Freedom & The 4th Of July
In Honor of those who have gone before us into the dark night.......
"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." From "The Declaration Of Independence".
In a letter from John Adams to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776, as the Declaration of Independence had just been approved. "It ought to be commemorated," said the man who would become our second president, "as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Day's Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."
I recently read "Flags Of Our Fathers" and it got me to thinking about the cost of our Freedom in terms of human life. Whenever I hear some war protester exercising their freedom of speech to use the deaths of our brave men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan to justify their protest against the war I get very angry! How dare they! It is clearly apparent to me that these people have no idea what it has taken over the course of our history to secure that Freedom for them and countless other people around the world.
The next time you meet one of these ingrates, present them with these figures and explain to them that these are friends and family of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents that gave their lives in the cause of Freedom. Kindly ask them if they have ever thought of it this way; That they have the freedom to protest paid for by the blood and lives of people who they didn't even know.
This 4th of July, remember them, and remember; Freedom Isn't Free!
WWII Losses for the USA
Battle deaths were 292,131, Army 234,874, Navy 36,950, Marine Corps 19,733, Coast Guard 574, and United States Army Air Forces (included in Army) 52,173[69][16,584]
The United States Merchant Marine war dead of 9,521 are included with military losses .[79].
During World War Two 1.2 million African Americans served in the Armed Forces and 708 were killed in combat. 350,000 American women served in the military during World War Two and 16 were killed in action.[16,584-585]
Korean War; 36,516 dead
Vietnam War; 58,209 KIA and other dead
Figures are from; http://en.wikipedia.org
These are only figures from the most recent wars in our long history as a nation, they are staggering enough in their numbers. I could have researched them all, but I wanted to point out the ones that the living still remember. The fight to preserve Freedom never ends! It will always have a cost, and that cost is always paid in blood!
For the Fallen; May God forever hold them in His hands.
For God & Country!
Infidel Dog
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
"What Goes Up, Must Come Down"
This is an excerpt from a post on http://www.jihadwatch.org on 6/28
Waliur Rehman, a local Taliban commander, ordered the execution of two Afghans who had aided the U.S. in a missle strike recently in Pakistan. After the executions, one by beheading, and the other by gunfire, this was reported concerning the crowd of 5000 people:
"The crowd erupted in cheers of "God is great!" and gunmen fired in the air in jubilation. The celebratory gunfire killed two bystanders and wounded six, local official Fazal Rabbi said." ( Thank you Robert!)
I don't know about you, but every time I see Muslim Radicals fire their guns in the air, I know that "what goes up, must come down" and somebody is going to get hurt or killed. But what do you expect from a culture that insists that the world is flat, and a pedophile is a holy prophet? They say that ignorance is bliss, but just plain stupidity? I laughed all day over this one!
Waliur Rehman, a local Taliban commander, ordered the execution of two Afghans who had aided the U.S. in a missle strike recently in Pakistan. After the executions, one by beheading, and the other by gunfire, this was reported concerning the crowd of 5000 people:
"The crowd erupted in cheers of "God is great!" and gunmen fired in the air in jubilation. The celebratory gunfire killed two bystanders and wounded six, local official Fazal Rabbi said." ( Thank you Robert!)
I don't know about you, but every time I see Muslim Radicals fire their guns in the air, I know that "what goes up, must come down" and somebody is going to get hurt or killed. But what do you expect from a culture that insists that the world is flat, and a pedophile is a holy prophet? They say that ignorance is bliss, but just plain stupidity? I laughed all day over this one!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS 2nd AMENDMENT!
Supreme Court says Americans have right to guns |
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense in their homes, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.
The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms restrictions intact.
The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.
The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
Scalia noted that the handgun is Americans' preferred weapon of self-defense in part because "it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police."
In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."
He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."
Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.
Gun rights supporters hailed the decision. "I consider this the opening salvo in a step-by-step process of providing relief for law-abiding Americans everywhere that have been deprived of this freedom," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
The NRA will file lawsuits in San Francisco, Chicago and several of its suburbs challenging handgun restrictions there based on Thursday's outcome.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, criticized the ruling. "I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it," she said.
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.
Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.
The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.
White House reaction was restrained. "We're pleased that the Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment protects the right of Americans to keep and bear arms," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."
In a concluding paragraph to the his 64-page opinion, Scalia said the justices in the majority "are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country" and believe the Constitution "leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns."
The law adopted by Washington's city council in 1976 bars residents from owning handguns unless they had one before the law took effect. Shotguns and rifles may be kept in homes, if they are registered, kept unloaded and either disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.
Opponents of the law have said it prevents residents from defending themselves. The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense.
The last Supreme Court ruling on the topic came in 1939 in U.S. v. Miller, which involved a sawed-off shotgun. Constitutional scholars disagree over what that case means but agree it did not squarely answer the question of individual versus collective rights.
Forty-four state constitutions contain some form of gun rights, which are not affected by the court's consideration of Washington's restrictions.
The case is District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290.
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense in their homes, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.
The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms restrictions intact.
The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.
The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
Scalia noted that the handgun is Americans' preferred weapon of self-defense in part because "it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police."
In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."
He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."
Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.
Gun rights supporters hailed the decision. "I consider this the opening salvo in a step-by-step process of providing relief for law-abiding Americans everywhere that have been deprived of this freedom," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
The NRA will file lawsuits in San Francisco, Chicago and several of its suburbs challenging handgun restrictions there based on Thursday's outcome.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, criticized the ruling. "I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it," she said.
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.
Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.
The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.
White House reaction was restrained. "We're pleased that the Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment protects the right of Americans to keep and bear arms," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."
In a concluding paragraph to the his 64-page opinion, Scalia said the justices in the majority "are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country" and believe the Constitution "leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns."
The law adopted by Washington's city council in 1976 bars residents from owning handguns unless they had one before the law took effect. Shotguns and rifles may be kept in homes, if they are registered, kept unloaded and either disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.
Opponents of the law have said it prevents residents from defending themselves. The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense.
The last Supreme Court ruling on the topic came in 1939 in U.S. v. Miller, which involved a sawed-off shotgun. Constitutional scholars disagree over what that case means but agree it did not squarely answer the question of individual versus collective rights.
Forty-four state constitutions contain some form of gun rights, which are not affected by the court's consideration of Washington's restrictions.
The case is District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A MARINES "APOLOGY"
Sub: Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman's Views, Semper Fi!
[http://by106w.bay106.mail.live.com/mail/SafeRedirect.aspx?hm__tg=http%3a%2f%2f65.54.161.249%2fatt%2fGetAttachment.aspx&hm__qs=file%3d3d0d6a76-0c45-406e-9ae0-ee787b89e288%26ct%3daW1hZ2UvanBlZw_3d_3d%26name%3dQVRUMDAwMDE_3d%26inline%3d1%26rfc%3d0%26empty%3dFalse%26imgsrc%3dcid%253a1.718522152%2540web50605.mail.re2.yahoo.com&oneredir=1&ip=10.1.106.100&d=d3172&mf=0]
This 'Letter of Apology' was written by Lieutenant
General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired:
For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will
remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking
Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions
while on the other hand, political glee will take
control and fashion this minor event into some
modern day massacre.
I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans
took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth;
it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo,
Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.)
I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the
extremists came after 9/11.
I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were
Islamic Arabs.
I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live
in squalor under savage dictatorships.
I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.
I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the
US in their religious schools, mosques, and
government-controlled media.
I am sorry that Yasser Arafat was kicked out of every
Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian 'cause.'
I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or
offer more than a token amount of financial help to
those same Palestinians.
I am sorry that the U. S. A. has to step in and be the
biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs
while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for
all their problems.
I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our
own brainwashed liberal masses do not understand
any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our
society like radical liberal professors, CNN and NY TIMES).
I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people
of Iraq out of the 'food for oil' money so they could get
rich while the common folk suffered.
I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families
of homicide bombers upon their death
I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed
thinking they will receive 72 virgins in 'paradise.'
I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant
women, babies, children, the elderly and other non-
combatant civilians are legitimate targets.
I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from
the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of
dissidents of their own making.
I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more
Arabs than any other group.
I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to
seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.
I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters
on Fallujah.
I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a
convenient 'Holy Site.'
I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into
the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely
damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church -
one of our Holy Sites.
I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175,
the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders
and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc...etc!
I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a
medium sized village in Africa .
America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish
those responsible because that is what we do.
I am sorry the Barack Hussein Obama may be elected
president of the United States when he doesn't have a
clue on how to be a strong Commander-in-chief in a
world filled with Muslim extremists who will do whatever
it needs to do to destroy the lives of civilized people
while killing innocent men, women and children in order
to bring a change that is beneficial to all Islamic terrorists
worldwide.
I am sorry that voters on the liberal left don't understand the
frightening changes that are taking place in the Muslim world
and what these changes will do to this world in which we live.
I am sorry that the Democratic Party has been highjacked
by Socialists and Communists right under the very noses of
those who take pride in calling themselves democrats.
We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see.
We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so
much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries
that are now demanding an apology.
Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported
in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and
made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it
dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were
trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to
wring our hands because a few were humiliated?
Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of
our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a
joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.
If you want an apology from this American, you're going
to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding
those seventy-two virgins.
Signed, Chuck Pitman
Lieutenant General, USMC
PS Pass on to your friends if your agree, and if not, I'm
sorry if I've offended you by passing along the facts.
[http://by106w.bay106.mail.live.com/mail/SafeRedirect.aspx?hm__tg=http%3a%2f%2f65.54.161.249%2fatt%2fGetAttachment.aspx&hm__qs=file%3d3d0d6a76-0c45-406e-9ae0-ee787b89e288%26ct%3daW1hZ2UvanBlZw_3d_3d%26name%3dQVRUMDAwMDE_3d%26inline%3d1%26rfc%3d0%26empty%3dFalse%26imgsrc%3dcid%253a1.718522152%2540web50605.mail.re2.yahoo.com&oneredir=1&ip=10.1.106.100&d=d3172&mf=0]
This 'Letter of Apology' was written by Lieutenant
General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired:
For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will
remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking
Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions
while on the other hand, political glee will take
control and fashion this minor event into some
modern day massacre.
I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans
took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth;
it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo,
Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.)
I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the
extremists came after 9/11.
I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were
Islamic Arabs.
I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live
in squalor under savage dictatorships.
I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.
I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the
US in their religious schools, mosques, and
government-controlled media.
I am sorry that Yasser Arafat was kicked out of every
Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian 'cause.'
I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or
offer more than a token amount of financial help to
those same Palestinians.
I am sorry that the U. S. A. has to step in and be the
biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs
while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for
all their problems.
I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our
own brainwashed liberal masses do not understand
any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our
society like radical liberal professors, CNN and NY TIMES).
I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people
of Iraq out of the 'food for oil' money so they could get
rich while the common folk suffered.
