Recent Wahhabi Attacks On Civilians: The Myth of “Islamic” Terrorism
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Written 09/11/2001 (expanded on 09/14/2001)
In response to the recent massacre of innocent civilians in New York City, it has become necessary to clarify the matter of Jihad in light of the beliefs of true Islam. As well, the truth must be spread to American civilians that not only was this not an Islamically-valid form of Jihad, it was also not carried out by Muslims. Usama Bin Ladin is not a Muslim. He belongs to a cult called the Wahhabiyyah [alternatively Neo-Salafis who have identical `aqidah with the Wahhabiyyah, yet find reject the title] that both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims alike have decried and denounced as kuffar, and issued Fataawat (official statements) against. [Whether inspired by the spirit and tradition espoused by Muhammed ibn `Abd’ul-Wahhab (1703-1792) or Neo-Salafi fundamentalist and pro-Nazi Rashid Ridha (1865-1935), the filth of their `aqidah is the same.]
These Wahhabi’s are the same cultists responsible for the oppression of Muslims and non-Muslims alike throughout the world – yet they are the same people that the American government kisses up to undyingly in Saudi `Arabia because of the their petro-dollars. This support exists because the American government is not a government, “by the people and for the people,” they are the enactor of multinational corporate policy. Period.
These attacks on innocent civilians can no more be defined as an “Islamic act of terrorism” than the Oklahoma City bombing can be classified as a Christian one. Similarly, comparing the Wahhabi’s to Muslims is like comparing Branch Davidians to Christians. You cannot simply claim that a cult that grew out of a Faith many years ago is synonymous with that faith. These were not “Islamic” attacks, as Islam forbids the killing of the innocent, or killing women and children even if they are among the camp of an attacking force. Thus, in no way can these attacks or any attacks of `Usama bin Ladin be classified as anything other than acts of terrorism in the name of Nationalism [`Asabiyyah].
Those committing the attacks may well have professed “Islam” as their religion, just as those involved in the Oklahoma City bombing considered themselves “Christian,” just as the KKK consider themselves a Christian organization, just as 300 million people died over the course of hundreds of years in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade at the hands of so-called “Christians,” just as SIX MILLION Jews were killed by a nation of nominal Christians, and just as the U.S. attempted to wipe out Native Americans in the name of “Manifest Destiny” – all by those who professed Christianity.
No! Islam is not to blame for the tragedy that occurred on Tuesday. Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe! Do not kill one another, for truly Allah has been to you Most Merciful. If any do that in rancor and injustice, soon shall We cast him into the Fire…” Al-Qur’an, Surah 4:29-30
The taking of life is allowed only by way of Justice but it is emphasized that even then, forgiveness is better. “Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred – except for just cause…” Al-Qur’an, Surah 17:33
In pre-Islamic Arabia, retaliation and mass murder was commonplace. If someone was killed, the victim’s tribe would retaliate against the murderer’s entire tribe. This practice was forbidden in the Qur’an (2:178-179). Following this statement of Shariah (Islamic Law), the Qur’an says, “After this, whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave chastisement.” Al-Qur’an, Surah 2:178
No matter what wrong has been perpetuated against us, we may not lash out against an entire population of people. The Qur’an admonishes those who oppress others and transgress beyond the bounds of what is right and just.
“The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice. For such there will be a chastisement grievous.” Al-Qur’an, Surah 42:42
Harming innocent bystanders, even in times of war, was outrightly forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad. This includes women, children, noncombatant bystanders, and even trees and crops. Nothing is to be harmed unless the person or thing is actively engaged in an assault against Muslims. The predominant theme in the Qur’an is forgiveness and peace. Islam (Submission to God) and Salaam (Peace) are both of the same consonantal root – for truly, through Islam comes Salaam. Allah is Merciful and Forgiving, and seeks that in Hu’s followers. Make no mistake, Muslims around the world have spoken out forcefully against this barbaric act, and thousands of Muslims are directly involved in the relief efforts. Indeed, there may very well be Muslims among the dead and wounded.
“O you who believe! Remain steadfast for Allah, bearing witness to justice. Do not allow your hatred for others make you swerve to wrongdoing and turn you away from justice. Deal justly; that is closer to true piety.” Al-Qur’an, Surah 5:8
Why Did This Happen?
“The terrorist attacks were major atrocities. In scale they may not reach the level of many others, for example, Clinton’s bombing of the Sudan with no credible pretext, destroying half its pharmaceutical supplies and killing unknown numbers of people (no one knows, because the US blocked an inquiry at the UN and no one cares to pursue it). Not to speak of much worse cases, which easily come to mind. But that this was a horrendous crime is not in doubt. The primary victims, as usual, were working people: janitors, secretaries, firemen, etc. It is likely to prove to be a crushing blow to Palestinians and other poor and oppressed people. It is also likely to lead to harsh security controls, with many possible ramifications for undermining civil liberties and internal freedom.” – Noam Chomsky
With the attack on the Pentagon, World Trade Center and attempted other targets on the soil of the United States Tuesday morning [which are debatable – they claim Camp David, we claim the White House], America has found itself in a state of disbelief, questioning and denial. As Americans wake from the nightmare of the onslaught against their key commercial and political buildings, two questions are becoming commonplace: who and why? The “who” is the easy part. Only a well-financed, fine tuned and militarily sophisticated organization could pull off such an assault against a world superpower. All fingers point in one direction, to `Usama Bin Ladin, multimillionaire and the leader of the terrorist organization al-Qa`idah.
