The War Against Islam

Unity march : A young Muslim boy takes part in a demonstration in London where Muslims expressed their firm opposition to draconian anti-terror legislation, the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and the extraditions of Muslims to the USA. (AFP/Alessandro Abbonizio)  


To begin with the words “Holy War and infidel,” is not words coined from the Islamic world. They came during the last crusades, said by the Crusader Christians against anyone who was not Christian.

Also, it is against Islam, to engage in any kind of attack (War) against anyone unless a Muslim first were attacked, otherwise if your family, home, country is attacked then you must resist.

It should be understood anyone from the Islamic regions did not start this "War on Terror," if you check past events from about 1975 you will see a sample of what I am referring to and what has led to our current Global Crisis. If you do not care to go back that far, remember when Israel/America invaded Lebanon in 1982.



An Iraqi Prisoner 

Against the War: A Western Coalition too!

by Dalia Yusuf

October, 31, 2001

Thousands of demonstrators crowded the streets carrying signs objecting to the current U.S. attacks on Afghanistan. They clashed with the police as they expressed their disenchantment with American foreign policy which, in their view, caused the September 11th attacks. They condemned the harassments witnessed by Muslims and Arabs in Western countries, called for bringing an end to the U.S. inflicted sanctions on Iraq, adopting a ‘fairer’ stand in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Gulf. Those demonstrators did not come out of Al Azhar, Baghdad or Gaza. They were American citizens who were clear about their position regarding what happened. They turned the question of who did it? To why did they do it?

It appears confusing, especially when we discover that the vast majority of the American population continues to support the military option, albeit they wish to identify the people who did it, and urge the American government to reconsider its foreign policy in the Middle East.

On the other hand, with the continuous flood of news on Arabs and Muslims being subjected to physical harassment (CAIR reported over 600 cases of assault on people with different backgrounds, with three killings: a Copt, a Sikh, and a Pakistani Muslim), it becomes even more confusing when one tries to establish a perspective; to allow for more interaction to undo misconception, or to revert to a state of isolation to avoid further clashes.

This complex scenario continues to raise more eyebrows. The triggered anti-war demonstrations that go even further into anti-political and economic globalization make us wonder whether they were simple haphazard evens that highlighted the need for the American people to become more exposed to world affairs, or the result of more deeply embedded ideas in the nature and basis of a capitalistic system of political and economic governance. A more viable possibility is the latter. These movements have their own reasons for those demonstrations but they act as a significant basis of support for issues concerning Arabs and Muslims alike. Similar to those was also the number of people who rallied for the Palestinian cause in Durban. Perhaps seeking a coherent analysis and explanation for those movements could help in understanding the American society and the complexities of the New World Order. This in itself is a plus for people in our part of the world (Arab and Islamic) who merely happen be geographically located in a region subject to crossing interests and coalitions.

Seen on Television: ‘We Wish to Inform You’

Feelings of grief and sorrow have given way to more positive steps towards action. Various forms of protests were shown on television across American and European cities. In Los Angeles, for example, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to denounce the war rhetoric and condemn American foreign policy, seen as the main reason behind the September 11th attacks. In Canada and in Germany demonstrators held signs saying “Enough Victims, No to Revenge.” In Britain, 5000 people gathered near the Prime Minister office carrying signs saying “Shoulder to Shoulder for Peace and Justice.”

“Why” Instead of “Who”

Those that questioned the war and those that demonstrated against it, have been pushing the question into a different direction, focusing on the root of the problem as a way to solve it, rather than finding out who was involved and issuing punishment, with or without evidence. Fred Goldstein mentioned in his report on the International Action Center (IAC) website “Bush, Capitalism, and the War Crisis” that George W. Bush’s address, saying that he is declaring war on those that attack the American way of life. He points to the simple fact that there is no one way of living in America. There are different races, different ethnic backgrounds, and people with different social and economic status. Each affects your main concerns and thus directs their ‘way of life.’ Further, the peoples of the Middle East share a growing rage at the United States, Europe, and the NATO alliance. Their countries have been under the control of superpowers for more than a century. They realize those countries’ role in the killing of thousands of Palestinians and more than 1 million Iraqis. They also realize that Washington stood behind Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 which resulted in the death of 17, 500 Lebanese citizens in Beirut alone. Goldstein goes further back in history and points to the death of 125, 000 Egyptian workers during the digging of the Suez Canal in the nineteenth century, which again was under the auspices of the French government. In conclusion, Goldstein points out that the Arab peoples did not necessarily rejoice in the September 11th attacks, but they will nevertheless face a new wave of military intervention, clearly motivated by economic and strategic interests in the region.

