Saturday, March 19, 2011
Washington and the Civilians of Libya
By Professor Lawrence Davidson
March 19, 2011 "Information Clearing House" -- Whether you believe that the United Nations resolution authorizing extensive intervention in the Libyan civil war is justified or not, and whether you believe that the admittedly eccentric forty two year rule of Muammar Gadhafi over a complex and fractious tribal society has been cruel or not, there is one thing that all objective observers should be able to agree on. All should agree that the rationale put forth by the United States government for supporting the impending NATO intervention, that this action is to be taken to bring about an immediate end to attacks on civilians, is one of the biggest acts of hypocrisy in a modern era ridden with hypocrisy.
There is, of course, no arguing with the principle put forth. The protection of civilians in times of warfare, a moral good in itself, is a requirement of international law. Yet it is a requirement that is almost always ignored. And no great power has ignored it more than the United States. In Iraq the civilian death count due to the American invasion may well have approached one million. In Afghanistan, again directly due to the war initiated by U.S. intervention, civilian deaths between 2007 and 2010 are estimated at about 10,000. In Vietnam, United States military intervention managed to reduce the civilian population by about two million.
And then there is United States protection of the Israeli process of ethnic cleansing in Palestine. America’s hypocrisy as Washington consistently does nothting about the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the slow reduction of a million and half Gazans to poverty and malnutrition. And, finally, the unforgettable hypocrisy inherent in U.S. support for the 2009 Israeli invasion of that tiny and crowded enclave. The 2009 invasion was the most striking example of an outright attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the World War II. And the American government supported every single moment of it.
Thus, when President Obama gets up before the TV cameras and tells us that Libyan civilians have to be protected, when UN ambassador Susan Rice tells us that the aim of the UN resolution is to safeguard Libya’s civilian population and bring those who attack civilians, including Gadhafi, before the International Criminal Court, a certain sense of nausea starts to gather in the pit of one’s stomach. If Washington wants regime change in Libya, which is almost certainly the case, government spokespersons ought to just say it and spare us all a feeling of spiritual despair worthy of Soren Kieregaard!
It was Oscar Wilde who once said that "the true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity." I think that politicians learn, some easier than others, to live their lives like this. And, as I have said before, the only way they can be successful in sharing their delusions with the rest of us is that the majority do not have the contextual knowledge to analyze and make accurate judgments on their utterances. The successful hypocrite and his or her ignorant audience go hand in hand.
March 19, 2011 "Information Clearing House" -- Whether you believe that the United Nations resolution authorizing extensive intervention in the Libyan civil war is justified or not, and whether you believe that the admittedly eccentric forty two year rule of Muammar Gadhafi over a complex and fractious tribal society has been cruel or not, there is one thing that all objective observers should be able to agree on. All should agree that the rationale put forth by the United States government for supporting the impending NATO intervention, that this action is to be taken to bring about an immediate end to attacks on civilians, is one of the biggest acts of hypocrisy in a modern era ridden with hypocrisy.
There is, of course, no arguing with the principle put forth. The protection of civilians in times of warfare, a moral good in itself, is a requirement of international law. Yet it is a requirement that is almost always ignored. And no great power has ignored it more than the United States. In Iraq the civilian death count due to the American invasion may well have approached one million. In Afghanistan, again directly due to the war initiated by U.S. intervention, civilian deaths between 2007 and 2010 are estimated at about 10,000. In Vietnam, United States military intervention managed to reduce the civilian population by about two million.
And then there is United States protection of the Israeli process of ethnic cleansing in Palestine. America’s hypocrisy as Washington consistently does nothting about the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the slow reduction of a million and half Gazans to poverty and malnutrition. And, finally, the unforgettable hypocrisy inherent in U.S. support for the 2009 Israeli invasion of that tiny and crowded enclave. The 2009 invasion was the most striking example of an outright attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the World War II. And the American government supported every single moment of it.
Thus, when President Obama gets up before the TV cameras and tells us that Libyan civilians have to be protected, when UN ambassador Susan Rice tells us that the aim of the UN resolution is to safeguard Libya’s civilian population and bring those who attack civilians, including Gadhafi, before the International Criminal Court, a certain sense of nausea starts to gather in the pit of one’s stomach. If Washington wants regime change in Libya, which is almost certainly the case, government spokespersons ought to just say it and spare us all a feeling of spiritual despair worthy of Soren Kieregaard!
It was Oscar Wilde who once said that "the true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity." I think that politicians learn, some easier than others, to live their lives like this. And, as I have said before, the only way they can be successful in sharing their delusions with the rest of us is that the majority do not have the contextual knowledge to analyze and make accurate judgments on their utterances. The successful hypocrite and his or her ignorant audience go hand in hand.
New statement from Zabīhullah Mujāhid of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
"Clarification regarding the recent assertions of the American General Petraeus"General David Petraeus, top commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, has returned to Washington to find answer to questions and growing resentments of American people and Congress regarding the War of Afghanistan.
According to an opinion poll published recently in The Washington Post, a famous American daily, about two third of Americans have no confidence in the war of Afghanistan, considering it a fruitless mission. Similarly, hot debates are in full swing in the American Congress about the war expenditure in Afghanistan– reaching to the tune of billions of dollars.
Congressmen like the American people want to know, do these fruitless efforts deserve the huge expenditure? General Petraeus, who is in charge of the war in Afghanistan, tried at the premises of the American Congress the other day during a hearing to give the Congressmen a spurious optimism. He said, though the Americans have been hearing about setbacks but there are some gains in the war of Afghanistan. These gains must be protected. General Petraeus emphasized on this point both during meeting with the American President Obama and American media, saying there were tangible advancements in the war. May be, he was pointing to operations by the American troops in some areas in south Afghanistan in the past recent months. We would like to say about the remarks of Petraeus that he is trying once again to give deceptive assurances to American people about the war of Afghanistan and quid pro quo, get some time and money for further prolongation of the war. However, if we look at the ground realities in the country, there is nothing to be called gains of the American troops. Not only they are losing the rural areas but also have become targets of effective attacks of Mujahideen in cities.
In the near past, the operation of Kandahar was one of the greatest ever carried out by the Americans. The Americans had had huge casualties being unprecedented in terms of loss. They are still smarting from their casualties. Though, the Americans destroyed whole villages and vineyards of people in some areas of Kandahar and afterward, built military bases there. Despite that, they were not able to wipe out the writ of Mujahideen. The Mujahideen are present in the areas and have blocked all ways and roads leading to the American bases. With the passage of every day, they lay further blockades to the invaders.
Another project of Pettaeus was the training of the Afghan hireling forces to rely on themselves in terms of quality and quantity. This is also a failed effort. High ranking officials of the Kabul regime openly complain that no progress has been made in the way of boosting the hireling Afghan forces, and even it is not expected that the target could be achieved during the next five years, to put the forces in a position to defend themselves on their own.
The common Afghans have rejected the Arbaki program launched by General Petraeus. However, it is operational in a few areas, that too, with a very low capability. Contrarily, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate enjoy a high morale and warfare spirit. The Mujahideen continued their military operations successfully in this winter, and did not let the enemy to take a breath of relief. Moreover, the martyrdom-seeking Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate have carried out effective attacks against the enemy in various parts of the country, sending a jittery through the ranks of the enemy.
The Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate continue their armed Jihad against the enemy, enjoying a high morale. They have the initiative of the battle in their hands, being always in the aggressive position while the enemy is retreating from or evacuating their bases in many areas in the country as the have withdrawn from Pech Valley. Thus they flee the areas.
I would like to point out my opinion about the assertions of Petraeus. Let’s sum up the results and the losses. The Americans had launched one of their greatest operations in Gerisk district of Helmand province. It continued for one month. According to a survey conducted by Mujahideen, the Americans lost 54 tanks and armed vehicles as a result of road side bombs and attacks. But after the end of the operation, the situation did not change. The status quo is the same as before. The Americans went back to their bases after suffering huge casualties and losses. The Mujahideen are in control of the area. The same is the fate of other operations conducted by the forces of General Petraeus. It is very surprising that despite that, the general tauts these failures as military gains.
Like the American people, two-third of whom believe this war is fruitless war, the Islamic Emirate too believes that the current war of Afghanistan will bring in nothing for the Americans except defeat. We have faith in our God and believe, this legitimate Jihad of the Afghan people will ultimately result in the complete rout of the invaders. The surge and prolongation of the war will only add to financial loss and military casualties of America. Nothing more than that, if God willing.
Zabihullah Mujahid
Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Anzalone: Building an Insurgent State in Somalia?
Christopher Anzalone
(source)
(source)
The Somali insurgent movement Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (Movement of Warrior-Youth) has controlled nearly all of southern and central Somalia since 2009 and was in the process of consolidating its authority when the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), aided by Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops and fighters from the Somali Sufi militia Ahlul Sunna Wal Jamaacah, launched a major military offensive against them in mid February. As fierce fighting continues in the capital Mogadishu and the surrounding Banaadir district as well as border areas with Ethiopia and Kenya, it remains to be seen how the movement’s attempts at constructing the basic governing structures will fare.
The control and governance of territory presents an insurgent movement like Harakat al-Shabaab with a unique set of challenges. Its leaders must make decisions about how best to govern as well as the type of relationship it wishes to have with the subject population. Some insurgent movements decide to “strike a bargain” with the local population, even including local representatives some level of say in governance. Others, however, exclude locals from having any say in governance and do not care whether or not the subject population is supportive of it or not.
From the available evidence, which is often difficult to concretely verify, it seems that Harakat al-Shabaab falls between these two poles of insurgent governance. On the one hand, it has not established an inclusive system of governance and it enforces a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, including the carrying out of public executions, floggings, and amputations as punishments for a range of crimes from murder to rape, spying, and theft. On the other hand, Harakat al-Shabaab has not been completely oblivious to the need for it to establish some type of governance and outreach, or public relations, with the local population in territories it governs. Indeed, it has been active in publicizing its ongoing distribution of aid to the drought-stricken regions of southern and central Somalia.
Preventing United Nations-connected agencies from operating in its territory, the movement is attempting to reap the local public relations benefits for taking on the task of distributing aid to the affected areas. It has organized distribution points in districts under its control and has publicized these efforts through the issuance of press statements and the publication of photographs and participation in press interviews. Since the beginning of the year the movement has issued a series of press statements and sets of photographs showing the distribution of drought aid in multiple districts it governs including Banaadir, Hiraan, Middle Shabeellaha, Bay, and Bakool.
Harakat al-Shabaab has also been undertaking small and medium-sized public works projects since at least 2009. These projects include the repairing and construction of bridges, homes, and factories as well as the collection and distribution of zakat, the mandatory charity required of those Muslims who are financially able to contribute. Signs and banners at the sites of these projects announce that they are being sponsored by the movement.
Insurgent leaders are also keenly aware of the need to invest in social gatherings aimed at younger generations of Somalis, in the hopes of overcoming Harakat al-Shabaab’s legitimacy deficit. It now organizes and hosts public events such as communal prayers and festivals that mark the end of the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, at the end of the Hajj season. The holding of communal Eid prayers, attendance at which is considered mandatory by most Muslims, is a particularly important symbolic act, since historically such gatherings have been held under the auspices of the legitimate governing authority.
Preachers, imams (prayer leaders), and youth are key audiences that Harakat al-Shabaab has targeted and attempted to win over. In territory under its control the movement runs “academies” for the education of preachers, imams, and missionaries/propagandists. A Harakat al-Shabaab statement issued in May 2010 sheds some light on the curriculum at such schools. Books used include classical and medieval Islamic religious texts on hadith, the Qur’an, Qur’anic exegesis, and law, such as the thirteenth century hadith collection Riyad al-Saliheen as well as books on Arabic grammar and modern ideological texts by individuals such as the Palestinian-Jordanian jihadi-Salafi scholar Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. The movement also organizes youth events such as Qur’an recitation and memorization competitions as well as fairs that feature athletic competitions such as footraces and archery. Children are also featured in many Harakat al-Shabaab videos, often shown playing with toy guns or marching along and shouting greetings at the movement’s fighters.
Harakat al-Shabaab has built a sophisticated media outlet, Al-Kata’ib (Brigades) and operates terrestrial radio and television stations in and around Mogadishu and other areas it controls. The evolution of the movement’s media has been remarkable with regard to the speed of its development and high technical production quality. Harakat al-Shabaab has been quick to point out instances when AMISOM and the TFG have misled the press. For example, in late October 2010 after the movement’s fighters conducted an attack on Ugandan positions in Mogadishu, AMISOM denied that any of its soldiers had been killed. Within days Harakat al-Shabaab issued a statement accompanied with photographs that showed a dead Ugandan AMISOM soldier and captured military equipment. (See this page on martyrdom videos).
Similarly, when insurgents captured a Burundian AMISOM soldier in late February it quickly issued photographs of their prisoner along with a press statement. Harakat al-Shabaab’s senior spokesman Ali Mahamoud Rage gave interviews to Somali media outlets and a short video was issued showing the prisoner. The movement has also publicly claimed that leaders of Somalia’s socially and politically important clans, with whom it has a complex relationship, have joined with it against AMISOM, backing up its claims with photographs and other media coverage issued online and via local networks. See the material at this site. See also this page.
Battlefield setbacks in Mogadishu and the western district of Gedo will likely reverse or stall the insurgent movement’s attempts to consolidate and expand its governing structures. It had begun to name new governors of districts under its control when AMISOM launched its most recent offensive with the TFG and Ahlul Sunna Wal Jamaacah. The public naming of local insurgent officials suggests that prior to the start of the offensive Harakat al-Shabaab was growing increasingly certain about its victory, particularly since the TFG’s United Nations mandate is set to expire in August. The results of the ongoing fighting will shed a great deal of light on how strong or weak the insurgents’ governing structures are. In the past Harakat al-Shabaab has proved to be remarkably adaptable and, barring sustained internal reform of the TFG, it is unlikely to disappear. The TFG was publicly rebuked recently by elders of the powerful Hawiye clan confederation after the transitional parliament voted to extend its own mandate despite having no real accomplishments. Military gains will ultimately be inconsequential if the TFG remains a figurehead institution that is beset with infighting and corruption. Until real reform occurs Harakat al-Shabaab will likely remain as a virulent force within the country.