The harder and more crucial question behind all of these actions is why. Why does the U.S. continue to be a target for political attacks? From the U.S. marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, to the World Trade Center in 1993, the al-Khobar bombings in 1996, and the USS Cole bombing last year, the U.S. has become a magnet for militant actions. As much as the attacks on civilian structures might suggest otherwise, “democracy” is not the intended target here, and neither is “freedom.”
Despite what George W. Bush insists, America has never been targeted for being a “beckon of light” but rather because in most regions of the world it is an emissary of darkness. Within the psychological borders of America, the Trade Center, the Pentagon, Camp David, and Capitol Hill are all seen as symbols of global U.S. power, prestige, and democracy. However, in the Muslim world, they are popularly regarded as symbols of terror and oppression.
In the words of Robert Fisk, whose direct knowledge and insight into affairs of the region is unmatched after many years of distinguished reporting. Describing “The wickedness and awesome cruelty of a crushed and humiliated people,” he writes that “this is not the war of democracy versus terror that the world will be asked to believe in the coming days. It is also about American missiles smashing into Palestinian homes and U.S. helicopters firing missiles into a Lebanese ambulance in 1996 and American shells crashing into a village called Qana and about a Lebanese Christian militia paid and uniformed by America’s Israeli ally, hacking and raping and murdering their way through refugee camps.
As Faisal Bodi writes in his article Symbols of Oppression, published by the Guardian: “Since 1991, American-led sanctions against Iraq and the effects of depleted uranium have killed 1m children. Who knows if the attackers intended all flights inside the U.S. to come to a halt, but for a day at least they succeeded in turning the tables on the no-fly zone in force over Iraq. Since the Palestinian uprising started last September, American Apache helicopters, F-16s and M-16 rifles have been responsible for killing 700 Palestinians and injuring 25,000 more. Since CNN isn’t there, by design rather than accident, to capture every smashed skull and charred corpse, westerners remain ignorant of U.S. terrorism.”
These are only the more visible examples of U.S. abuses in Muslim lands. As it waves the flag of democracy in one hand, Washington pours billions of dollars into upholding totalitarian regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, among others, to make sure its people are prevented from exercising their collective will. The U.S. Fifth Fleet sails menacingly around the Gulf in a warning to dissidents that it will use force to protect its client rulers and an uninterrupted supply of oil.
U.S. Racism Once Again Rears Its Ugly Head
Already, it has been reported that two Muslim men in New York were killed, as was a Muslimah stabbed to death in the backlash of these attacks. Additionally, two Muslim women had their clothes ripped off in public in Philadelphia. Several Muslims in New York were beaten and others had rocks and “Molotov Cocktails” thrown through their windows. Mosques in Chicago and Texas have been attacked by gangs of young white thugs carrying American flags. In Gary, Indiana two convenient store clerks of Arabian descent were attacked – one by a ski-masked assailant with a high-powered rifle, and the other with a machete.
Muslims in Italy have been attacked after verbal confrontation, and a school bus carrying Muslim children to school was attacked in Australia leaving three dead. Arabs in Poland have also been attacked saying: “The Polish people have condemned us more quickly than America has.” As well Muslim schools and Mosques all over the country and world have closed their doors due to bomb threats and tangible attacks. The Muslim children’s school in Cincinnati had several people call up and threaten to kill the children there, in retribution for the attacks earlier this week. What is astonishing is how much Americans would like to think they are different than Usama bin Ladin. These same people committing these very crimes against their fellow man, woman and child think that they are somehow defending freedom and democracy when they are in fact nothing short of terrorists themselves. If there is one thing that they should learn from this it is not to repeat the mistakes of history, as they have with Japanese Americans during the Pearl Harbor attacks.
Whether one agrees with the cause or not, the attacks on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 constituted a political attack of Arab Nationalism [a form of forbidden `Asabiyyah]. Many Arabs are not Muslims, and out of the hundreds of millions of Arabs who mourned the tragedy this week, we are shown a small group of immature Palestinian children and a few scattered adults who celebrated. If this footage is authentically recorded in response to these attacks – and not footage from 1991 as many have claimed – then this not only reflects their own desperation, but also their political immaturity. However, the media has also reported that there were less than 1,000 of such people total celebrating in the streets of Palestine. We must thus question why we are being shown these isolated incidences, as though they represent millions of Arabs in general, or Palestinians in particular.
Aside from Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi media which he controls, there were no Arabian statements of praise for this slaughter of the innocent. Now is the time that we should focus our eyes on actions, not on skin color and ethnic differences. The United States citizens have eagerly jumped on this opportunity to demonize an entire race of people and Islam itself. However, as generalizations often do, the prejudice ignorance of the angry mobs of anti-Muslims, the phone calls and death threats to men, women and children in mosques and Islamic schools have exemplified the root of these attacks and what has brought them into fruition.
