Friday Sermons on Iraqi TV: October 2002 - March 2003
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In the six months prior to the war, Iraqi preachers have used Friday sermons broadcast on Iraqi TV as a platform to incite the population to Jihad against the U.S. and Britain and against Jews, often basing these calls on Islamic themes and pan-Arab nationalist ideology. The following report focuses on sermons delivered by preachers of state-controlled mosques in Iraq, and reviews the primary and recurring themes of these sermons. It is followed by transcripts of the sermons as well as links to streaming videos of the main segments of the sermons.
The United States and Britain
A common theme of Iraqi sermons is the call for violence against the United States and Britain. Such acts of violence include "sinking their ships," "downing their planes," "shaking the ground under their feet," and calls for Allah to "burn Bush and Blair." The U.S. and Britain are referred to as "the Crusaders," "infidels," "oppressors," "polytheists," and "the administration of evil." The following excerpts typify the portrayal of the U.S., Britain, President George W. Bush, and Prime Minister Tony Blair in Iraqi sermons:
In a March 14, 2003 sermon, Sheikh Abd al-Razzak Al-Sa'adi, preaching from the Umm Al-Ma'arek (Mother of All Battles) Mosque in Baghdad, stated: "Oh God, curse upon the face of the Americans. Oh Allah, curse upon the face of the British… Oh Allah, strike the oppressors with each other, and let us come out of it safely, as you took the Prophet Muhammad out from among the polytheists. Oh Allah, sink their ships, and down their planes. Oh Allah, drown Bush and Blair as you drowned Pharaoh, and rescue us as you rescued Moses. Oh Allah, burn Bush and Blair with fire. Oh Allah, rescue us as you rescued your prophet Abraham from the fire. Oh Allah, drown them in the sea of humiliation and dishonor." [[Click Here]]
In a January 31, 2003 sermon at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, Sheikh Dr. Abd Al-Latif Humaym stated: "Yes, Bush is the Dracula of this generation; He sucks the blood of the peoples." Sheikh Abd Al-Ghafour Muhammad Al-Qaysi, also preaching at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, declared on February 28, 2003: "The administration of evil in America has become the embodiment of all types of arrogance, aggression, and obstinacy, and in order to give expression to all the meanings of abomination, oppression, and inhumanity in its ongoing threat to attack our country. It has embodied all the black pages in the history of this nation, in the history of humanity. [The] Administration of evil embodied the arrogance, it embodied the greedy and evil desires divorced of humanity; it embodied irrationality, inhumanity, and barbarity. Every evil phenomenon in history is manifested today in the administration of evil in the U.S. It exemplifies all the evil phenomena… Oh Allah, strike the administration of evil in America. Oh Allah, bring upon them your might that can not be averted from the evildoers. Oh Allah, send them soldiers whom they cannot see. Oh Allah, destroy them, annihilate them, shake the ground beneath their feet…" [[Click Here]]
In a November 8, 2002 sermon, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai, preaching at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, said: "…Brothers, we need today more than ever before, the grace of Jihad of the soul… primarily in this difficult hour of the Islamic nation, an hour when it is challenged of the [forces] of unbelief and the unbelievers, Jews and the Crusaders, the Americans, and British. They are challenging Allah because they challenge the book of Allah, they are challenging the Prophet of Allah, they are challenging you the believers. They think that their fortresses will protect them from Allah. They think that with these bombs and planes, missiles, and advanced technology they will terrorize us. No, by Allah!!! You [the West] are the true terrorists, but we will terrorize you, with Allah's power. We are steadfast; Allah will not allow the unbelievers to overcome the believers. Who are you, Oh vagabonds? Who are you, the sons of pigs and apes, to threaten Muhammad, whose Lord is Allah, and also Gabriel and the [other] angels…??? Who are you, oh Bush, you little dwarf to threaten Muhammad … Anyone who does not comply [in Jihad], will find himself lost in [hell], side by side with Haman, Pharaoh, and their soldiers… Oh Allah, let the infidels fight each other, and dry their blood in their veins. Send Your soldiers against them; Allah, shake the ground under their feet; Allah, destroy their fleet and their weapons; fight their soldiers; Allah, and plant fear in them; Oh Allah, confuse their words; Allah, make them prey to the Muslims… Allah Akbar to America, Allah Akbar to Britain… Oh Allah do not let the Jews or the Crusaders overcome the Muslims… Allah, help the Jihad warriors everywhere… Oh Allah, for Thee we fight, we kill and are killed." [[Click Here]]
