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Via Memri, come two surprising clips from Al-Jazeera TV.
This first one reveals a Syrian cleric who speaks out against the use of war in the service of Islam:
Clip #683: Syrian Cleric Jawdat Said against Jihad
Said: We should wage an ideological Jihad in order to change what’s in one’s soul. This cannot be done by force.
Host: But this ideological Jihad is not enough…
Said: It is enough.
Host: But we are talking about Jihad against the oppressor.
Said: Please, let’s make one thing clear: War is now dead, and its role is over. The only ones who still wage wars are the ignorant or those who take advantage of their ignorance.
In this second clip, Said Abu Ghannam of the Syrian opposition speaks out against the police state:
Clip 688: Said Abu Ghannam of the Syrian Opposition Slams Ba’thist Ahmad Al-Hajj Ali over Assad Rule
Abu Ghannam: : How much longer will we be controlled by the secret police? What kind of country is this, where you need a security permit to open up a hair salon or a falafel stand? I don’t know. I don’t know what this is. This has become a country in which Bashar Assad can give parts of it to his uncle and cousin…
Can anyone doubt that this astonishing movement in favor of freedom in Syria, would never have happened without GWB’s removal of Saddam Hussein from power?
#2Thanks for this great info, Mavenette. Is it new in any way for them to say it publicly on TV?
On another topic, I enjoyed your post today about the first Muslim women to climb Mount Everest. Does this reflect any growing freedom for women in the Mid East?
I would attribute it in that Mt. Everest is not in a Muslim majority country. Another factor is that individualism, which characterizes this feat, is beginning to seep into Middle-Eastern culture.
#4Another factor is that individualism, which characterizes this feat, is beginning to seep into Middle-Eastern culture.
I love hearing that.
The revelation that security police sucks came out in the aftermath of Saddam's removal. But as for the anti-war imam, those kind of beliefs aren't new in light of the significant Sufi population in Syria. Sufis, unlike members of other Muslim sects, mainly focus on the soul and striving to improve it.