Christopher Anzalone is a doctoral student in the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University.
`Blood Money Was Paid By S. Arabia`
By Anwar Iqbal
(source)
March 18, 2011 "Dawn" --- WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia is believed to have arranged the blood money that allowed CIA contractor Raymond Davis to go home after nearly two months in a Lahore jail, diplomatic sources told Dawn.
(source)
March 18, 2011 "Dawn" --- WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia is believed to have arranged the blood money that allowed CIA contractor Raymond Davis to go home after nearly two months in a Lahore jail, diplomatic sources told Dawn.
They said that the Saudis joined the efforts to resolve the dispute late last month after it became obvious that Davis`s continued incarceration could do an irreparable damage to US-Pakistan relations.
The Saudis agreed to pay the money, “at least for now”, to get Davis released, the sources said, but did not clarify if and how would the Saudis be reimbursed.
“This is something that needs to be discussed between the United States and the Kingdom,” one source said. “Mr Davis`s surprise departure from Pakistan came after it became obvious that the Americans were getting impatient,” he added.
The New York Times, however, quoted US officials as saying that the money would be paid by members of the Pakistan government, and then reimbursed by the Obama administration.
US officials, who spoke to the media, also insisted that the CIA had made no pledges to scale back covert operations in Pakistan to earn Davis`s release. The CIA also refused to give the Pakistani government or its intelligence agency a roster of American spies operating in the country, the officials said.
In an interview broadcast on Thursday by the US National Public Radio, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not clarify the situation either. “Well, you`ll have to ask him what he means by that,” said Ms Clinton when informed that Punjab`s Law Minister Rana Sanaullah was insisting that the blood money had been paid.
“And a lawyer involved in the case said it was $2.34 million. There is no money that came from anywhere?” she was asked.
“The United States did not pay any compensation,” the secretary replied. “Did someone else, to your knowledge?”
“You will have to ask whoever you are interested in asking about that,” she said.
“You`re not going to talk about it?” the interviewer insisted.
“I have nothing to answer to that,” she replied.
According to the US media, the case was resolved after Pakistani officials met family members of the victims for more than six hours on Wednesday to arrange compensation. The issue of payments was first raised with Pakistani officials by Senator John Kerry during a trip to Islamabad last month.
Since then, American and Pakistani officials had regularly discussed the matter, and CIA director Leon Panetta had spoken frequently to ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the media report said.
At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney referred reporters to the State Department when asked if he knew the blood money had been paid.
At the State Department, deputy spokesman Mark Toner said he would “go with the secretary`s statement”.
“I`m not an expert in Pakistani law, so I`m not comfortable discussing the legal process that took place. I understand that they signed a document that then pardoned Mr Davis, and the case is, in our mind, resolved,” he explained.
“I don`t think so. No,” said Mr Toner when asked if the US was in direct contact with the victims` family.
“We want to move on now and get to the issues that we`re working together with Pakistan on,” said Mr Toner when asked what would be the impact of the release on US-Pakistan relations.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Libya, Hypocrisy and Betrayal by the United Nations | Common Dreams
Libya, Hypocrisy and Betrayal by the United Nations | Common
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever.” - George Orwell.
The bombing of Libya will begin on or nearly to the day, of the eighth anniversary of the beginning of the destruction of Iraq, 19th March, in Europe. Libya too will be destroyed - its schools, education system, water, infrastructure, hospitals, municipal buildings. There will be numerous "tragic mistakes", "collateral damage", mothers, fathers, children, babies, grandparents, blind and deaf schools and on and on. And the wonders of the Roman remains and earlier, largely enduring and revered in all history's turmoils as Iraq, the nation's history - and humanity's, again as Iraq and Afghanistan, will be gone, for ever.
The infrastructure will be destroyed. The embargo will remain in place, thus rebuilding will be impossible. Britain, France and the US., will decide the country needs "stabilising", "help with reconstruction." They will move in, secure the oil installations and oil fields, the Libyan people will be an incidental inconvenience and quickly become "the enemy", "insurgents", be shot, imprisoned, tortured, abused - and a US friendly puppet "government" will be installed.
The invaders will award their companies rebuilding contracts, the money - likely taken from Libya's frozen assets without accounting - will vanish and the country will remain largely in ruins.
And the loudest cheerleaders for this, as Iraq, will be running round tv and radio stations in London, Europe and the US, then returning to their safe apartments and their UK/US/Europe paid tenures, in the knowledge that no bombs will be dropping on them. Their children will not be shaking uncontrollably and soiling themselves with terror at the sound of approaching planes.
And this Libyan "Shock and Awe"? Shame on France, shame on Britain and the US and a UN avowed: "... to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." Every shattered body, every child maimed or blown to bits, every widow, widower, orphan, will have their name of those countries, and the UN., written in their blood in their place of death.
And the public of these murderous, marauding Western ram raiders, will be told that we were bringing democracy, liberating Libya from a tyrant, from the "new Hitler", the "Butcher of Bengazi."
The countries who have ganged together these last days to overthrow a sovereign government have, again, arguably, conspired in Nuremberg's: " ... supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole", and yet again, plotted to overthrow a sovereign government, with a fig leaf of "legality" from an arm twisted UN. We have seen it all before.
Ironically, as I write, here in the UK., on the day Prime Minister Cameron is to make an announcement in Parliament on the proposed attack on Libya, it is Red Nose Day, founded in 1988, out of 1985's Comic Relief - which came from a refugee camp in Sudan, which borders Libya - to raise money for the children in need, in Africa. This red nose day, we plan to bomb them.
In time, it will emerge, who was stirring, bribing, de-stabilizing - and likely few will be surprised at the findings. But by then, Libya will be long broken and its people, fleeing, displaced, distraught.
When it comes to dealing with the usual "liberators", be careful what you wish for. In six months or so, most Libyans, whatever the failings of the last forty years rule, will be ruing the day.
Reasons Behind the Japanese Tsunami
Reasons Behind the Japanese Tsunami
Haitham Al-Haddad
Such suffering can be very difficult to digest, and it is true to note that many Muslims will ask: why did Allah allow this to happen? What is the divine wisdom behind such a catastrophe?
Muslims believe from divine scripture that the whole of mankind has been ennobled, and it is in that sense of shared humanity that Muslims feel saddened over the recent catastrophe that Japan has faced. It is the soft heart of the believer that requires him/her to reflect upon catastrophes such as the recent one where thousands have perished and thousands of others are still missing.
More than 1,000 bodies washed ashore on the first day in the north-eastern area hardest hit by the magnitude 8.9 quake that struck in the Pacific Ocean and triggered a devastating tsunami. Even on the fourth day search-and-rescue crews extracted more than 2,000 corpses with the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan stating that this is Japan's greatest national tragedy since World War II.
Such suffering can be very difficult to digest, and is true to note that many Muslims will ask: why did Allah allow this to happen? What is divine wisdom behind such a catastrophe?