I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families
of homicide bombers upon their death
I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed
thinking they will receive 72 virgins in 'paradise.'
I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant
women, babies, children, the elderly and other non-
combatant civilians are legitimate targets.
I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from
the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of
dissidents of their own making.
I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more
Arabs than any other group.
I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to
seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.
I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters
on Fallujah.
I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a
convenient 'Holy Site.'
I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into
the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely
damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church -
one of our Holy Sites.
I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175,
the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders
and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc...etc!
I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a
medium sized village in Africa .
America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish
those responsible because that is what we do.
I am sorry the Barack Hussein Obama may be elected
president of the United States when he doesn't have a
clue on how to be a strong Commander-in-chief in a
world filled with Muslim extremists who will do whatever
it needs to do to destroy the lives of civilized people
while killing innocent men, women and children in order
to bring a change that is beneficial to all Islamic terrorists
worldwide.
I am sorry that voters on the liberal left don't understand the
frightening changes that are taking place in the Muslim world
and what these changes will do to this world in which we live.
I am sorry that the Democratic Party has been highjacked
by Socialists and Communists right under the very noses of
those who take pride in calling themselves democrats.
We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see.
We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so
much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries
that are now demanding an apology.
Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported
in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and
made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it
dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were
trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to
wring our hands because a few were humiliated?
Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of
our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a
joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.
If you want an apology from this American, you're going
to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding
those seventy-two virgins.
Signed, Chuck Pitman
Lieutenant General, USMC
PS Pass on to your friends if your agree, and if not, I'm
sorry if I've offended you by passing along the facts.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Libian Leader Loves Obama!
Following are excerpts from a public address by Libyan Leader Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi marking the anniversary of the U.S. air raid on Libya. The address aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 11, 2008:
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1791.htm .
To view MEMRI TV page on Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/194.htm .
"All The People In The Arab And Islamic World And In Africa Applauded This Man [Obama]... [And] May Have Even Been Involved In Legitimate Contribution Campaigns"
Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi: "It has been proven that there is no democracy in [the U.S.]. Rather, it is a dictatorship no different than the dictatorships of Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, and the rest of the tyrants.
"In the days of crazy Reagan, the American president issued a presidential order to launch a war against Libya, for example, a presidential order to besiege Libya, a presidential order to boycott Libya, and so on. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?
[...]
"There are elections in America now. Along came a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim, who had studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama.
"All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency."
"Our African Kenyan Brother [Obama]... Made Statements [About Jerusalem] That Shocked All His Supporters In The Arab World, In Africa, And In The Islamic World"
"But we were taken by surprise when our African Kenyan brother [Obama], who is an American national, made statements that shocked all his supporters in the Arab world, in Africa, and in the Islamic world.
"We hope that this is merely an elections 'clearance sale,' as they say in Egypt – in other words, merely an elections lie. As you know, this is the farce of elections – a person lies and lies to people, just so that they will vote for him, and afterwards, when they say to him, 'You promised this and that,' he says: 'No, this was just elections propaganda.' This is the farce of democracy for you. He says: 'This was propaganda, and you thought I was being serious. I was fooling you to get your votes.'
"Allah willing, it will turn out that this was merely elections propaganda. Obama said he would turn Jerusalem into the eternal capital of the Israelis. This indicates that our brother Obama is ignorant of international politics, and is not familiar with the Middle East conflict." [...]
"We Thought He Would Say: 'If I Win, I Will Monitor The Dimona Nuclear Plant" Like Kennedy, For Whose Assassination Ben Gurion Gave Green Light
"We thought he would say: 'I have decided that if I win, I will monitor the Dimona nuclear plant, and the other WMDs in Israeli's possession.' We expected him to make such a decision. He undoubtedly had this in mind. When he talked about Iran and its nuclear program, he undoubtedly had Dimona in mind.
"But when he was thinking about Dimona, he undoubtedly had the fate of former president Kennedy on his mind as well. Kennedy decided to monitor the Dimona nuclear plant. He insisted on doing so, in order to determine whether or not it produces nuclear weapons. The Israelis refused, but he insisted.
"This crisis was resolved with the resignation of Ben-Gurion. He resigned so he would not have to agree to the monitoring of the Dimona plant, and he gave the green light for the killing of Kennedy.
"Kennedy was killed because he insisted on the monitoring of the Dimona plant. This image was undoubtedly on Obama's mind. He undoubtedly wanted to talk about this, but decided not to."[...]
"We Expected Him To Say: 'I Will Implement The One-State Solution'... This Is The 'Change' That The Peoples Applaud..."
"We expected him to say: 'If I win, I will implement the one-state solution – the "Isratine" which appears in Qaddafi's White Book.' This idea constitutes the final, deep-rooted, and historic solution. It is impossible to establish two midget-states in this area. What kind of country is only 15 km deep? The so-called Israel is only 15 km deep. What kind of a country is this?
"There are five million Palestinians there. We expected Obama to say: 'I've decided to return millions of Palestinian refugees to the land of Palestine, from which they were expelled in 1948 and 1967.' This is the 'change' that the peoples applaud, the change that the American people – and the black people in America – want.
"We expected him to say: 'I will strive for the independence and unity of the Kurdish nation. This nation must take its place under the sun in the Middle East.' The Kurdish nation is torn apart, tormented, and persecuted, and is colonized by everyone. He should have supported it, instead of supporting the collaborators, while sacrificing the future of the Kurdish nation. This is 'change.'" [...]
