Mustafa Mashhur, General Guide, Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt; Qazi Hussain
Ahmed, Ameer, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Pakistan; Muti Rahman Nizami, Ameer,
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Bangladesh; Shaykh Ahmad Yassin, Founder, Islamic
Resistance Movement (Hamas), Palestine; Rashid Ghannoushi, President, Nahda
Renaissance Movement, Tunisia; Fazil Nour, President, PAS - Parti Islam
SeMalaysia, Malaysia; and 40 other Muslim scholars and politicians:
“The undersigned, leaders of Islamic movements, are horrified by the
events of Tuesday 11 September 2001 in the United States which resulted
in massive killing, destruction and attack on innocent lives. We express
our deepest sympathies and sorrow. We condemn, in the strongest terms,
the incidents, which are against all human and Islamic norms. This is grounded
in the Noble Laws of Islam which forbid all forms of attacks on innocents.
God Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an: 'No bearer of burdens can bear the
burden of another' (Surah al-Isra 17:15).”
MSANews, September 14, 2001, http://msanews.mynet.net/MSANEWS/200109/20010917.15.html;
Arabic original in al-Quds al-Arabi (London), September
14, 2001, p. 2, http://www.alquds.co.uk/Alquds/2001/09Sep/14%20Sep%20Fri/Quds02.pdf
Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi, Qatar; Tariq Bishri, Egypt; Muhammad S. Awwa,
Egypt; Fahmi Huwaydi, Egypt; Haytham Khayyat, Syria; Shaykh Taha Jabir
al-Alwani, U.S.:
“All Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the
innocents, and those who permit the killing of non-combatants without a
justifiable reason. Islam has declared the spilling of blood and the destruction
of property as absolute prohibitions until the Day of Judgment. ... [It
is] necessary to apprehend the true perpetrators of these crimes, as well
as those who aid and abet them through incitement, financing or other support.
They must be brought to justice in an impartial court of law and [punished]
appropriately. ... [It is] a duty of Muslims to participate in this effort
with all possible means.”
Statement of September 27, 2001. The Washington Post,
October 11, 2001, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40545-2001Oct10.html
Full text of this fatwa in English
and Arabic.
Shaykh Muhammed Sayyid al-Tantawi, imam of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo,
Egypt:
“Attacking innocent people is not courageous, it is stupid and will
be punished on the day of judgement. ... It’s not courageous to attack
innocent children, women and civilians. It is courageous to protect freedom,
it is courageous to defend oneself and not to attack.”
Agence France Presse, September 14, 2001
Abdel-Mo'tei Bayyoumi, al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy, Cairo,
Egypt:
“There is no terrorism or a threat to civilians in jihad [religious
struggle].”
Al-Ahram Weekly Online, 20 - 26 September 2001, http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/552/p4fall3.htm
Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition Islamist group in Egypt, said it
was “horrified” by the attack and expressed “condolences and sadness”:
“[We] strongly condemn such activities that are against all humanist
and Islamic morals. ... [We] condemn and oppose all aggression on human
life, freedom and dignity anywhere in the world.”
Al-Ahram Weekly Online, 13 - 19 September 2001, http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/551/fo2.htm
Shaykh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, spiritual guide of Shi‘i Muslim
radicals in Lebanon, said he was “horrified” by these “barbaric ... crimes”:
“Beside the fact that they are forbidden by Islam, these acts do not
serve those who carried them out but their victims, who will reap the sympathy
of the whole world. ... Islamists who live according to the human values
of Islam could not commit such crimes.”
Agence France Presse, September 14, 2001
‘Abdulaziz bin ‘Abdallah Al-Ashaykh, chief mufti of Saudi Arabia:
“Firstly: the recent developments in the United States including hijacking
planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form
of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross
crimes and sinful acts. Secondly: any Muslim who is aware of the teachings
of his religion and who adheres to the directives of the Holy Qur'an and
the sunnah (the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad) will never involve himself
in such acts, because they will invoke the anger of God Almighty and lead
to harm and corruption on earth.”
Statement of September 15, 2001, http://saudiembassy.net/press_release/01-spa/09-15-Islam.htm
‘Abdulaziz bin ‘Abdallah Al-Ashaykh, chief mufti of Saudi Arabia:
"You must know Islam’s firm position against all these terrible crimes.
The world must know that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy and goodness;
it is a religion of justice and guidance…Islam has forbidden violence in
all its forms. It forbids the hijacking airplanes, ships and other means
of transport, and it forbids all acts that undermine the security of the
innocent."
Hajj sermon of February 2, 2004, in "Public Statements
by Senior Saudi Officials Condemning Extremism and Promoting Moderation,"
May 2004, http://www.saudiembassy.net/ReportLink/Report_Extremism_May04.pdf,
page 10
Shaikh Saleh Al-Luheidan, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council,
Saudi Arabia:
"As a human community we must be vigilant and careful to oppose these
pernicious and shameless evils, which are not justified by any sane logic,
nor by the religion of Islam."
Statement of September 14, 2001, in "Public Statements
by Senior Saudi Officials Condemning Extremism and Promoting Moderation,"
May 2004, http://www.saudiembassy.net/ReportLink/Report_Extremism_May04.pdf,
page 6
Shaikh Saleh Al-Luheidan, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council,
Saudi Arabia:
"And
I repeat once again: that this act that the United states was afflicted
with, with this vulgarity and barbarism, and which is even more
barbaric than terrorist acts, I say that these acts are from the depths
of depravity and the worst of evils."