The answer, as simple as it is, is given in the Qur’an,
“And if the people of the towns had believed and had the taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes, etc.). Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our Punishment by night while they are asleep? Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our Punishment in the forenoon while they play? Did they then feel secure against the Plan of Allah? None feels secure from the Plan of Allah except the people who are the losers.”[1]
Of course, we might ask: but what did the Japanese do? They have never fought the believers - the state has formally renounced war as a sovereign right and bans settlement of international disputes through the use of force.
Many people assume that Allah only punishes people when they commit injustices towards others, yet Muslims must refrain from being so self-absorbed; Allah created mankind so that they may worship Him in line with His monotheistic nature, and deviancy from such a clear purpose only serves to anger the Most High. It is true that Japan is not like the US or many of its allies in that it refrains from waging direct war against others, yet their failure was the lack of submission to Allah and refusing to admit that all of the favours they are blessed with are given to them by their Creator. Japan has the world's third-largest economy and is the world's fourth largest exporter and fifth largest importer. Japan is also a leading nation in technology, machinery, biomedical research, and fundamental scientific research, having produced fifteen Nobel laureates. Some of Japan's most prominent technological contributions are in the fields of electronics, automobiles, machinery, and leads the world in robotic production and use. Despite the luxurious lives they live, as a community they have never thanked Allah by submitting to him.
Denying the Lordship of Allah and refusing to submit to Him in worship is the biggest act of injustice,
“Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea and send against you a hurricane of wind and drown you because of your disbelief? Then you will not find any avenger therein against Us.”[2]
The tragic event is without doubt a call from the Lord of everything that exists for people to submit to His Majesty and worship Him alone. It is a call for everyone to remember that this life is temporal and filled with suffering, and true enjoyment will only come with success in the afterlife.
“And this life of the world is only amusement and play. Verily, the home of the Hereafter, that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end), if they but knew!”[3]
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Lifting the Veil
A must watch documentary: Lifting the Veil: Barack Obama and the failure of capitalist 'Democracy'
when a woman falls from grace she becomes a prostitute when a man falls from grace he becomes a policeman or a politician
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Fellow Muslims in Egypt (2)
"A Message of Hope and Glad Tidings to Our Fellow Muslims in Egypt (2)"
Sheikh Ayman AL Zawahiri
(may Allah protect him)
In the Name of Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family, companions and all those who follow him.
To proceed:
In my previous episode, I dealt with the answer to the first question, "What is the situation we are in?"
Today, I will complete my discussion of the current situation of Egypt, but before I start to explain, I wish to leave this topic, which is "A Message of Hope and Glad Tidings to the People of Egypt," to mention another important yet dangerous topic, which is the sanctity of Muslim life, about which the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
"That the entire world ceases to exists is less important to Allah than the (unlawful) killing of a Muslim."
There are some operations which are ascribed to the Mujahideen, some by due right and others otherwise, in which transgressions occur against Muslims in their mosques, their markets, and other gathering places. About this, I say the following:
Regardless of whether the ascription of these acts to the Mujahideen are correct or incorrect, my brothers and I in Al-Qaedah declare to Allah that we are innocent from these attacks, and that we object to them, whether those who carry them are the Mujahideen or others. Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, Mulla Muhammad Umar, may Allah protect him, has also previously mentioned this point, as did Sheikh Usamah bin Laden, may Allah protect him, Sheikh Atiyyatullah, may Allah protect him, Sheikh Abu Yahya Al Libi, may Allah protect him, and as I also did myself. Sheikh Usamah bin Laden, may Allah protect him, has requested me to reiterate this point again, and thus I advise each and every Mujahid to keep the Islamic rulings and the interests of the Muslims in forefront before carrying out any Jihadi operation, and to remember that we are not waging Jihad for anything other than the pleasure of Allah Most High, which cannot be gained except by following His religion and abiding by its rulings. When planning any operation, they should try their utmost to avoid the deaths and injuries of anyone whose blood is prohibited, whether Muslim or otherwise. They should try as much as possible to avoid harming innocent Muslims in their attacks of the enemy, who have planted themselves in their midst (called tatarrus), as well as any others who are impermissible to kill, of course, other than what is necessary or that which unintentionally results from a mistake. They should be very careful not to be lax in this matter of tatarrus.
I ask Allah to make all of our deeds in accordance with His religion and for His Pleasure alone.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We Need Brotherhood!
We Need Brotherhood!
“…Allah Said: {“Indeed, the believers are brothers…”} [al-Hujurat; 10]
Brotherhood is from the most beautiful topics that a person can talk about! It is so pure and pleasant like light! It is so rich and beloved to the heart…
However, what is the brotherhood that is referred to in the Book of Allah?
Two people can walk down a wide road as brothers in safety and relaxation with each putting his arm on the shoulders of the other out of brotherly love. However, look at them when the road becomes narrower and is only wide enough for one of them to walk behind the other – who should I give preference to? Should I walk ahead? Or should I follow my brother and let him walk ahead of me?
Then look at the road when it becomes even narrower, leaving room for only one of them to walk on it! There is only one opportunity: either me or my brother. Who will I give preference to? Do I say that this is my opportunity and he can go look for his own? Or do I say to my brother ‘Take this opportunity for yourself, and I will find my own’?
This is the test.
Brotherhood in times of safety and ease is one thing, as it does not go against the desires of the self. In fact, it is itself one of those desires that a person seeks to obtain in order to achieve the sense of relaxation that comes along with it.
As for situations of hardship or personal gain, this is where true brotherhood is tested, where the distinction is made between the love for others and the love for oneself which can become hidden during times of ease and safety, causing one to assume that he is a true ‘brother’ who is fulfilling the implications of brotherhood!
How many gatherings, how many lectures, how many admonishments, how many advices does a person or a group need to establish this concept in their minds, such that it does not simply become a theoretical concept that doesn’t go past this level? It should become present in the heart, deeply entrenched in the heart until it gives birth to physical manifestations such as is mentioned in the Book of Allah:
{“And those who before them had homes and had adopted faith, love those who emigrate to them and have no jealousy in their hearts for that which they have been given, and give them preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.”} [al-Hashr; 9]
It was examples like this that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would work for when he was mentoring his Companions for thirteen years in Makkah and the years spent afterwards in Madinah. However, he never told himself while he was in Makkah: ‘Until when will we keep teaching these concepts without doing something?’ He never said this because he knew for sure that this was from the fundamental requirements of establishing the base of believers that he was working towards, and that this brotherhood – in addition to being necessary for establishing a base of believers that would serve as the seed for the Muslim nation – was also a part of the fulfillment of the behavioral aspects of لا إله إلا الله, because this statement is not simply a deep belief held in the heart. Rather, it means that one should physically adhere to what Allah has revealed and everything that has come from Him. So, adhering to this brotherhood is from the implications of this statement, and Allah Loves this brotherhood and has praised it and obligated it upon the believers in Him, and He revealed many verses regarding it, the most famous of which is:
{“O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, as it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor let women scoff at other women, as it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it to insult one’s brother after having faith! And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed are the wrongdoers. O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, as indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Merciful.”} [al-Hujurat; 11-12]
With the Qur’an…with friendship…by living with each other…by constant mentoring…with the leadership found in the noble personality of the Messenger…with the love that gushed to them from his big heart…with attention and care for each one of them as if nobody else mattered but that one person…by the active manifestation of the emotions of faith within the jama’ah…
Through these combined methods, the Messenger of Allah nurtured this brotherly group that accomplished wonders with its brotherhood, and he built this sturdy, interconnected structure whose individual parts each supported and backed up the others.
