Published: Jul 28, 2005 American Muslim scholars who interpret religious law for their community issued an edict Thursday condemning terrorism against civilians in response to the wave of deadly attacks in Britain and other countries.
Posted on 07/28/2005 9:22:30 AM PDT by TheOtherOne
American Muslim Scholars Call Terrorism a Violation of Islamic Teaching
Published: Jul 28, 2005 American Muslim scholars who interpret religious law for their community issued an edict Thursday condemning terrorism against civilians in response to the wave of deadly attacks in Britain and other countries.
In the statement, called a fatwa, the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America wrote that people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam were "criminals, not 'martyrs.'"
"There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism," the scholars wrote. "Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - or forbidden."
Many Muslim leaders overseas have issued similar condemnations in recent weeks, but some have left an opening for violence to be used. British Muslim leaders who denounced the July 7 attacks in London said suicide bombings could still be justified against an occupying power.
The U.S. fatwa did not specifically address suicide bombings in a war, but the scholars barred Muslims from helping anyone "involved in any act of terrorism or violence." The council also declared that Muslims were obligated to help law enforcement officials protect civilians.
"It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities," according to the Fiqh Council. The term "fiqh" refers to Islamic legal issues and understanding the faith's religious law.
Islam has no central authority and the council serves an advisory role for American Muslims, who could number as high as 6 million. But some question whether the panel's statements would sway extremists.
Leaders of major American Muslim organizations have taken pains since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to condemn terrorism and deny any religious justification for it. They have intensified their efforts following the July 7 bombings in London and the botched attacks two weeks later. Other terrorist attacks have occurred in Egypt and Israel in recent weeks, along with continued bombings in Iraq.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy group based in Los Angeles, started the "National Anti-Terrorism Campaign" last year, urging Muslims to monitor their own communities, speak out more boldly against violence and work with law enforcement officials.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based civil rights organization, is running a TV ad and a petition-drive called "Not in the Name of Islam," which repudiates terrorism. In New York and other cities, mosque leaders have joined advisory committees created by the FBI to build relations between law enforcement and their local communities.
"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism," the scholars wrote. "We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet."
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On the Net:
Council on American-Islamic Relations: http://www.cair-net.org.
AP-ES-07-28-05 1024EDT
More Imam will tell you this than will say it is "an internal struggle".
The majority damn well understand the violent overtones of the term.
And there are a number of Imam on staff at "Ask The Imam".
Yes, you're absolutely right. And those on the lowly third tier are subject to summary execution, if I recall. Still, wouldn't it be fun to use their own words against them?
Re#38 Yep. The number is staggering and scares the h*ll out of me. We're in for a long haul and heaven forbid the left takes control of the WOT. Great handle, btw....
Once we start seeing a massive purge of known terrorists from the mosques, I will believe that they are serious, and not just giving lip service.
First, as others have mentioned, it's perfectly permissible for Muslims to lie to non-Muslims to gain advantage in war, which is what I believe is the intent of this statement and others like it. Second, they always leave themselves an out, and in this case it is in the definition of "civilian". According to Islam, an unborn Israeli baby is not a civilian. And I doubt a New York office worker is a civilian by their definition, either.
Lipservice, nothing more... Want truth about Islam:
July 15,2005
"After London attack, cleric urges: 'Annihilate infidels' Less than a day after the terrorist bombings in London, the Palestinian Authority's official television channel broadcast a sermon calling for extermination of all non-Muslims. "Annihilate the Infidels and the Polytheists! Your [Allah's] enemies are the enemies of the religion!" said Suleiman Al-Satari in a July 8 broadcast translated by Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch, or PMW. "Allah," the cleric continued, "disperse their gathering and break up their unity, and turn on them, the evil adversities. Allah, count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one." http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1443850/posts
My take on the initials 'CAIR' is =
Control America & Islam Rules.
This is what I believe these, so called,
allies of ours in the MUSLUM community believe.
These, so called, allies who cheered when the
Towers and Pentagon were attacked are never
going to be believed by me till they denounce
their vile Islam and it's prophet. Since this
will never happen, why would I believe anything
from those who are taught to deceive and / or
lie to the infidel. They in the religion of
Islam can kiss my rear.
Exactly. They have studied well how to go from murderers to victims in a few short sentences.
What about Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and myriad other religions? They lack a central authority too. However, they do not go around blowing themselves up. The lack of central authority is only a veil to cover the excesses of Islam and is part of a deliberate effort by Newsweek editor, Fareed Zakaria (who is a fundamentalist muslim himself).
And an accurate take it is.
"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."
- Omar Ahmad (co-founder of CAIR)
Ha ha, that's funny. They're banking on the fact that few "infidels" have actually read the Koran.
We have. It's quite clearly laid out for all to see.
They're too busy planning the next Ramadan dinner celebration to take notice.
Well there you have it. A fatwa from the fiqh-wads. Go back to sleep now. Nothing to worry about here.
Muslim "scholars"?
They know that lying to the infidel is a tenet in the koran. Where have they been in the most recent muslim outbreak of violence in the last 30 years or so? When will they stop killing Jews and Christians all over the world?
Like Sudanese Christian (who should know better than they) friends have told me: Don't believe a word Muslims say.
I don't.
For the Koran is like a pick-and-mix selection. If you want peace, you can find peaceable verses. If you want war, you can find bellicose verses. You can find verses which permit only defensive jihad, or you can find verses to justify offensive jihad.
You can find what ever you look for in the Koran. You can certainly be a terrorist and a Muslim, for sure.
...but nothing excuses: So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
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