Televised statement of September 2001, in Muhammad ibn Hussin Al-Qahtani, editor, The Position of Saudi Muslim Scholars Regarding Terrorism in the Name of Islam (Saudi Arabia, 2004), pages 27-28.
Shaykh Muhammad bin ‘Abdallah al-Sabil, member of the Council of
Senior Religious Scholars, Saudi Arabia:
“Any attack on innocent people is unlawful and contrary to shari'a
(Islamic law). ... Muslims must safeguard the lives, honor and property
of Christians and Jews. Attacking them contradicts shari'a.”
Agence France Presse, December 4, 2001
Council of Saudi ‘Ulama', fatwa of February 2003:
"What is happening in some countries from the shedding of the innocent
blood and the bombing of buildings and ships and the destruction of public
and private installations is a criminal act against Islam. ... Those who
carry out such acts have the deviant beliefs and misleading ideologies
and are responsible for the crime. Islam and Muslims should not be held
responsible for such actions."
The Dawn newspaper, Karachi, Pakistan, February 8, 2003,
http://www.dawn.com/2003/02/08/top17.htm;
also in "Public Statements by Senior Saudi Officials Condemning Extremism
and Promoting Moderation," May 2004, http://www.saudiembassy.net/ReportLink/Report_Extremism_May04.pdf,
page 10
Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the Sunna and Sira Council,
Qatar:
"Our hearts bleed for the attacks that has targeted the World Trade
Center [WTC], as well as other institutions in the United States despite
our strong oppositions to the American biased policy towards Israel on
the military, political and economic fronts. Islam, the religion of tolerance,
holds the human soul in high esteem, and considers the attack against innocent
human beings a grave sin, this is backed by the Qur’anic verse which reads:
‘Who so ever kills a human being [as punishment] for [crimes] other than
manslaughter or [sowing] corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he
has killed all mankind, and who so ever saves the life of one, it shall
be as if he had saved the life of all mankind’ (Al-Ma’idah:32)."
Statement of September 13, 2001. http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2001-09/13/article25.shtml.
Arabic original at http://www.qaradawi.net/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=1665&version=1&template_id=130&parent_id=17
Tahirul Qadri, head of the Awami Tehrik Party, Pakistan:
"Bombing embassies or destroying non-military installations like the
World Trade Center is no jihad. ... "[T]hose who launched
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks not only killed thousands of innocent
people in the United States but also put the lives of millions of
Muslims across the world at risk. ... Bin Laden is not a prophet that we
should put thousands of lives at risk for."
United Press International, October 18, 2001, http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/10/17/195606.shtml
Ayatollah Ali Khamene’i, supreme jurist-ruler of Iran:
“Killing of people, in any place and with any kind of weapons, including
atomic bombs, long-range missiles, biological or chemical weopons, passenger
or war planes, carried out by any organization, country or individuals
is condemned. ... It makes no difference whether such massacres happen
in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Qana, Sabra, Shatila, Deir Yassin, Bosnia, Kosovo,
Iraq or in New York and Washington.”
Islamic Republic News Agency, September 16, 2001, http://www.irna.com/en/hphoto/010916000000.ehp.shtml
President Muhammad Khatami of Iran:
“[T]he September 11 terrorist blasts in America can only be the job
of a group that have voluntarily severed their own ears and tongues, so
that the only language with which they could communicate would be destroying
and spreading death.”
Address to the United Nations General Assembly, November
9, 2001, http://www.president.ir/cronicnews/1380/8008/800818/800818.htm#b3
League of Arab States:
“The General-Secretariat of the League of Arab States shares with the
people and government of the United States of America the feelings of revulsion,
horror and shock over the terrorist attacks that ripped through the World
Trade Centre and Pentagon, inflicting heavy damage and killing and wounding
thousands of many nationalities. These terrorist crimes have been viewed
by the League as inadmissible and deserving all condemnation. Divergence
of views between the Arabs and the United States over the latter’s foreign
policy on the Middle East crisis does in no way adversely affect the common
Arab attitude of compassion with the people and government of the United
States at such moments of facing the menace and ruthlessness of international
terrorism. In more than one statement released since the horrendous attacks,
the League has also expressed deep sympathy with the families of the victims.
In remarks to newsmen immediately following the tragic events, Arab League
Secretary-General Amre Moussa described the feelings of the Arab world
as demonstrably sympathetic with the American people, particularly with
families and individuals who lost their loved ones. “It is indeed tormenting
that any country or people or city anywhere in the world be the scene of
such disastrous attacks,” he added. While convinced that it is both inconceivable
and lamentable that such a large-scale, organised terrorist campaign take
place anywhere, anytime, the League believes that the dreadful attacks
against WTC and the Pentagon unveil, time and again, that the cancer of
terrorism can be extensively damaging if left unchecked. It follows that
there is a pressing and urgent need to combat world terrorism. In this
context, an earlier call by [Egyptian] President Hosni Mubarak for convening
an international conference to draw up universal accord on ways and means
to eradicate this phenomenon and demonstrate international solidarity is
worthy of active consideration. The Arabs have walked a large distancein
the fight against cross-border terrorism by concluding in April 1998 the
Arab Agreement on Combating Terrorism.”
