Posted on 01/03/2007 3:44:13 PM PST by SJackson
American Professor Natana DeLong-Bas: 'I Do Not Find Any Evidence that Would Make Me Agree that Osama bin Laden Was Behind the Attack on the Twin Towers'
On December 21, 2006, the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published an interview with Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas, who taught this year in the Department of Theology at Boston College and in the Department of Near East and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. [1] In the interview, she said that Wahhabism is not extremism and that the Muslim Brotherhood and Sayyed Qutb have nothing to do with jihadism. Dr. DeLong-Bas also indicated that there may be a Western conspiracy against the Arab and Islamic world, and said that she knows of no evidence that Osama bin Laden was behind the 9/11 attacks.
In 2004, DeLong-Bas published her doctoral dissertation in book form under the title Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad. This book, published by the Oxford University Press, has been highly recommended by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. [2]
According to the book's jacket, "Ibn al-Wahhab was not the godfather of contemporary terrorist movements. Rather, he was a voice of reform, reflecting mainstream eighteenth-century Islamic thought. His vision of Islamic society was based upon monotheism in which Muslims, Christians, and Jews were to enjoy peaceful co-existence and cooperative commercial treaty relations."
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas is a contributor to The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, The Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, and The Encyclopedia of the Islamic World.
The following are excerpts from the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat interview: [3]
Q: "To begin with, why did you choose to discuss Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab in your doctoral dissertation?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "We hear a lot of talk in the U.S. about 'Wahabbi Islam' and 'the Wahhabis,' but only in a negative way that depicts them as extremist terrorists and gunmen. [Even] before 9/11, Americans would speak about everyone who opposed the positions of the American government - whether we talk of Chechnya, Indonesia, or Palestine - as 'Wahhabis.' This was the main reason I chose to discuss Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab, because I had a strong desire to know the meaning of the term 'Wahhabi Islam', and I could not find a single book that talked about Wahhabism and its meaning. This is why I though that it may be the right time to [write] a historical study about Sheikh [Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab] and about Wahhabism..."
Q: "Who do you think were the influences on the extremists in Saudi Arabia?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "The extremists in Saudi Arabia are a mixture of a number of elements, and their extremism does not stem from the Islamic religion, as some think. The issue is more complicated than that. The political conditions in the Islamic world, like the Palestinian issue, which has lasted 60 years, [the issue of] Iraq, and the American government's tying [the hands of] the U.N. [and preventing it] from adopting any resolution against Israel, have definitely added to the Muslim youth's state of frustration, which then pushes them to - as they understand it - help their brothers do away with the aggression against them, in the various Islamic countries... [This is happening] at a time in which all political options have been closed off. That is why I believe that religion has nothing to do with this. The activities of the [Islamist] groups stems from the escalation of the crises in the region, which causes this frustration which ultimately leads to nothing but armed operations..."
"I Saw a Lot of Tolerance" in Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab's Books
Q: "There are Muslims - whether ordinary people, intellectuals or even clerics - who criticize some aspects of Wahhabism as being extremist, and some believe that Wahhabi preaching contributed to instilling the tendency to religious extremism. What do you say about this?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "In my reading in Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab's books and his interpretation of the principles of faith, I saw a lot of tolerance and civilized [thinking], much more than is applied today. The important thing now is to examine [the views of] his students and see whether or not they are faithful to what he said and taught..."
Q: "There are those who accuse the Muslim Brotherhood's writings and agenda in Egypt of being the principle source from which the extremist in Saudi Arabia have taken [their views], and of being the cause for the start of religious extremism. Do you agree with this opinion?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "Hassan Al-Bana was not a jihadist or an extremist. The only thing he sought was how to be a true Muslim in everything one does and says. Al-Bana in no way called for any revolutions, nor did he order the assassination of Gamal 'Abd Al-Nasser [sic] [4] - something of which he has been accused in the past.
