I don't want to wake that giant, either. I just want to kill him so he'll never wake up.
My patience is completely exhausted.
Posted on 05/13/2004 12:06:45 AM PDT by ambrose
By Sobhy Mujahid, IOL Correspondent
CAIRO, May 12 (IslamOnline.net) - Several scholars from Al-Azhar, the world's highest Sunni religious authority, condemned the decapitation of an American civilian by unknown people in Iraq, saying Islam stands against such acts.
"Islam respects the human being, dead or alive, and cutting off the American's head was an act of mutilation forbidden by Islam," Ibrahim Al-Fayoumi, a member of Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy, told IslamOnline.net.
He cited a number of verses from the holy Qur'an which affirm giving due respect to dead people regardless of their race or religion.
However, Fayoumi suspected the whole episode was "an American propaganda to divert attention from the scandal of the U.S. military abuse of Iraqi detainees".
A video put on a website linked to Al-Qaeda shows the beheading of Nicholas Berg with his executioners saying it came in revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops.
Under the title "The moment of revenge ," The Independent likened the horrific incident to the Iraqi prisoner scandal as "cruel image for cruel image".
'Harming Islam'
Mahmoud Emara, another member of the Academy, slammed the decapitation, saying it would harm the image of Islam.
"The mutilation even of enemies is rejected by Islam. A mistake could not justify another," he underlined.
The scholar cited the respect Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had paid to bodies in the battle of Badr when he ordered the burial of the dead irrespective of their religion.
The Prophet urged his Companions on the day of Badr to be kind to their captives and treat them with clemency .
'Venting Anger'
Abdel-Rahman Al-Adawy, another member of the Islamic Research Academy, agreed.
"There is no basis in Islam to justify this, as Islam calls for justice and treating the prisoners with clemency," he said, noting that the occupation forces share a fair share of blame.
"The decapitator vented his anger at the occupation forces," mired in gruesome acts of torturing and abusing Iraqi detainees.
Al-Adawy said the broadcasting of the execution "mirrors deep anger now filling the hearts of all Muslims and world peoples over the U.S. military abuses of Iraqi civilians."
The scholar recalled that the Iraqis "were not even prisoners of war but simple civilians detained for no clear purpose."
Mohamed Raafat Othman, an Academy member, said Islam deems mutilating the body of an enemy a "punishable" crime" because after all he is a human being.
A video, titled "Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi slaughtering an American", showed five hooded men standing behind Berg while one of them read a statement denouncing the abuses of Iraqi detainees at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.
The bearded Berg was seated on the ground dressed in an orange jumpsuit while the statement was read. After the statement was finished, Berg's captors decapitated him with a large knife.
The State Department said the body of Berg, a Philadelphia resident, was found at the weekend dumped in Baghdad.
Several Iraqi leaders and scholars have strongly condemned the beheading, saying its is against the essence of Islam.
A few excerpts from the Quran/Koran:
[2.193] And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah
[4.89] They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah's way; but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper.
[4.95] The holders back from among the believers, not having any injury, and those who strive hard in Allah's way with their property and their persons are not equal
[4.144] O you who believe! do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?
[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.
[8.39] And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah; but if they desist, then surely Allah sees what they do.
[9.5] So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
[9.11] But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith
[9.29] Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
[9.30] And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!
[9.33] He it is Who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might cause it to prevail over all religions, though the polytheists may be averse.
[9.123] O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil).
Pay attention here. My best resource on Islam says that fanatic Islamists make up about 10% of the Muslim community. Scholars make up about 10%. The rest are Muslim by culture. This is similar to the people who refer to themselves as Christian because they once regularly attended Sunday school.
My resource, a doctoral candidate in anthropology specializing on the Muslim religion, suggests that the fine line being taken by the U.S. is to engage the fanatic Muslims without alienating the majority 80%. There is a chance that the "scholars" will firmly come down against terrorism. There were reports that the Imams preaching at the most recent holy days in Saudi Arabia earlier this year had decried terrorism for the first time in a long while.
This "fine line" is the reason that George Bush refers to Islam as a "religion of peace". The 80% need to believe this fervently.
We are far outnumbered as it is, we certainly do not want to wake the sleeping giant.
IOW, you got it right, but in spades.
I notice the POS didn't say that killing 'the American' was forbidden by islam.
Bush has been faulted for not capturing Osama Bin Laden during the original Afghan hostilities. I contend that we didn't WANT to capture Bin Laden. There would have been too much pressure from the liberals that the "problem" of terrorists had been solved. Bin Laden serves as a figurehead representing the fanatical Muslim community. They are the real problem.
If the Islamists wanted to set back the Bush strategy, they could deliver Bin Laden to the west for prosecution. In fact, if things get tough for them, I believe that they might do just that.
I don't want to wake that giant, either. I just want to kill him so he'll never wake up.
My patience is completely exhausted.
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