Curious, I had a look at the WA Muslim News Website at http://islam.ii.net/. Prominently, right below the "subscribe" box, is a link to "Jihad Unspun".
On following the link, I found the article exerpted below (my own emphasis added)...
US occupation forces and their Iraqi stooges tightened their security noose on the northern Iraqi city of Mosul...
...The Americans and the Iraqi puppet forces backed up by US military vehicles set up numerous checkpoints at the ends of bridges and major roads in the city, essentially making it impossible for people on one side of the city to get to the other side.
The situation forced Iraqi puppet police to transport women in their police cars from one side of the city to the other just to enable them to get home.
... the intense security followed a visit by the puppet so-called “Iraqi interior minister” Bayan Jabr to the city several days ago....Jabr held meetings with local puppet security officials in the city and ordered them to impose a new security plan aimed at ridding Mosul of Resistance fighters. Jabr reportedly ordered additional puppet forces.... to take part in the new crackdown.
....Resistance forces attacked a joint US-Iraqi puppet check point on the road to Saddam International Airport .....Resistance fighters armed with light and medium weapons....attacked the checkpoint,....Two US troops were reportedly killed and three more American soldiers wounded. Five Iraqi puppet troops were also reported killed and three more of them wounded.
...many of the Iraqi puppet forces fled to the safety of houses in the neighborhood as soon as the Resistance fighters attacked the checkpoint.
Wow!! This is trumpeted on the home page as "uncensored news"!! ...and promoted here in WA. What is this site? Honest Reporting in an article posted January 2004 describes it as having a "record of blatantly distorting established facts, glorifying terror, and publishing highly defamatory anti-Semitic material...." It was started by "...Khadija Abdul Qahaar (a.k.a. Bev Kennedy), who converted to Islam after 9/11...(and)...became an advocate for its most radical fringe..."
Here is her story, in her own words extracted from the Website at Jihad Unspun - Ashes to Light:
My name is Khadija Abdul Qahaar and I am the owner and publisher of Jihad Unspun. I am Muslim, who like many others, embraced Islam as the result of 911. Many of our viewers will know me as Bev Kennedy and Paul Morris-Read, the pen names I have used on this portal.... it is my hope that this will inspire others to Islam and to take a stand against this shameful war on "terrorism".
....For the record I have never been a fan of the Bush’s....I told friends and colleagues on the night Bush was sworn into office “this man is dangerous” and unfortunately since, I have been proven right many times over.
....Although I grieved for the precious lives that were lost on September the 11th, combined with the hundreds of thousands that died as the result of the brutalities carried out under the banner of American Foreign Policy, these were a mere drop in the bucket. ....this was a war against Muslims that did not begin on September 11th but rather in its current form, two decades earlier with seeds planted shortly after World War II. This war was provoked by the American government ...that served the interests of the Zionists and the privileged, with the media as the tool of choice to persuade the masses and cover over a multitude of ...crimes against humanity...
....when I read an English translation of the Qur’an. .....What first impressed me was the completeness of this religion.....I knew that God was Allah because of a host of proofs including the early translations of the Bible. I believed that Mohammed ...was indeed a messenger of God .....On April 12, 2002 ...I ...declared my submission to Allah, the one true God.....
....the so-called war on “terrorism” was a sham. This is not a war on “terrorism” - this is a war against Muslims and our resources. ...this war began two decades ago, with roots earlier than that and under the guise of a reckless American Foreign Policy. Now that the backlash has finally erupted, the result is being exploited to accomplish what the real goal has been all along.
... and that is the US goal of world hegemony, built around securing, by force, command over the oil supplies required to drive the whole sinister saga....there are attacks against our religion of Islam every day...the US and the UK are beginning to run out of secure hydrocarbon energy supplies .....
...It is clear the US authorities did nothing to pre-empt the events of 911....911 offered a means to put their sick plan into play....The war on “terrorism” has given free license to the US plan for world domination and its plunder of Muslim lands and oil....What has not resulted is justice for the families of the precious lives that were lost on 911 anymore than it has for the hundreds of thousands of precious lives that were cut short before them in Iraq, Palestine, Bosnia, Somalia, Chechnya and a host of other countries at the hands of a wicked American Foreign Policy.