"Often the West ties together Sayyed Qutb's books and the ideology of jihad, and this is not true. Sayyed Qutb employed philosophical investigation [to distinguish] between evil and good in the world, and his book Fi Zilal Al-Koran ['In the Shade of the Koran'] was one of the first books that [went beyond] what was said in previous interpretations of the Koran, and tried to interpret the Koran in a way that is understood and relevant to our times..."
Q: "Do you agree with those who [claim] that Sheikh 'Abd Al-Wahhab tied together religion and politics?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "Not at all. Sheikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Al-Wahhab had no political motives. His efforts were limited exclusively to religious da'wa."
Q: "How do you interpret the rise to power of Islamic groups in a number of Islamic countries like Egypt, Palestine and Somalia, and do you believe that the rise in their popularity stems from the recent political circumstances?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "The first reason [for the rise in their popularity] is their effectiveness, and the second is the citizens' grievances against the existing governments and their demonstrations against those governments, [which stem from the fact that] those governments ignored the people's concerns. [In addition, even though] the U.S. made an effort to implement democracy in the Middle East - efforts that did not rise to the level of what Hamas has achieved, for example - we need to give them more time. Also, I believe that the Islamic groups have clearly demonstrated their agendas in their political and reformist activities in the fields of medical care and education..."
Q: "Do you think then that the political Islamic groups have more credibility than others?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "Yes. That is the case, and this is because they are well familiar with the concerns of the people and their needs..."
Q: "Did your writings convince the opponents of Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abd Al-Wahhab and the relevant [political] circles in the U.S.?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "Some were convinced. Others still persist in their point of view, but it was the response of academics in the university which captivated me the most. Those who have had the opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia and stay and work there, and who have [understanding] of the Middle East, showed great interest in what I said. On the other hand, there are academics who have a particular political agenda. Some of them tried to criticize the substance of the research and to say that it was not academic. At the end of the day, my book provided a new opening for debate about an important issue, and I hope that my book will help to answer the questions I raised."
Q: "In your opinion, why do you think that Al-Azhar at first refused to [allow] the publication and distribution of your book in Egypt, even though it later allowed it?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "I think that the title of the book, Wahhabi Islam, made them think that perhaps it was hostile to Islam and defamed religious figures. Afterwards, Al-Azhar justified its refusal on the grounds that the book touched on sensitive issues."
"I Do Not Want to Believe in the Existence of This Sort of [a Conspiracy Against the Arab and Muslim World], Even Though... the Intervention in All the Affairs of the Arab Region Raises a Number of Concerns"
Q: "This is your second visit to Saudi Arabia. Are you on vacation, or do you plan to write another book on Saudi Arabia?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "I came to Saudi Arabia for both reasons. I am here with my husband and my two sons because I want them to get to know Saudi Arabia so they can see for themselves that everything that is said about Saudi Arabia in the U.S. is inaccurate. On the professional side, I am currently writing a book that deals with the clash of civilizations and discusses 'the jihad for the spirit of Islam in the contemporary Saudi state'..."
Q: "What about Osama bin Laden - do you think that he was behind 9/11?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "I think that the Western media and the world have given Osama bin Laden more weight [than he has in reality] and exaggerated in depicting the danger he poses. Likewise, I do not find any evidence that would make me agree that Osama bin Laden was behind the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. All we heard from him was praise and acclaim for those who carried out the operation."
Q: "Do you believe in the danger posed by the expansion of the Al-Qaeda organization into other areas?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "I believe that this may be possible in the event of war breaking out in Iran, in which case we will see [Al-Qaeda's] presence there."
Q: "Many intellectuals in the Arab and Islamic world are preoccupied with discussing the question of a Western conspiracy [targeting] the Arab and Islamic societies. Do you believe in this 'conspiratorial' point of view of everything that goes on in the region?"
Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas: "There is enough evidence to indicate the possibility of the existence of such a conspiracy, according to those who endorse this theory. As for me, I do not want to believe in the existence of this sort of thing, even though what is happening nowadays - the intervention in all the affairs of the Arab region - raises a number of concerns."