In this new strangeness in which Islam finds itself, we need exactly what was needed in its first strangeness. If we cannot achieve the same level of what they achieved, at least we should try to come close because the jahiliyyah has caused every relationship that cannot withstand all of its pressures and stay strong despite these pressures to crumble away and disintegrate.
How long will this take, and how much effort is required? I have no idea. However, I know for sure that it is absolutely necessary, and that the base from which this jahiliyyah will be faced with all its plots needs to fulfill in its physical behavior this characteristic from the characteristics of لا إله إلا الله so that it becomes worthy of the protection of Allah…”
['Waqi'una al-Mu'asir'; p. 468-469]
“…Allah Said: {“Indeed, the believers are brothers…”} [al-Hujurat; 10]
Brotherhood is from the most beautiful topics that a person can talk about! It is so pure and pleasant like light! It is so rich and beloved to the heart…
However, what is the brotherhood that is referred to in the Book of Allah?
Two people can walk down a wide road as brothers in safety and relaxation with each putting his arm on the shoulders of the other out of brotherly love. However, look at them when the road becomes narrower and is only wide enough for one of them to walk behind the other – who should I give preference to? Should I walk ahead? Or should I follow my brother and let him walk ahead of me?
Then look at the road when it becomes even narrower, leaving room for only one of them to walk on it! There is only one opportunity: either me or my brother. Who will I give preference to? Do I say that this is my opportunity and he can go look for his own? Or do I say to my brother ‘Take this opportunity for yourself, and I will find my own’?
This is the test.
Brotherhood in times of safety and ease is one thing, as it does not go against the desires of the self. In fact, it is itself one of those desires that a person seeks to obtain in order to achieve the sense of relaxation that comes along with it.
As for situations of hardship or personal gain, this is where true brotherhood is tested, where the distinction is made between the love for others and the love for oneself which can become hidden during times of ease and safety, causing one to assume that he is a true ‘brother’ who is fulfilling the implications of brotherhood!
How many gatherings, how many lectures, how many admonishments, how many advices does a person or a group need to establish this concept in their minds, such that it does not simply become a theoretical concept that doesn’t go past this level? It should become present in the heart, deeply entrenched in the heart until it gives birth to physical manifestations such as is mentioned in the Book of Allah:
{“And those who before them had homes and had adopted faith, love those who emigrate to them and have no jealousy in their hearts for that which they have been given, and give them preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.”} [al-Hashr; 9]
It was examples like this that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would work for when he was mentoring his Companions for thirteen years in Makkah and the years spent afterwards in Madinah. However, he never told himself while he was in Makkah: ‘Until when will we keep teaching these concepts without doing something?’ He never said this because he knew for sure that this was from the fundamental requirements of establishing the base of believers that he was working towards, and that this brotherhood – in addition to being necessary for establishing a base of believers that would serve as the seed for the Muslim nation – was also a part of the fulfillment of the behavioral aspects of لا إله إلا الله, because this statement is not simply a deep belief held in the heart. Rather, it means that one should physically adhere to what Allah has revealed and everything that has come from Him. So, adhering to this brotherhood is from the implications of this statement, and Allah Loves this brotherhood and has praised it and obligated it upon the believers in Him, and He revealed many verses regarding it, the most famous of which is:
{“O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, as it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor let women scoff at other women, as it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it to insult one’s brother after having faith! And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed are the wrongdoers. O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, as indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Merciful.”} [al-Hujurat; 11-12]
With the Qur’an…with friendship…by living with each other…by constant mentoring…with the leadership found in the noble personality of the Messenger…with the love that gushed to them from his big heart…with attention and care for each one of them as if nobody else mattered but that one person…by the active manifestation of the emotions of faith within the jama’ah…
Through these combined methods, the Messenger of Allah nurtured this brotherly group that accomplished wonders with its brotherhood, and he built this sturdy, interconnected structure whose individual parts each supported and backed up the others.
In this new strangeness in which Islam finds itself, we need exactly what was needed in its first strangeness. If we cannot achieve the same level of what they achieved, at least we should try to come close because the jahiliyyah has caused every relationship that cannot withstand all of its pressures and stay strong despite these pressures to crumble away and disintegrate.
How long will this take, and how much effort is required? I have no idea. However, I know for sure that it is absolutely necessary, and that the base from which this jahiliyyah will be faced with all its plots needs to fulfill in its physical behavior this characteristic from the characteristics of لا إله إلا الله so that it becomes worthy of the protection of Allah…”
['Waqi'una al-Mu'asir'; p. 468-469]
Monday, March 14, 2011
Two fighters, shoulder to shoulder, show the diversity of the Libyan rebel forces
Two fighters, shoulder to shoulder, show the diversity of the Libyan rebel forces
IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA They are two fighters on the front lines of what they say is a battle for freedom and survival. But the paths that Haitham al-Ghaybee and Abu Sultan took to this moment were very different.
One is a scruffy rabble-rouser who has a reputation for hard drinking; the other a clean-shaven, green-eyed Islamist who has fought before in the name of his religion, carrying out attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.
Neither fits neatly into the profile of drug-addled al-Qaeda devotees that Col. Moammar Gaddafi has used to denigrate the rebel force seeking to oust him from power after 41 years.
Instead, the men reflect the wide array of perspectives and backgrounds present among those who in recent weeks have captured control of half of Libya, and are desperately seeking to win the rest.
Syed Qutb - Tafsir on "Therefore Proclaim Openly what I have Commanded You and Don't Worry about the Mushrikeen!" (15:94)
Therefore Proclaim Openly what I have Commanded You and Dont Worry about the Mushrikeen!" (15:94)
"Proclaiming the truth of this faith of Islam and making clear all of its components and requirements are a necessary part of its advocacy. A strong proclamation will shake an inactive human nature and awaken placid feelings. It will also put the argument clear for people to consider, "so that anyone who was destined to perish might perish in clear evidence of the truth and anyone destined to live might live in clear evidence of the truth." (8: 42)
A soft approach which requires an advocate of Islam to declare one part of it and conceal another, so as not to offend tyrants or alienate the masses, is contrary to the correct line of advocacy of this powerful message.
A strong proclamation of this truth means neither rigidity nor rudeness, nor the adoption of an insensitive or impolite manner. Nor does a gentle approach mean too subtle a method or the concealment of any aspect of faith, cutting the Qur’ān into parts.
Good proclamation means stating all the facts about the Islamic faith clearly and plainly, but with wisdom and friendly address that shows a preference for ease over hardship. It is not the role of Islam to achieve a modus vivendi with the un-Islamic states (jāhiliyyah) and situations that prevail on earth. This was not its role when it was first revealed, and it will never be its role at any time. An un-Islamic (jāhiliyyah) situation is one that turns away from submission to God alone and ignores the code of living God has chosen for mankind. It seeks to derive its laws, regulations, traditions, standards and values from a source other than the divine source. Islam, on the other hand, is a message which aims toturn people from a state of jāhiliyyah and ignorance into submission to God alone.
