MUSLIM CONDEMNATION
NO COMPASSION IN MUSLIM CULTURE
'Fatwa’ by Muslim leaders against terrorism should address 100 verses in the Koran sanctioning violence, expert says
By Art Toalston
Jul 29, 2005
WASHINGTON (BP)--A “fatwa,” or religious edict, against terrorism by a
council of Muslim scholars is something “we do indeed welcome,” a
leading Baptist expert on Islam said, though noting that it falls short
of effectively addressing the death and destruction wrought by Islamic
radicals.
Anis Shorrosh, author of several books on Islam who, as an evangelist,
has debated Muslim scholars in the United States, England, Canada and
other countries, noted: “Muslim scholars worldwide must agree that the
nearly 100 verses in the Qur’an [Koran] which promote fighting and
killing can no longer be valid. Otherwise, terrorism by Muslim fanatics
will continue until the end of time.”
Shorrosh cited one such Koranic verse: "I will strike terror into the
hearts of those who disbelieve. Smite, then, the upper part of their
necks and smite off all fingertips" (Surah 8:12 in the Koran).
The July 28 fatwa against terrorism was issued by the Fiqh Council of
North America, described in a State Department news release as “a body
of 18 Muslim scholars who have been trained in Islamic jurisprudence
and are deemed qualified to interpret Islamic law as it is revealed in
the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Shorrosh, of Fairhope, Ala., noted that “American Muslims, by and
large, have bought into our democratic way of life and therefore they
are quite different from the rest of the world’s Muslims who do not
live under democracy.” Muslims in such countries, he stated, “are more
strict observers of the Quar’anic teachings.”
A key aim of Islamic terrorists is “to stop the advance of democracy
and Christianity, which cannot be stopped,” said Shorrosh, who asserted
that “nearly 3 million Muslims have been turning to Christianity
annually since 1991.” Shorrosh’s latest book is titled, “Islam: A
Threat or Challenge.”
The fatwa against terrorism issued by the Fiqh Council of North
America, unveiled by several leaders during a news conference in
Washington, has been endorsed by more than 120 North American Muslim
organizations, leaders and institutions.
“Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence
against innocent lives,” the 440-word fatwa states. “There is no
justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians'
life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of
attack is haram -- or forbidden -- and those who commit these barbaric
acts are criminals, not ‘martyrs.’”
The fatwa cited four passages from the Koran and one from the second
most authoritative Islamic source, the Sunnah, or words and actions of
Muhammad.
One of the Koranic verses states: "Whoever kills a person [unjustly]
... it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a
life, it is as though he had saved all mankind" (5:32).
The fatwa sets forth three key assertions:
“1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
“2. It is haram [forbidden] for a Muslim to cooperate with any
individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or
violence.
“3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law
enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.”
The fatwa concluded by stating: “We pray for the defeat of extremism
and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the
United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of
all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and
cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe.”
Tony Maalouf, assistant dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary’s school of evangelism and mission in Fort Worth, Texas, told
Baptist Press, “That there are in the Qur’an verses that call to peace
and tolerance is something no one can deny. The edict quotes some of
these....
“However, radical Islamists have at various periods of history used the
militant verses of the Qur’an in order to justify killing in the name
of God in jihad,” said Maalouf, an associate professor of missions and
author of “Arabs in the Shadow of Israel.”
“Those controversial verses should next become the object of discussion
with Muslim scholars in the States and throughout the world in order to
seek an application of their teaching that is compatible with human
rights,” Maalouf said. “There are many peace-seekers among Muslims and
it is to those that we as Christians should stretch our hands in love
and compassion.”
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, based in Washington, D.C., said at the July 28 news
conference in Washington that a fatwa is “the heaviest weight any
opinion can be given” by the Islamic community.”
“... [T]hose who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam try to
misinterpret and misuse certain issues in Islamic jurisprudence and
they have no authority or qualification except their anger,” Awad said,
according to a Voice of America report. “These legal Muslim scholars
[on the Fiqh Council] come to say we are the authority on this subject
and we are the ones who determine how to interpret Islam. Therefore, I
don't think any person in the globe can quote the Koran or the
traditions of the Prophet [Muhammad] to justify the harming and the
killing of innocent people."
Awad also stated, “United, we can confront the terrorists and frustrate
their goal of sparking an apocalyptic war between faiths and
civilizations.”
Salam al-Marayati, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim
Public Affairs Council, told the news conference that the Fiqh Council
reflects “the mainstream, moderate voice of Muslim Americans and
Muslims worldwide, as opposed to the extremist forgery of Islam by
radicals.”
“The radicals do not have any Islamic legitimacy. They have no Islamic
foundation. It is artificial, what they say, and it is outside the
norms of Islam.”
Al-Marayati voiced hope that the fatwa “would influence other parts of
the world, but more importantly I think we are doing this for our
children and for our future.”
“Our children need to be very clear on these matters. There should be
no confusion and no ambiguities,” al-Marayati said, as quoted by the
VOA. “As we stand together, tall, as leaders of established
Muslim-American organizations, this is a message to our future
generation and to our children that this notion that suicide bombing or
terrorism has any room in Islam is rejected outright."
