How bout this for PC from "coalition" member Egypt?!
This whole coalition idea was a figment of Colin Powell's PC imagination. All it did was waste precous time with low level air strikes while winter approaches.
IMO, Rice & Rumsfeld are both excellent, while Powell is a liability. Some general. He never even held an active field command . Just another liberal politician that's been obstructing practical war policy for 2 generations of Bushes.
Isopatch
<Egyptian clerics 'declare war on America'. Professors, academics advocate joining 'jihad' against U.S.
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com
Muslim clerics and college professors in Egypt, long
considered a moderate and even friendly Arab state by
the U.S., are openly declaring war on America in light of
the current military campaign in Afghanistan.
Moussa Hal, a reporter for the unofficial website of
Egypt's Al-Azhar University, has posted many
anti-American statements made by the university's clerics
and professors under the heading, "Islamic clerics in
Egypt declare war on America."
As translated from Arabic by the Middle East Media
Research Institute, or MEMRI, here are some of the
comments:
Sheikh Ali Abu Al-Hassan, head of Al-Azhar's
Religious Ruling Committee: "It is the sense of
danger that unites the West. They have put
together a coalition against Islam. They sense
danger only from Islam. This feeling has united
them against a single enemy, which is Islam. Why,
therefore, should we ourselves not unite? ... We,
Oh Nation of Islam, are all targeted by our enemy.
... Why should we not unite, therefore, around the
cry, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah' and fight our enemy? ...
"Entering into an alliance with the Americans
against Afghanistan constitutes Ridah [that is,
turning away from belief in Islam, for which the
punishment is death, with no possibility of
clemency] ... The Afghan opposition [forces] must
not put [their] hand in the hand of the Americans;
they must stand with their countrymen [and] their
co-religionists, otherwise Allah and his angels will
curse them. ..."
On another occasion, Abu Al-Hassan told Hal:
"There is no doubt that this is a case of a hostile
state fighting us, and we must resist it. ...
Resistance in this case is by all possible means,
even by means of war. If the enemy sets foot on
the lands of Islam, he must be fought. In this case,
a man must set out [on a Jihad] without the
permission of his father, a woman without the
permission of her husband, a debtor without the
permission of his lender, and a slave without the
permission of his master. Islam urges us to set out
on a Jihad for the sake of Allah until we
accomplish one of two good things: martyrdom or
victory. ...
"When Islam is attacked, there are no borders.
Jihad in this instance is an obligation for all
Muslims. ... In this instance, the aggression is
against Islam and therefore it is the obligation of all
Muslims, not only the local residents, to protect
this piece of land. ...
"The Afghans have the right to defend themselves,
and we are obliged to help them and to defend
them as best we can from the cruelty of the
American attacks. Islam has commanded us to
support our Muslim brothers under attack, and to
fight the Jihad alongside them against the
polytheists, with our souls and with our property
..."
Dr. Abd Al-Azim Al-Mut'ani, Al-Azhar University
lecturer: "This war is a criminal attack, genuinely
similar to the first Crusader wars, which the West
waged in the Middle Ages under the rallying cry of
defending the Christian pilgrims, when their actual
target was Islam and the Muslims. Now, the U.S.
has declared a war on Afghanistan, under the
rallying cry of fighting terrorism, when the actual
goal is to harm Islam and to wipe it off the face of
the earth. ...
"The Islamic world must stand by the oppressed.
... The [Islamic] peoples must fulfill their obligation
towards Islam and towards Muslims. The battle is
a battle of the peoples and they are the ones who
drive the rulers to do their duty. If the armies of
Islam do not do their duty with regard to this
invasion of Islam, they must be dispersed!!"
Al-Mut'ani, on the differences between Jihad and
terrorism: "Terrorism is a modern term. In Islam,
the meaning of terrorism is intimidation; not all
intimidation is forbidden by religious law. ... In the
modern age, when [different] kinds of oppression
and persecution emerged, some ethnic groups in
almost every society were stripped of their rights.