This is the great truth which must be proclaimed clearly by the advocates of Islam, even in the face of persecution by tyrants and rejection by the masses: "We know that you are distressed by what they say. But extol your Lord’s limitless glory and praise Him, and be among those who prostrate themselves before Him, and worship your Lord till thecertainty [of death] comes to you."
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Bin Ali and Bin Saud
Sheikh Ibrahim Al Rubaish
- may Allah protect him -
Al-Malahim Media
Rabi Al Awwal 25, 1432 H
(26/2/2011 CE)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists, and may peace and blessings be upon the most noble of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, companions, and whosoever follows him until the Day of Recompense.
To Proceed:
Recently, our Muslim brothers in Tunis celebrated the ousting of its Taghoot, and their brothers throughout the world joined them in celebration. Their long awaited dream came true, and they proceeded to the streets chanting slogans of joy. The Taghoot fled, as a rejected, homeless fugitive having no idea where to go. He finally arrived in peninsula of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. It is as if we see Naif bin Abdul Azeez at this moment, after learning about his rejection, calling him on the telephone saying, “Come to us and we will give you wealth and defense! Come to us and join us in our cunning plots and plans!”
The likes of these events require us to stop and mention a few brief points.
1) I, along with many others, was overjoyed with the desertion of this taghoot, and through it Allah healed some of what raged in the souls of the believers. I ask Allah to increase his desertion and loss. I was also overjoyed that Allah removed this evil cast over our brothers in Tunisia who had been harming them for ages.
However, I do not feel that events such as these will succeed in reforming the state of the Muslims. One harm will be removed, yet another will follow, though less in its evil. One taghoot will be removed, yet another will follow. He may reform some aspects of the mundane life for them by providing employment, opportunities and raising the average income, but the bigger problem still remains. The Shariah is still unimplemented, manmade laws are still being obeyed and worshipped besides Allah, and there are still those who rival with Allah in His right of Judgment and Rule. It is almost like the pagans who changed their idol of worship if they found one better than it. These two cases are the same; the only difference is the type of idol being worshipped besides Allah. The only solution in the likes of these cases is that we implement the saying of Allah:
﴾وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ﴿
“And fight them until there is no more fitnah and all worship is for Allah (Alone).” (Al Baqarah 193)
We do not stop our fight with the tawagheet until fitnah, which here means shirk, is totally abolished, and until there remains none who rival with Allah in His Judgment and Ruling.
As for the current state of the Muslims, we can say that some parts of the religion are devoted to Allah alone, such as prayer and fasting, while others remain for those who rule over us, such as the legislation of what is lawful and unlawful. Whenever some right of Allah is contested by the Caesar, then it is ruled in favor of the Caesar. This idea has regretfully settled into the minds of Muslims, even some of their scholars, to the extent that if you request something lawful or object to some evil, the response is that the government has forbidden this or has allowed this.
It is true that in order to change our current state of affairs we need to make great sacrifices, but if we look to the life of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, we see that blood was sacrificed freely in order to propagate pure Tawheed. The Shariah, which stresses the importance of the preservation of life, also stresses that life be sacrificed in order to preserve it. Were many of the Companions of Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam not killed for anything other than spreading Tawheed? Were many of those who had memorized the Quran not killed in the war against the apostates?
2) It has been authentically reported in Saheeh Al Bukhari on the authority of Abu Musa Al Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said:
Indeed Allah grants respite to the oppressor until when the time comes to take him, He does so severely.”
﴾وَكَذَ*ٰلِكَأَخْذُرَبِّكَإِذَاأَخَذَالْقُرَىٰوَهِ يَظَالِمَةٌۚإِنَّأَخْذَهُأَلِيمٌشَدِيدٌ﴿
“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.” (Hood 102)
This is Allah’s way of dealing with the despots and tawagheet. The One who drowned Pharaoh and Haman, made the earth to swallow Qaroon, and killed the Pharaoh of this Ummah as he was speaking to Ibn Mas’ood, “You have risen to this position with great difficulty, you small shepherd of goats!” He is the same One who brought Sadat to his demise and struck Fahd with all types of diseases before his death, to taste it twice over. He is the One who humiliated the Shah of Iran, Nawaz Sherif, Pervez Musharraf, Bhutto, Ould Taya, and recently Bin Ali. There are many more, at best tasting death in ways which are a lesson for the heedful. We still await the similar fate in regards to the remainder of the lengthy list of modern-day tawagheet.
This is the Way of Allah which does not change, and whoever denies this has indeed denied clear and recorded history.
Thus, my advice to those who have tied their own fate to those of the tyrants is not to dedicate themselves totally to their service if they think they must work for them. Let them secure an escape route, for a person who intentionally puts himself into a predicament should know the way out. Don’t be a king more than the king, nor a tyrant more than the tyrant himself, for in the end, either the tyrants will wear you out and then expel you from their mercy, or Allah will seize them with His Might and Ability and you will be taken with them, or at the very least you will remain someone people will gloat over.
3) I dedicate this point to the Mufti of Aali Saud and the Committee of Leading Scholars, and those that give religious legitimacy to the regime of Aali Saud. Here in front of you is the taghoot of Tunisia who waged war against people’s religion and spoiled their mundane life as well, fought those who sought to wear Hijab, those who sought to pray, to the extent that any lights turned on at the time of Fajr was an accusation whose perpetrator deserved to be placed under observation for it being a proof that he prayed the Fajr prayer! He made himself a Ruler high and above the ruling of Allah, legislating what is lawful and unlawful, forbidding plural marriages and allowing usury. What tyranny can be worse than this?
He escaped like a fugitive, running from his people so that they do not exact revenge. He was rejected by France and accepted by your “Wali-ul-Amr (Islamic legitimate ruler) who regards himself as answerable to none. Where are your fatwas about what he did, if you claim to act justly? Where are the judges who [only] rule against the Mujahideen? Where are the members of the “Advisory Committee” (who debate with the Mujahideen to force them to retract from their ideas)? Where are those who would strongly object and make severe judgments if they saw a person giving shelter to the Mujahideen, seeking evidence in the hadeeth: “Allah curses those who give shelter to an innovator”?
Or does a person not become an innovator unless he is on the wanted list of the dogs of Aali Saud?
What is wrong with you that you judge in this manner? Show us your justice! Prove to people that you say things which are for you and against you! This silence of yours is additional proof that you are nothing but employees of Aali Saud, who make you speak when they want and silence when they like it more than you speaking! None of you has the right to argue, and your replies are always, “We hear and we obey!”
He gives you when he is pleased with you, and if you anger him, he cuts your salaries. History is a witness, and the case of Sheikh Sa’d Al Shathry is not something hidden from people.
Raise yourself from doing that which the Israelites did, leaving the high ranking when they stole, but applying the Hudood on the weak.
A scholar is a moon with which Allah enlightens the path for people in dark nights, but that moon becomes as good as nothing if it becomes for other than Allah, using its authority to hide it from people or to show it as it pleases. Its blessing goes away and its benefit disappears. This is the example of scholars if they restrict themselves to the rulers.
