A Family in Baghdad

Saturday, November 19th , 2005
Good morning…
I want to continue talking about Islam…
Perhaps the westerners think we look at them in a racial way, or that we hate them, or such…
According to our faith, Islam is a religion which came for all nations… and the message of the Prophet Mohammad (May Peace be upon Him), came on to finish the mission of all the many Prophets and Messengers who came before him, the last of which were Moses, and Jesus…
In the Holy Quran, there are many verses who talk about this subject, like the beginning of the "Al'l Umran" Sura (=chapter) :
" GOD whom there are non but HIM, the ever Living, the Keeper, Who brought down the Book onto you, rightfully, in believing what HE has in hands, and brought down the Torah (the old testament) and the Bible (the new testament)….
Meaning- the Quran admits to the legitimacy of the Torah and the Bible… and doesn't deny or omit their presence…
And when the Prophet Mohammad (May Peace be upon Him) used to speak of the other Prophets, He says: My brother Moses, My Brother Jesus…
And the address of the Quran doesn't have sentences like: Listen, Oh Muslims…
But verses like this: Listen, People… or Listen, Oh Believers…
And that proves the generality of the address; it doesn't have a narrowness of vision in it…
I do not want to talk about more details, for there are some 200 web sites who talk about Islam; the worship, the rituals, the Holy Quran and its explanation, and the Sayings of the Prophet Mohammad (May Peace be upon Him).
This was announced by an Egyptian researcher for whom I read an article in a newspaper a month ago… he says he discovered some 10,000 web sites currently on the internet, which are hostile to Islam.
And a question brings itself: Why?
And who is responsible for creating those hostile websites?
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Then there is the issue of Jihad in Islam, which is the most controversial and debatable issue…
In the west, especially Bush and his government, say Terrorism, a justification of Terrorism, and glorifying of Terrorism.
We say : Jihad, and glorify Jihad…
In Islam, Jihad has a certain definition, and a meaning…
As for Terrorism; it is an absurd act, which angers GOD….
Jihad is the nation's duty if that nation was subjected to aggression, like what happened during the Crusade wars; then, there was an Islamic state, a Caliphate, meaning- a center of the state, and that center was responsible for implementing the rules of religion as the clergy would advice, to the ruling Caliph…
By Jihad, and its glamour upon people, they kept on fighting for 200 years, until the Crusaders were out of the Kingdom of Jerusalem….
But where is the Islamic state now?
After the end of World War I, and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the entity called "the state of Islamic Caliphate" has ended, and the Arabic-Islamic states were divided into small countries, and dividing boarders were put to divide them from each other, like Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt,…..
The big Islamic state was disintegrated, then came the Siex-Beacue treaty in 1918 to divide the Islamic-Arabic homeland, turning it into colonies, some to Britain, and some to France, as for Libya, it was under the Italian colonization…
And the Arabic-Islamic countries suffered from the injustice of the colonization, and its cruelty…
And again by Jihad, A word that has a magical influence upon people, these countries were liberated, except for Palestine, after its people gave on thousands of martyrs; Algiers alone gave a million martyrs…
The word " Jihad" is a holy word for Muslims, its meaning connected with identity, and belonging, with rejecting the occupier, or the foreign imperialist…
The Mujahid sacrifices himself so that the others after him should live freely, with dignity…
That is the idea…
But the terrorist is a fiddling killer, who pays no attention to his life, or the lives of others….
The difference between him and a Mujahid, is like the difference between soil, and the highest star in heaven…
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Today, the word " Jihad" became a poisonous, killing word in the west…
For they want to spread the idea that Jihad is Terrorism…
And when organizations like Al-Qai'ida, and leaders like Bin-Laden and Al-Dawa'ahiery appeared after the New York bombings; we do not know what their involvement is with these bombings, for most Muslims rejected this operation, because it doesn't express the mentality of Muslims, or their heritage; we have no violence in our mentalities, or in our heritage….