"The Black Man Suffers From An Inferiority Complex... Such A Feeling Would Make Him [Obama] Act Whiter Than the White, And Go To An Extreme In His Persecution And Degradation Of The Blacks"
"The thing we fear most is that the black man suffers from an inferiority complex. This is dangerous. If our brother Obama feels that because he is black he doesn't have the right to rule America, this would be a disaster, because such a feeling would make him act whiter than the white, and go to an extreme in his persecution and degradation of the blacks.
[...]
"We say to him: Brother, the whites and blacks in America are equal. They are all immigrants. America belongs neither to the whites nor to the blacks. America belongs to its original inhabitants, the Indians. Both the whites and the blacks immigrated to America, and so they are equal, and Obama has the right to hold his head high, and say: 'I am a partner in America. This is my land as much as it is yours. If it is not my land, it is not yours either. It is the land of the Indians. You are immigrants, and so are we.'"[...]
"We Are Still Hoping That This Black Man Will Take Pride In His African And Islamic Identity"
"We are still hoping that this black man will take pride in his African and Islamic identity, and in his faith, and that [he will know] that he has rights in America, and that he will change America from evil to good, and that America will establish relations that will serve it well with other peoples, especially the Arabs."
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1791.htm .
To view MEMRI TV page on Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/194.htm .
"All The People In The Arab And Islamic World And In Africa Applauded This Man [Obama]... [And] May Have Even Been Involved In Legitimate Contribution Campaigns"
Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi: "It has been proven that there is no democracy in [the U.S.]. Rather, it is a dictatorship no different than the dictatorships of Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, and the rest of the tyrants.
"In the days of crazy Reagan, the American president issued a presidential order to launch a war against Libya, for example, a presidential order to besiege Libya, a presidential order to boycott Libya, and so on. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?
[...]
"There are elections in America now. Along came a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim, who had studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama.
"All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency."
"Our African Kenyan Brother [Obama]... Made Statements [About Jerusalem] That Shocked All His Supporters In The Arab World, In Africa, And In The Islamic World"
"But we were taken by surprise when our African Kenyan brother [Obama], who is an American national, made statements that shocked all his supporters in the Arab world, in Africa, and in the Islamic world.
"We hope that this is merely an elections 'clearance sale,' as they say in Egypt – in other words, merely an elections lie. As you know, this is the farce of elections – a person lies and lies to people, just so that they will vote for him, and afterwards, when they say to him, 'You promised this and that,' he says: 'No, this was just elections propaganda.' This is the farce of democracy for you. He says: 'This was propaganda, and you thought I was being serious. I was fooling you to get your votes.'
"Allah willing, it will turn out that this was merely elections propaganda. Obama said he would turn Jerusalem into the eternal capital of the Israelis. This indicates that our brother Obama is ignorant of international politics, and is not familiar with the Middle East conflict." [...]
"We Thought He Would Say: 'If I Win, I Will Monitor The Dimona Nuclear Plant" Like Kennedy, For Whose Assassination Ben Gurion Gave Green Light
"We thought he would say: 'I have decided that if I win, I will monitor the Dimona nuclear plant, and the other WMDs in Israeli's possession.' We expected him to make such a decision. He undoubtedly had this in mind. When he talked about Iran and its nuclear program, he undoubtedly had Dimona in mind.
"But when he was thinking about Dimona, he undoubtedly had the fate of former president Kennedy on his mind as well. Kennedy decided to monitor the Dimona nuclear plant. He insisted on doing so, in order to determine whether or not it produces nuclear weapons. The Israelis refused, but he insisted.
"This crisis was resolved with the resignation of Ben-Gurion. He resigned so he would not have to agree to the monitoring of the Dimona plant, and he gave the green light for the killing of Kennedy.
"Kennedy was killed because he insisted on the monitoring of the Dimona plant. This image was undoubtedly on Obama's mind. He undoubtedly wanted to talk about this, but decided not to."[...]
"We Expected Him To Say: 'I Will Implement The One-State Solution'... This Is The 'Change' That The Peoples Applaud..."
"We expected him to say: 'If I win, I will implement the one-state solution – the "Isratine" which appears in Qaddafi's White Book.' This idea constitutes the final, deep-rooted, and historic solution. It is impossible to establish two midget-states in this area. What kind of country is only 15 km deep? The so-called Israel is only 15 km deep. What kind of a country is this?
"There are five million Palestinians there. We expected Obama to say: 'I've decided to return millions of Palestinian refugees to the land of Palestine, from which they were expelled in 1948 and 1967.' This is the 'change' that the peoples applaud, the change that the American people – and the black people in America – want.
"We expected him to say: 'I will strive for the independence and unity of the Kurdish nation. This nation must take its place under the sun in the Middle East.' The Kurdish nation is torn apart, tormented, and persecuted, and is colonized by everyone. He should have supported it, instead of supporting the collaborators, while sacrificing the future of the Kurdish nation. This is 'change.'" [...]
"The Black Man Suffers From An Inferiority Complex... Such A Feeling Would Make Him [Obama] Act Whiter Than the White, And Go To An Extreme In His Persecution And Degradation Of The Blacks"
"The thing we fear most is that the black man suffers from an inferiority complex. This is dangerous. If our brother Obama feels that because he is black he doesn't have the right to rule America, this would be a disaster, because such a feeling would make him act whiter than the white, and go to an extreme in his persecution and degradation of the blacks.
[...]