The Muslim Council of Britain denounced the July 7 terrorist attacks in
London, the Associated Press reported. The British group, however, said
suicide bombings may be justified against occupying power, whereas the
Fiqh Council’s fatwa makes no reference to actions in wartime
circumstances.
Also, in a first for Germany, a Shiite mosque leader in Hamburg has
issued a fatwa pronouncing that terrorism and the killing of innocent
people should be violations of Islamic law, according to a United Press
International report.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations recently launched a U.S.-wide
“Not in the Name of Islam” campaign repudiating terrorism via TV and
radio public service announcements and a petition drive. Among other
Muslim initiatives nationwide, a “Muslim Mothers Against Violence”
group has been formed in Cincinnati and the Muslim Public Affairs
Council launched a “National Anti-Terrorism Campaign” last year that
urges leaders of mosques to avoid “irresponsible rhetoric” and to
cooperate with law enforcement officials.
U.S. Muslim scholars' edict denouncing terrorism stirs debate in Muslim community
01:37 PM EDT Aug 15, 2005
RACHEL ZOLL
(AP) - As they issued an edict condemning religious extremism, American
Muslims hoped to silence complaints from outsiders dating back to the
Sept. 11 attacks that the community has done too little to confront
terrorism.
But as soon as the statement was released, sharp criticism came from another source - within the U.S. Muslim community itself.
Several American Muslim academics now say the edict, or fatwa, was so
broad it was meaningless, and should have denounced specific terrorist
groups including al-Qaida. Critics also said the declaration seemed
geared more toward improving the faith's image rather than starting an
honest discussion about Islamic teaching.
"The bulk of the Islamic tradition as it exists does stand against
these lunatic, savage attacks on civilians," said Omid Safi, a Colgate
University religion professor and chairman of the Progressive Muslim
Union, an American reform group.
"But I would be more inclined to say there are elements of extremism in
many parts of our tradition. Rather than simply saying these are not a
part of Islam, I would acknowledge that these trends are there and do
away with them."
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a Washington-based civil rights group which endorsed the
fatwa, said no specific groups were named because "it would have been a
laundry list."
"I think you can safely regard anyone listed on the State Department
list (of terrorist groups) as included," Hooper said. That list
includes the Islamic militant group Hamas, which many Palestinians
believe is waging a legitimate fight against Israel.
"It's not likely that someone who is already considering some act of
terrorism would be dissuaded by this, but you never know if you're
going to prevent someone from going on the ideological road that would
lead them to this activity," Hooper said.
Muslims around the world have been under renewed pressure to denounce
terrorism following July's deadly bombings in Britain and Egypt, along
with the drumbeat of insurgent attacks on civilians and coalition
troops in Iraq.
The U.S. fatwa, written by the Fiqh Council of North America, an
advisory committee on Islamic law, said nothing in Islam justifies
religious extremism or terrorism targeting civilians. The council
further declared that Muslims were obligated to help law enforcement
protect civilians anywhere from attacks.
Fiqh Council chairman Muzammil Siddiqi said the edict applied even when
a Muslim country has been taken over by a foreign power. In Britain,
two groups of Muslim leaders separately denounced the July 7 London
attacks, but one said suicide bombing could still be justified against
an occupying power, while another said it could not.
"Occupation is wrong, of course, but at the same time this is not the way," Siddiqi said.
But Abdullahi An-Na'im, who specializes in Islamic law and human rights
at Emory University, said the American fatwa was misleading. He said
the scholars could not say "in good faith" that Islamic law, called
Shariah, required Muslims to assist an invader.
"What is Shariah's position on an invasion or occupation of a Muslim
country by a non-Muslim country? Put bluntly in those terms, I don't
think that any credible scholar could say this is legitimate," An-Na'im
said. "If the same group of scholars were asked to issue a fatwa over
the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, which is the underlying
thing, what would that fatwa be and how would Americans feel about it?"
The debate is complicated by the fact that Islam has no ordained clergy
or central authority, like a pope, who can hand down definitive
teaching. Islamic leaders with conflicting views regularly claim they
are authorized to issue the edicts. An-Na'im pointed out that Iranian
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued fatwas promoting violence against
what he saw as Muslim oppressors; An-Na'im wondered why any Muslim
would feel bound, then, to follow the American declaration denouncing
it.
Muqtedar Khan, a political scientist at the University of Delaware and
author of American Muslims, said it appeared the main aim of the U.S.
fatwa was protecting U.S. Muslim leaders and organizations from
criticism. And the edict may have fallen short of even that goal, he
said.
Disagreement over the declaration was inevitable - American Islam is a
diverse mix of millions of immigrants and U.S.-born converts. Also,
there is no major centre of Islamic learning in the United States.
Yet even critics acknowledged something constructive could develop from
the fatwa, despite its shortcomings. Said Safi: "There should be a
follow-up conversation about what you do with the medieval legacy of
how jihad (struggle) is undertaken, rather than saying these things are
never a part of Islam."