We will never have peace until we fully understand the roots of this ongoing conflict and the real motives of America are out in the open and stopped.
....America has managed to affront even its strongest allies with its illegal invasion of Iraq and has shown the whole world what its true colors are.......American controlled Afghanistan pipeline project .....the plunder of Iraq’s oil fields....that have Iraqis now living ..... in much worse conditions than even under the tyrant Saddam....
Since 911, every act of American aggression has been justified as an action aimed at Al-Qaida. This is the Bush administration's sales pitch to raise the specter of terrorism and 9-11 ...
.....Make no mistake, Osama bin Laden has declared war on America and is waging a defensive war against America’s aggressive plunder of the lands of the Muslims and in defense of the atrocities perpetrated against Muslims along their vicious way. Legally, he can no(t) ... be held accountable for 911...
.....America has also managed to create the perception of Muslims as “terrorists” and Islam as a religion of violence ...there is not even an effort to cover over the hate that is deliberately being fueled against Muslims.
.... If the Muslim Ummah was upset after 911, rest assured we are even more upset now, with the wide spread and blatant attacks against our religion while America and its allies grab our resources with the endorsement of the world community at large. ... The criminal acts that have been perpetrated ...in the name of American democracy ...that has long been bankrupt and has been replaced by a fascist regime. ....both political parties ...are nothing more than a mechanism for large corporations, Jewish lobbies and well funded special interest groups that buy candidates to meet their individual objectives.
.....Do not be deceived. The enemies of Islam are speaking very clearly.
...why is it that that so many Muslims, a people who have been entrusted with God’s final message to mankind and who are to assume a leadership role in the world, cower in the face of the enemy, even as Allah ...promises us victory? ...many Muslims are Muslim in name only and an astounding percentage do not know, let alone practice, their religion.
.....The Muslim Ummah is weak because we as Muslims are weak. In America and the West, the enemies of Islam have cleverly segmented country and religion. Muslims in the West are now faced with choosing one over the other. In this there is no decision. Some have opted to serve two masters; a choice that fails to serve either. The enemies of Islam are cunning indeed. They have further fragmented Muslims into categories, from moderates to extremists. There is no such thing in Islam. There is neither compulsion nor compromise in the requirements laid out for us in the Qur’an or the Sunnah.
The enemies of Islam have taken one of our most sacred of acts, namely Jihad and reduce its meaning to military aggression waged by radical Islamists which it is not. This has created more fear amongst Muslims and many of our brothers and sisters have distanced themselves from the actions of our Mujahideen as the result. Every Muslim is obligated to participate in the defense of the Muslim people wherever they are attacked.
....Muslims are now pitted against each other when it is abundantly clear in the Quran and the Sunnah that it is a duty for Muslims to support their fellow Muslims wherever they are in the world.
We will only be able to stop this aggression....if we rise to the status that Allah has called us to...putting into action the prescribed methods that have been laid down for us.
....While Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaida is an effective fighting force, the facts are that there are now multiple, diverse groups threatening US interests which highlights the extreme weaknesses found in this approach. ....There can never be peace as long America continues to perpetrate acts of aggression against Muslims, either directly in invading our lands or by facilitating puppet regimes or hiding behind the transparent veil of the United Nations, whether it be in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya or anywhere on the globe....
The article also includes the following quote from the koran:
"O you who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians as Auliya' (close friends, protectors, helpers, etc), they are but Auliya to one another. And if any amongst you takes them as Auliya', then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)." Qur'an 5:51
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
The Methodical Threat of Muslim Infiltration
from NewsMax.com: One Reporter's Opinion - The Methodical Threat of Muslim Infiltration: byGeorge Putnam, Friday, June 24, 2005 ....
It is this reporter's opinion that at the top of your summer reading list should be Washington-based investigative reporter Paul Sperry's new book, 'Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington.'
Using access to classified documents and exclusive interviews with FBI agents, customs officers and military intelligence officials, Sperry reveals how the top levels of our government, armed forces, and intelligence agencies have been compromised by radical Muslims - many of them trained, supported, and inserted into their positions by the so-called "moderate Muslim establishment in America."