September 17, 2001, http://www.leagueofarabstates.org/E_Perspectives_17_09_01.asp
Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, Secretary-General of the Organization of
the Islamic Conference:
“Following the bloody attacks against major buildings and installations
in the United States yesterday, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Dr. Abdelouahed
Belkeziz, secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), stated that he was shocked and deeply saddened when he
heard of those attacks which led to the death and injury of a very large
number of innocent American citizens. Dr. Belkeziz said he was denouncing
and condemning those criminal and brutal acts that ran counter to all covenants,
humanitarian values and divine religions foremost among which was Islam.”
Press Release, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 12, 2001,
http://www.oic-oci.org/press/english/september%202001/america%20on%20attack.htm
Organization of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers:
“The Conference strongly condemned the brutal terror acts that befell
the United States, caused huge losses in human lives from various nationalities
and wreaked tremendous destruction and damage in New York and Washington.
It further reaffirmed that these terror acts ran counter to the teachings
of the divine religions as well as ethical and human values, stressed the
necessity of tracking down the perpetrators of these acts in the light
of the results of investigations and bringing them to justice to inflict
on them the penalty they deserve, and underscored its support of this effort.
In this respect, the Conference expressed its condolences to and sympathy
with the people and government of the United States and the families of
the victims in these mournful and tragic circumstances.”
Final Communique of the Ninth Extraordinary Session
of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, October 10, 2001, http://www.oic-oci.org/english/fm/All%20Download/frmex9.htm
Organization of the Islamic Conference, Summit Conference:
"We are determined to fight terrorism in all its forms. ... Islam is
the religion of moderation. It rejects extremism and isolation. There
is a need to confront deviant ideology where it appears, including in
school curricula. Islam is the religion of diversity and tolerance."
Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon), December 9, 2005, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=20641
Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, Head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs
of Turkey:
“Any human being, regardless of his ethnic and religious origin, will
never think of carrying out such a violent, evil attack. Whatever its purpose
is, this action cannot be justified and tolerated.”
Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, “A Message on Ragaib Night and Terrorism,”
September 21, 2001, http://www.diyanet.gov.tr/duyurular/regaibing.htm
Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar), Turkish author:
“Islam does not encourage any kind of terrorism; in fact, it denounces
it. Those who use terrorism in the name of Islam, in fact, have no other
faculty except ignorance and hatred.”
Harun Yahya, “Islam Denounces Terrorism,” http://www.islamdenouncesterrorism.com
Shaikh Muhammad Yusuf Islahi, Pakistani-American Muslim leader:
“The sudden barbaric attack on innocent citizens living in peace is
extremely distressing and deplorable. Every gentle human heart goes out
to the victims of this attack and as humans we are ashamed at the barbarism
perpetrated by a few people. Islam, which is a religion of peace and tolerance,
condemns this act and sees this is as a wounding scar on the face of humanity.
I appeal to Muslims to strongly condemn this act, express unity with the
victims' relatives, donate blood, money and do whatever it takes to help
the affected people.”
“Messages From Shaikh Muhammad Yusuf Islahi,” http://www.icna.org/wtc_islahi.htm
Abdal-Hakim Murad, British Muslim author:
“Targeting civilians is a negation of every possible school of Sunni
Islam. Suicide bombing is so foreign to the Quranic ethos that the Prophet
Samson is entirely absent from our scriptures.”
“The Hijackers Were Not Muslims After All: Recapturing
Islam From the Terrorists,” http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/masud/ISLAM/ahm/recapturing.htm
Syed Mumtaz Ali, President of the Canadian Society of Muslims:
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible what are apparently vicious
and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with
all Canadians in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the
perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral
acts.”
Canadian Society of Muslims, Media Release, September
12, 2001, http://muslim-canada.org/news09112001.html
15 American Muslim organizations:
“We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of the crime committed on
September 11, 2001 and join our fellow Americans in mourning the loss of
up to 6000 innocent civilians.”
Muslim American Society (MAS), Islamic Circle of North
America (ICNA), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslim Alliance
of North America (MANA), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Islamic Association
for Palestine (IAP), United Association for Studies and Research (UASR),
Solidarity International, American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice
(AMGPJ), American Muslim Alliance (AMA), United Muslim Americans Association
(UMAA), Islamic Media Foundation (IMF), American Muslim Foundation (AMF),
Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations (CCMO), American Muslims for
Jerusalem (AMJ), Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), October 22, 2001,
http://www.icna.org/wtc_pr.htm
57 leaders of North American Islamic organizations, 77 intellectuals, and dozens of concerned citizens:
“As American Muslims and scholars of Islam, we wish to restate our
conviction that peace and justice constitute the basic principles of
the Muslim faith. We wish again to state unequivocally that
neither the al-Qaeda organization nor Usama bin Laden represents Islam
or reflects Muslim beliefs and practice. Rather, groups like al-Qaeda
have misused and abused Islam in order to fit their own radical and
indeed anti-Islamic agenda. Usama bin Laden and al-Qaeda's
actions are criminal, misguided and counter to the true teachings of
Islam.”
Statement Rejecting Terrorism, September 9, 2002, http://www.islam-democracy.org/terrorism_statement.asp
American Muslim Political Coordination Council:
“American Muslims utterly condemn what are apparently vicious and cowardly
acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans
in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators.