When they insisted on their rights, and [when] the
despotic regimes rejected them – the oppressed
and persecuted found no way to express
themselves but by means of [various] kinds of
rebellion. ...
"The most recent example of the so-called
terrorism are the recent attacks against America.
Whatever the interpretations may be, no one
disagrees that America is the one who killed and
was killed. It is America that killed itself with its
distorted policy. It was completely successful in
sowing hatred and loathing in the hearts of
[people] of the entire world by means of its policy,
a policy of double standard, primarily in all things
regarding Islamic and Arab affairs. ... At this point,
I would like to give two examples: the problem
that occurred between East Timor and West
Timor. The Muslim side was the stronger side.
America went berserk and mobilized all the
international institutions to defend the
non-Muslims. Within 24 hours there were United
Nations troops in addition to special forces from
the U.S. at the scene. America did not stop until it
had achieved its goal. ... In contrast, it allows
Israel to slaughter Palestinians and to destroy the
mosques. ...America did not lift a finger to save the
Palestinian people. After all this, America still
wants Allah to give it security. [Yet] it is the one
that attacked itself because it angered the world.
"What America has done against Afghanistan is a
crime, and one of the most loathsome kinds of
international terrorism. [This is] interfering in
others' domestic affairs, which is not accepted
both by the monotheistic religions and by the laws
[made by man]. ... We could have stood with
America had it sought a precise definition of
terrorism and had it established statutes of
punishment for terrorism in the U.N. After that,
every state could have sought the terrorists within
its own jurisdiction. But that the U.S. should carry
out this mission [by itself] -- no, no, a thousand
times no! Even if the present regimes support
America, these regimes are only passing clouds.
They do not enjoy stability; stability is in the hands
of the peoples. ...
"What America is doing now is world terror
waged against the weak. Even if the Islamic
peoples are not worthy of the support of Allah --
because they themselves do not support Him --
the forces of tyranny deserve to be defeated."
Dr. Abd Al-Sabour Shahin: "The truth is that the
way Islam uses the word ‘terrorism' is honorable,
as Allah said: 'Make ready for them whatever you
can of armed strength and of mounted pickets at
the frontier, whereby you may daunt the enemy of
Allah and your enemy.' The terrorism mentioned in
this verse refers to intimidation or threat, not
necessarily to damage. For this reason, accusing
Islam or Muslims of terrorism is mistaken, because
Muslims as a nation are the symbol of peace in the
world and the Muslim nation has never attacked a
neighboring nation. ...
"There is a huge difference between terrorism and
Jihad. Jihad is a general term that includes Jihad by
means of words, Jihad by means of leadership,
and Jihad by means of war. War is only on behalf
of the nation and in accordance with its decision,
and not according to the decision of an individual.
What is happening with the Palestinians is a Jihad
that is legitimate according to religious law, aimed
at defending the Islamic holy places. What the
Afghani people is doing in response to the
aggression is also a Jihad that is legitimate
according to religious law. ..."
Dr. Abd Al-Hay Al-Farmawi, a lecturer: "The
American attacks on Afghanistan are terrorism,
oppression, repression [and] barbarism, and can
even be called bullying. The American missiles
were directed at innocents among the defenseless
Afghani people. America is doing this without
presenting any proof of Osama bin Laden's guilt.
This proves that this war, as Bush said, is a
crusader war against Islam and Muslims. We must
awaken before the U.S. forces reach us."
Dr. Yahyah Isma'il, official spokesman of the
Al-Azhar clerics: "This war is a war against
Muslims and Islam. Everyone must offer help to
the mujahideen brothers in Afghanistan. They
should not be abandoned in the tragedy to which
they are subject."
Sheikh Youssef Al-Badri called on "Muslims to
declare a Jihad against the Americans. We all must
prepare for Jihad, because the strikes will reach
even us, in many Islamic countries. What America
and the West have done is an international crime,
... a great crime against humanity. This is a war
against Islam, as the leaders of the West and the
leaders of the U.S. have said. We have no choice
but to declare our own position: Are we with Islam
or are we with Bush? The answer is what will
determine the fate of the Islamic nation in the new
millennium."> |
