in Britian - I won't name the specific group - and they were talking about September 11. They were so proud of what happened to the point of screaming "Takbeer, Allahu Akbar." I would venture to say that is a real case of blasphemy. We try to defend Islam and Muslims, we try to clean ourselves after we've been dragged through the mud of the media, and then people like this pop up. We've all heard Imams and Islamic leaders say questionable things at times, but this is beyond questionable - this is insanity. I want to shake these people and tell them: look, you're taking the lives of human beings - human beings that you have no right over, and taking their lives, making them meet their Lord. How can you live with yourself? And this gathering of men was made up of the kinds of people you would look at and say "MashaAllah, what a nice beard he has." You know, the kinds of people that you think are at least somewhat knowledgeable of Islam, who are honest, and who have a degree of morality. What is really angering is that these people think they're pious, they think that this is what Islam is about, and they like it. But they're doing nothing but following their violent desires (why someone would have the desire to be violent, I do not know). It reminds me of those people in previous nations who took the parts of their revelations that they liked, and deleted the parts they didn't like. Apparently these men have deleted from Islam everything related to respecting a human life, morality, accountability, understanding and cooperation. Oh wait, that is all of Islam. Sorry. Not only that, they've ADDED this notion that God wants them to carry out random acts of violence in His name. SubhanAllah, Glory be to Allah from what they ascribe to Him. Since terrorism has been discussed to death, I won't talk about it much more. But I will leave you with a little home-grown analogy. According to my dad, terrorism is like this - a man slaps you, then you want to retaliate so you go to his neighbour and slap him. It makes no sense.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow MAshAllah...there is clearly an error in terror..well spotted (did you come up with that?)

I want to share with you something i was listening to a few days ago, some advice: This shaykh said, we need to change the direction of Islam. We need to change it from from an approach of political activism to a level of intellectualism (where the concern of the ummah is the study of the religion), not activism, because activism today is stemming from a void (frustrations, anger, complaints).

It should stem from understanding our legacy. No people would succeed if it abandons its history, its legacy. We should build upon our spiritual growth through 1) Islam 2) emaan and 3) ehsaan.

I think that to improve our conditions, we need to improve and help our selves first before pointing the finger at someone else. Clearly, this indulgence in terrorism and taking pleasure out of it is sickening and has no place in Islam.

Stylus Virus said...
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Stylus Virus said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Umar said...

This is unrelated to the post, but interesting nonetheless:

Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land

Anonymous said...

I'm a little distressed that there is a reference to "The Wahhabi Myth" website here. I've seen that site trotted around for several years, and it points out some very scary ideas.

That website, and the people who tend to follow it, serves little more than shift blame to other Muslims. It basically states that "We're fine, look at all those deviants - they're the real problem." It essentially claims that they have the exclusive claim of being followers of Islam, and anyone who disagrees with them is deviant sufi.

Case in point: they say Osama bin Laden wasn't a "Wahhabi", but that he followed teachings of Sayyid Qutb. It also states that the Taliban weren't "Wahhabis", they were Deobandis. It doesn't challenge the ridiculous evidence given supporting the official story of 9/11 - rather, it just says that "they weren't salafis", don't blame us. In fact, they're happy to put the blame on lots of other Muslims, so long as they can distinguish themselves from them.

It freely uses words like "cult", "sect", and "innovator" when discussing other Islamic revival efforts. It will quote Western writers when it suits them, but then reject them whenever they don't. It will quickly jump to some ridiculous conclusions about others, like the allegation that high-order "Sufis" don't feel the need to pray or fast since they're spiritually advanced.

This mindset is just far too simplistic, and is so quick to attack other Muslims when the real threat is ignored. It will argue against harmless folk like Stephen Schwartz, but completely ignores the harm caused by so liberally painting other Muslims guilty without evidence.

There are some wacky people out there saying and doing things in the name of Islam, no doubt. But the problem is not nearly as simple as "The Wahhabi Myth" will have you believe, nor is it as black-and-white.

By just shifting the blame to others, we're only fostering even greater enmity and hatred within our ummah. And that is exactly what the enemies of Islam want of us.

Stylus Virus said...

Assalamu aleikum,

Anonymous raises some excellent points, and I appologise for linking to the website, if that's what it promotes. I admit - shamefully and sheepishly - that this was my first visit there and I merely glanced at it (I was "googling" Khawarij, came accross it, realised it didn't have the info, but linked to it because I thought it looked helpful at a glance). Which raises another point: don't be too eager to gobble up stuff on the internet without reading it carefully first. My mistake.

Nauman said...

What if I told you that 9/11 was an elaborate hoax to serve as an entry point to re-shaping the world as those involved saw fit? It may seem extreme and it may seem even ridiculous but history, the precursor to the future, would support that...

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose...

SirNubbington said...