...Paul Sperry quotes verbatim from some of the most respected and mainstream Muslim leaders in America: "It is their objective to replace our U.S. Constitution with Islamic law and turn America into an Islamic state."
Sperry, in his brilliant dissertation, tells how radical Muslims, masquerade as moderates as they permeate all areas of our society. He points to a disturbing tale of how the American people have been taken for fools, victims of an elaborate fraud orchestrated by the mainstream Muslim establishment to protect themselves from scrutiny while concealing an underworld that secretly plots to infiltrate and overturn the American system of government.
To buy the book from Amazon, click here.
It is this reporter's opinion that at the top of your summer reading list should be Washington-based investigative reporter Paul Sperry's new book, 'Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington.'
Using access to classified documents and exclusive interviews with FBI agents, customs officers and military intelligence officials, Sperry reveals how the top levels of our government, armed forces, and intelligence agencies have been compromised by radical Muslims - many of them trained, supported, and inserted into their positions by the so-called "moderate Muslim establishment in America."
...Paul Sperry quotes verbatim from some of the most respected and mainstream Muslim leaders in America: "It is their objective to replace our U.S. Constitution with Islamic law and turn America into an Islamic state."
Sperry, in his brilliant dissertation, tells how radical Muslims, masquerade as moderates as they permeate all areas of our society. He points to a disturbing tale of how the American people have been taken for fools, victims of an elaborate fraud orchestrated by the mainstream Muslim establishment to protect themselves from scrutiny while concealing an underworld that secretly plots to infiltrate and overturn the American system of government.
To buy the book from Amazon, click here.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Terrorism: Where is the Counter Fatwa?
Terrorism: Where is the Counter Fatwa?
by Mamoun Fandy, Ph.D.
The time has come for a fatwa (a legal Islamic opinion) to be issued that disconnects Osama Bin Laden and his followers from Islam. In a time in which terrorist operations have spread across world cities from New York to Casablanca, from Cairo to London, and most recently in Sharm El Sheikh, we desperately need a series of fatwas that assert that Islam does not condone violence against innocent people. However, this is not even enough. We also need to exclude those among us who believe that violence is the way to defend Islam. As a Muslim, I believe that we need total clarity on the subject. We should respond to the fatwas that are issued in our name.
Muslims all over the world should build up their courage in opposition to terrorism and clearly show that Islam prohibits acts such as those committed by terrorists. It is time that Islamic leaders declare that Bin Laden is not a Muslim in response to Bin Laden and his groups' description of moderate Muslims as "the West's allies" and as "infidels". If Islam condemns Bin Laden's acts, then there should be a clear fatwa issued from the centers of Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) such as Mecca and Al-Azhar to that effect, a fatwa that would shift them outside of the realm of Islam. It is also time to remove the title of 'Mosque' from any place in which Molotov bombs are prepared.
The Leeds terrorists concocted their plan inside a mosque as they fooled others into thinking that they were at prayers. To whom were they praying, God or the devil? Muslims should denounce the locations of where bombs and terrorist plans are prepared as evil, and not describe them as mosques. Some may argue that instead, moderate Muslims should takeover these mosques; however, this is unlikely, as the moderates are not daring enough. The least that should be done is ensure that such places are boycotted by the moderates. They should realize that if a mosque becomes a ground for making Molotov bombs, it ceases to be a mosque and should be considered a crime scene. Mosques are essentially places of worship and gaining knowledge, however, if they are used for other indecent purposes then they should no longer enjoy such sanctity.
Islamic texts say that the whole of the earth was created as a place of worshipping and purity. They also state that those who spread demolition on earth should be punished with severe penalty of having their arms and legs cut off. Despite this, however, some Muslims still support Bin Laden and his followers, and some newspapers and TV channels, most notably Al Jazeera, practically support him. Those Muslims, in fact have and still maintain the message to Bin Laden that "You do to the West what we want to do but are unable to execute." This is the implied message of which the West is ignorant.