[1] http://www.brandeis.edu/facguide/faculty.php?emplid=419f7ce6855b0a5ad026e69b27d61838fa1bce92
[2] In an address to the Seattle World Affairs Council on March 24, 2006, former Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Turki stated "I would advice anybody who has an interest in that to read a book by a lady called [Natana] DeLong-Bas, and you will have her name passed onto you. She's an American lady. She did her research mostly in America, Saudi Arabia, and other places, and she has a very definitive book on Sheikh Mohammed and Abd Al-Wahhab and his teachings." Saudiembassy.net, March 24, 2006, http://www.saudiembassy.net/2006News/Statements/SpeechDetail.asp?cIndex=595.
[3] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), December 21, 2006.
[4] Hassan Al-Bana was murdered in February 12, 1949, and could not have been involved in ordering the assassination attempt against Nasser. Dr. DeLong-Bas apparently meant to refer to another Muslim Brotherhood leader, Sayyed Qutb, who was executed in Egypt in 1966 for involvement in an attempt on Nasser's life.
And an Amazon reviewer has this to say:
Unveiling a Work of Pseudo-scholarship, November 4, 2004
Reviewer: Zubair Qamar - See all my reviews
Natana J. Delong-Bas's book, "Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad," which purportedly explains Wahhabism "accurately" and dispels "myths" propagated by "polemics" of all colors, media pundits and all, is a rather welcome contribution - or so it seems, at first glance. The three-page Introduction portrayed several people - including Stephen Schwartz (footnote 1,7,9,11), Khaled Abou El Fadl (footnote 3), and myself (footnote 6) -- as examples of misinformed individuals, in the least, who portrayed Wahhabism inaccurately in their works. To the author, their anti-Wahhabi rhetoric, like many others, flew in the face of the facts that she allegedly gathered in her more than 300 pages of research, much of it translated into English for the first time. Delong-Bas's point: Wahhabism just isn't the scary monster it is said to be. Maybe it really was a "pathbreaking" (Oxford Press), "groundbreaking" (John L. Esposito), endeavor, I thought.
Could the portrayal of Wahhabism as intolerant and fanatical by hundreds, maybe thousands, of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, authors, activists, students, etc. in 200+ years past be flawed? Should their positions be construed merely as a load of sophisticated/polemical gobbledygook? Does the author really open "the way for historians to reconsider and revise the standard, perhaps mistaken, notions about it" (David Commins)? One need not go to far into the book to answer such questions. Because of the author's main sources, the book fails miserably as a work of diligent scholarship.
In the Preface,Delong-Bas says: "Thanks are due to Faisal bin Salman, Abd Allah S. al-Uthaymin, and Dr. Fahd al-Semmari, Director of the King Abd al-Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for making the full corpus of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's works available to me [...]." This same research foundation was also one of three sources that provided "financial support" for her book. What follows is a brief description of who the author is thanking.
The Foundation is named after King Abd al-Aziz (1902-1953), the Wahhabi founder of Saudi Arabia who slaughtered non-Wahhabi Muslims (and even Wahhabi Muslims of the Ikhwan) in his path to "victory".
Abd Allah S. al-Uthaymin, a Wahhabi, is the author of "History of Saudi Arabia: From the Movement Reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab to King Abd al-Aziz."
Faisal bin Salman, known as "H.R.H. (His Royal Highness)" in Saudi Arabia, is one of the princes of the Wahhabi Al-Sa'ud monarchy. Somehow, Delong-Bas (Oxford Press?) did not add the "H.R.H." acronym before the prince's name in the Preface -obviously a part of the book read by many. However, she remembered to add the acronym in a tiny-lettered footnote #8 (Introduction) hidden well in the back of the book that few readers would perhaps bother to read. Why did Delong-Bas/Oxford Press do this? Were they trying to hide something?