No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts.”
http://capwiz.com/cair/issues/alert/?alertid=49818&type=CU&azip=
Dr. Agha Saeed, National Chair of the American Muslim Alliance:
“These attacks are against both divine and human laws and we condemn
them in the strongest terms. The Muslim Americans join the nation in calling
for swift apprehension and stiff punishment of the perpetrators, and offer
our sympathies to the victims and their families.”
http://www.amaweb.org/AMA%20Condemns.html
Hamza Yusuf, American Muslim leader:
“Religious zealots of any creed are defeated people who lash out in
desperation, and they often do horrific things. And if these people [who
committed murder on September 11] indeed are Arabs, Muslims, they're obviously
very sick people and I can't even look at it in religious terms. It's politics,
tragic politics. There's no Islamic justification for any of it. ... You
can't kill innocent people. There's no Islamic declaration of war against
the United States. I think every Muslim country except Afghanistan has
an embassy in this country. And in Islam, a country where you have embassies
is not considered a belligerent country. In Islam, the only wars that are
permitted are between armies and they should engage on battlefields and
engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ``Do not kill women or children
or non-combatants and do not kill old people or religious people,'' and
he mentioned priests, nuns and rabbis. And he said, ``Do not cut down fruit-bearing
trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies.'' The Hadith, the sayings
of the Prophet, say that no one can punish with fire except the lord of
fire. It's prohibited to burn anyone in Islam as a punishment. No one can
grant these attackers any legitimacy. It was evil.”
San Jose Mercury News, September 15, 2001, http://www0.mercurycenter.com/local/center/isl0916.htm
Nuh Ha Mim Keller, American Muslim author:
“Muslims have nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to hide, and should
simply tell people what their scholars and religious leaders have always
said: first, that the Wahhabi sect has nothing to do with orthodox Islam,
for its lack of tolerance is a perversion of traditional values; and second,
that killing civilians is wrong and immoral.”
“Making the World Safe for Terrorism,” September 30,
2001, http://66.34.131.5/ISLAM/nuh/terrorism.htm
Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), prominent British Muslim:
"I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist
attacks committed against innocent people of the United States yesterday.
While it is still not clear who carried out the attack, it must be stated
that no right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an
action: the Qur'an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder
of the whole of humanity. We pray for the families of all those who lost
their lives in this unthinkable act of violence as well as all those injured;
I hope to reflect the feelings of all Muslims and people around the world
whose sympathies go out to the victims at this sorrowful moment."
[On singing an a cappella version of "Peace Train" for the Concert
for New York City:] "After the tragedy, my heart was heavy with sadness
and shock, and I was determined to help in some way. Organizers asked me
to take part in a message for tolerance and sing 'Peace Train.' Of course,
I agreed. ... As a Muslim from the West, it is important to me to let people
know that these acts of mass murder have nothing to do with Islam and the
beliefs of Muslims."
Press release of September 13, 2001, and PR Newswire,
October 22, 2001, both at http://www.mountainoflight.co.uk/pages/news/2001.html
Muslims Against Terrorism, a U.S.-based organization:
“As Muslims, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Ours is a religion of peace. We are sick and tired of extremists dictating
the public face of Islam.”
http://www.muslimsagainstterrorism.org/aboutus.html.
This statement has been replaced by a new statement in favor of peace by
the group's successor organization, Muslim Voices for Peace, http://www.mvp-us.org.
Abdulaziz Sachedina, professor of religious studies, University of
Virginia:
“New York was grieving. Sorrow covered the horizons. The
pain of separation and of missing family members, neighbors, citizens,
humans could be felt in every corner of the country. That day was
my personal day of “jihad” (“struggle”) - jihad with my pride and my identity
as a Muslim. This is the true meaning of jihad – “struggle with one’s
own ego and false pride.” I don’t ever recall that I had prayed so
earnestly to God to spare attribution of such madness that was unleashed
upon New York and Washington to the Muslims. I felt the pain and,
perhaps for the first time in my entire life, I felt embarrassed at the
thought that it could very well be my fellow Muslims who had committed
this horrendous act of terrorism. How could these terrorists invoke
God’s mercifulness and compassion when they had, through their evil act,
put to shame the entire history of this great religion and its culture
of toleration?”
“Where Was God on September 11?," http://www.virginia.edu/~soasia/newsletter/Fall01/God.html
Ali Khan, professor of law, Washburn University School of Law:
“To the most learned in the text of the Quran, these verses must be
read in the context of many other verses that stipulate the Islamic law
of war---a war that the Islamic leader must declare after due consultation
with advisers. For the less learned, however, these verses may provide
the motivation and even the plot for a merciless strike against a self-chosen
enemy.”
“Attack on America: An Islamic Perspective, September
17, 2001, http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew29.htm
Muqtedar
Khan, assistant professor of political science, Adrian College, Michigan,
USA:
“What happened on September 11th in New York and Washington DC will
forever remain a horrible scar on the history of Islam and humanity. No
matter how much we condemn it, and point to the Quran and the Sunnah to
argue that Islam forbids the killing of innocent people, the fact remains
that the perpetrators of this crime against humanity have indicated that
their actions are sanctioned by Islamic values. The fact that even now
several Muslim scholars and thousands of Muslims defend the accused is
indicative that not all Muslims believe that the attacks are unIslamic.