"We say to him: Brother, the whites and blacks in America are equal. They are all immigrants. America belongs neither to the whites nor to the blacks. America belongs to its original inhabitants, the Indians. Both the whites and the blacks immigrated to America, and so they are equal, and Obama has the right to hold his head high, and say: 'I am a partner in America. This is my land as much as it is yours. If it is not my land, it is not yours either. It is the land of the Indians. You are immigrants, and so are we.'"[...]
"We Are Still Hoping That This Black Man Will Take Pride In His African And Islamic Identity"
"We are still hoping that this black man will take pride in his African and Islamic identity, and in his faith, and that [he will know] that he has rights in America, and that he will change America from evil to good, and that America will establish relations that will serve it well with other peoples, especially the Arabs."
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Jihadists Strive To Undermine U.S. Dollar
Numerous postings on Islamist websites in the past two years reflect the mujahideen's growing interest in the state of the U.S. economy. As was argued in a 2007 MEMRI analysis,(1) many of the jihadists and their supporters have come to view their struggle against the U.S. and the West as an economic war. More specifically, they have come to the conclusion that it is financial, rather than military, losses that will prompt the U.S. to change its policies in the Middle East and elsewhere. Consequently, they emphasize the importance of targeting U.S. interests around the world, and of directing their military jihad primarily at targets that affect the U.S. economy.
To view the MEMRI Islamist Websites Monitor Project, visit http://memriiwmp.org/ .
"The Dollar Can Expect Two Additional Blows That Will Break Its Back"
The mujahideen's growing interest in undermining U.S. economy is reflected, for example, in an article in the 26th issue of the GIMF's e-magazine Sada Al-Jihad (Echo of Jihad), recently posted on Al-Hesbah and on other Islamist websites.(2) The article, titled "Why the Dollar Collapsed and How America Controls the Price of Oil," discusses the factors that contributed to the devaluation of the dollar in recent years.
The author lists among the key factors the economic damage caused by Hurricane Katrina; the losses caused by the September 11 attacks; the cost of the war on terror and of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; the U.S.'s persistent trade deficit and growing government debt; investors' growing faith in the Euro; the recent subprime crisis in the U.S.; and the fact that financial institutions around the world have started to reduce their dollar reserves, thereby flooding the market with dollars and decreasing the demand for this currency.
The author ends his analysis with the following threat: "The dollar can expect two additional blows that will break its back... [namely] the announcement of the return of the Caliphate..." and the reinstatement of the gold standard in international monetary trade.
"Get Rid of [Your] American Dollars... and Buy Gold"
A recent posting on the Al-Ikhlas forum urges the mujahideen and their supporters to sell their dollars, if they have any, because Al-Qaeda is planning a strike inside the U.S. so that it will undermine the American economy: "[I advise you] to get rid of [your] American dollars... and buy gold instead... or real estate. The next attack inside the U.S. is imminent... Zawahiri will convey his instructions [regarding this attack] in his next [message]... This attack will put an end to the so-called United States of America and destroy its economy completely... The day of the attack is very near..."(3)
Given that it is highly atypical for Al-Qaeda to give prior warning of its attacks, the message is probably an attempt to pressure Muslims to sell dollars, in order to generate pessimism in the dollar market and thus accelerate the drop in its value.
Endnotes:
(1) See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 387 "The Battle... Is Economic Rather than Military" – An Economically Oriented Concept of Jihad Emerges in Islamist Discourse," September 11, 2007, http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/report.htm?report=2371.
(2) http://www.myhesbah.net/v/showthread.php?t=182568.
(3) http://www.ek-ls.org/forum/showthread.php?t=152815.
To view the MEMRI Islamist Websites Monitor Project, visit http://memriiwmp.org/ .
"The Dollar Can Expect Two Additional Blows That Will Break Its Back"
The mujahideen's growing interest in undermining U.S. economy is reflected, for example, in an article in the 26th issue of the GIMF's e-magazine Sada Al-Jihad (Echo of Jihad), recently posted on Al-Hesbah and on other Islamist websites.(2) The article, titled "Why the Dollar Collapsed and How America Controls the Price of Oil," discusses the factors that contributed to the devaluation of the dollar in recent years.
The author lists among the key factors the economic damage caused by Hurricane Katrina; the losses caused by the September 11 attacks; the cost of the war on terror and of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; the U.S.'s persistent trade deficit and growing government debt; investors' growing faith in the Euro; the recent subprime crisis in the U.S.; and the fact that financial institutions around the world have started to reduce their dollar reserves, thereby flooding the market with dollars and decreasing the demand for this currency.
The author ends his analysis with the following threat: "The dollar can expect two additional blows that will break its back... [namely] the announcement of the return of the Caliphate..." and the reinstatement of the gold standard in international monetary trade.
"Get Rid of [Your] American Dollars... and Buy Gold"
A recent posting on the Al-Ikhlas forum urges the mujahideen and their supporters to sell their dollars, if they have any, because Al-Qaeda is planning a strike inside the U.S. so that it will undermine the American economy: "[I advise you] to get rid of [your] American dollars... and buy gold instead... or real estate. The next attack inside the U.S. is imminent... Zawahiri will convey his instructions [regarding this attack] in his next [message]... This attack will put an end to the so-called United States of America and destroy its economy completely... The day of the attack is very near..."(3)
Given that it is highly atypical for Al-Qaeda to give prior warning of its attacks, the message is probably an attempt to pressure Muslims to sell dollars, in order to generate pessimism in the dollar market and thus accelerate the drop in its value.