Islamic Motifs: Jihad and Islamic History
Iraqi sermons often contain references to major battles in Islamic history as well as to Koranic verses relating to martyrdom and Jihad. Of particular interest was the convening of 500 Muslim clerics in Baghdad on October 12, 2002 who declared that waging Jihad was a personal obligation for Muslims, and urged Muslims "to strike U.S. interests."[1]The following are sermons delivered in Iraqi mosques and broadcast on Iraqi television, which incorporate such content:
In a sermon given on March 28, 2003, days after the beginning of the war in Iraq, Sheikh Abd Al-Ghafour Muhammad Al-Qaysi, preaching from the Abd al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad, invoked several Islamic religious and historical precedents in his call to Jihad: "Oh Mujahideen-believers! We have sworn Jihad before Muhammad… We are the army of Allah. We who are fighting against those who are fighting us. Oh Mujahideen-believers everywhere… The evil has arrived. The Satan and his army… The Jihad has become a personal [duty] of every Muslim. To refrain from Jihad today would constitute a violation of Allah's commands. It is a sin. Long live the Jihad! The evil has arrived! The forces of disbelief have mobilized armies…. We are fighting with the strength of Allah, the strength of our faith. We only face Allah. Allah will bring victory to those [who tell] the truth even if it takes a long time."
From the Abd al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad on December 13, 2002, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai lamented the fact that "Now, the infidels move freely in the Arabian Peninsula and the Muslims find it difficult to fulfill the commandment of pilgrimage. If today a Muslim enters any country, they say: 'He is a terrorist, he is a fanatic and he is an extremist,' just because he is a monotheistic believer [i.e. a Muslim]. In contrast, someone who dances, amuses himself and commits sins is pampered and loved. What is the meaning of this standard? This is a standard of the infidels. We judge by the standard of Shari'a - 'Be a believer in Allah, be a Jihad warrior for the sake of Allah.' ... [We are facing] one of two good things – either martyrdom or victory… Who of us will not die? Who has supreme rule today? Who has supreme rule today? Oh our brothers, oh Muslims, oh believers throughout the world: Who has supreme rule? Only Allah's, the only One, the Victorious. Every soul tastes death. You will receive your wage on Judgment Day…" [[Click Here]]
At the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, on January 31, 2003, Sheikh Dr. Abd Al-Latif Humaym recalled the tradition of the Islamic warrior The Flying Ja'far, who was killed battling the Byzantines: "The Byzantines surrounded him and hit him with their swords on his right hand. He then grabbed the banner in his left hand. They hit his left hand and cut it off. So he then grabbed the banner with both his stumps. At that moment his responsibility was not to let Muhammad's banner touch the ground nor to allow the hooves of the enemy's horses [to] trample this great banner. His body fell down and the banner of the Prophet still held between his two stumps was planted in the sand… This is how the companions of the Prophet Muhammad acted when they were fighting arrogant forces, when they were fighting people who worship other people, rather than Allah. Even if the end of 'The Flying Ja'far' was sad and painful by mundane criteria - according to Allah's criteria he has risen to the peak of belief… Brothers, all people die of different causes, but not all people achieve such a victory. I recalled this story, which is just one of thousands of its kind in Islamic history, [when I was thinking about] the difficult circumstances we are facing now against disbelief and idolatry forces of all types…" [[Click Here]]
