Egypt’s al-Sisi Makes Extraordinary Speech on Islam

PJ Media ^ | 1/3/2015 | Roger L. Simon

[Beave Meister]

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made an extraordinary speech on New Year’s Day to Cairo’s Al-Azhar and the Awqaf Ministry calling for a long overdue virtual ecclesiastical revolution in Islam. This is something no Western leader has the had the courage to do, certainly not Barack Obama, despite his Muslim education.

Accusing the umma (world Islamic population) of encouraging the hostility of the entire world, al-Sisi’s speech is so dramatic and essentially revolutionary it brings to mind Khrushchev’s famous speech exposing Stalin. Many have called for a reformation of Islam, but for the leader of the largest Arab nation to do so has world-changing implications.

Here are the key parts as translated on Raymond Ibrahim’s blog:

I am referring here to the religious clerics. We have to think hard about what we are facing—and I have, in fact, addressed this topic a couple of times before. It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!

[Beave Meister]

How long before his head is mounted on a stick, in the name of God?

[Hulka]

Sad that our current emperor doesn't support him and wants him gone. . .our current emperor wants the MB running Egypt.

[9thLife]

On the other hand, perhaps the "Man of Peace" will be a muslim.

Yeah, I can see that angle.

[Capt. Tom]

It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!

This heretic doesn't understand the fundmentals of his own Muslim religion.

He may end up like Anwar Sadat who wanted to play nice with us Infidels.-Tom

[Paradox]

A shockingly candid speech, from what must now be the bravest man on the planet.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Tbe world press can’t cover this because that would mean acknowledging that the current muslim population is indeed being instructed by their religeous leaders to kill the rest of the non-muslim world.

Oooh the truth! It burns!!

[The_Media_never_lie]

I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move… because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.

Yes, it is being defeated. But if it was winning, would this guy be for it?

[InterceptPoint]

It seems like it should be OK to post the translated key parts of the speech from a blogger. This could well be a truly historic speech by Sisi and should be read by every Freeper.

Since he is disliked so much by Obama and Hillary and Company one has to consider the possibility that we really have an Islamic Good Guy in the making. Hoping so.

Here are the key parts as translated on Raymond Ibrahim’s blog:

I am referring here to the religious clerics. We have to think hard about what we are facing—and I have, in fact, addressed this topic a couple of times before. It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!

That thinking—I am not saying “religion” but “thinking”—that corpus of texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the years, to the point that departing from them has become almost impossible, is antagonizing the entire world. It’s antagonizing the entire world!

Is it possible that 1.6 billion people [Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live? Impossible!

I am saying these words here at Al Azhar, before this assembly of scholars and ulema—Allah Almighty be witness to your truth on Judgment Day concerning that which I’m talking about now.

All this that I am telling you, you cannot feel it if you remain trapped within this mindset. You need to step outside of yourselves to be able to observe it and reflect on it from a more enlightened perspective.

I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move… because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands. [bolds mine]

[GladesGuru]

Whether this leader can do a “Thesis/Cathedral Door” in the Islamic world remains to be seen.

However, he is aware that while other Muslims start wars with Israel, the Egyptians do must of the dying.

IMHO, reforming Islam is not possible. Therefore we will have to play Cowboys & Muslims.

[Signalman]

“Sad that our current emperor doesn’t support him and wants him gone. . .our current emperor wants the MB running Egypt.”

MB infiltrates the WH:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/frontpagemag-com/the-muslim-brotherhood-infiltrates-obama-administration/

[BlackAdderess]

The thing about the Koran is that if I read it right you could defend a very wide variety of stances depending on your strategic position at the time.

[Paladin2]

Our current POtuS wants the Muzzie Broz to run the US.

[Capt. Tom]

IMHO, reforming Islam is not possible. Therefore we will have to play Cowboys & Muslims.

To reform Islam you would have to have a supernatural intervention to change the rules.
So far there haven't been any new Muhammeds who have gotten a new message from above.

So we are stuck with the message in the Koran, and the examples set by Muhammed in the Hadiths.
That message is, Allah wants believers in him (Muslims) to subjugate, convert or kill anyone who does not believe in him.
And that targeted group is us Infidels. -Tom

[Capt. Tom]

Tbe world press can’t cover this because that would mean acknowledging that the current muslim population is indeed being instructed by their religeous leaders to kill the rest of the non-muslim world.

A good, on target insightful post.-Tom

[Mrs. Don-o]

The last thing we'd want is a "Thesis-Cathedral Door" thing. Today's jihadi's ARE the "Reformation" period of Islam. With other Reformations it shares these characteristics:

• anti-modern "back to the roots" in the sense of acting as if several thousand years of "development of doctrine" never happened or was totally contemptible
• "Sola Korana" Scripture-only focus
• "Sola Fide" with zero recognition of the integrity of human reason per se
• belief in an all-efficient fate, which the Muslims call "kismet" and other historic reformers called "predestination"
• intolerance for art and images: tearing down of statues, shrines, paintings, smashing out stained glass, whitewashing of mosaics and murals: done by all reformation movements in history;
• intolerance for veneration of holy people, places or things, saints, angels, etc.
• intolerance for human culture per se, if it is not specifically sanctioned, chapter and verse, in their holy books.

Radical Islam doesn't need a "Reformation". Radical Islam IS the Reformation.

[Capt. Tom]

The thing about the Koran is that if I read it right you could defend a very wide variety of stances depending on your strategic position at the time.

The Muslim scholars through the centuries have headed off that approach by stating if there is any conflict while reading the Koran go by the later chapters which supercede the earlier chapters in the Koran.
The later chapters are more violent, and Muhammed sets the example of how to deal with non-believers in the Hadiths. -Tom

[Popman]

Wow..

Interesting that what Sisi said is so profound and alarming to the radical Islamist...

Any person outside of Islam can see what he said clear as day is needed to be said...

In a less bizarre world this would be a non-story..

I wonder how fast Obama will have Kerry on the phone trying to get Sisi to walk back or modify his speech...

[Veto!]

Thanks for posting that. I also like the comment posted by a reader at PJMedia:

EXCERPTS from reader comment:
“Egypt is also at once the most influential center of religious
orthodoxy combined with a rather casual individual approach to Islam
but which is belied by their institutions, and that latter is what
El-Sisi is addressing: they are good people living under bad
institutions and those institutions are powered by an overly us vs.
them vision of Islam.

“El-Sisi - a religious man himself - is in no way rejecting Islam, but
instead asking for it to reinvent itself as a force for good rather
than endless supremacist visions powered by morons like Sayidd Qutb
and the Muslim Brotherhood. Generally speaking, Muslims are fantastic
people but who are humans and so - like us - can be influenced by what amounts to hate speech.

“We should be so lucky as to have Obama have the brains of El-Sisi,
because what chickens-come-home-to-roost Obama and his minion Holder teach is the precise opposite of El-Sisi’s message. Why are we
suprised that Egyptians qualify as Islamophobes under America’s sick
racist and sexist ideology of political correctness.”

//////////

That’s about half of that particular reader comment; I hope it’s OK to post it here.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Amazing from a man like al-Sisi--- and at Al-Hazar, the Queen University of the Islamic intellectual world.

Let's watch this closely.

[Kozak]

“So far there haven’t been any new Muhammeds who have gotten a new message from above.”

Muhamed was too clever for that. Remember, officially to a Muslim he’s the LAST PROPHET. Nobody can change the design.