Posted on 09/13/2006 11:04:38 AM PDT by Kurt_Hectic
The US embassy in Oslo has issued a statement after Imam Zulqarnain Sakandar Madni, leader of Muslim imams in Norway, cast doubts on the existence of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
The embassy statement said that while it was "normal and healthy to have disagreements", Sakandar Madni's suggestions that Sep. 11 was anything but a terrorist attack was simply incorrect, and "spreading false stories to protect terrorists is destructive".
"The UN has listed Osama bin Laden as a terrorist and Al Qaeda as a terrorist organization, and the attacks on September 11 affected the whole world. We find it offensive and sad that a spiritual leader would defend terrorists by seeking to blame others for their actions," the embassy said.
Besides sparking international criticism, the imam's inclination to believe conspiracy theories behind the Sep. 11 attack also made Mohammad Hamdan, leader of the Islamic Council in Norway, uneasy.
"It is not the first time Muslims or non-Muslims have come with such statements (of conspiracies). He has of course the right to express himself, but I urge imams to concentrate on educating young Muslims in religion and not to think too much about difficult questions one is not 100 percent sure about," Hamdan said.
He believes that Sakandar Madni's statements must be viewed in the context that the imam does not believe that Muslims are capable of such a gruesome act.
"Among the roughly 3,000 who died in the World Trade Center there were 150 Muslims. A good many Muslims do not believe a Muslim can have carried out such an act. Now I urge the imams to concentrate on religious questions and teach the new generation that terrorism conflicts with Islam. The most important thing for the Islamic Council Norway is not who is behind it, but how we can fight terrorism and live together in peace, without prejudice," Hamdan said.
- Press release from the Embassy of the United States of America
"The facts are clear:"
"Al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, have repeatedly confirmed that they planned and carried out the September 11 attacks.
"In an audiotape released on May 23, 2006, bin Laden stated, "I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers ... with those raids ..."
"In a November 2001 tape, bin Laden said, "We calculated in advance the number of casualties ... who would be killed ... I was the most optimistic of them all ... Due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only."
Related stories: Imam casts doubt over existence of bin Laden - 11.09.2006
In that case we are dealing with the most stupid Imam that ever walked the face of the earth - and looking at the competition, that's an awesome achievement!!!
He sounds like a democrat.
These powerful rebuttals issued by our diplomats are oh, so... I guess the word is diplomatic. No, maybe the word is pathetic.
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