Therefore, as long as no pressure is exerted upon Muslims internationally to issue fatwas that declare Bin Laden and his followers as outcasts, no significant progress will be made in the fight against terrorism. Unless such fatwas are issued, Muslims will continuously be perceived as tacit supporters of the terrorists by the world. The issue delves deeper than apparent condemnation. I met and spoke with a number of Muslims in the West, who only condemn terrorism publicly, yet within private conversations, they say in very little words that this is what the West deserves. Publicly, they declare that terrorism is a response to what happens in Palestine and Iraq, but in private, they speak of a blind hatred, which is driven by the absurd urge for destruction. This attitude has become the virus that has infected many Muslim minds. Many Muslims have in fact condemned Bin Laden, but many have not issued any condemnation whatsoever. Most of those live in the United States and Europe, and they are not, as some naïve Westerners call them, "Sleeping Cells." They are in fact wide-awake and ready to strike at anytime.
Just as it is unbeneficial for a "good" man like London's mayor Ken Livingston to invite Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to the country, it is also pointless for Tony Blair and George W. Bush to invite prospective terrorists to attend meetings held in the headquarters of the British Government and the White House. It is also sad that the Western media, especially CNN and the BBC, present Islamist activists who support terrorism and consider them experts and analysts. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, I have noted the naivety of Western media and politicians. George W. Bush himself has been photographed several times with terrorists and potential terrorists. For example, the White House and the U.S State Department have received Abdul Rahman Al 'Amoudi on numerous occasions who is the very person who had planned the attempted assassination of the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
There are two methods to eliminating terrorism. These are the issuing of fatwas that detach Osama Bin laden and his followers from Islam, and the end of the West's naivety towards "moderate Islamists." There are no "moderate Islamists" but rather there are the normal Muslims who live normal lives, there are terrorists and there are the potential terrorists.
by Mamoun Fandy, Ph.D.
The time has come for a fatwa (a legal Islamic opinion) to be issued that disconnects Osama Bin Laden and his followers from Islam. In a time in which terrorist operations have spread across world cities from New York to Casablanca, from Cairo to London, and most recently in Sharm El Sheikh, we desperately need a series of fatwas that assert that Islam does not condone violence against innocent people. However, this is not even enough. We also need to exclude those among us who believe that violence is the way to defend Islam. As a Muslim, I believe that we need total clarity on the subject. We should respond to the fatwas that are issued in our name.
Muslims all over the world should build up their courage in opposition to terrorism and clearly show that Islam prohibits acts such as those committed by terrorists. It is time that Islamic leaders declare that Bin Laden is not a Muslim in response to Bin Laden and his groups' description of moderate Muslims as "the West's allies" and as "infidels". If Islam condemns Bin Laden's acts, then there should be a clear fatwa issued from the centers of Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) such as Mecca and Al-Azhar to that effect, a fatwa that would shift them outside of the realm of Islam. It is also time to remove the title of 'Mosque' from any place in which Molotov bombs are prepared.
The Leeds terrorists concocted their plan inside a mosque as they fooled others into thinking that they were at prayers. To whom were they praying, God or the devil? Muslims should denounce the locations of where bombs and terrorist plans are prepared as evil, and not describe them as mosques. Some may argue that instead, moderate Muslims should takeover these mosques; however, this is unlikely, as the moderates are not daring enough. The least that should be done is ensure that such places are boycotted by the moderates. They should realize that if a mosque becomes a ground for making Molotov bombs, it ceases to be a mosque and should be considered a crime scene. Mosques are essentially places of worship and gaining knowledge, however, if they are used for other indecent purposes then they should no longer enjoy such sanctity.
Islamic texts say that the whole of the earth was created as a place of worshipping and purity. They also state that those who spread demolition on earth should be punished with severe penalty of having their arms and legs cut off. Despite this, however, some Muslims still support Bin Laden and his followers, and some newspapers and TV channels, most notably Al Jazeera, practically support him. Those Muslims, in fact have and still maintain the message to Bin Laden that "You do to the West what we want to do but are unable to execute." This is the implied message of which the West is ignorant.