4) Our advice to all Muslims is to let go of their respective tyrants and turn their shields towards them, for no matter how strong and able the tyrant is, Allah is stronger and more able. This only needs preparation, fearlessness, and sacrifice, after relying upon Allah, not to mention patience and perseverance throughout the difficulties of the path.
But a matter which must be heeded is that these efforts are not employed in interests of others, leaving them to come in the middle and steal the fruit of the Jihad of the Believers in the interest of the infidels, as was the case in many previous revolutions in the Muslim world, some of them even due to the aid of some Islamic groups. They turned into oil for the lanterns of others, and the main reason for this was that they handed leadership over to patriotic figures far removed from the teachings of Islam. Thus they used the efforts of the Muslims for their own interests. If they had handed leadership over to the righteous amongst them, this, by Allah’s leave, would never have happened to them. Things must be handed over to the likes of the Mujahid, Mullah Muhammad Umar, Abu Umar Al Badghdadi and other similar Muslim leaders, who would sacrifice the whole world for the establishment of the religion of Allah, unlike these others who sacrifice the whole world and the livelihood of others for their own personal interests.
In order for people to listen to us and our demands, and to move aside for us when we choose to advance, we must obtain military power and prepare for Jihad, for the world does not pay attention to anything other than the language of power. As for the failure of many scholars and preachers in obtaining this preparation under the pretext of the preservation of the fruits of Islamic work, they are content with other than what Allah has made obligatory, as the fruits of their Islamic work which they seek to preserve still rests in the hands of the enemy. They remove what they wish and leaving what does not harm their authority and their tyranny. They (the tyrants) only increase pressure against their Islamic preaching, while they (the Islamic workers) only increase in their subservience to what they wish.
As for the opportunities for Islamic work which have opened in recent years in some Islamic countries, they have arisen, after Allah, due to the Mujahideen. When the governments became preoccupied with them, they forgot about others. If they were to be done with them, they would turn to others. The best example of this the Aali Saud regime who would previously arrest people for merely having an audio cassette of this person or that, but when they became preoccupied with the Mujahideen, the matter went out of their control. They left them alone, with the condition that they do not declare their apostasy in public, fight it, or help out in any way.
The Muslims must follow the example of our brothers of the Mujahideen Youth Movement of Somalia. Somalia was facing one crises after another, and so they sought help in Allah, prepared what they had available and launched their attack. Here they are today, by Allah’s Grace, successfully surrounding and forcing the Somali government into a small area, governing with the Shariah in those areas under their control. They establish the Hudood and secure the roads. They collect Zakah and distribute it to the deserving. We don’t see them except in a state of improvement. We ask Allah to grant them more success and empowerment.
O’ Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your path everywhere!
O’ Allah! Unite them upon the Truth!
O’ Allah! Aid them with the troops of the Heaven and Earth!
O’ Allah! Whoever seeks evil for them or any Muslim, preoccupy them with themselves, make their plots backfire and seize them from places they would never have imagined!
And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.
Translated by:
The Global Media Islamic Front
Observing Mujahideen News and Inspiring the Believers
Sheikh Ibrahim Al Rubaish
- may Allah protect him -
Al-Malahim Media
Rabi Al Awwal 25, 1432 H
(26/2/2011 CE)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists, and may peace and blessings be upon the most noble of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, companions, and whosoever follows him until the Day of Recompense.
To Proceed:
Recently, our Muslim brothers in Tunis celebrated the ousting of its Taghoot, and their brothers throughout the world joined them in celebration. Their long awaited dream came true, and they proceeded to the streets chanting slogans of joy. The Taghoot fled, as a rejected, homeless fugitive having no idea where to go. He finally arrived in peninsula of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. It is as if we see Naif bin Abdul Azeez at this moment, after learning about his rejection, calling him on the telephone saying, “Come to us and we will give you wealth and defense! Come to us and join us in our cunning plots and plans!”
The likes of these events require us to stop and mention a few brief points.
1) I, along with many others, was overjoyed with the desertion of this taghoot, and through it Allah healed some of what raged in the souls of the believers. I ask Allah to increase his desertion and loss. I was also overjoyed that Allah removed this evil cast over our brothers in Tunisia who had been harming them for ages.
However, I do not feel that events such as these will succeed in reforming the state of the Muslims. One harm will be removed, yet another will follow, though less in its evil. One taghoot will be removed, yet another will follow. He may reform some aspects of the mundane life for them by providing employment, opportunities and raising the average income, but the bigger problem still remains. The Shariah is still unimplemented, manmade laws are still being obeyed and worshipped besides Allah, and there are still those who rival with Allah in His right of Judgment and Rule. It is almost like the pagans who changed their idol of worship if they found one better than it. These two cases are the same; the only difference is the type of idol being worshipped besides Allah. The only solution in the likes of these cases is that we implement the saying of Allah:
﴾وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ﴿
“And fight them until there is no more fitnah and all worship is for Allah (Alone).” (Al Baqarah 193)
We do not stop our fight with the tawagheet until fitnah, which here means shirk, is totally abolished, and until there remains none who rival with Allah in His Judgment and Ruling.
As for the current state of the Muslims, we can say that some parts of the religion are devoted to Allah alone, such as prayer and fasting, while others remain for those who rule over us, such as the legislation of what is lawful and unlawful. Whenever some right of Allah is contested by the Caesar, then it is ruled in favor of the Caesar. This idea has regretfully settled into the minds of Muslims, even some of their scholars, to the extent that if you request something lawful or object to some evil, the response is that the government has forbidden this or has allowed this.
It is true that in order to change our current state of affairs we need to make great sacrifices, but if we look to the life of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, we see that blood was sacrificed freely in order to propagate pure Tawheed. The Shariah, which stresses the importance of the preservation of life, also stresses that life be sacrificed in order to preserve it. Were many of the Companions of Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam not killed for anything other than spreading Tawheed? Were many of those who had memorized the Quran not killed in the war against the apostates?
2) It has been authentically reported in Saheeh Al Bukhari on the authority of Abu Musa Al Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said:
Indeed Allah grants respite to the oppressor until when the time comes to take him, He does so severely.”
﴾وَكَذَ*ٰلِكَأَخْذُرَبِّكَإِذَاأَخَذَالْقُرَىٰوَهِ يَظَالِمَةٌۚإِنَّأَخْذَهُأَلِيمٌشَدِيدٌ﴿
“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.” (Hood 102)
This is Allah’s way of dealing with the despots and tawagheet. The One who drowned Pharaoh and Haman, made the earth to swallow Qaroon, and killed the Pharaoh of this Ummah as he was speaking to Ibn Mas’ood, “You have risen to this position with great difficulty, you small shepherd of goats!” He is the same One who brought Sadat to his demise and struck Fahd with all types of diseases before his death, to taste it twice over. He is the One who humiliated the Shah of Iran, Nawaz Sherif, Pervez Musharraf, Bhutto, Ould Taya, and recently Bin Ali. There are many more, at best tasting death in ways which are a lesson for the heedful. We still await the similar fate in regards to the remainder of the lengthy list of modern-day tawagheet.
This is the Way of Allah which does not change, and whoever denies this has indeed denied clear and recorded history.
