Special
Report Attacks find no justification in Islam, Muslim leader
say
By JONATHAN LUXMOORE
Warsaw, Poland
Leading Muslim theologians in Europe have denied claims that the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center might find
justification under Islamic teaching.
Both Christian and Muslim leaders also praised current dialogue
between the faiths and urged adherents of both faiths to cooperate more closely
to work for justice, peace and reconciliation.
Extremist and fundamentalist groups maintain that were
in a state of war, and have a duty to bring justice on earth by hook or by
crook, said Imam Abduljalil Sajid, a prominent Muslim theologian in Great
Britain. But their notions have been twisted to suit their own
understanding rather than Gods. The Prophet is absolutely clear: If you
kill anyone without just and lawful reason, you are gravely sinning against God
and committing a crime that must be stopped. Though war may be a last resort
when other options against injustice and oppression have failed, violence will
not solve the worlds problems, and evil acts can never be
defended.
The Pakistan-born religious leader said the terrorist attacks,
whose death toll is expected to exceed 7,000, had been denounced throughout the
Muslim world. He added that isolated persons suggested justifications were
guided by political motives, not religious beliefs.
Islam teaches that the sanctity of human life is paramount
-- that human beings must cherish, protect and thank God for the gift of
life, the 65-year-old imam said in an interview. To kill not only
yourself, but also innocent people going about the normal business of their
lives cannot be justified from any theological viewpoint. No scholar from any
Islamic tradition could cite any text to claim such actions are
permissible.
Meanwhile, another leading Muslim warned that interfaith ties
could suffer if the United States inflicted vast collateral damage
by retaliating against targets in the Islamic world without conclusive
evidence.
Many Muslims feel theyre being treated as second-class
people, that they have to do something to prevent their rights from being
violated like those of the Palestinians, said Zaki Badawi, a Muslim
representative on the International Council for Christians and Jews. But
so many verses can be cited from the Quran to show that God condemns aggression
and violence. There would be no conflict if people had jobs and economic
prospects, and felt their dignity was being respected.
FBI and independent European investigators said the atrocities
were linked to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, whose bases in Afghanistan are
believed likely targets for U.S. and NATO military action.
Sajid said numerous verses in the Quran urging Muslims to fight
and accept martyrdom -- such as Verse 73 of Sura (Chapter) 9, which calls on
Muslims to make war on the unbelievers -- dated from the War of the
Ditch in 627 A.D., and were intended to encourage Muslims loyal to Muhammad in
Medina to sacrifice their lives during a Meccan campaign.
He added that Islamic teaching forbade the use out of context of
Quranic concepts such as jihad, which was not intended to have military
connotations.
In reality, jihad means the struggle to remain a
faithful Muslim by resisting the worlds temptations, said the imam,
who heads the social policy committee of Britains Muslim Council.
Islam preaches salam, or peace, and resolutely opposes violence.
Taking action for glory and possessions rather than for God is against the
spirit of jihad.
Verse 151 of the Qurans Sura 6 states: You shall not
kill -- for that is forbidden by God -- except for a just cause.
Meanwhile, Verse 191 of Sura 2 says: Fight for the sake of
God those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not
love aggressors.
Another text, Verse 32 of Sura 5 recalls Gods injunction to
the Israelites that whoever killed a human being, except as punishment
for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed
all mankind; and that whoever saved a human life shall be regarded as having
saved all mankind.
Sajid said the verses indicated war must be waged solely in
self-defense, and never against ordinary civilians who had inflicted no
harm.
Among interfaith reactions, the attacks on the United States were
deplored in a Sept. 12 statement by the international Islamic-Catholic Liaison
Committee, co-chaired by Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Nigerian prefect of the
Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.
Meanwhile, in a Sept. 16 declaration, 80 Christian and Muslim
leaders from 80 countries, meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, committed themselves
to work even more determinedly for justice, peace and
reconciliation.
The five-day conference was cosponsored by the Council of European
Catholic Bishops Conferences and Conference of European Churches. The
religious leaders attending also pledged to create new instruments for
dialogue and understanding, and to promote mutual respect through
education and clergy training.
Badawi, the Muslim representative on the International Council of
Christians and Jews, said he was very satisfied with current
Catholic-Muslim dialogue, adding that Muslims were very much counting on
Christian leaders to ensure they were not blamed for the Sept. 11
atrocities.
We are drawing nearer, by listening to complaints and trying
to support each other, said Badawi, who also chairs the London-based
Council of Imams and Mosques. The pope has been very fair to Muslims, and
we already share much common ground. We should see ourselves as allies, not
adversaries, in protecting faith in todays secularized, atheistic
societies.
Asked whether extreme interpretations of the Quran could be reined
in by Islamic leaders, Sajid said the Muslim world lacked a central doctrinal
authority comparable to the pope. However, he added that all religious leaders
concurred that practical applications of Islamic teaching should be validated
by specific citations from the Quran.
The attacks were opposed to the highest values of Islam, and
this explains why no Muslim scholar -- not even in Iran or Libya, and not even
among the Afghan Taliban -- has actually tried to defend them, the
religious leader said.
What crime had these men, women and children committed
against Muslims when they boarded their planes or went to work? Sajid
asked. Islam commands us to abide by law and justice, whereas actions
like these lead only to chaos. They show the Muslim world is also under siege
from extremists.
Jonathan Luxmoore is a freelance writer living in Warsaw,
Poland.
National Catholic Reporter, October 5,
2001
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