July 28, 2005

LET'S SEE IF CAIR ENDORSES THIS:

U.S. Muslims issue anti-terrorism 'fatwa'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a "fatwa," or religious edict, against terrorism on Thursday and called on Muslims to help authorities fight the scourge of militant violence.

... Because Islam is not based on a world-wide hierarchical structure, the edicts are not globally binding, and only affect the community whose religious leaders have issued the rulings.

This appears to be a step in the right direction. But without the unequivocal endorsement of it by major Muslim organizations such as CAIR; without extensive, prominent, and unequivocal denunciations of terrorism on the part of all Muslim leaders in America; and without the public denunciation on the part of Muslim leaders of all the imams in America who preach Jihad, and of all the mosques in America at which people are taught to hate non-Muslims -- it can be considered at most no more than a step.

To Those Who Say Terrorists are Motivated by U.S. Involvement in Iraq:  How do You Explain This?

Those who claim terrorists would stop killing people if the U.S. abandoned Iraq to them will find it difficult to explain this:

Threats cause Egyptian writer to renounce life's work

Facing threats to his life, a well known dissident Egyptian writer, Sayyid al-Qimni, on July 16 took the unusual step of recanting his past work and vowing to forego future writing assignments or appearances in the media.

Explaining his decision, al-Qimni published a statement on elaph.com, a liberal Arabic language news site, that he does not want his children to be orphaned as those of his colleague, Farag Fouda, were in 1992. At the time, Fouda was a prominent voice for moderation inside Egypt. His work made him a target for Muslim militants, who fatally shot him outside his Cairo office after accusing him of mocking their views.

"I admit that death by breaking pens is a slow one as my life revolves around my pen," al-Qimni wrote in his statement. "It is the air that I breathe, but by taking such a step, I will have enough time to care for the precious ones of mine, my children - that is, in case this statement is accepted."

Al-Qimni went on to apologize for the alleged "heresies" he had written in the past and expressed his "determination to completely discontinue writing as of the date of publishing this statement."

...He has been an advocate for the pre-Arab Pharaonic identity of Egypt, a view that sees the current inhabitants of Egypt as direct heirs to the thousands of years of history that pre-dated Mohammed. According to Phares, religious leaders regarded al-Qimni as an apostate but he was never charged officially.

Al-Qimni also had expressed the opinion that the education system of many Muslim countries produced terrorists. In an essay written after the July 7 London attacks in "Roz Al-Yousouf," an Egyptian weekly, al-Qimni urged Egyptians to fight those who threaten society, even if they claim to act in the name of religion.

Al-Qimni's publisher, Khalid Zaghloul, says al-Qimni received the threat on July 13 through an e-mail that is believed to be from al-Qaida. The e-mail included a copy of the public statement claiming responsibility for the recent assassination of Egyptian ambassador Ihab al-Sherif in Iraq. The text stated that al-Qimni would be next if he did not stop writing and renounce his past works.

This Egyptian writer has nothing to do with the involvement of the U.S. in Iraq, but he's giving up his life's work due to a death threat from terrorists. And we're supposed to believe that terrorists will stop killing people if the U.S. leaves Iraq? Give me a break.