Endnotes:
(1) See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 387 "The Battle... Is Economic Rather than Military" – An Economically Oriented Concept of Jihad Emerges in Islamist Discourse," September 11, 2007, http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/report.htm?report=2371.
(2) http://www.myhesbah.net/v/showthread.php?t=182568.
(3) http://www.ek-ls.org/forum/showthread.php?t=152815.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Indian Clerics Issue Anti Terror Fatwa
On May 31, 2008, thousands of Islamic clerics and madrassa teachers from across India converged in the Indian capital of New Delhi for the Anti-Terrorism and Global Peace Conference, held by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Assembly of Indian Clerics), a countrywide network of Islamic scholars. The conference issued an anti-terrorism fatwa, which is being called the world's first unequivocal fatwa against Islamic terror.(1)
The anti-terrorism fatwa was issued at the request of Indian MP Maulana Mahmood Madani, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, by the Darul Uloom Deoband, the 150-year-old Islamic seminary second in size only to Cairo's Al-Azhar University that controls thousands of Islamic seminaries across India and is situated in the town of Deoband near New Delhi. The fatwa was read out at the conference and administered in the form of a pledge to about 100,000 people present at the conference.(2)
The conference's importance lies in its being co-sponsored by several prominent Indian Islamic organizations, including Darul Uloom Deoband; Nadwat-ul-Ulema Lucknow, a century-old seminary of international repute; mass religious organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, and Rabta Madaris Islamia Arabia; and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a networking and lobbying group of Indian Muslim organizations.
The following are details from the conference:
"Islam Has Come to Wipe Out All Kinds of Terrorism and to Spread… Global Peace"
The initiative for the anti-terror fatwa came from Maulana Mahmood Madani, the Indian parliamentarian who asked the Darul Uloom Deoband to clarify the Islamic stand on global peace in light of shari'a. The fatwa, signed by Darul Uloom Deoband grand mufti Maulana Habibur Rahman, stated: "Islam is a religion of peace and security. In its eyes, on any part over the surface of the earth, spreading mischief, rioting, breach of peace, bloodshed, killing of innocent persons and plundering are the most inhuman crimes."(3)
However, the conference was also concerned over the linking of terrorism with Islam and Muslims, both in India and worldwide. In this context, the fatwa stated further: "It is proven, from clear guidelines provided in the Holy Koran, that the allegation of terrorism against a religion which preaches and guarantees world peace are nothing but a lie. The religion of Islam has come to wipe out all kinds of terrorism and to spread the message of global peace. Allah knows best."(4)
The fatwa is actually the ratification of an anti-terror declaration issued by the Darul Uloom Deoband earlier this year. The declaration, which stated that killing a single person is tantamount to the killing of all humanity, without differentiation based on creed, was adopted last February by about 10,000 scholars, muftis, clerics and madrassa teachers from across India.(5)
The anti-terror fatwa, which has the support of various sects of Indian Islam, is being seen as the first scholarly statement against international terrorism. According to a media report, "[the Darul Uloom Deoband] not only declared terror activities to be anti-Islam, but also involved top clerics in defining terrorism in the light of the Quran and shari'a."(6)
The conference also adopted a declaration which sought to juxtapose Islamic terrorism with jihad. The declaration said: "There is a world of difference between terrorism and jihad. Jihad is constructive and terrorism is destructive. Jihad is for the establishment of peace... terrorism is the gravest of crimes, as held by the Koran and Islam."(7)
Maulana Mahmood Madani and Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, who is rector of Darul Uloom Deoband, were among a dozen prominent Indian clerics who addressed the conference. According to a report, Maulana Madani said: "Any action that targets innocents, whether by an individual or by any government or by a private organisation anywhere in the world constitutes, according to Islam, an act of terrorism."(8)
Leaders of Different Faiths, Scholars, and Filmmakers Support Anti-Terror Fatwa
The anti-terror conference had the support of numerous social activists, filmmakers and spiritual leaders of Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Among the prominent figures who spoke at the conference were filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, social activist Teesta Setalvad, social activist and Hindu spiritual leader Swami Agnivesh, Jain saint Lokesh Muni, and Sikh religious leader Pramjit Singh Sarna.(9)
According to a report, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said: "Whenever there is a bomb blast, a finger is raised at Muslims, who are put behind bars and are subjected to a sense of dejection." Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi said: "The biggest challenge today is the attempt to link Muslims with terrorism." Social activist Swami Agnivesh told the convention: "We will fight terrorism in every street and corner and if even after this we are called jihadi, I announce at this conference that I am the biggest jihadi. We are fully part of the Jamiat's fight against terrorism."(10)
The significance of these statements is likely to be seen in the context of Islamic terrorist groups' success in establishing a toehold among Indian Muslims, many of whom have been arrested on suspicion of being linked to a series of bombings in various Indian cities and towns in recent years. Most recently, dozens of Muslim youths were detained by police in India following the May 13 bomb blasts in the tourist city of Jaipur.(11) The high point of Indian Muslims' involvement in international terrorism was Indian nationals' participation in the 2007 car bomb attack at Glasgow International Airport.
