Prof. David Cook reports that since the 1980s, throughout the Middle East, there have been tons of books and pamphlets "explaining" that the United States (or Britain or NATO or Israel or Western Culture in general) is the Dajjal.
Prior to that time, mullahs would preach the “classical” description of the Dajjal prophesied in the Hadith: A giant with one usable eye and one putrid eye who almost takes over the globe until the Mahdi appears to kill him. The Dajjal can leap through the sky, touching the clouds, wade across oceans, and ride a powerful mule swiftly across land. He brings back the dead to life (or at least seems to). There’s lots of other stuff.
The appearance of the Dajjal is one of the Signs of Qiyama -- signs that Judgment Day is nigh. A few other signs are that “a brother in the west can speak to a brother in the east,” that dancing and singing women would be everywhere, that homosexuality would be commonplace, that women would abort their children.
In the 1980s, the mullahs began to interpret these prophecies allegorically as applying to the United States and Western Culture. They said that they described the Western inventions of the airplanes, railroads, highways, modern ships, telephones, television, radios, etc. “Restoring the dead to life” meant the discovery of penicillin and all the innovations of modern Western medicine. And, of course, the Hadith was predicting the women’s lib, gay lib, and pro-aborticide movements.
The Dajjal being one-eyed meant that Americans are materialistic and lack spiritual vision, as well as the influence of Freemasonry and that pyramid on the dollar bill. “Conquering the world” meant US dominance in political, economic, and cultural influence.
Sheikh Al-Khail bin Yousuf is not a lone wolf. He is preaching what has become the common, popular, interpretation of the Dajjal prophecies throughout the Muslim world.
My primary point is that here we are, some 21 MONTHS after 9/11, and this information still has not made it into the general press and broadcast media news. It is vital to know accurately what the enemy thinks, and an IMPORTANT, CENTRAL chunk of that information is still being withheld, either through deliberate political suppression or though journalistic laziness.
My secondary point is that this information is crucial as the US tries to rebuild Afghanistan and Iraq, and look for “moderate” Muslims in the Middle East. As the US hands out money to these people, we need to ask them “Do you now, or have you ever believed, that the United States is the Dajjal?”
My third point is that US teaching efforts must take this issue head-on and refute it, one way or another: telling them “NO, we are NOT your ‘Dajjal.’ NO, it is not the end of the world. Now give up this suicide bomber stuff and go to school and make something useful of yourselves.” We need to remove this as the popular interpretation, and shrink the pool of Muslims who believe this, from whom terrorists are recruited.
That will not solve everything. There can still be Muslim terrorists even without this Dajjal stuff. But putting a lid on it will be a major step, and is a necessary step.