This is truly sad. ... If anywhere in your hearts there is any sympathy
or understanding with those who committed this act, I invite you to ask
yourself this question, would Muhammad (pbuh) sanction such an act? While
encouraging Muslims to struggle against injustice (Al Quran 4:135), Allah
also imposes strict rules of engagement. He says in unequivocal terms that
to kill an innocent being is like killing entire humanity (Al Quran 5:32).
He also encourages Muslims to forgive Jews and Christians if they have
committed injustices against us (Al Quran 2:109, 3:159, 5:85).”
“Memo to American Muslims,” October 5, 2001, http://www.ijtihad.org/memo.htm
Dr. Alaa Al-Yousuf, Bahraini economist and political activist:
“On Friday, 14 September [the first Friday prayers after 11 September],
almost the whole world expressed its condemnation of the crime and its
grief for the bereaved families of the victims. Those who abstained or,
even worse, rejoiced, will have joined the terrorists, not in the murder,
but in adding to the incalculable damage on the other victims of the atrocity,
namely, Islam as a faith, Muslims and Arabs as peoples, and possibly the
Palestinian cause. The terrorists and their apologists managed to sully
Islam as a faith both in the eyes of many Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”
Interview with the International Forum for Islamic Dialogue,
London, http://www.islam21.net/pages/keyissues/key7-6.htm
Dr. S. Parvez Manzoor, Swedish-based Muslim author:
“If these acts of terror indeed have been perpetrated by Muslim radicals
or fundamentalists, they have reaped nothing but eternal damnation, shame
and ignominy. For nothing, absolutely nothing, could remotely be advanced
as an excuse for these barbaric acts. They represent a total negation of
Islamic values, an utter disregard of our fiqhi tradition, and a slap in
the face of the Ummah. They are in total contrast to what Islamic reason,
compassion and faith stand for. Even from the more mundane criteria of
common good, the maslaha of the jurists, these acts are treasonous and
suicidal. Islamic faith has been so callously and casually sacrificed at
the altar of politics, a home-grown politics of parochial causes, primeval
passions, self-endorsing piety and messianic terror.”
Interview with the International Forum for Islamic Dialogue,
London, http://www.islam21.net/pages/keyissues/key7-6.htm
Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Islamic activist and former deputy prime
minister:
“Never in Islam's entire history has the action of so few of its followers
caused the religion and its community of believers to be such an abomination
in the eyes of others. Millions of Muslims who fled to North America and
Europe to escape poverty and persecution at home have become the object
of hatred and are now profiled as potential terrorists. And the nascent
democratic movements in Muslim countries will regress for a few decades
as ruling autocrats use their participation in the global war against terrorism
to terrorize their critics and dissenters. This is what Mohammed Atta and
his fellow terrorists and sponsors have done to Islam and its community
worldwide by their murder of innocents at the World Trade Center in New
York and the Defense Depart-ment in Washington. The attack must be condemned,
and the condemnation must be without reservation.”
Anwar Ibrahim, “Growth of Democracy Is the Answer to
Terrorism,” International Herald Tribune, October 11, 2001, http://www.iht.com/articles/35281.htm
Ziauddin Sardar, British Muslim author:
“The failure of Islamic movements is their inability to come to terms
with modernity, to give modernity a sustainable home-grown expression.
Instead of engaging with the abundant problems that bedevil Muslim lives,
the Islamic prescription consists of blind following of narrow pieties
and slavish submission to inept obscurantists. Instead of engagement with
the wider world, they have made Islam into an ethic of separation, separate
under-development, and negation of the rest of the world.”
Ziauddin Sardar, “Islam has become its own enemy,” The
Observer, October 21, 2001, http://www.observer.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,1373,577942,00.html
Khaled Abou El Fadl, Kuwaiti-Egyptian-American legal scholar:
“It would be disingenuous to deny that the Qur'an and other Islamic
sources offer possibilities of intolerant interpretation. Clearly these
possibilities are exploited by the contemporary puritans and supremacists.
But the text does not command such intolerant readings. Historically, Islamic
civilization has displayed a remarkable ability to recognize possibilities
of tolerance, and to act upon these possibilities.”
Khaled Abou El Fadl, “The Place of Tolerance in Islam:
On Reading the Qur'an -- and Misreading It,” Boston Review, December 2001/January
2002, http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR26.6/elfadl.html
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Hanooti, Palestinian-American mufti and member
of the North American Fiqh Council:
“The people who attacked the WTC and Pentagon and hijacked the forth
plane that crashed in Pennsylvania are criminal who deserve the severest
punishment as the Quran elaborates. They are murderers and terrorists.
If there were any person who felt happy for that incident we would not
be able to equate them with those criminals, but we can say no one with
faith and ethics would accept anything of that murder and targeting of
innocent people.”
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Hanooti, "Fatwa Session on Latest
Tragic Events," IslamOnline, September 20, 2001, http://www.islamonline.net/livefatwa/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=pdwD2E
Syed Shahabuddin, Indian Muslim author:
“Islam prohibits terrorism as well as suicide. Jihad is neither and
has no place for taking innocent lives or one’s own life. No cause, howsoever
noble or just, can justify terrorism. So while one may sympathize with
the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and support their
claim to a state of their own, while one may appreciate the democratic
awakening among the people of many Muslim states and uphold their demand
for withdrawal of foreign presence from their soil and support their struggle
for revision of the terms of trade for their natural resources, no thinking
Muslim can go along with the use of terrorism for securing political goals.”