Thus, my advice to those who have tied their own fate to those of the tyrants is not to dedicate themselves totally to their service if they think they must work for them. Let them secure an escape route, for a person who intentionally puts himself into a predicament should know the way out. Don’t be a king more than the king, nor a tyrant more than the tyrant himself, for in the end, either the tyrants will wear you out and then expel you from their mercy, or Allah will seize them with His Might and Ability and you will be taken with them, or at the very least you will remain someone people will gloat over.
3) I dedicate this point to the Mufti of Aali Saud and the Committee of Leading Scholars, and those that give religious legitimacy to the regime of Aali Saud. Here in front of you is the taghoot of Tunisia who waged war against people’s religion and spoiled their mundane life as well, fought those who sought to wear Hijab, those who sought to pray, to the extent that any lights turned on at the time of Fajr was an accusation whose perpetrator deserved to be placed under observation for it being a proof that he prayed the Fajr prayer! He made himself a Ruler high and above the ruling of Allah, legislating what is lawful and unlawful, forbidding plural marriages and allowing usury. What tyranny can be worse than this?
He escaped like a fugitive, running from his people so that they do not exact revenge. He was rejected by France and accepted by your “Wali-ul-Amr (Islamic legitimate ruler) who regards himself as answerable to none. Where are your fatwas about what he did, if you claim to act justly? Where are the judges who [only] rule against the Mujahideen? Where are the members of the “Advisory Committee” (who debate with the Mujahideen to force them to retract from their ideas)? Where are those who would strongly object and make severe judgments if they saw a person giving shelter to the Mujahideen, seeking evidence in the hadeeth: “Allah curses those who give shelter to an innovator”?
Or does a person not become an innovator unless he is on the wanted list of the dogs of Aali Saud?
What is wrong with you that you judge in this manner? Show us your justice! Prove to people that you say things which are for you and against you! This silence of yours is additional proof that you are nothing but employees of Aali Saud, who make you speak when they want and silence when they like it more than you speaking! None of you has the right to argue, and your replies are always, “We hear and we obey!”
He gives you when he is pleased with you, and if you anger him, he cuts your salaries. History is a witness, and the case of Sheikh Sa’d Al Shathry is not something hidden from people.
Raise yourself from doing that which the Israelites did, leaving the high ranking when they stole, but applying the Hudood on the weak.
A scholar is a moon with which Allah enlightens the path for people in dark nights, but that moon becomes as good as nothing if it becomes for other than Allah, using its authority to hide it from people or to show it as it pleases. Its blessing goes away and its benefit disappears. This is the example of scholars if they restrict themselves to the rulers.
4) Our advice to all Muslims is to let go of their respective tyrants and turn their shields towards them, for no matter how strong and able the tyrant is, Allah is stronger and more able. This only needs preparation, fearlessness, and sacrifice, after relying upon Allah, not to mention patience and perseverance throughout the difficulties of the path.
But a matter which must be heeded is that these efforts are not employed in interests of others, leaving them to come in the middle and steal the fruit of the Jihad of the Believers in the interest of the infidels, as was the case in many previous revolutions in the Muslim world, some of them even due to the aid of some Islamic groups. They turned into oil for the lanterns of others, and the main reason for this was that they handed leadership over to patriotic figures far removed from the teachings of Islam. Thus they used the efforts of the Muslims for their own interests. If they had handed leadership over to the righteous amongst them, this, by Allah’s leave, would never have happened to them. Things must be handed over to the likes of the Mujahid, Mullah Muhammad Umar, Abu Umar Al Badghdadi and other similar Muslim leaders, who would sacrifice the whole world for the establishment of the religion of Allah, unlike these others who sacrifice the whole world and the livelihood of others for their own personal interests.
In order for people to listen to us and our demands, and to move aside for us when we choose to advance, we must obtain military power and prepare for Jihad, for the world does not pay attention to anything other than the language of power. As for the failure of many scholars and preachers in obtaining this preparation under the pretext of the preservation of the fruits of Islamic work, they are content with other than what Allah has made obligatory, as the fruits of their Islamic work which they seek to preserve still rests in the hands of the enemy. They remove what they wish and leaving what does not harm their authority and their tyranny. They (the tyrants) only increase pressure against their Islamic preaching, while they (the Islamic workers) only increase in their subservience to what they wish.
As for the opportunities for Islamic work which have opened in recent years in some Islamic countries, they have arisen, after Allah, due to the Mujahideen. When the governments became preoccupied with them, they forgot about others. If they were to be done with them, they would turn to others. The best example of this the Aali Saud regime who would previously arrest people for merely having an audio cassette of this person or that, but when they became preoccupied with the Mujahideen, the matter went out of their control. They left them alone, with the condition that they do not declare their apostasy in public, fight it, or help out in any way.
The Muslims must follow the example of our brothers of the Mujahideen Youth Movement of Somalia. Somalia was facing one crises after another, and so they sought help in Allah, prepared what they had available and launched their attack. Here they are today, by Allah’s Grace, successfully surrounding and forcing the Somali government into a small area, governing with the Shariah in those areas under their control. They establish the Hudood and secure the roads. They collect Zakah and distribute it to the deserving. We don’t see them except in a state of improvement. We ask Allah to grant them more success and empowerment.
O’ Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your path everywhere!
O’ Allah! Unite them upon the Truth!
O’ Allah! Aid them with the troops of the Heaven and Earth!
O’ Allah! Whoever seeks evil for them or any Muslim, preoccupy them with themselves, make their plots backfire and seize them from places they would never have imagined!
And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.
Translated by:
The Global Media Islamic Front
Observing Mujahideen News and Inspiring the Believers
AFP: Islamist party wants to establish Sharia law in Tunisia
AFP: Islamist party wants to establish Sharia law in Tunisia
TUNIS — An Islamist party in Tunisia said Thursday it wants to install "by political means" a regime based on the strict Sharia form of Islamic law in the north African country.
"We are working to install a regime founded on Sharia," said Ridha Belhaj, a spokesman for the party Hizb At-Tahrir.
The party claims that "Islam is the solution" to problems in Tunisia after the ouster of longtime strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January following a popular uprising.
While denouncing violence, the party does not rule out "rebellion or civil disobedience in order to establish an Islamic state," Belhaj added.
"In Islam, the nation has the right to overthrow its leaders, even by armed force," he said, while also denouncing the debate over gains by women in Tunisia, the only Arab country to ban polygamy.
The Hizb At-Tahrir intends to take part in elections set for July 24 to win representation in parliament, although it does not recognise its laws, "Sharia being the only source of laws," said the party's secretary general Abdelmajid Habibi.
He has also said if the Islamists are successful in winning power they would ban other parties.
The Hizb At-Tahrir is the Tunisian branch of a group founded in 1953 in the Middle East by an extremist element within Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and banned in other Arab countries.
Another Islamist group in Tunisia, Ennahda, became legal on March 1, some 30 years after it was founded by intellectuals inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Experts say it is hard to gauge the strength of Islamism as a political force in Tunisia as it has been banned for decades, but Islamists were its most powerful opposition force before the persecution by Ben Ali began.
Ennahda leaders, however, have said that Sharia Islamic law has no place in Tunisia.
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