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Muslim Scholars Criticize U.S. Forces Deployed to Gulf
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States has begun a building-up military forces in the Gulf region, as it prepares to respond to last week's devastating attacks on New York and Washington, news agencies reported.
As U.S. President George W. Bush announced he would address Congress on Thursday concerning the terrorist attacks, Pentagon sources said Wednesday that war planes were being deployed to the Persian Gulf region as part of the initial buildup of forces in America's "new war" against terrorism, CNN reported.
Dozens of military planes will be "forward deployed" as early as Thursday in support of the president's objectives, sources said.
A second deployment order, not yet issued, could put the number of aircraft involved to more than 100, CNN added.
"This is also a war of will and mind. It is a war in which information may be the most important asset that we have. So we're asking a lot of countries to help us with information," said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
She said Bush would use his speech Thursday to explain to Americans "what it is we face and how we're going to have to face it."
"I think the President is going to use this as an opportunity to talk about the sustained nature of this campaign," Rice said. "I think he will use it as an opportunity to urge patience and reason."
The military campaign has tentatively been named "Operation Infinite Justice," according to sources.
The Washington Post said Thursday, however, that the name will likely be changed to avoid offending Muslims, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.
The issue arose at a Pentagon briefing when a reporter told Rumsfeld that several Islamic scholars have objected to the name on the grounds that only God, or Allah, can mete out infinite justice in their view, said the paper.
On Sunday, President George W. Bush also accrued much criticism when he used the word "crusade" to describe the U.S.'s planned military actions against alleged terrorists and "countries harboring" them, making reference to the Christian medieval invasion of Muslim lands.
The White House later said it regretted the remark.
Meanwhile, among the aircraft being deployed to the region are F-15E and F-16 fighters, and B-52 bombers. Also likely to be deployed will be support planes such as the AWACs surveillance aircraft and others that can track objects and vehicles on the ground, alongside U-2 spy planes providing military surveillance.
The additional aircraft would give Bush the maximum number of options should he decide to take action against terrorists or their supporters.
"America will hold those evildoers responsible," Bush said Wednesday afternoon from the White House.
The president's top security adviser cautioned that "this isn't Pearl Harbor" and that military force would not be the only weapon in the new war against unconventional enemies.
According to the BBC's news service, the decision is the most significant yet in Washington's preparations to retaliate for last week's attacks in New York and Washington.
Muslim scholars throughout the Arab world, however, have expressed their disapproval towards the existence of U.S. military bases in the Gulf region.
They also issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) saying that collaborating with the United States to attack Afghanistan would be considered
haram (forbidden in Islam).
In his fatwa regarding the establishment of foreign military bases in Muslim countries, Sheikh Faysal Mawlawi, vice-chairman of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, issued a
fatwa stating: "It is not permissible, as far as Islam is concerned, to establish foreign military bases in Muslim countries."
Mawlawi said the reason was that the primary goal of such military bases would be to serve foreign interests.
"In reality, they do not care about our national interests, and in no way are the two interests supposed to gain common ground. In return, we shouldn't help establish such bases at all because helping them is considered as a kind of co-operation on sin and aggression, which is forbidden."
The Palestinian Muslim Scholars association issued a statement Monday declaring that collaborating with the United States against any Muslim country is haram and considered one of the greatest sins.
Acts of collaboration would include military assistance, or facilitating a military attack, or allowing the use airspace, airport, ports and bases.
Speaking to IslamOnline, Egyptian Mufti, Nasr Fareed Wasel, said that facilitating U.S. strikes on Afghanistan by Muslim countries goes against the Islamic Shari'a (Islamic law).
In Marseille, France, the mufti, Suhaib bin Sheikh, declared that Muslims in France oppose the U.S. decision to wage a war against Afghanistan and said: "We support a U.S. decision to penalize those who were behind the attacks, but we are against accusing a particular country - Afghanistan - or individual - without evidence."
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