Preaching from the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, on March 14, 2002, Sheikh Abd al-Razzak Al-Sa'adi stated that, "This is Jihad for the sake of Allah. This is defensive Jihad, that is set out in our Islamic religious law. This is repelling the aggressor which Allah has made obligatory for us. Islamic law stipulates that when we face an enemy that is targeting our religion, our homeland, our money, our honor, our resources - then Jihad becomes a personal obligation incumbent even on the woman, and she is permitted to go out to fight even without her husband's permission, even though she is ordered to do nothing without her husband's permission." Sheikh Abd al-Razzak Al-Sa'adi also urged Iraqis to repeat their earlier victories during British imperial rule, saying "Iraq is a mountain that they will not reach, Allah willing. They must reconsider their deeds well – the Americans and the British, and history is the best witness to this. Men of Iraq – what they did to the British in the 1920 uprising, with sticks, they drove out the British occupiers…"
The Jews
Iraqi sermons also call regularly for violence against Jews. For example, in a February 14, 2003 sermon, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai, preaching at the Abd al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad, cried out to the crowd while brandishing a sayf (sword): "If Allah permits us, Oh Nation of Muhammad, even the stone will say, Oh Muslim, A Jew is hiding behind me, come and cut off his head and we shall cut off his head. By Allah, we shall cut it off! Allahu Akbar! Oh Jews, Allahu Akbar!" [[Click Here]]
Jews, and at times Christians too, are commonly referred to in Iraqi sermons as "the sons of apes and pigs." This is a common antisemitic motif which appears in the Koran, the Hadith (the Islamic tradition), and in Koranic interpretations. These references also appear in sermons all over the Arab world.[2]One example of the inclusion of this reference in Iraqi sermons is found in a sermon by Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai on October 18, 2002, given at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad. In the sermon, he stated, "The Iraqi leadership and people, as one man, held this forceful position, with worthy determination, and brought to the knowledge of everyone new garments with which the Jews and the Crusaders covered themselves, [garments] whose color is like the color of the chameleon, in American, British, and loathsome Zionist colors, [those] sons of apes and pigs, upon whom is [Allah's] wrath, as mentioned in the Koran and who are accursed everywhere. Know that the Jihad exists within us, against all the enemies in every place and every time, until they stop their corruption and greed." [[Click Here]]
Another example comes from a sermon delivered on February 14, 2003, by Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai from the Abd al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad, in which he preached that Jews were "sons of apes and pigs… criminal Jews." The depiction of Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs" is further reprised by Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai in a November 8, 2002 sermon at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad. Finally, in a sermon given at the Abd-al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque on December 13, 2002, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai referred to, "A stinking, rotten defiled Jew, whose mother is an ape and whose father is a pig…"
Preachers on Saddam Hussein
Most Iraqi sermons end with praise for Saddam Hussein and wishes for Allah to grant him strength and victory in his Jihad against the West. On February 28, 2003, from the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, a sermon delivered by Abd Al-Ghafour Muhammad Al-Qaysi stated, "Oh Allah, defend, support, and protect the leader of our community of believers, the believing leader and Jihad warrior Saddam Hussein…"[3]Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai delivered a sermon at the Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad, in which he also praised Saddam on November 8, 2002: "Allah, support the leader of the monotheists, the President, the Jihad warrior in the victorious - with the help of Allah- Saddam Hussein… [Allah] hold his hand towards a crushing victory, that will realize the Muslims' might…" On March 28, 2003, the Friday sermon delivered by Sheikh Abd Al-Ghafour Muhammad Al-Qaysi at Abd al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad was aired on Al-Arabia TV[4]in Dubai in collaboration with Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca. The end of the sermon stated "Allah guard the believing leader of Iraq, the symbol of belief and Jihad, the leader Saddam Hussein."