Therefore, as long as no pressure is exerted upon Muslims internationally to issue fatwas that declare Bin Laden and his followers as outcasts, no significant progress will be made in the fight against terrorism. Unless such fatwas are issued, Muslims will continuously be perceived as tacit supporters of the terrorists by the world. The issue delves deeper than apparent condemnation. I met and spoke with a number of Muslims in the West, who only condemn terrorism publicly, yet within private conversations, they say in very little words that this is what the West deserves. Publicly, they declare that terrorism is a response to what happens in Palestine and Iraq, but in private, they speak of a blind hatred, which is driven by the absurd urge for destruction. This attitude has become the virus that has infected many Muslim minds. Many Muslims have in fact condemned Bin Laden, but many have not issued any condemnation whatsoever. Most of those live in the United States and Europe, and they are not, as some naïve Westerners call them, "Sleeping Cells." They are in fact wide-awake and ready to strike at anytime.
Just as it is unbeneficial for a "good" man like London's mayor Ken Livingston to invite Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to the country, it is also pointless for Tony Blair and George W. Bush to invite prospective terrorists to attend meetings held in the headquarters of the British Government and the White House. It is also sad that the Western media, especially CNN and the BBC, present Islamist activists who support terrorism and consider them experts and analysts. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, I have noted the naivety of Western media and politicians. George W. Bush himself has been photographed several times with terrorists and potential terrorists. For example, the White House and the U.S State Department have received Abdul Rahman Al 'Amoudi on numerous occasions who is the very person who had planned the attempted assassination of the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
There are two methods to eliminating terrorism. These are the issuing of fatwas that detach Osama Bin laden and his followers from Islam, and the end of the West's naivety towards "moderate Islamists." There are no "moderate Islamists" but rather there are the normal Muslims who live normal lives, there are terrorists and there are the potential terrorists.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Is Hizbut Al Tahrir anti-Semitic?
from a trabscript of ABC's PM - Hizbut Al Tahrir's spokesman outlines group's aims: Monday, 25 July , 2005 18:20:00, Reporter: Mark Colvin ...
MARK COLVIN: At the weekend the Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison backed a general review of Australia's anti-terror laws, pointing to people and groups which incite terrorist activities through religious preaching or writing. One group already under the spotlight is Hizb-ut-Tahrir, whose British arm is being investigated for alleged links to one of the London bombers.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir's spokesman in Australia is Wasim Doureihi. When I spoke to him this afternoon, he began by describing his group's aims.
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well Hizb-ut-Tahrir is an affiliated political party with a stated aim of resuming Islamic way of life by (inaudible) Islamic state ...
MARK COLVIN: When you say you want to establish an Islamic state, where?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Within the Muslim world can be one of those countries ... but the purpose of course is to unify the Islamic lands, to remove artificial borders that we imposed upon through the colonial empires of past.
...MARK COLVIN: So do you want to get back everything that belonged under the caliphate 200 years ago?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Absolutely, and beyond.......Now, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen overnight but at the end of the day, the political landscape within the Muslim world needs to be altered to conform with Islam, not western colonial interest.
MARK COLVIN: Now this restoration of a caliphate is one of the stated aims of Osama Bin Laden. Do you differ from him in any way?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Absolutely. ...Our methods of change is through intellectual and political work. We disallow violence as a means to establish our objectives, we engage through discussion, dialogue, discourse as a means to move the hearts and minds of the Muslims ...there are obvious challenges...
...MARK COLVIN: In 2002 on the British website of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, they posted a passage from the Koran saying "kill them wherever you find them" followed by material arguing that the Jews are a people of slander, a treacherous people, they are fabricate lies and twist words from their places.How is that non-violent?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well the reality is we have to differentiate between what that article was espousing and the sphere in which that argument is constructed.What we're talking about…
MARK COLVIN: Kill them wherever you find them, that's violence isn't it?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Yes, but you have to answer the question. How you interpret this aya, or this verse, in the Koran.Now essentially what this verse is referring to is that when your land is occupied that you have a duty to reverse that occupation, and I think this is arguing…
MARK COLVIN: But the words say kill them wherever you find them.
WASIM DOUREIHI: Most definitely. But here we're talking about not as a method to achieve change, this verse in the Koran is specifically in reference to land that has come to be occupied, and the duty under Islam to reverse that occupation. This is completely separate to the work to achieve the change in order to establish an Islamic state.
MARK COLVIN: So where does that apply, where do you think that it's alright to kill Jews?
WASIM DOUREIHI: No one's espousing the killing of Jews. What we're saying is that…
MARK COLVIN: Well it does, sorry, that passage actually specifically does say it's alright to kill Jews.