Dr. Fahd al-Semmari, a Wahhabi, was deputy secretary of the kingdom's 100th Anniversary Committee, in addition to his current role as general director of the King Abd al-Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives. The foundation's mandate is to glorify the heritage of Saudi Arabia, including Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab who is a part of the heritage.
On page 14, Delong-Bas states the four main sources of biographical information of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab:
(1) contemporary chronicles written by his supporters, the most important of whom were Husayn Ibn Ghannam and Uthman Ibn Bishr; (2) polemical works written by his opponents, the most important of whom was Ahmad bin Zayni Dahlan; (3) accounts written by Western travelers to Arabia; and (4) Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's own written works.
She then says, "Of all of these accounts, the chronicles contain the most biographical information and are considered to be the most accurate in terms of biographical information because of the proximity of the writers to their subjects."
Does close proximity to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab/"subjects" necessarily mean the sources will be the "most accurate in terms of biographical information"? Common sense says no because Ibn Ghannam and Ibn Bishr are clearly stated to be Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's "supporters". It's like contacting a pro-Nazi foundation for a biography of Adolph Hitler, and portraying sources by Hitler's admirers as the "most accurate" because they were among the closest in "proximity" to him. Is there not a high possibility that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's "supporters" mainly focused on his peaceful biographical aspects, and concealed his more extremist/jihadist aspects? Is it not possible that they, like any other supporter, would care to cast the biography of a man they like in a positive manner than in a negative manner? Common sense, again, says: In all likelihood.
There is, in fact, a high probability of inaccuracy from those sources, though this somehow escapes Delong-Bas's mind. Moreover, according to my count, the author has footnoted Ibn Ghannam only 4 times, but Ibn Bishr no less than 45 times, meaning that the bulk of "most accurate" biographical information of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab comes almost entirely from one source - again, from a pro-Wahhabi. How, then, can Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's biography, as presented in Delong Bas's book, be taken seriously by any objective scholar? It cannot.
While pro-Wahhabis are used as "most accurate" sources, information from Wahhabi opponents "has not been used extensively" because they (1) are "extremely polemical in style rather than factual or straightforward"; (2) they address "later developments" of the Wahhabi movement; and (3) "because of their polemical nature, these accounts tend to be more useful in reconstructing impressions of the movement than in recounting events or teachings." And that's why "polemical works have been largely discarded" in giving the biography of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the "early teachings of the movement."
But what makes the sources of two Wahhabi supporters more accurate than the works of Wahhabi opponents? While the former are closer in time to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, they are his biased supporters. The latter, however, though further away in time from the Wahhabi founder's period of existence, may - and indeed, do - have accurate information, especially on how Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's teachings contradicted the teachings that orthodox Sunni Muslims had been following for over 1,000 years.
For example, Delong-Bas provides Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's interpretations of intercession (tawassul) in his "Kitab al-Tawhid" without stating that he contradicted many verses of the Qur'an, hadeeth, and interpretations provided by Sunni orthodox scholars (ulema) throughout the history of Islam (except Ibn Taymiyah and his followers who were the first to deviate from mainstream Sunni Islam on the issue). With an unorthodox interpretation of a genuinely valid Islamic practice, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab accuses the vast lot of Muslims who do 'tawassul' of committing polytheism (shirk) -- the only unforgivable sin in Islam. He then allows his followers to massacre them, believing that they are doing a very noble deed and following the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad when, in fact, they are doing exactly the opposite.
From a source perspective, how, to any basic researcher, can this book be called a "pathbreaking" and "groundbreaking" work when sources for a book on Wahhabism are provided by Wahhabis, when the sources themselves are written by Wahhabis, and when the research endeavor is partially financed by Wahhabis? I'm sure you see how "objective" and "balanced" Delong-Bas's research is.
