ISIS - A Statement

The Holy Koran states that in the last days the ‘mufsidin fi al-ard,’ (those who corrupt the earth), will appear.

Some of the learned ‘Ulama equate ISIS with the ‘mufsidin fi al-ard’ -- “those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption” as recorded in Chapter 5, verse 33 of the Holy Quran.

We are appalled at the savage atrocity committed in the act of execution of the Jordanian pilot Ra’id Moath al-Kassasbeh and, indeed, by the brutal beheadings of so many innocent aid workers and journalists, as well as by the martyrdom of the Coptic Christians (young men from the same village who died with the name of the Messiah on their lips as any who have watched the horrific video will be aware).

Some claim the kind of violence being exercised by ISIS is part of the past, of the ‘jahiliyah,’ the pre-Islamic era.

Some Muslim scholars go further and argue that, members of ISIS and their supporters are behaving in a way that is thoroughly un-Islamic. Some of these scholars suggest that they resemble the “false Muslims” referred to in Surah al-Munafiqun, the 33^rd chapter of the Holy Koran and should be treated as such. Their approach of dividing the world into ‘Dar al-Islam’ (the House of Islam) and ‘Dar al-Harb’ (the House of War) is not valid. 

To quote Aristotle, “Anyone can be angry, but to be angry at the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and in the right way is to be commended.”

Having said which, we caution against the use of indiscriminate force to destroy ISIS. There has been too much civilian collateral damage in the liberation of Kobani and in the bombing of Durna, and we must move with careful deliberation in acting against ISIS lest we increase sympathy for this renegade terrorist group.

The Religious Affairs Advisory Council

The Next Century Foundation

Westminster

London SW1

Al-Zawahiri to the U.S.:

I put this on the blog because it is good to see that Memri have mended their ways - and are now sourcing their "Islamist website" stories. This is much more credible:

Al-Zawahiri to the U.S.: "Do Not Ask President Bush When The Soldiers Will Return– Ask Instead How Many Will Return"
The Islamist website www.ekhlaas.org/forum/ which is hosted by Layered Technologies, Inc. in Texas, USA, posted, on September 20, 2007, an 80-minute video of Al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahiri speaking on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of 9/11. The video was produced by the Al-Sahab media company in the month of Sha'ban, 1428 (August-September 2007), apparently prior to September 11, 2007, and is subtitled in English.In the video, statements by Al-Zawahiri are interspersed with footage of jihad fighters in various places around the world, audio clips from Osama bin Laden's speeches, statements by Western commentators and U.S. officials, and more.

TO VIEW THIS DESPATCH IN FULL CLICK HERE

PA Speaker makes racist assault

Felix sent this in - AN INDICATION OF INCEASING RADICALISATION - The Palestinian Authority used to have a moderate as speaker - a man of some distinction who respected Israel and wanted Hamas recognition of Israel. He was snatched earlier this year by Israel and imprisoned without trial - and was then replaced by this extremist. So sad.

Speaker of Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmad Bahr Refers to Jews as "Brothers of Apes and Pigs". The following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmad Bahr, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on August 21, 2007:

Ahmad Bahr: Jerusalem, which was first conquered by Omar and then liberated by Saladin, was lost by the Muslims, who strayed from the path of Allah. This was the reason that the brothers of apes and pigs had the audacity to defile and occupy it, and then to burn its pulpit, in complete disregard of everyone. [...] The liberation of Jerusalem will not be achieved by means of glittering slogans, cheap arrogance, and degrading concessions. It will be achieved by realizing the divine path in the souls of the Muslims, and by raising the generation of the coming victory to lead the battle against the brothers of apes and pigs. By Allah, Jerusalem will be restored only through Jihad. The foundations of the monstrous entity will be shaken only by the love of martyrdom for the sake of Allah. By Allah, even if all Palestinians die for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine, and if they all attain the honor of martyrdom for the sake of Allah, this would be a small and cheap sacrifice for the sake of Jerusalem.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP CLICK HERE

Concerns over Islamist Website coverage

We have a constant problem with Memri, Israel's independant mid east media monitoring group. They often use unsourced pieces with regard to Islamist websites. This means that (a) the websites can't be closed down and (b) there is sometimes a concern that the websites highlighted may actually be security service managed for dissinformation purposes.


In the following instance (which was genuine) there was no creditable reason Memri couldn't have put the source link for this website. The site did exist but has since been closed by "site genie". Memri should be more careful to source all items where possible. Article Two of the International Media Council's Media Ethics Code (which we are always highlighting to the Arab Press) reads: "2. A story without a source is a source of trouble". Are Memri exempt from the standards we all expect from the Arabs? The story follows:

On August 26, Islamist websites posted an item titled "How to Join Al-Qaeda." It is not clear when the item was written; it was produced by the website Al-Thabitoun 'Ala Al-'Ahd, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Egypt and is currently inactive. The item calls on every Muslim to regard jihad as a personal duty and to take initiative to establish a jihad cell without waiting for recognition from Al-Qaeda. It goes on to elaborate on how to form and run the cell, how to raise funds, and how to select a target, "for example, assassinating the American ambassador," which, it states, "takes no more than a gun and a bullet."