It is in this context that the Darul Uloom Deoband is spearheading an anti-terror awareness movement among Indian Muslims, who are leaderless due to the exodus of their educated and economically influential middle class to Pakistan at the time of partition in 1947. Since the adoption of the anti-terror declaration in February of this year, the Darul Uloom Deoband has held a series of anti-terrorism meetings and conferences in the Indian towns of Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kolkata, Surat, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Hyderabad.(12)
Darul Uloom Deoband's unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in its fatwa has also been backed by the right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the major Indian opposition party known for its consistent anti-Muslim rhetoric. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh lauded the fatwa, saying: "The Darul Uloom Deoband is trying to disconnect Muslims from terrorism."(13)
Dalai Lama: "If A Person Is a Terrorist, He Cannot Be A Muslim"
Among Indian Muslims, awareness is rapidly growing, reinforced by hundreds of television channels and newspapers, that international terrorism is at their door and that they must act. In this context, the Dalai Lama stepped inside the Delhi's 17th-century-old Jama Masjid to lead a multi-faith prayer for peace; it is highly unusual for a non-Muslim to lead a prayer inside a mosque. In this move, he was accompanied by leaders of different faiths, political leaders, and foreign dignitaries. During the multi-faith prayer meeting, he said: "Muslims cannot be terrorists. If a person is a terrorist, he cannot be a Muslim."(14)
At Second Anti-Terror Event: "We Condemn Terrorism In All Its Forms"
Later that day, the Dalai Lama, the Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Abdullah Bukhari, social activist Teesta Setalvad, and a host of Islamic scholars from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Jordan, Lebanon and Indonesia attended an international anti-terrorism conference, the second such anti-terror event to take place in the Indian capital in as many days. The International Anti-Terrorism Conference was organized by the Jama Masjid United Forum, which is steered by the leadership of the old Delhi's Jama Masjid.
The conference denounced terrorism in all forms. Syed Yahya Bukhari, the head of Jama Masjid United Forum, said: "It is essential to consistently condemn terrorism, in all its forms, with one voice. Whoever that person maybe or for whatever reason he commits it must be condemned. We condemn terrorism in all its forms."(15)
Muhammad Hashim Babar, a leader of Awami National Party that came to power recently in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, was one of the delegates at the conference. He told the gathering: "The madrassas in Pakistan's tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan are nurturing grounds for terrorism. We need to establish moderate schools to counter these madrassas."(16) Babar also called for ending state support for terrorism, stating: "The root cause of terrorism is when a state patronises religion."(17)
Endnotes:
(1) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(2) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(3) The Hindu (India), June 1, 2008.
(4) The Times of India (India), June 1, 2008.
(5) MEMRI Special Dispatch Series No. 1856, "Indian Clerics' Anti-Terror Conference Issues Declaration against Terror, Blames 'Tyrant and Colonial Master of the West [i.e. U.S.]' for Aggression in Muslim World," http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=urdu&ID=SP185608.
(6) Hindustan Times (India), June 1, 2008.
(7) The Hindu (India), June 1, 2008.
(8) Hindustan Times (India), June 1, 2008.
(9) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(10) Roznama Inquilab (India), June 1, 2008.
(11) MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 441, "Jihadist Groups Perpetrate Terror in Jaipur, India," http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA44108 .
(12) MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 441, "Jihadist Groups Perpetrate Terror in Jaipur, India," http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA44108 [12]; The Times of India (India), June 1, 2008.
(13) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(14) Rediff.com (India), June 1, 2008.
(15) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(16) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(17) The Times of India (India), June 2, 2008.
http://www.memri.org
The anti-terrorism fatwa was issued at the request of Indian MP Maulana Mahmood Madani, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, by the Darul Uloom Deoband, the 150-year-old Islamic seminary second in size only to Cairo's Al-Azhar University that controls thousands of Islamic seminaries across India and is situated in the town of Deoband near New Delhi. The fatwa was read out at the conference and administered in the form of a pledge to about 100,000 people present at the conference.(2)
The conference's importance lies in its being co-sponsored by several prominent Indian Islamic organizations, including Darul Uloom Deoband; Nadwat-ul-Ulema Lucknow, a century-old seminary of international repute; mass religious organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, and Rabta Madaris Islamia Arabia; and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a networking and lobbying group of Indian Muslim organizations.
The following are details from the conference:
"Islam Has Come to Wipe Out All Kinds of Terrorism and to Spread… Global Peace"
The initiative for the anti-terror fatwa came from Maulana Mahmood Madani, the Indian parliamentarian who asked the Darul Uloom Deoband to clarify the Islamic stand on global peace in light of shari'a. The fatwa, signed by Darul Uloom Deoband grand mufti Maulana Habibur Rahman, stated: "Islam is a religion of peace and security. In its eyes, on any part over the surface of the earth, spreading mischief, rioting, breach of peace, bloodshed, killing of innocent persons and plundering are the most inhuman crimes."(3)
However, the conference was also concerned over the linking of terrorism with Islam and Muslims, both in India and worldwide. In this context, the fatwa stated further: "It is proven, from clear guidelines provided in the Holy Koran, that the allegation of terrorism against a religion which preaches and guarantees world peace are nothing but a lie. The religion of Islam has come to wipe out all kinds of terrorism and to spread the message of global peace. Allah knows best."(4)
The fatwa is actually the ratification of an anti-terror declaration issued by the Darul Uloom Deoband earlier this year. The declaration, which stated that killing a single person is tantamount to the killing of all humanity, without differentiation based on creed, was adopted last February by about 10,000 scholars, muftis, clerics and madrassa teachers from across India.(5)
The anti-terror fatwa, which has the support of various sects of Indian Islam, is being seen as the first scholarly statement against international terrorism. According to a media report, "[the Darul Uloom Deoband] not only declared terror activities to be anti-Islam, but also involved top clerics in defining terrorism in the light of the Quran and shari'a."(6)