Syed Shahabuddin, "Global war against terrorism – the
Islamic dimension," Milli Gazette newspaper, New Delhi, India, November
1, 2001, http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01112001/34.htm
Dr. M. A. Zaki Badawi, principal of the Muslim College, London, England:
“Neither the law of Islam nor its ethical system justify such a crime.”
Dr. M. A. Zaki Badawi, "Terrorism has no place in Islam,"
Arab News, Jiddah-Riyadh-Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, September 28, 2001, http://www.arabnews.com/?page=5§ion=0&article=9314&d=28&m=9&y=2001
Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, head mufti at Jamiat-ul-Uloom-ul-Islamia
seminary, Binori Town, Pakistan and a leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
(JUI) party, Pakistan:
“It's wrong to kill innocent people. ... It's also wrong to praise
those who kill innocent people.”
The New York Times, September 28, 2001, p. B3
Shaykh Omar Bakri, leader of al-Muhajirun, a radical Islamist movement
based in London, England:
“If Islamists did it -- and most likely it is Islamists, because of
the nature of what happened -- then they have fully misunderstood the teachings
of Islam. ... Even the most radical of us have condemned this. I am always
considered to be a radical in the Islamic world and even I condemn it.”
The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), September 13,
2001, p. B6
Zuhair Qudah, a preacher at al-Lawzieen mosque, Amman, Jordan:
"We
stand by our Palestinian brothers in their struggle to end the
occupation, but we don't condone violence, ugly crimes and the killing
of innocent people."
Associated Press, September 14, 2001
Shaykh Rached Ghannouchi, chairman of Tunisia's an-Nahda Movement,
in exile in London, England:
“Such destruction can only be condemned by any Muslim, however resentful
one may be of America's biased policies supporting occupation in Palestine,
as an unacceptable attack on thousands of innocent people having no relation
to American policies. Anyone familiar with Islam has no doubt about its
rejection of collective punishment, based on the well-known Quranic principle
that 'no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.'”
The Washington Post, October 13, 2001, p. B9
Shaykh Salih al-Suhaymi, religious scholar, Saudi Arabia:
“Based upon what has preceded, then we say that that which we believe
and hold as our religion concerning what happened to the World Trade Centre
in America – and in Allaah lies success – that the terrorist attacks that
took place and what occurred of general (mass) killing, then it is not
permissible and Islaam does not allow it in any form whatsoever.”
"Shaykh Saalih as-Suhaymee speaks about current affairs...,"
October 18, 2001, translated by Abu 'Iyaad, http://www.fatwaonline.com/news/0011018.htm
Dr. Sayed G. Safavi, Iranian religious scholar and director of the
Institute of Islamic Studies, London, England:
“The targeting of innocent persons cannot be allowed. Islam is against
any form of terrorism, whether it be carried out by an individual, a group
or a state. ... For Muslims to kill civilians unconnected with any attack
on them is a crime. The principal law of Islam is: don't attack civilians.
This includes civilians of any faith, whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian.
According to Islam, all people are the family of God. The target of religion
is peace.”
Letter to the Editor, The Daily Telegraph, London, England,
June 30, 2003, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/06/30/dt3001.xml
Iqbal Siddiqui, editor of Crescent International, London, England:
“History also teaches us that the only effective way of challenging
oppression and the only effective way of fighting injustice is through
force; that is simply the way of the world. Pacifism is all too often a
weapon of the status quo.... When Islamic movements in the world do need
to resort to the use of force, that force must be used morally. When extreme
fringes of those movements are pushed to use force indiscriminately, immorally,
wrongly against illegitimate targets, and using illegitimate weapons (such
[as] hijacked jumbo jets), those are crimes for which the people who share
their cause, who share their view of the world, their understanding of
the need to use force, must also criticise them, turn against them, isolate
them. Our standards must be higher than those of the people whom we are
fighting, because if we descend to their standards then there is no difference
between us.”
Iqbal Siddiqui, "Terrorism and political violence in
contemporary history," Conference on Terrorism, Institute of Islamic Studies,
London, England, November 13, 2001, published in Muslimedia International,
February 16-28, 2002, http://www.muslimedia.com/archives/movement02/terror-hist.htm.
Earlier version on-line at http://www.islamic-studies.org/terrorconfer.pro.htm
Islamway website:
"In light of these and other Islamic texts, the act of inciting terror
in the hearts of defenseless civilians, the wholesale destruction of buildings
and properties, the bombing and maiming of innocent men, women, and children
are all forbidden and detestable acts according to Islam and the Muslims."
"What Does Islam Say About Terrorism?" http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=article&id=126
Islamic Commission of Spain:
"Muslims, therefore, are not only forbidden from committing crimes
against innocent people, but are responsible before God to stop those
people who have the intention to do so, since these people 'are
planting the seeds of corruption on Earth'.... The perpetration of
terrorist acts supposes a rupture of such magnitude with Islamic
teaching that it allows to affirm that the individuals or groups who
have perpetrated them have stopped being Muslim and have put themselves
outside the sphere of Islam."