The Sermons
October 18, 2002, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai, Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad [Click Here]
"The Iraqi leadership and people, as one man, held this forceful position, with worthy determination, and brought to the knowledge of everyone new garments with which the Jews and the Crusaders covered themselves, [garments] whose color is like the color of the chameleon, in American, British, and loathsome Zionist colors, [those] sons of apes and pigs, upon whom is [Allah's] wrath, as mentioned in the Koran and who are accursed everywhere. Know that the Jihad exists within us, against all the enemies in every place and every time, until they stop their corruption and greed… Oh brothers! Oh Muslims! The danger is imminent. This spark that Bush and the British Prime Minister and Ariel Sharon and their supporters have ignited is war on Islam, which targets not only Iraq and Palestine but the Arabs and Muslims and every honorable nation that takes pride in its sovereignty, its freedom, and its independence. Oh brothers! The criminal declared that the land of Al-Isra and Al-Mi'rage [Jerusalem], the blessed land of honor and heroism, the land of Jihad, the land of the heroic children of the stones, the land of the proud men and glorious women, our sisters in Palestine - the criminal Bush has turned Jerusalem into the capital of Israel… Everyone must know that the most honorable death is martyrdom for the sake of Allah, because it is a transition from the prison of this world to the expanses of the Hereafter. It is eternal life, with Muhammad and his companions, with the beloved and with our Lord…"[5]
November 8, 2002, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai, Umm Al-Ma'arek Mosque in Baghdad [Click Here]
"…Brothers, we need today more than ever before, the grace of Jihad of the soul… primarily in this difficult hour of the Islamic nation, an hour when it is challenged of the [forces] of unbelief and the unbelievers, Jews and the Crusaders, the Americans, and British. They are challenging Allah because they challenge the book of Allah, they are challenging the Prophet of Allah, they are challenging you the believers. They think that their fortresses will protect them from Allah. They think that with these bombs and planes, missiles, and advanced technology they will terrorize us. No, by Allah!!! You [the West] are the true terrorists, but we will terrorize you, with Allah's power. We are steadfast; Allah will not allow the unbelievers to overcome the believers. Who are you, Oh vagabonds? Who are you, the sons of pigs and apes, to threaten Muhammad, whose Lord is Allah, and also Gabriel and the [other] angels…??? Who are you, oh Bush, you little dwarf to threaten Muhammad and the sons of Muhammad!!?? We challenge you with our words, even before our weapons. Who are you to threaten us, our feelings and our holy sites??!!"
"…We will fight them with all kinds of weapons. Jihad, Jihad, Jihad, Jihad. Oh nation of the Koran, the nation of Muhammad, Oh Muslims: Jihad for the cause of Allah, and for defending Muhammad's holiness [sic]. Whoever does not defend Muhammad and the Koran, will not smell the aroma of paradise forever… Today, after the capture of Jerusalem, and after the infidels defiled the Arabian Peninsula and are threatening Arabs and Muslims, the holy places, and especially Iraq - Jihad has become an obligation of every individual Muslim [Fardh 'Ayn]. Anyone who does not comply, will find himself lost in [hell], side by side with Haman, Pharaoh, and their soldiers."
"Oh Allah, let the infidels fight each other, and dry their blood in their veins. Send Your soldiers against them; Allah, shake the ground under their feet; Allah, destroy their fleet and their weapons; fight their soldiers; Allah, and plant fear in them; Oh Allah, confuse their words; Allah, make them prey to the Muslims… Allah Akbar to America, Allah Akbar to Britain… Oh Allah do not let the Jews or the Crusaders overcome the Muslims… Allah, help the Jihad warriors everywhere… Oh Allah, for Thee we fight, we kill and are killed. Allah will settle His account with you, Bush! Allah will settle His account with you, Ariel Sharon… Our dead for the cause of Allah are Shuhada [martyrs] in paradise, while their dead are in hell… Allah, support the leader of the monotheists, the President, the Jihad warrior in the victorious- with the help of Allah- Saddam Hussein… [Allah] hold his hand towards a crushing victory, that will realize the Muslims' might…"[6]
December 13, 2002, Sheikh Bakr Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Samarai, Abd-al-Qadir al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad [Click Here] |