We believe in Jihad against whoever enters into our homelands, and occupies them… we do not support attacks on other countries, or killing civilians, even if the target was to destroy the economy of the enemy…
And these acts has done wrong to Islam, very much… it made the Islamic world enter into astonishment, confusion, and an endless debate about the legitimacy of such actions…
And we know that America, before the attack of September 2001, has been planning to confront Islam; for a book like "The Clash of Civilizations" by Huntington, a Professor in Harvard University, and one of the strategic thinkers in America, that book, published in1996, spoke of Islam as an oncoming enemy, stressing that the idea of a clash is coming, no doubt…
Then, came the New York bombings 2001, to verify what the author said, which raised the doubts of Muslims around the world about how much Al-Qai'ida was really involved in this matter?
And how much this organization really belongs to Muslims?
It has presented a deformed image of them, justifying the western offensive against them, and giving a reason to implement a long-term American plan to destroy the lands of Islam…

As a result, the feature of terrorism was glued to Islam, whether we liked it or not…
And we were kept thinking of how much Bin Laden loved Islam, how much is his wish to help the Muslims, and the avail of this clash with the west?
And the war on terrorism started, in Afghanistan, then Iraq, and of course, in Palestine, the ferocity of Israel increased, and now, the campaign on Syria started, and there is another campaign, of another kind, going on Iran…
This means that the Muslims are the losers since the New York bombings 2001, till now…..and our losses are greater than those of America, in the number of human casualties, and the destruction of our countries and economies…..
So, does Al-Qai'ida really work for the benefit of Islam, and the Muslims?
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After the events of September 2001, the Muslims started feeling they were pressed into a war they didn't want to go through… and after the Bush administration decided to invest the situation for its benefit, they started threatening and menacing the Arab and Islamic countries, does that mean the solution is to give in to the oncoming fierce force?
Perhaps the answer of most of the Arabic regimes was: Yes, we give in, we have no other choice…

While Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Hizb-Al-Laah in Lebanon, all rejected the idea that Islam is terrorism, opposed America, and stood in her face…
So, what happened?
Afghanistan was bombed, the regime fell, and was exchanged with one docile to America…

Then the war started on Iraq; the whole state was destroyed, not only the government, but the army, the police force, and some ministries and state offices were disbanded, an American governor was appointed for Iraq, then, a governing council, chosen by the American governor, then, an interim government, in which the American government itself interfered, then, some deformed elections was held under the occupation, at the beginning of 2005.
At the same time, there were various resistance groups; some targeting the occupation forces and those who collaborate with them, and those are supported by the Iraqi people, who see them as the legitimate resistance…
and there are some who explode cars or bombs in a random way, killing civilians in mosques, streets, and public markets…., and the Iraqi people suspect those of being some CIA aids, because they want to defile the national Iraqi resistance, and deform the word "Jihad", and substitute it with the word Terrorism….
Meaning- after all these years, and the bitter harvest we reaped, it shows that the first, and last, beneficiaries of the New York bombings is the American administration; for she alone is taking the decisions, and dominating the world as she likes, as a cover up for the war on terrorism.
And of course, now the turn comes to Syria, and Hizb-Al-Laah in Lebanon, to be the next targets…
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In the absence of an Islamic state, the clergy that can be trusted are also absent…
Now, in the Islamic countries, the clergy are appointed by the government, they speak within her horizon, like parrots, and there is a book by Ali Al-Wardiy, a well-known Iraqi writer, specialized in history and sociology, in which he calls them: The Preachers of Kings, meaning- they are a bunch of mercenaries who receive salaries, and say what satisfies the government, not what satisfies GOD and HIS Messenger, and those were who moved people away from the true spirit of Islam…
They exist now in most Arabic and Islamic countries, justifying the cowardice and feebleness of the Arabic and Islamic governments from helping the Palestinians, or the Iraqis, or the Syrians… because they fear the loss of their Seats of Power, so, let the nation, and Islam go to hell….
That is the limit of their thinking…
That is why the nation got astray between those, and an angry organization that has a sharp concept in dealing with the Muslim's troubles, like Al-Qai'ida organization…
People got confused between the hateful, frustrating weakness of the governments… and the violence of those who offend Islam, showing it in a foolish way; when they bomb and kill randomly, then justify this as good for Islam…
By this they trick people, and attract many factions of the miserable Arabic people, laden with sadness and anger for what is happening in Iraq and Palestine, and sometimes their sons become the fuel of these organizations with the mysterious aims and intentions, the suspicious organizations…