TO VIEW FULL ITEM CLICK HERE

The Ballot Box alone does not Constitute Democracy

From Memri (with thanks to Felix) and well worth reading in full:

Egyptian Liberal Sayid Al-Qimni, London Islamist Hani Al-Sibai Debate Secularism, Fundamentalism in Arab World

The following are excerpts from a debate between Egyptian liberal Sayid Al-Qimni and London Islamist Hani Al-Sibai, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 10, 2007.

Sayid Al-Qimni: "The ballot box alone does not constitute democracy. The ballot box is just a box made of glass, and nobody knows what goes on inside. People put a piece of paper in it. By no means does the ballot box constitute democracy. We are the prey over which two types of [predators] compete: ruling families and military governments on the one hand, and Islamic dictatorships on the other hand. These two types of dictatorships compete over us, the prey.

"When the mufti of the government bans a certain book, the mufti of the [Islamist] groups bans a movie. The former places a ban on words, and the latter places a 'ban' on an entire person, by killing him. The women wear a uniform like soldiers. You see them in the street, and they all look like soldiers. The government flogs anyone who goes to the police station to file a complaint. The Islamists legitimize flogging. If you legitimize flogging, why are you angry when the government does it? How can you be angry at the government for flogging you, when you are the ones legitimizing the flogging? Flogging is part of Islamic law.

"When you go to the mosque they humiliate you, saying: 'You are responsible for what happened to the nation.' This poor man merely came to fulfill his religious duties, and they pile this dirt on him in the mosque. They humiliate him and attribute all the sins of this nation to him. All the nation's defeats are due to this wretched man's defiance of God. They are constantly setting new red lines. Is there such a thing as red lines in democracy? The government has its own red lines, the ruling families have their own red lines, and so do the military and the Islamists. I also have red lines, but it's useless.

"As you've said, these people issue fatwas about saliva, about the urine of camels, about the urine of the Prophet, and so on... Look, all these people, this entire process, all the candidates, the people who won the elections, the people who helped them succeed - they all belong in the madhouse."

View the piece

Gaza preacher slain

This item from Felix is not strictly a media issue but we include it here because of the disturbing implications for freedom of speech:

GAZA PREACHER CRITICIZES HAMAS AND IS SLAIN MOMENTS LATER: Assailants gunned down Muslim preacher Adel Nasar, known for his anti-Hamas views, moments after he exited a mosque last Friday where he delivered a sermon criticizing the Islamic group's role in a wave of Palestinian violence, reports the Boston Globe.

TO VIEW NEWS ITEM CLICK HERE

Journalists face gaol in Morocco

Moroccan journalists are facing possible gaol terms for publishing an article on humorous aspects of Moroccan attitudes to Islam

Driss Ksikes, director and publisher of the weekly magazine Nichane, and journalist Sanaa Al-Aji, were charged on 20 December 2006 with "offences against the Islamic religion" and "publication and distribution of written material opposed to moral values" under Article 41 of the Press and Publication Law 2002. The charges carry possible prison terms of three to five years and fines ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 dirhams (€900-9000).

FOR FURTHER DETAILS CLICK HERE

Islamist Websites

Felix sends us this interesting Memri item on Islamist websites. Nine unsourced items are offered. On the basis of our maxim: "A story without a source is a source of trouble", we have asked Memri to provide details of the source websites (web address and date). We will let you know if we receive these in due course.

Mujahideen Gather Information on Anchorage International Airport

On October 17, 2006, an Islamist website posted a message titled "You Can Spy on the Enemies' Airports Directly by Controlling the Cameras' Direction." The message contains a link to a screen showing what it claims to be a live view of various areas within Anchorage International Airport
via several cameras. The message gives directions for how to control the cameras and promises to provide links in the future for other airports as well.

To view screenshots from the five sources - North View, South Terminal, Lake Hood, Cargo Area View, and Quad Stream - please see this link.

To view previous Islamist Websites Monitors, please see:

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 8

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 7

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 6

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 5

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 4

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 3

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 2

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 1

Hijab Ban Debate Heats up in Tunisia

Radwan Masmoudi of CSID sent us this item:

TUNIS The heated debate on the hijab ban has renewed in Tunisia as the government defends its stance on claims of protecting women's rights, while female students' sufferings go non-stop with the start of a new academic year.

"It will slow our progress. We will take a step back and it will hit the basis of society's stability and people's prosperity," Hedi Mhenni, general secretary of the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party said defending the ban, Reuters reported Friday, October 6.

For full report click here

The Middle East's reality

Interesting piece:

Al-Jazeera may transmit Islamist rhetoric, but that's the Middle East's reality

By khalid Hroub
Commentary by
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Future media historians in the Middle East will conceivably distinguish two distinct though related eras: pre- and post-Al-Jazeera. Few would dispute the station's impact on free expression and the media in the region since its creation in 1996. However, despite its importance in the creation of an "Arab" public sphere, Al-Jazeera's contribution to political change is, at best, limited. This seeming paradox remains an enigma to many analysts.

For full article click here.

Mosque broadcasts

Felix continues to raise issues over the very disturbing broadcasts from the mosques on Palestinian state TV.

See the following video link:

Click here: Internet Video Powered by CastUP