WASIM DOUREIHI: This aya is in reference, this verse is in reference to occupiers. It's not specifically directed to Jews. It's directed to occupiers. Now that can be in Palestine, that can be in Iraq, that can be in Afghanistan and other places…
MARK COLVIN: But this passage that I'm quoting to you is about the Jews.
WASIM DOUREIHI: No it's not. That's…
MARK COLVIN: "For Jews are a people of slander". Do you agree with that? A treacherous people?
WASIM DOUREIHI: I'll agree with whatever Islam espouses.
MARK COLVIN: And what does Islam espouse when it comes to the Jews, according to you?
WASIM DOUREIHI: The issue here is bigger than the Jews. When you put it in the context of what we are trying to achieve…
MARK COLVIN: Well it can be the issue because he's put Hizb-ut-Tahrir, has been accused of being an anti-Semitic organisation. Is it an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well we have been accused of a lot of things. Our literature speaks for itself and our actions and our history speaks for itself.
MARK COLVIN: Well how about you speak for yourself and tell me whether you are an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well when we engage in the work to create the change, that change occurs for intellectual and political means. We're not about killing this person or that person. We are directly, directly aligned to the work to move the hearts and minds through discussion and debate.
MARK COLVIN: Okay, the simple question again. Are you anti-Semitic?
WASIM DOUREIHI: This is a matter that concerns the group itself. Now when you talk about the broader issues, about the Islamic viewpoint towards the Jews or towards any peoples, and clearly this is an issue that is beyond the Hizb itself.
MARK COLVIN: I'm sorry I'm going to ask you the question again. Is Hizb-ut-Tahrir an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well let me ask you, what exactly does anti-Semitic mean?
MARK COLVIN: Well I would have thought that the passage which I quoted before, "the Jews are a people of slander, a treacherous people who fabricate lies and twist words" would fall pretty squarely into the category of anti-Semitic.Do you accept those words or do you reject them?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well I accept what the Islamic position is in respect of this point. Now, I don't hide any passage of the Koran and I don't apologise for any passage of the Koran.We have to be very clear about this point, but at the same time we have to be clear about what, how we interpret this passage of the Koran and the context in which it applies.It's not a blanket statement. It's not an official position in respect of how we should deal with certain people in all times at all places. It came down in a specific context, was applied in a specific context and most definitely should be implemented in its given context.
MARK COLVIN: If you were to establish this caliphate that you want to establish, would you go and live there or would you try to make Australia part of the caliphate?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well I am a Muslim who was born in this country. My children will be born in this country. I am forever part of this country.
MARK COLVIN: Do you want Australia to be part of the caliphate?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well the debate that needs to be had is that just because a peoples are born under certain conditions does not necessarily imply they have to accept those conditions.Definitely by virtue of my Islam I will propose, I will propose, through discussion, through debate, an alternative ideology.....
MARK COLVIN: At the weekend the Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison backed a general review of Australia's anti-terror laws, pointing to people and groups which incite terrorist activities through religious preaching or writing. One group already under the spotlight is Hizb-ut-Tahrir, whose British arm is being investigated for alleged links to one of the London bombers.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir's spokesman in Australia is Wasim Doureihi. When I spoke to him this afternoon, he began by describing his group's aims.
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well Hizb-ut-Tahrir is an affiliated political party with a stated aim of resuming Islamic way of life by (inaudible) Islamic state ...
MARK COLVIN: When you say you want to establish an Islamic state, where?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Within the Muslim world can be one of those countries ... but the purpose of course is to unify the Islamic lands, to remove artificial borders that we imposed upon through the colonial empires of past.
...MARK COLVIN: So do you want to get back everything that belonged under the caliphate 200 years ago?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Absolutely, and beyond.......Now, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen overnight but at the end of the day, the political landscape within the Muslim world needs to be altered to conform with Islam, not western colonial interest.
MARK COLVIN: Now this restoration of a caliphate is one of the stated aims of Osama Bin Laden. Do you differ from him in any way?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Absolutely. ...Our methods of change is through intellectual and political work. We disallow violence as a means to establish our objectives, we engage through discussion, dialogue, discourse as a means to move the hearts and minds of the Muslims ...there are obvious challenges...
