"The Terrorists Are These Jews and Christians"

The following "interview" with a Wahhabi cleric in Saudi Arabia is taken from Little Green Footballs. The subject closely parallels and supplements my previous posts here and here (scroll down to "First, the Hit" & then "The Second Miss"). I'm sorry to say that there is nothing in this interview that surprises me. From the perspective of the speaker, what he says is completely rational and makes perfect sense. It is important for every Christian and every American to realize that some people do not see the world in the same way that we do. We must learn to think as they do in order to understand their justification for what we (rightly) call evil. Once again, as I have said before, do not think that all or even most Muslims agree with Al-Qarni. There are as many different opinions within Islam as there are in Christianity. The main difference is, however, that Christians do not blow up women and children simply because they are not Christian.

"The Terrorists are These Jews and Christians"

("Little Green Footballs" says:) Even as the (government) of Saudi Arabia promote(s) their absurd sham conference on counter-terrorism (which the US, to our disgrace, attended), their television stations and mosques continue to pump out a steady stream of jihad rhetoric and hatred of Jews and Christians. MEMRI has excerpts of a February 3, 2005 IQRA TV program with Saudi cleric Musa Al-Qarni:

"The Jews and Christians are Allah's Enemies...We Ask Allah to Strengthen the Jihad Fighters in Iraq."

Al-Qarni: The uproar and the chaos that we see today in the human race; the killing, the acts of aggression, the rape, the robbery, and the disgrace of honor; what causes this is that the banners which are hoisted high are those of the Jews, the Christians, and other religions and faiths, and not the banner of "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger."

Let's have a look at what is written in the Koran. What position must we adopt towards Allah's enemies? Is it the position we have adopted? First of all, we must be aware of the fact that at present we see that [the West] doesn't want us even to say the words "Allah's enemies." They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are Allah's enemies. They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are the enemies of the Muslims and the enemies of Islam. This is fixed and established in the Koran and in the tradition... If this is so, if this is something fixed, how is it that we find in the things that we say, among our children, our own flesh and blood, among Muslims, people who are in denial of these things, who deny that there is a great enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims? It is true that we say that Islam's fundamental approach is that of mercy, and that the fundamental principle of Islam is [that it is a] mercy for human beings. But [it is for] he who submits to Allah's religion and extends his hand to allow Allah's religion to spread all over the earth and to make Allah's word supreme; it is toward him that religion is merciful. However, whoever fights against Allah's religion, and fights those who love Allah, distorts the image of Islam and the Muslims and does so much to weaken Islam...

Let's take a real-life example. Today, the Jews are occupying the Muslim lands, raping their women, killing their children, and destroying their houses; are these acts being perpetrated by the Muslims or by the Jews?

Interviewer: By the Jews, as anyone with eyes can see. This is clear to the entire world... The Terrorists are These Jews and Christians

Interviewer: You shouldn't blame them for this. We are the ones to blame if we agree to change the Koran and the tradition to suit them.

Al-Qarni: The terrorists are these Jews and Christians who implement these policies through the use of force, repression, and tyranny, and to this end make use of planes, tanks, and all manner of deadly weapons.

Interviewer: Aisha's second question [is about whether] Islam spread by the sword. They always say that Islam spread by the sword. How should we respond to them?

Al-Qarni: First of all, we ask by what means is the freedom that the U.S. wants spread? The freedom that it wants now to market?

Interviewer: Through missiles and bombs...

Al-Qarni: Through B-50s, bombs that the international community has forbidden, hundred of thousands of armed soldier; this is how freedom has spread.

Interviewer: And we don't see any freedom. All we see afterwards is subjugation...

Al-Qarni: At any rate, if we return to our discussion of the heart of the matter... First of all, we must realize that Allah obligated us to disseminate this religion all over the globe. And first, it sould be spread through outreach and calling people to Allah's word, through pleasing words, gently, and through good deeds. Through letting people hear Allah's words and showing them Islam. However, if we run up against someone who opposes this path and attempts to obstruct the spread of the upright religion and the light, and to obstruct their reaching others; in this case it is a duty to fight such a person. And Allah said: "Fight them until there is no more strife and Allah's religion reigns supreme." We don't agree with those who disavow this completely and say that the religion [of Islam] doesn't use the sword. No. Islam uses the sword when there is no other alternative. Therefore wisdom, as the religious authorities say, consists in utilizing each thing in its proper place. If there is need for the sword, then it is wise to use the sword, and if the occasion requires kind words and outreach, then it is wise to utilize them. We ask Allah to strengthen the spirits of the Jihad fighters in Iraq, and to help them against their enemies, the Jews and the Christians. Likewise, I emphasize that the Jihad that the Muslims are fighting in Iraq in order to repel the enemy aggressor, the Jews and the Christians, who are attacking land and honor. I emphasize that this Jihad is legitimate Jihad, Jihad for Allah's sake, and it is considered defense of Muslim countries, their lands and their honor. The doubts that are raised against this Jihad are not correct and are out of place.