Posted on 06/18/2004 4:50:47 PM PDT by Nasty McPhilthy
Saudis debate Islamic basis for killing Westerners
The imminent threat to the life of US hostage Paul Johnson triggers a range of views on Islamic websites
CAIRO - Does the killing of foreigners in Saudi Arabia have the sanction of religion?
A debate on the issue swirled on Islamic websites this week amid pleas to the militants to spare the life of abducted American engineer Paul Johnson.
Among the arguments put forward were that Westerners working in Saudi Arabia were not invaders but had been invited and should, therefore, be protected.
Mr Johnson's kidnappers have threatened to kill him if the government does not release all imprisoned militants.
In one unusual website posting, a Saudi man who said he had worked with the kidnap victim, and had even discussed Islam with him, went so far as to try to extend a kind of religiously inspired traditional tribal form of protection known as 'ijara' that would forbid killing Mr Johnson.
'I hereby declare my protection and rescue for this man along with all his colleagues who work with us in the company, who ate with us and accepted our gifts of Islamic books which they promised to read,' wrote Mr Saad Al-Moemen.
He also described visits that Mr Johnson had made to his home and said the engineer had expressed distaste for United States foreign policy.
One cleric, identified as Sheik Abu Bassir, re- issued a ruling saying that anyone who came to Saudi Arabia with a valid visa should be protected.
He wrote that whether foreigners come 'to visit, or for tourism, or for trade, or to study, or to tutor, or for therapy, or to get married, or to hear the word of God, they should be safe and should not be terrorised, should not be assaulted'.
The exceptions, he wrote, are those who come as warriors or spies or to spread corruption, vice and drugs.
The fatwa was attacked by a number of readers who said all foreigners came to the kingdom with bad intentions, acting as the vanguard for the US military.
'Whoever gives them security is an apostate,' read one posting.
Others scoffed at the idea that an official visa somehow bestowed legitimacy on visitors.
'Who gave them the visa? It is the infidel agent regime,' read one posting in part.
'So I tell the mujahideen to keep killing them until the Arabian peninsula is cleared of the filth of the crusaders.'
Others suggested that the militants try to convert Westerners to Islam rather than killing them, because that way they would be spared from going to hell, and the image of the faith around the world would not be so tainted with blood.
One religious leader, identified as Abdel Rahman bin Saleh al-Mahmoud, said Prophet Muhammad's followers had commanded that all non-believers be expelled from the Arabian peninsula.
But it has never been clear, he wrote, whether that includes just the holy city of Mecca or some larger area. In addition, foreigners visited at the time of the Prophet, he noted, it was just the idea of permanent communities that was abhorrent.
Saudi lawyer Muhsin Awaji, prominent in religious affairs, said the religious establishment was preparing to launch an extensive campaign to explain that non-Muslim visitors are permitted.
The stated aim of the militants is to undermine the ruling House of Saud by driving from the kingdom millions of expatriates who help keep the economy afloat, especially tens of thousands of Western technicians.
'We want to make clear that anyone who comes to the country to live is different from someone coming to invade,' said Mr Awaji. -- New York Times
Sorry, here's the link.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,257057,00.html
We'll still have a long way to go.
When Islamic clerics stop issuing fatwas against anyone period and tell their believers to start thinking for themselves, then we'll know that we're near the end of the war on terror.
Actions speak louder than words. When these so called "good guys" start giving names to our security forces, then I will believe they really mean it. Otherwise I doubt their sincerity.
When the Islamic clerics start getting bullets in their heads from Marine snipers we'll know that we're at the end of the beginning of our war on terror.
Roger that. The quickest way to change "hearts and minds" in the Islamic world is to make the cost of preaching hate against the West prohibitive. Methinks most of these clerics are cowards: treat them with respect and they'll take it as weakness & spit on you; kick them where it hurts and they'll lick your boots. If you can silence this generation of fanatical Imams (by putting the fear of G*d into them), you'll have gone a long way toward winning the WOT. Unfortunately, we aren't there yet--as witnessed by the fact that Sadyr is still sucking air. The sad part is that it'll probably take another few thousand American lives lost before we adopt more effective tactics.
The fact that they feel the need to debate this speaks more than enough for itself...
We can frustrate their goal by putting a McDonalds on every Muslim street corner.
BUMP
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