Top Egyptian cleric justifies suicide attacks
Calls Falwell a terrorist, says bombers 'defending their land'
November 14, 2002
In an exclusive interview with Insight magazine, the new grand mufti of Egypt – the highest religious authority in the land and a man who has the power to issue fatwas and interpretations of shari'a law – has defended Palestinian suicide bombings and called the Rev. Jerry Falwell a terrorist because of his views on Islam.
As in most other Arab countries, the Egyptian state appoints the grand mufti. President Hosni Mubarak named Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb to the post earlier this year after his predecessor issued a ruling in favor of suicide bombings by Palestinians. Ironically, Al-Tayyeb has taken a stance similar to the previous grand mufti.
Insight interviewed Al-Tayyeb in his office near Al-Azhar University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the Arab world.
Throughout the 90-minute interview, conducted mostly in Arabic through a government-provided translator, Al-Tayyeb repeated in excruciating detail his reasoning for encouraging Palestinians to kill innocent civilians through suicide attacks. Palestinians, he said, are justified in killing Israeli civilians ''because they are defending their land and have no other weapons at their disposal.''
The grand mufti pointedly condemned as a traitor any Palestinian who refuses to take such a step.
Al-Tayyeb also offered his own definition of terrorism.
He says Falwell, an influential leader in the American Christian community, is a terrorist because his views about Islam have offended Muslims.
''Why do the Americans always speak about Islamic terrorism? Why don't they speak about the extreme right-wing Christian terrorists?'' he asked.
Question from Insight: Give me an example. Who do you mean?
Answer from Al-Tayyeb: I'm not talking about an example, but about an extreme that is directing Western policy.
Q: You said terrorism. Terrorism is murder. Who are you talking about?
A: You need to be open-minded. If you want an example of terrorism, I can give you Israel.
Q: You have spoken of an "extreme right-wing Christian group." Who do you mean?
A: This one, Falwell. You don't consider him a right-wing extremist Christian?
Q: Is he a terrorist?
A: If he insults another religion [such as Islam] that is believed [to be the true faith] by 1 billion, 300 million persons, what can you call this? Yes, this is a terrorist.
Q: You call him a terrorist?
A: Yes.
Q: So he's murdered people?
A: Yes. … What do you mean by terrorist?
Q: Somebody who murders innocent civilians for political reasons. That is terrorism. Murder. Murder.
A: Then Israel is a terrorist country: Here is a country with sophisticated military gadgets fighting a normal people with stones and without any weapons. Is this justice? Why do Palestinians put on explosives or booby-trap themselves?
Q: That is a good question. Yes, why?
A: What pushes him to do this? Because he has no means to fight back any other way. Do you agree with me?
Q: So you're saying [Palestinian suicide bombers] put on explosives to fight back. Is that right?
A: Yes, to defend. Can you tell me it is forbidden to defend yourself against injustice? If Japan attacks America and does to America what the Jews have done to the Palestinians, and they don't have any other means except booby traps to defend themselves?
Q: So you're saying that this is a legitimate form of self-defense?
A: I am waiting for you to answer.
Q: So you're asking me, if my country is occupied by a foreign occupier, such as Japan …
A: [Interrupting.] No other means.
Q: But you always have other means. We had a revolution in the United States, a war, in 1776. Britain was occupying the colonies. There were military forces there. We never – not once – attacked civilians.
A: [Interrupting.] There were two forces. The American military, and the British military. My question is not like this. Imagine that America has no military forces – what do you do if America has no military forces?
Q: But Yasser Arafat has 50,000 armed troops. They are called the Palestinian police.
A: I'm not talking about Arafat now. I'm talking about America. A French journalist came here recently, and I asked him the same question. He replied that he would do it [attack civilians].
Q: I would not do that.
A: You would not do it?
Q: No, I would not do it. I would attack the military.
A: I cannot believe you. No one in the whole world would believe you – unless you have no loyalty to your country.
I'd like to assure you that, if the Palestinians had military equipment like the Israelis have, they never would use the bombers. This is very, very expensive.
If the Palestinian army were in a position to fight the Israeli army, then Islam would forbid [suicide bombing], because it's forbidden in Islam to kill women and children. Even it is forbidden to uproot plants.
We have our ethics for war, and we're proud of them. But the Palestinians have no army.
Q: So this [suicide bombing against civilians] is the only means of legitimate resistance, is that what you're saying?
A: Yes.
The grand mufti, appointed by Mubarak, an American partner for peace, believes and says openly that Palestinian suicide bombers who strap explosives around their waists and enter restaurants, pool halls, discotheques and shopping malls to murder innocent women and children, the young and the old, Israelis and foreign tourists and whoever else happens to be around, are doing God's work and should be treated as heroes of the resistance.
The Mufti is not alone. Insight also spoke with a group of Islamic scholars at Al-Azhar University and asked them the same question.
Mohammad Abu Laila is a professor of comparative religion and heads the English department at Al-Azhar. He earned his doctorate at Exeter University in Britain and did his thesis on Christianity. He spoke on behalf of a group of scholars who occasionally amplified what he said but never differed with it.
''We don't hate Jews because they are Jews,'' Abu Laila says. ''We hate what they do against Palestinians. If a Muslim did this, we would hate them, too.''
He condemns the Sept. 11 attacks, but says he thinks the United States has launched a ''war on Islam'' and that President George W. Bush has ''never presented evidence'' of bin Laden's involvement. ''I need him [bin Laden] to appear in court and say, 'I did it.'''
Abu Laila is then asked to describe the requirements for a ''just war.''
''If your country or property is under attack,'' he says, ''then it is just to defend it through any means. This is not terrorism. Holy jihad is defensive. You misunderstand this in the West.'' Palestinian suicide bombers are ''martyrs'' in this just war, he says. ''The martyr is donating himself for his cause, to defend his family and his land. The Jews stole our land. What else do you want us to do, just go away?''
Asked whether he thinks life is sacred, Abu Laila replied:
''Life is sacred in Islam. But we are facing the Israeli state, which is militarily based. Israeli citizens are like warriors. They have their weapons with them at all times. So who are civilians, Palestinians or Israelis?''
worldnetdaily.com |
