17 October 2001

Islamic Scholars Reject Bin Laden's Call for Jihad Against Americans

Washington -- Eminent Islamic scholars from North America, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia have rejected appeals from Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network for a "jihad," or holy war, against Americans.

The Canadian office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association issued a joint statement October 17 that said, "Islam respects the sacredness of life, and rejects any express statement or tacit insinuation that Muslims should harm innocent people."

"Using the concept of Jihad to justify harming the innocent is contrary to the letter and spirit of Islam," the statement said. "We condemn any violence that springs from this misguided interpretation." CAIR said prominent Canadian Islamic scholars endorsed the statement.

The statement provided an in-depth explanation of the Arabic term "jihad," which is often misunderstood in non-Muslim countries. In its literal sense, the term means struggle and has three dimensions -- internal, societal and combative, the statement said. The internal dimension of jihad concerns the struggle against the evil inclinations of the self that obstruct attainment of virtues such as justice, mercy, generosity and gentleness, the statement said. The societal sense of jihad involves the struggle against social injustice and efforts to create a community based on charity, respect, and equality, the statement said.

In its combative aspect, the concept of jihad can be invoked only for self-defense against aggression or to fight oppression and the struggle must be waged in a way that preserves the lives of innocents and avoids harm to the environment, the statement said.

"Moreover, this latter type of jihad can only be declared by a legitimate, recognized religious authority," the statement said.

In a related development, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty placed a full-page advertisement headlined in large block letters in the Washington Post October 17. Denouncing the deformation of Islam by Bin Laden and his group, the headline read, "Usama bin Laden hijacked four airplanes and a religion."

"Just as he must not be allowed to get away with the terrorist hijackings and cold-blooded murder of September 11, Usama bin Laden must not be allowed to get away with hijacking Islam and the good name of religion generally," the advertisement said.

The Becket Fund ad quoted seven statements by Islamic authorities in North America, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, condemning Bin Laden's appeal.

"Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form on injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts," said Shaikh Abdulaziz Al-Shaikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Senior Ulema, September 15.

"[the attacks] will be punished on the day of judgment," said Sheik Mohammed Sayyed al-Tantawi, leader of Egypt's great mosque, Al-Azhar, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal October 9.

"The terrorist acts...considered by Islamic law...[constitute] the crime of 'hirabah' (waging war against society)," read a fatwa, or Islamic legal opinion, issued by six Islamic scholars in the Middle East and North America on September 27.

The scholars were Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Grand Islamic Scholar and Chairman of the Sunna and Sira Council, Qatar), Judge Tariq al-Bishri (First Deputy President of the Council d'etat, Egypt), Dr. Muhammad S. al-Awa (Professor of Comparative Law and Shari'a, Egypt), Dr. Haytham al-Khayyat (Islamic Scholar, Syria), Fahmi Houaydi (Islamic Scholar, Egypt), and Sheikh Taha Jabir al-Alawani (Chairman, North America High Council).

"Neither the law of Islam nor its ethical system justify such a crime," Zaki Badawi, Principal of the Muslim College in London, was quoted as saying by Arab News on September 28.

"It is wrong to kill innocent people. It is also wrong to praise those who kill innocent people," Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai of Pakistan, was quoted as saying in the New York Times, September 28.

"What these people stand for is completely against all the principles that Arab Muslims believe in," Abdullah II, King of Jordan and descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, said as quoted in Middle East Times, September 28.

"These terrorist acts contradict the teaching of all religions and human and moral values," the Organization of the Islamic Conference said in an official statement of the 56-nation organization at its emergency meeting in Doha, Qatar October 10.