"Text of the Fatwa Declared Against Osama Bin Laden by the Islamic Commission of Spain," March 17, 2005, http://webislam.com/?idn=537;
original Spanish version: "La Comisión Islámica de
España emite una fatua condenando el terrorismo y al grupo Al
Qaida," March 10, 2005, http://www.webislam.com/?idn=399.
Fatwa signed by more than 500 British Muslim scholars, clerics, and imams:
"Islam strictly, strongly and severely
condemns the use of violence and the destruction of innocent lives.
There is neither place nor justification in Islam for extremism,
fanaticism or terrorism. Suicide bombings, which killed and injured
innocent people in London, are HARAAM - vehemently prohibited in Islam,
and those who committed these barbaric acts in London [on July 7, 2005]
are criminals not
martyrs. Such acts, as perpetrated in London, are crimes against all of
humanity and contrary to the teachings of Islam. ... The Holy Quran
declares: 'Whoever kills a human being… then it is as though he has
killed
all mankind; and whoever saves a human life, it is as though he had
saved all mankind.' (Quran, Surah al-Maidah (5), verse 32) Islam’s
position is clear and unequivocal: Murder of one soul
is the murder of the whole of humanity; he who shows no respect for
human life is an enemy of humanity."
British Muslim Forum, press release of July 18, 2005, http://www.britishmuslimforum.org/view_press_release.php?id=26.
Fiqh Council of North America, an
association of 18 Muslim
legal scholars, fatwa endorsed by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the
Muslim American Society (MAS), the Association of Muslim Social
Scientists (AMSS), the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers
(AMSE), the Muslim
Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and more than 130 Muslim organizations, mosques and leaders in the United States:
"We have consistently condemned terrorism and extremism in all forms
and under all circumstances, and we reiterate this unequivocal
position. Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of
violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for
extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through
suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - prohibited in
Islam - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not
'martyrs.'"
"Fatwa by U.S. Muslims Against Religious Extremism," July 25, 2005, http://www.mpac.org/bucket_downloads/fatwa-on-terrorism.pdf.
Islamic Society of North America, Anti-Terrrorism Anti-Extremism Committee:
"Humanity lives today in an interdependent and interconnected world
where peaceful and fair interaction, including interfaith and
intra-faith dialogue, is imperative. A grave threat to all of us
nowadays is the scourge of religious and political extremism that
manifests itself in various forms of violence, including terrorism. In
the absence of a universally agreed upon definition of terrorism, it
may be defined as any act of indiscriminate violence that targets
innocent people, whether committed by individuals, groups or states. As
Muslims, we must face up to our responsibility to clarify and advocate
a faith-based, righteous and moral position with regard to this
problem, especially when terrorist acts are perpetrated in the name of
Islam. The purpose of this brochure is to clarify a few key issues
relating to this topic, not because of external pressures or for the
sake of “political correctness”, but out of our sincere conviction of
what Islam stands for."
Islamic Society of North America, "Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism: Muslim Position and Responsibilities," 2005, http://www.balancedislam.org/ATAECbrochure.pdf.
Shaykh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, chief mufti of Saudi Arabia:
The London attacks, "targeting peaceful people, are not condoned by
Islam, and are indeed prohibited by our religion. ... Attributing to
Islam acts of individual or collective killings, bombings, destruction
of properties and the terrorizing of peaceful people is unfair, because
they are alien to the divine religion."
Fatwa-Online, July 9, 2005, http://www.fatwa-online.com/news/0050709.htm
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab al-'Aqeel, professor of creed ('aqeedah) at the
College of Proselytising (da'wah), Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia:
"Terrorism is the terror that is caused by those groups or individuals who resort
to killing and wreaking havoc and destruction. Terrorism is therefore, according
to the contemporary compilers of modern Arabic dictionaries, killing akin to the
riotous killing that is mentioned within the texts of Shar'eeah. As the Prophet
(sallallaahu alayhi wassallam) mentioned with regards to the signs of the end of
time, the spread of 'al-Harj' (riotous killing). The meaning of
'al-Harj' is killing and the increase of the spilling blood, which is all from
the signs of the end of time. To the extent that the one killing will not know
why he is killing and the one that was killed will not know why he/she was
killed. Islam is free from this riotous killing, free from this terrorism and
free from this kind of corruption. Terrorism is established upon
destruction of properties such as factories, farms, places of worship, train
stations, airports and the likes; Islam is clearly free from such actions that
are based upon corruption and not upon rectification. Terrorists usually
say that they are going against the state in which they are based within. This
is like the mafia or other criminal organisations that are based on killing
people, causing fear and taking their monies. Such criminal organisations have
leaders, deputies and individuals that are responsible for establishing
regulations for the organisation and individuals responsible for carrying out
attacks, and all of them are terrorists causing corruption on the earth.
However the ugliest face of terrorism is that which is established in
the name of religion, all of the religions from the Prophets (peace be upon
them) are free from such terrorism, even if some of the followers of the
Prophets participated in such terrorist activities, but the Prophets are free
from such corruptions."