One Basket, One Logic

It is interesting to find that Goldstein’s above expressed views as well as the views of other anti-globalization and environmental movements, are all part of one whole. With a look at the Gulf war, for example, we find that economic interests in Oil led to a strategic interest and placed many U.S. military bases across the region while, on the other hand, Oil is not only a vital source of life for the everyday life of the industrialized world, it is also the fuel for a sophisticated system of military command.

What Should We Do?

War in the sense that the American president has mentioned may be a war against anyone, in any place around the world. Brian Becker, the assistant manager of the IAC, has shown that the answer to global terrorism should be to withdraw most American forces from the Middle East and the Gulf region, to end the sanctions on Iraq which led to the death of 1.2 million people, and to withdraw support from Israel. The question becomes when and to what extent will those anti-war and anti-globalization movements translate demonstrations and signs into systematic plans of action? More important yet, to what extent are we, as Muslims, going to continue to sit back and watch, completely ignorant to the rules of the game, and hardly contributing to world events?

Getting the Masses to Talk

Much effort is needed to lift the veil off the truth and make it known to the world. Many scholars and journalists would agree that war today is a war of information. Reality can take many different meanings if presented in a twisted manner. The September 11th events were full of ambiguities that stressed the need for mutual understanding. People’s fear of the ‘unknown’ enemy, and the march to a war against that enemy raises eyebrows and pushes towards further inquiry, for if the masses truly understood, they would redirect the foreign policies of their states. The recent attacks showed the ability of the individual to turn the capital of the world into chaos. Why can we not explore the potential of the individual to change the world in a more positive and comprehensible direction?


Dead Palestinian Youth 

Understanding Jihad

For anyone who is not Muslim, it would take a little time to understand all the forms of Jihad. But I will attempt to give you The Readers Digest version so you will have some understanding.

Greater Jihad

This has many parts, the main idea is a struggle to better ones self. Otherwise, to be the best person we know how to be. To follow all the dictates of Allah (God), so that we can follow what we call "The Straight Path to truly see Paradise (Heaven)."

The word commonly used today is Mujahid (Arabic: striver, struggler), not a word normally associated with a warrior against another human in battle (War). He might engage in fighting to "Support God's religion, establishment of Islamic rule, and restoration of the Islamic Caliphate, "God willing" or for example, struggle to memorize the Qur'an.

Lesser Jihad

Physical Jihad: This relates to the use of physical force in defense of Muslims against oppression and transgression by the enemies of Allah, Islam and Muslims. Allah commands that Muslims lead peaceful lives and not transgress against anyone. If they are persecuted and oppressed, the Qur'an recommends that they migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land: "Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and strive (Jahadu) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy..." (2:218). If relocation is not possible, then Allah also requires Muslims to defend themselves against oppression by "fighting against those who fight against us." 2 The Qur'an states: "To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to defend themselves], because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most Powerful to give them victory." (22:39)

It needs to be brought to attention that this lesser Jihad that you get Martyrs, who would rather die in truth then live in sorrow. For a war such as this is a war in the extermination not only of the religion of Islam, but people who are spread all over the globe and we are not talking a handful of people. And in turn, those who attack any Islamic area will be attacked in return, for example by groups like Al-Qaida.

Link:

ICSSA

It should be noted that in Islam we are not allowed to commit any acts of terrorism or war on our own against anyone! Otherwise, we can not swing the first punch. We have to be hit first.


Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest!)