Take for example, the Amman hotel's explosions; it is just what America wants, so she came running, and condemned, cried, and wailed on the civilian victims, then started her pressures on the government to make some changes in the Council of notables and the army and police leaderships, and to take strict measures against terrorism, and whoever justifies it, and glorifies it… we understand what they mean…
They will write a law for fighting terrorism, and we expect it to be a reason to muzzle mouths, and to lower the ceiling of democracy and freedoms in the country, and the struggles of tens of years to improve the democracy and freedom in Jordan will go in vain…
Since the war on Iraq, a huge public sympathy was born in Jordan, with Iraq, the Iraqis, and the resistance against the occupation. And these explosions were to become a slap on the face for the Jordanian people, to confuse and astonish them, and change their feelings towards Iraq…
As a result we see: that these explosions landed for the benefit of America and her war against Islam…
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In the Muslim's heritage, there is no glorification for the culture of killing and terrorism…
There is a glorification for the culture of death for the sake of liberating the homeland, and this is a culture that exists in every country in the world; Asia, Africa, and Europe….
There are a lot of international novels that glorify the star role of those who die to liberate their countries, or those who die in defending the oppressed, and their right in a free, honorable life… also we saw in the cinema long movies telling the life stories of heroes like Spartacus, who died to free the oppressed slaves in Rome… and "the Brave Heart" movie, starred by Mill Gibson , in which he played the Scottish hero against the British occupation…
We aren't sick people, or with pervert faith, to glorify who kills the innocent…
We are like other nations , we hate injustice and the foreign occupation, and think that fighting them is something that no two would disagree upon……
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That is why people in Iraq and Jordan always suspect the presence of a formation headed by Al-Zarqawi, because he is specialized in dumb operations that insult Islam… and offend it…
So, they are either a bunch of fools and bandits, who think that Jihad is spilling people's blood… or they are a formation belonging to the CIA, and the Mosad… for it is destroying the reputation of Islam and Muslims, and is hurting them more than benefiting them…

I remember that the first operation carried out by Al-Zarqawi formation after the fall of Baghdad, was exploding a trapped car in front of the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, killing tens of innocent Iraqis and Jordanians…
And we always say: where is the Jihad here?
Is he a lunatic man?
Or a CIA agent?
Or is he just an imaginary character, behind which the enemies of Muslims lurk; those who want us to give up Jihad… mixing – in purpose- between terrorism and Jihad, to deform the face of Jihad, and thus making people turn away from it…
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In Iraq, the news brings in more scandals this week…
The American army admitted using the white phosphor gas against the residents of Fallujah last year, when they besieged her…
It burned people's skins, suffocated them, then eliminated their lives….
And a few days ago, they found a cellar of the Iraqi interior ministry, with detainees on whom there were marks of torture and beating…
The American forces refuse to have an international investigation in the matter, because the Iraqis no longer have faith in the honesty of the present Iraqi government.
Who will stop its transgressions?
Who will defend the unjustly treated in Iraq, or give them back their rights?
The local Human Rights Organizations in Iraq say: we presented 50 complaints to the government, about cases of torture, and human rights violation, and no one answered….
And we always say: This is happening in Iraq, but nobody believes…
People are fooled by the speeches of Bush, there, in America, and wherever Gondaliza Rice goes around the world, she boasts and quotes Iraq as the democracy model her country created in the Middle East…
And I do not know who the thick-head is: the one who believes them, or the one who writes their speeches?
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I decided to take a look at the Al-Zarqawi letters on the internet sites, or those broadcasted by Al-Jazzera, and I thought: If this Al-Jazzera channel was in a place other than Qatar, where the American military headquarters is, from which Iraq was raided, I might have been able to believe it is a channel that loves Muslims, and defends them. But in most cases, I find she is putting poison inside the honey in their news, coming up with a news item that looks like a scandal against an Arabic government, but in truth it is to evoke disturbance and conflict between Arabs and Muslims, more than saying a truth that might benefit them…
Why do they adopt the tapes of Al-Zarqawi, Bin Laden, and Al-Dawahery? And adopt broadcasting the tapes of killings, and the organizations that harm Islam?
And why wouldn't the American troops attack the station, seize the tapes, and investigate from where did they come? Why wouldn't they give the $ 25 million to the person who brought the new Al-Zarqawi photo, so he would tell them his whereabouts?
But these tapes and imaginary internet sites are unconvincing stories at all.
A lot of people here say that these sites are nourished from Europe or America by new, almost–daily letters…
Well then, we all know that there, they have advanced technology to break through internet sites, and they can, for example, break through the Al-Qai'ida or Al-Zarqawi sites on the internet, and find out immediately who posted a letter or a speech; I mean, they will know the time and place, and if they want, they can arrest Al-Qai'ida group or Al-Zarqawi along time ago…

