Saturday, July 30, 2005

American Muslim anti-terror fatwa...a good start, but...

...that's about it. That's why the following post is on Marathon Pundit. Much more needs to be spoken out about in regards to the CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) led fatwa.

The entire fatwa is on this PDF document.

Here is the highlight of that fatwa:

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 – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”

Specifically mentioning suicide bombing as being forbidden by Islam, well, I'm glad it's been put into such terms.

But, as Judy Hsu of ABC 7 Chicago points out:

Some might question whether the statement made Friday will actually make a difference to sway extremists. Islam has no central authority and the panel that issued the fatwa serves an advisory role for American-Muslims. But it is the most significant statement so far coming from people in charge of interpreting religious law for the Muslim community.

Now, here is what, courtesy of Michelle Malkin's blog, what Steve Emerson's Counterterrorism Blog has to say about what he calls a "bogus fatwa."

This morning a group of American Islamic leaders held a press conference to announce a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against “terrorism and extremism.” An organization called the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) issued the fatwa, and the Council on American - Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized the press conference, stating that several major U.S. Muslim groups endorsed the fatwa.

In fact, the fatwa is bogus. Nowhere does it condemn the Islamic extremism ideology that has spawned Islamic terrorism. It does not renounce nor even acknowledge the existence of an Islamic jihadist culture that has permeated mosques and young Muslims around the world. It does not renounce Jihad let alone admit that it has been used to justify Islamic terrorist acts. It does not condemn by name any Islamic group or leader. In short, it is a fake fatwa designed merely to deceive the American public into believing that these groups are moderate. In fact, officials of both organizations have been directly linked to and associated with Islamic terrorist groups and Islamic extremist organizations. One of them is an unindicted co-conspirator in a current terrorist case; another previous member was a financier to Al-Qaeda.

Well, you've read this far. Thanks. There's one more post, below, that should be read as well.

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