Assalam 'Alaykum,

I agree somewhat to what you had to say; however, there was something that i was a little hesitant to agree upon.

Prophet (pbuh) told his ummah that when there is no Imam and the Muslims argue over issues regarding the Shari'a, then you should go to those who are fighting Jihad. (can't find the exact source, but i've heard it many times over and over).

Keep in mind that most those who are currently fighting Jihad Fisabilillah, are scholars of Islam. And they are well-aware of the rules of Jihad. You might think that they defy man rules, as I sometimes do myself, but they can show you Daleel and prove that what they are doing is Halal by every means.

Recall what it says in the Qur'an regarding an eye for an eye?

Do you really expect the Mujahideen to sit back and watch the Muslims go through genocide?

But in my most humble opinion (no disrespect intended) the time is now. It is fard 'ayn on every Muslim to wage Jihad when a Muslim terrority is taken over by the kuffaar.

Anonymous said...

olde woman, you didn't need to delete your comment. But definitely, it's important to take a closer look at stuff on the internet before spreading it around. That particular site wasn't that bad, but there are some sites which do a great job at posing as Islamic sites, but contain some ideas very contradictory to the teachings of the Prophet.

Nauman, what you're saying is nothing new.

Slave of Allah, please find me that reference. I recall a hadith where the Prophet SAW told Hudhaifah Radiyallaho'anhu to stick with the group of Muslims united under one amir, and if such a group does not exist, to seek refuge at the roots of a tree, isolated, until death overtakes you.

This is part of a longer found in al-Bukhari. The two hadith appear to be saying two different things regarding what the average Muslim should do when there is no amir or imam to decide for them. Are we in those days now? Or do we still have a group of Muslims united under one amir? If so, who is he and what is he saying?

Stylus Virus said...

"It is fard 'ayn on every Muslim to wage Jihad when a Muslim territory is taken over by the kuffaar..."

"...within that Muslim territory overtaken by the kuffaar."

and abiding by all preset conditions, under the appointed khalifa, not unilaterally.

Asmaa said...

Bismillah.

Slave of Allah, you can't say "I can't find the exact source, but i've heard it many times over and over." That 'evidence' does not suffice. What I find most disturbing about your post is the fact that you don't back up ANY of your claims with Quran and Sunnah.

Look, you and I are talking about different things. You're talking about fighting against opression in Muslim lands - and Muslims have every right to protect their families and their dignity. However, what I'm talking about is this notion of bombing and killing civilians, on their own soil, overseas, in retaliation for something that soldiers have done to you in your own country. That makes very little sense and that is not justice.

And yes, "an eye for an eye" is the way justice is served in Islam - but when did that transform into "an eye for someone else's eye"? When a man opresses you, you can't go to his house and hurt his mother when she has nothing to do with it. That is disgusting.

This ideology exists where we have to hate all non-Muslims, that we have to hate their lands, their customs and their people. That is not an Islamic value, and that's fundamental knowledge of Islam that we should all have.

Yes, we may not agree with some of the actions of non-Muslims and some of their values, but we MUST respect the people and treat them with honour, mercy, and justice.

This is Islam. Period. And for those who are seeking piety and righteousness, I suggest you follow what Islam ACTUALLY teaches, rather than your own interpretations.

Anonymous said...

Fighting against the oppressors in Muslim lands is encouraged. For example, the efforts of the mujahideen in Chechnya; insha-Allah, those who died in that cause will be rewarded as such.

I don't think the same argument can be applied to attacking those unrelated to the oppression. For example, the attack on an elementary school at Beslan where hundreds of children were killed: did it do anything to advance the Chechen cause?

What actually happened in New York City on September 11th, 2001 is still highly debated, but the official story has been rejected by many scholars and engineers. Regardless, I have never heard any shariah-ordained basis for supporting what happened on that day, irrespective of who was responsible.

I'm also confused about the statement that "most those who are currently fighting Jihad Fisabilillah, are scholars of Islam." Who are you talking about exactly?

That the Prophet instructed his companions to flee to Abyssinia - a Christian land - when they were oppressed in their own lands is an indication that hatred of non-Muslim lands and people is not from Prophetic guidance. The Prophet saw that there was security for his followers in non-Muslim territory, and did not hesitate to send them there.

People will have different interpretations and understandings, and act upon Islam differently depending on their personality. But the question must always be posed, that are my actions advancing the cause of Islam and Muslims?

I don't think there is much basis to say that the killing of innocent civilians is advancing that cause in any way. If you are attacking those who are directly responsible for oppression, then the argument can definitely be made that you are advancing the cause. But there are only a few places we actually see that happening.

Asmaa said...

Anon, props. You said what I wanted to say in a way that actually made sense. Good stuff.

* said...

your dad's anaology was brilliant

* said...

Thanks for the peace, propoganda and the promised land link, I've only seen the trailer!