And I look at Al-Qai'ida speeches on Al-Jazzera, or on their web sites…
The speech is silly and naïve, containing extinct words like: The Crusaders, and the Infidels… as if its writer lives in the middle ages…
The speech had no deep and clear analysis of the present conflict between us and America at all, nor why she came on and targeted us? The speech doesn't tell us that we have the legitimacy to fight against the occupation forces…
They target America only because it is an infidel crusader?
What's this empty talk?
And the alleged apology letter to the Jordanian people, in which he said he didn't target the wedding party, but a conference room in which there was an intelligence officer…
Well then, a person who watches a hotel to make an explosion, didn't he see the wedding parties and the people in that hotel?
Then, he goes on and sends a dumb woman like this "Sajidah", who doesn't know how to use the explosive belt, so she runs away, and would be caught by the police a few days later?
What kind of a stupid, losing formation is this?
And again, why did the suicide bombers come from Iraq? Why weren't they Jordanians?
Unconvincing stories, as if making fools out of the Arabic-Muslim citizen, wanting to convey a lying, made-up message. The important thing in all this is to make Islam hateful, and slander the name of the Jihad against the occupiers in Iraq and Palestine….
Most people suspect the origins of these organizations, thinking they are puppets of America, doing what America wants, and achieving her goals.
First: the charge of terrorism will be stuck with Islam.
Second: the idea of Jihad against the enemy will be defiled.
Third: this will justify more the American dominance of the world countries, under the cover of fighting terrorism.
And this is what has been going on since the New York and London bombings.
And in Iraq, where the operations of killing the innocent Iraqi civilians in mosques and public markets go on, to provoke sectarian unrest, and distract people's minds so they wouldn't look at their real enemy in Iraq; the foreign occupation forces, on to the Amman bombings of the hotels and killing the innocent civilians; all these are absurd, stupid actions, spilling the Muslims' blood, spreading chaos among them, making them doubt their religion and faith, and defile the name of Islam all over the world…
Don't tell me these are conspiracy theories…
There are no more theories; this is reality, all our cities are security penetrated, the fingers of the American and Israeli intelligence are everywhere, especially in Iraq after the war…

And the result of all this chaos is: let the Arabic and Islamic people after all this mess be driven like sheep, eat-drink-and sleep, without interfering or protesting to what injustice is taking place in Iraq and Palestine, and these people could have some other activities, like watching songs and dancing, or the silly serials on TV, to kill the time…
And let the principals lead matters on….
And who are the principles on the lands of Muslims these days?
They are either governments that shake in fear from America, and do what they are told to do…. Or dumb, stupid formations that deform Islam, like Al-Qai'ida, exploding, killing, spilling blood, and raking havoc on earth, to bring on damnations and hate onto Islam ............... and this is exactly what America wants, for the results are in her favor…..
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And away from these, there are real, honest, Muslim and Arab Mujahideen, whom America kills in Iraq, or detains them because they target her army, and kills them in Afghanistan or detains them, because they reject her existence. And there are Arabs and Muslims in Palestine whom Israel kills or detains because they refuse her injustice, and there are prisons in Arabic and Muslims countries, or others, filled with those who are against America and her injustice, supervised by the CIA, and every now and then, some human rights organization comes up with reports that would be published by the media against these prisons, but people read on, whisper, then go back to silence.

And in order not to be unfair, or far from reality, we all began to see a tide of honest clergy appearing in Iraq, those who are against the occupation, against the injustice, against detaining and torturing people.
Before the war, the traditional clergy were of the "Preachers of Kings" brand, who adulated Saddam Hussein, and shook of fear from him. And according to our religion, he was supposed to be the one to adulate them and seek their approval, that is; if they truly spoke in the name of Islam.
And thank GOD that after the war, more honest clergy appeared, more honest in their talk, and speech to people. And of course, the Iraqi prisons are full of those now, and they suffer the most severe torture, and injustice….
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Although the scene is very dark, a lot of Muslims still believe this is a temporary situation, that victory will come no doubt, and the enemies of the nation will be defeated.
And by Jihad alone, they will be pushed out of the Muslim lands.
For however much they acted cunningly, and plotted conspiracies and fake stories to distract people, and deform the image of Islam ….the religion of Islam will be victorious against them, for GOD will not forget HIS religion……
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Translated by May/Baghdad.