Last night the news aired a tape of a two month old interview with Usama bin Ladin’s former assistant. He said “If we attack you and thousands die what will you want to do?” The reporter responded “We will want to retaliate.” The assistant said: “So what is the matter with you that you cannot see that we are all the same, that we are just like you. Just as you would want to retaliate when you are bombed, so do we. If we kill one hundred thousand of you and injure two hundred thousand more, then that is a big tragedy for you, but if it happens to us, it is everyday life.”
If one thing can be said to be true in that man’s words it is the fact that despite all of the superficial differences we are all the same, we are all human beings. And just as many would be quick to point the finger at all Muslims and all Arabs, we must realize that many of our fellow Americans are now committing acts of terror against our fellow Arab and Muslim Americans. Now is the time that we all as human beings should unite in the cause of freedom, and in bringing the guilty to justice. It is not the time for superficial and external differences to divide and conquer us.
Our Position
There is no doubting the utter, indescribable evil of what has happened in the United States. No one should be celebrating the massacre of thousands of innocent people. The people on those aircraft could have been anyone. Muslims are not justified in killing innocent women and children, even in all out war. Literally thousands of innocent women and children died in this attack. This was a Wahhabi attack headed by kaffir `Usama bin Ladin. This was an act that certain circles of influence and power within the U.S. knew about all along and allowed to happen to justify intensified persecution of Muslims and to achieve certain political aims.
This act was planned for months, if not years – no doubt with rogue Western operatives knowing full well about it, and standing down.
No Muslim should praise these attacks, as they were misguided and cost many innocent people their lives. The kuffar want Muslims to praise these attacks so they can invade and destroy innocent Muslim lives. That is a fact.
This same thing happened half a century ago with Pearl Harbor. The U.S. knew about that attack as well. The attack was real, and not staged, but they nonetheless knew about it for quite some time and merely allowed it to transpire so as to enter into the war against Japan. Allah Knows what “war” the nations of Yajuj and Majuj have in mind to enter by means of this misguided action.
Not coincidentally, President Bush was out of the White House as was Vice President Cheney. The thought of an ulterior motive of the “shadow government” for allowing this to happen is expected to be considered objectively. Some very obvious ulterior motives for permitting this to happen are
- It has now been made legal to assassinate. Before that was the one thing holding the U.S. back from `Usama Bin Ladin.
- It has now been made legal to monitor, phone tap, intercept cell phone calls, emails, mail, etc. from SUSPECTED “terrorists” in the United States WITHOUT a warrant.
- Furthermore, while some might argue that this has been bad for the economy, war itself is good for the economy. President Bush has made it clear that this is war.
“Suspected terrorists” means anyone who has ever spoken out against any actions of this government, and especially anyone who has done so and might be either Muslim or a firearm owner. Heaven forbid if they might happen to be both.
What Recourse Are We Left With?
Contrary to what fundamentalists would assert, there is in fact an Islamically legitimate means for the oppressed to pursue in the face of the vast global tyranny of the nations of Yajuj and Majuj – it is called Jihad. Killing the innocent is not Jihad. Killing women and children is not Jihad. In the Qur’an, Allah defined very specific parameters by which we may wage Jihad and gain our physical liberation. Our contention is not with the fact that the U.S. has been attacked, but rather with the manner in which it was attacked.
“O believers! Retaliation for bloodshed is prescribed to you… but he to whom his brother shall make any remission, is to be dealt with equitably; and to him he shall pay a fine with liberality. This is a relaxation [of the Law in the Torah] from your Lord and a Mercy.” Qur’an, Surah 2:173-174
Were the U.S. to have been attacked without the expenditure of innocent lives, then perhaps one could argue for this as an attack with an Islamic justification. But it is impossible to entertain such a hypothetical scenario since the only people killed in these attacks were civilians, and there can be no confusing the fact that this was intentional. This is the very definition of terrorism, not Jihad.
This was not an attack of Jihad, nor was it perpetuated by an Islamic organization. This was a nationalistic endeavor that used Islam as a tool to recruit young men who – though misguided – were willing to give their lives for a cause they believed in. Had they not had their impressionable minds warped by the maniacal genius of Shaytan `Usama Bin Ladin, then they might have potentially effected real and lasting change that could have been a step forward for Islam and peace on Earth. Would they have partaken in true Jihad then the American public might actually be re-evaluating their position on various incidences of oppression overseas. Now these misguided individuals, and their Wahhabi ring-leader have further polarized situations that can never be won without changing the hearts of the people.
What kind of fool would praise this?
“The Fighter in the Way of Allah is he who makes Jahada-n-nafsa (Jihad against himself) for the sake of obeying Allah” – The Prophet Muhammad
This is the greatest Jihad, and one who shrugs this call of to instead engage in terrorism is not a mujahid, they are spiritually-lazy and weak – for cruelty is borne of weakness.
May Allah hasten the end of suffering through the Imam’s Rise!