The conference also adopted a declaration which sought to juxtapose Islamic terrorism with jihad. The declaration said: "There is a world of difference between terrorism and jihad. Jihad is constructive and terrorism is destructive. Jihad is for the establishment of peace... terrorism is the gravest of crimes, as held by the Koran and Islam."(7)
Maulana Mahmood Madani and Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, who is rector of Darul Uloom Deoband, were among a dozen prominent Indian clerics who addressed the conference. According to a report, Maulana Madani said: "Any action that targets innocents, whether by an individual or by any government or by a private organisation anywhere in the world constitutes, according to Islam, an act of terrorism."(8)
Leaders of Different Faiths, Scholars, and Filmmakers Support Anti-Terror Fatwa
The anti-terror conference had the support of numerous social activists, filmmakers and spiritual leaders of Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Among the prominent figures who spoke at the conference were filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, social activist Teesta Setalvad, social activist and Hindu spiritual leader Swami Agnivesh, Jain saint Lokesh Muni, and Sikh religious leader Pramjit Singh Sarna.(9)
According to a report, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said: "Whenever there is a bomb blast, a finger is raised at Muslims, who are put behind bars and are subjected to a sense of dejection." Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi said: "The biggest challenge today is the attempt to link Muslims with terrorism." Social activist Swami Agnivesh told the convention: "We will fight terrorism in every street and corner and if even after this we are called jihadi, I announce at this conference that I am the biggest jihadi. We are fully part of the Jamiat's fight against terrorism."(10)
The significance of these statements is likely to be seen in the context of Islamic terrorist groups' success in establishing a toehold among Indian Muslims, many of whom have been arrested on suspicion of being linked to a series of bombings in various Indian cities and towns in recent years. Most recently, dozens of Muslim youths were detained by police in India following the May 13 bomb blasts in the tourist city of Jaipur.(11) The high point of Indian Muslims' involvement in international terrorism was Indian nationals' participation in the 2007 car bomb attack at Glasgow International Airport.
It is in this context that the Darul Uloom Deoband is spearheading an anti-terror awareness movement among Indian Muslims, who are leaderless due to the exodus of their educated and economically influential middle class to Pakistan at the time of partition in 1947. Since the adoption of the anti-terror declaration in February of this year, the Darul Uloom Deoband has held a series of anti-terrorism meetings and conferences in the Indian towns of Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kolkata, Surat, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Hyderabad.(12)
Darul Uloom Deoband's unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in its fatwa has also been backed by the right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the major Indian opposition party known for its consistent anti-Muslim rhetoric. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh lauded the fatwa, saying: "The Darul Uloom Deoband is trying to disconnect Muslims from terrorism."(13)
Dalai Lama: "If A Person Is a Terrorist, He Cannot Be A Muslim"
Among Indian Muslims, awareness is rapidly growing, reinforced by hundreds of television channels and newspapers, that international terrorism is at their door and that they must act. In this context, the Dalai Lama stepped inside the Delhi's 17th-century-old Jama Masjid to lead a multi-faith prayer for peace; it is highly unusual for a non-Muslim to lead a prayer inside a mosque. In this move, he was accompanied by leaders of different faiths, political leaders, and foreign dignitaries. During the multi-faith prayer meeting, he said: "Muslims cannot be terrorists. If a person is a terrorist, he cannot be a Muslim."(14)
At Second Anti-Terror Event: "We Condemn Terrorism In All Its Forms"
Later that day, the Dalai Lama, the Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Abdullah Bukhari, social activist Teesta Setalvad, and a host of Islamic scholars from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Jordan, Lebanon and Indonesia attended an international anti-terrorism conference, the second such anti-terror event to take place in the Indian capital in as many days. The International Anti-Terrorism Conference was organized by the Jama Masjid United Forum, which is steered by the leadership of the old Delhi's Jama Masjid.
The conference denounced terrorism in all forms. Syed Yahya Bukhari, the head of Jama Masjid United Forum, said: "It is essential to consistently condemn terrorism, in all its forms, with one voice. Whoever that person maybe or for whatever reason he commits it must be condemned. We condemn terrorism in all its forms."(15)
Muhammad Hashim Babar, a leader of Awami National Party that came to power recently in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, was one of the delegates at the conference. He told the gathering: "The madrassas in Pakistan's tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan are nurturing grounds for terrorism. We need to establish moderate schools to counter these madrassas."(16) Babar also called for ending state support for terrorism, stating: "The root cause of terrorism is when a state patronises religion."(17)
Endnotes:
(1) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(2) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(3) The Hindu (India), June 1, 2008.
(4) The Times of India (India), June 1, 2008.
(5) MEMRI Special Dispatch Series No. 1856, "Indian Clerics' Anti-Terror Conference Issues Declaration against Terror, Blames 'Tyrant and Colonial Master of the West [i.e. U.S.]' for Aggression in Muslim World," http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=urdu&ID=SP185608.
(6) Hindustan Times (India), June 1, 2008.
(7) The Hindu (India), June 1, 2008.
(8) Hindustan Times (India), June 1, 2008.
(9) Rashtriya Sahara (India), June 1, 2008.
(10) Roznama Inquilab (India), June 1, 2008.
(11) MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 441, "Jihadist Groups Perpetrate Terror in Jaipur, India," http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA44108 .
(12) MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 441, "Jihadist Groups Perpetrate Terror in Jaipur, India," http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA44108 [12]; The Times of India (India), June 1, 2008.
(13) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(14) Rediff.com (India), June 1, 2008.
(15) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(16) Roznama Munsif (India), June 2, 2008.
(17) The Times of India (India), June 2, 2008.
http://www.memri.org
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