Contact me by e-mail for a more detailed unveiling of Delong-Bas's pseudo-scholarship and insult to the moderate/orthodox Muslims. (...)
http://www.amazon.com/Wahhabi-Islam-Natana-J-Delong-Bas/dp/1850436797
'I Do Not Find Any Evidence that Would Make Me Agree that Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas, who taught this year in the Department of Theology at Boston College and in the Department of Near East and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University has not suffered brain rot from prolonged exposure to a killer delusional culture, in her quest for scholarship'
This man is a professor? That college ought to fire his a$$ because of his sheer stupidity.
From a source perspective, how, to any basic researcher, can this book be called a "pathbreaking" and "groundbreaking" work when sources for a book on Wahhabism are provided by Wahhabis, when the sources themselves are written by Wahhabis, and when the research endeavor is partially financed by Wahhabis? I'm sure you see how "objective" and "balanced" Delong-Bas's research is.
DR NATANA DELONG-BAS
Natana J. DeLong-Bas is a Lecturer in Theology at Boston College and is also a Visiting Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Brandeis University, Massachusetts where she teaches a range of courses and conducts research in her field of expertise. Following a decade of teaching and research at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, she moved to New England. Dr DeLong-Bas is the widely acclaimed author of The Clash Within Civilization: The Jihad for the Soul of Islam in Contemporary Saudi Arabia (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2007), Notable Muslims: Muslim Builders of World Civilization and Culture (OneWorld Publications, 2006), Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (Oxford University Press, 2004), and Women in Muslim Family Law (with John L. Esposito, Syracuse University Press, 2001). Dr DeLong-Bas is the Deputy Editor for The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World and the Oxford On-Line Islamic Resource Center. Her original research, farsighted scholarship and informed conclusions have transformed her into a leading authority on contemporary Islam, particularly the modern manifestations of Jihad, militancy and violence. A frequent speaker on Islam, Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism, she is a consultant to international corporations and national governments.
http://www.meco.org.uk/panel2.htm
Perfect.
She looks like she would be right at home with an AK-47 and bombs attached to her in the cabin of an airliner at 35000 ft...
She said she was visiting Saudi Arabia for the second time, this time with her husband and two sons, so that they will discover for themselves that not everything said about Saudi Arabia in the U.S. is accurate.
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, this woman's eyes are a veritable display of evil.
Something tells me that this professor wouldn't find evidence even if Osama personally flew one of the planes into one of the Twin Towers.
What part of Osama saying he did it doesn't this professor understand?
Let me add my few words about Iraq's involvement in attacking the United States.
I suggest anyone who is interested, to do a search on the Internet on the documentation, investigation, and court hearings on the first World Trade Center bombing. Read up on it, and use the "find" feature (Cntl+f) to find every reference to Iraq and Iraqi. There are thousands of references to Saddam's Iraq being involved.
Case closed. Saddam was behind the FIRST bombing, when he tried to take down the Towers. That failed, and he (obviously with help from bin laden) perfected the attack, using airplanes.
Enough said.
A $1 trillion lawsuit claimed Iraq knew that Osama bin Laden was targeting New York prior to Sept. 11 - and that Saddam Hussein encouraged terrorists because he wanted revenge for losing the Gulf War. The action was filed in Manhattan federal court on behalf of 1,400 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and their families and names bin Laden, his al Qaeda organization and Iraq as defendants. IIRC, the court found for the plaintiffs. Sorry, don't have details.
I think she's a convert.
DeLong-Bas, a self-described "Lutheran pastor's kid," says her interest in Ibn Abd al-Wahhab dates from 1992, when as a graduate student in history at Georgetown she came upon a late 19th-century Orientalist scholar who referred to him as "the Martin Luther of Islam."
from an interesting article on:
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/1240
Yeah, I wouldn't put any faith in that videotape where Bin Laden was bragging about it to some fat bastard in Pakistan a few years ago. The whole part where Osama talked about being pleasantly surprised that the planes actually dropped the buildings instead of just shearing off the top floors or causing a few hundred deaths. Yeah, that seemed totally phony to me too.
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