...MARK COLVIN: In 2002 on the British website of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, they posted a passage from the Koran saying "kill them wherever you find them" followed by material arguing that the Jews are a people of slander, a treacherous people, they are fabricate lies and twist words from their places.How is that non-violent?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well the reality is we have to differentiate between what that article was espousing and the sphere in which that argument is constructed.What we're talking about…
MARK COLVIN: Kill them wherever you find them, that's violence isn't it?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Yes, but you have to answer the question. How you interpret this aya, or this verse, in the Koran.Now essentially what this verse is referring to is that when your land is occupied that you have a duty to reverse that occupation, and I think this is arguing…
MARK COLVIN: But the words say kill them wherever you find them.
WASIM DOUREIHI: Most definitely. But here we're talking about not as a method to achieve change, this verse in the Koran is specifically in reference to land that has come to be occupied, and the duty under Islam to reverse that occupation. This is completely separate to the work to achieve the change in order to establish an Islamic state.
MARK COLVIN: So where does that apply, where do you think that it's alright to kill Jews?
WASIM DOUREIHI: No one's espousing the killing of Jews. What we're saying is that…
MARK COLVIN: Well it does, sorry, that passage actually specifically does say it's alright to kill Jews.
WASIM DOUREIHI: This aya is in reference, this verse is in reference to occupiers. It's not specifically directed to Jews. It's directed to occupiers. Now that can be in Palestine, that can be in Iraq, that can be in Afghanistan and other places…
MARK COLVIN: But this passage that I'm quoting to you is about the Jews.
WASIM DOUREIHI: No it's not. That's…
MARK COLVIN: "For Jews are a people of slander". Do you agree with that? A treacherous people?
WASIM DOUREIHI: I'll agree with whatever Islam espouses.
MARK COLVIN: And what does Islam espouse when it comes to the Jews, according to you?
WASIM DOUREIHI: The issue here is bigger than the Jews. When you put it in the context of what we are trying to achieve…
MARK COLVIN: Well it can be the issue because he's put Hizb-ut-Tahrir, has been accused of being an anti-Semitic organisation. Is it an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well we have been accused of a lot of things. Our literature speaks for itself and our actions and our history speaks for itself.
MARK COLVIN: Well how about you speak for yourself and tell me whether you are an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well when we engage in the work to create the change, that change occurs for intellectual and political means. We're not about killing this person or that person. We are directly, directly aligned to the work to move the hearts and minds through discussion and debate.
MARK COLVIN: Okay, the simple question again. Are you anti-Semitic?
WASIM DOUREIHI: This is a matter that concerns the group itself. Now when you talk about the broader issues, about the Islamic viewpoint towards the Jews or towards any peoples, and clearly this is an issue that is beyond the Hizb itself.
MARK COLVIN: I'm sorry I'm going to ask you the question again. Is Hizb-ut-Tahrir an anti-Semitic organisation?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well let me ask you, what exactly does anti-Semitic mean?
MARK COLVIN: Well I would have thought that the passage which I quoted before, "the Jews are a people of slander, a treacherous people who fabricate lies and twist words" would fall pretty squarely into the category of anti-Semitic.Do you accept those words or do you reject them?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well I accept what the Islamic position is in respect of this point. Now, I don't hide any passage of the Koran and I don't apologise for any passage of the Koran.We have to be very clear about this point, but at the same time we have to be clear about what, how we interpret this passage of the Koran and the context in which it applies.It's not a blanket statement. It's not an official position in respect of how we should deal with certain people in all times at all places. It came down in a specific context, was applied in a specific context and most definitely should be implemented in its given context.
MARK COLVIN: If you were to establish this caliphate that you want to establish, would you go and live there or would you try to make Australia part of the caliphate?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well I am a Muslim who was born in this country. My children will be born in this country. I am forever part of this country.
MARK COLVIN: Do you want Australia to be part of the caliphate?
WASIM DOUREIHI: Well the debate that needs to be had is that just because a peoples are born under certain conditions does not necessarily imply they have to accept those conditions.Definitely by virtue of my Islam I will propose, I will propose, through discussion, through debate, an alternative ideology.....
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