Lecture on "The Evils of Terrorism," August 20, 2005, translated in Islam Against Terrorism - v1.20, September 17, 2005, http://www.fatwa-online.com/downloads/dow004/islamagainstterrorism.chm
Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti,
Malaysian Muslim scholar and research fellow in Islamic philosophy and
theology, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, U.K.:
"If you still insist that your [religious or civil] authority should
declare war with the non-Muslim state upon which you wish war to be
declared, then the most you could do in this capacity is to lobby your
authority for it. However, if your anger is so unrestrained that its
fire brings out the worst in you to the point that your disagreement
with your Muslim authority leads you to declare war on those you want
your authority to declare war on, and you end up resorting to violence,
then know with certainty that you have violated our own religious Laws.
For then you will have taken the Shari'a into your own hands."
Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti, Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless against the Killing of Civilians, Germany: Warda Publications, and United Kingdom: Aqsa Press, 2005, p.49, http://www.warda.info/fatwa.pdf
Abd al-Hakim Murad, British Muslim scholar:
"This is a decadence that is profound. And that it happens in
the holy land is particularly worrying. Near the muqadsāt, where we are
particularly required to conform entirely to the adāb of the Shari’ah.
This is a deep subversion. And as for those who think that for reasons
of masfahah that the door can be opened there, but somehow that door
will remain closed elsewhere in the world, that this door can be opened
because the Palestinians are so oppressed and somehow it’s going to
help them, but of course we keep it closed in Chechnya and Kahsmir and
certainly in London, that logic doesn’t seem to have worked too well.
That rage, that desire to self annihilation, to lash out and the men,
women and children, whoever in the vicinity, is now becoming a global
epidemic. And the ‘ulama who opened the little door now see these
legions rushing through it in every place don’t know what to do about
it. That door has to be closed. Islam is too good for such practices,
for such baseness, for such wild expression of futility and despair and
vindictiveness."
Interview, December 16-18, 2005, London-Leeds-Manchester, http://www.radicalmiddleway.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=45
Islamic Society of North America:
"The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) condemns in the strongest
terms the recent acts of terrorism in Glasgow, London and Yemen. We
reaffirm our long-standing, unqualified condemnation of all acts of
terrorism and all acts of violence committed against the innocent, and
our denunciation of religious extremism and particularly the use of
Islam to justify terrorism in any of its forms*. We sympathize with the
victims of these senseless attacks and offer our heart-felt condolences
to the families who have lost their dear ones."
Islamic Society of North America Statement in Response to Recent Bombings, July 10, 2007, http://www.isna.net/index.php?id=35&backPID=1&tt_news=884
Maulana Marghubur Rahman, organizer of "Anti-Terrorism Convention" and rector of the Dar ul-Ulum Deoband madrasa, India:
"We condemn all forms of terrorism ... and in this we make no
distinction. Terrorism is completely wrong, no matter who engages in
it, and no matter what religion he follows or community he belongs to."
February 2008, translated by Yoginder Sikand, http://www.twocircles.net/2008mar11/deobands_anti_terrorism_convention_some_reflections.html
See also:
Bernard Haykel, assistant professor of Islamic law at New York University:
"According to Islamic law there are at least six reasons why Bin Laden's
barbaric violence cannot fall under the rubric of jihad: 1) Individuals
and organizations cannot declare a jihad, only states can; 2) One cannot
kill innocent women and children when conducting a jihad; 3) One cannot
kill Muslims in a jihad; 4) One cannot fight a jihad against a country
in which Muslims can freely practise their religion and proselytize Islam;
5) Prominent Muslim jurists around the world have condemned these attacks
and their condemnation forms a juristic consensus (ijma') against Bin Laden's
actions (This consensus renders his actions un-Islamic); 6) The welfare
and interest of the Muslim community (maslaha) is being harmed by Bin Laden's
actions and this equally makes them un-Islamic."
The Dawn newspaper, Karachi, Pakistan, October 8, 2001,
http://www.dawn.com/2001/10/08/op.htm#2
See other collections of statements:
Sheila Musaji, "Muslims Denounce Terrorism: Muslim Voices Against Extremism and Terrorism," http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_voices_against_extremism_and_terrorism_2
Omid Safi, "Scholars of Islam & the Tragedy of Sept. 11th," http://groups.colgate.edu/aarislam/response.htm
Tim Lubin, Washington and Lee University, "Islamic Responses to the Sept. 11 Attack," http://home.wlu.edu/~lubint/islamonWTC.htm
The Becket Fund, "Osama Bin Laden Hijacked Four Airplanes and a Religion," October 17, 2001, http://www.becketfund.org/other/MuslimAd.html
Islam for Today, "Muslims Against Terrorism,” http://www.islamfortoday.com/terrorism.htm
ReligiousTolerance.org, "Aftermath of the 9-11 Terrorist Attack: Voices of Moderate Muslims," http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter16.htm
Al-Muhajabah's Islamic Pages, "Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks," http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php
Islamic Stand on Terrorism: An International Conference, Al-Imam Muhammad
Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 20-22 April 2004, http://www.islamstand.org/english/abaakail.htm
Juan Cole, "Friedman Wrong About Muslims Again," July 9, 2005, http://www.juancole.com/2005/07/friedman-wrong-about-muslims-again-and.html
Fatwa-Online, "Worship \ Jihaad \ WTC - New York, USA - 9/11," http://www.fatwa-online.com/worship/jihaad/jih007/index.htm
Fatwa-Online, "Worship \ Jihaad \ Suicide Bombings," http://www.fatwa-online.com/worship/jihaad/jih004/index.htm
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