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Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk
Name
Rumaiysa
-
Profession
Question
What is the Islamic ruling on the bombings that have been taking place recently, including Morocco ?
Answer
Islam condemns these attacks, and all Islamic groups in Morocco make clear the contradictions between Islam and the bombings. We think that these attacks had a negative impact on the future of reformist Islamic activity in our society. We observe that the government limited the public media coverage on the position of Islamic movement against attacks, and some officials indirectly accused the Islamic movement, especially the Justice and Development Party (JDP) because they argued, during the last months, the issue of respecting extremist groups’ human rights.
Name
Carlos
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Profession
Question
Dear sir:
Don’t you believe that killing in the name of God is the same as killing?
Do you believe that Islam’s problems will be solved by just killing and killing again?
Best regards,
Carlos..
Answer
I agree that Islam refuses all kinds of killing, and we can't resolve our social problems by the way of violence. Islam encourages reforms, and the Islamic movement had taken several acts to provide stability and security, but we think that in the case of colonialism we defend our rights of resistance.
Because Morocco cooperates openly with the U.S concerning the war against “terrorism”, and some analysts think that these terrorist attacks are expected reactions against the authority, which takes some harsh measures against a small group called Assirat el Moustaqim (The Straight Path); but in general, international terrorism tries to work on all parts, as it happened in Saudi Arabia. It’s not the first time to have these offences in Morocco; I cited Atlas Asni Events in Marrakech in 1994.
Name
Abdur Raheem
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Profession
Question
As-salamu `alaikum
It has been alleged that there have been several suicide bombings including in Morocco. However, if a suicide bomb goes off, it is very difficult to find the body of the suicide; it would have been almost impossible to find. So the question is, how can we be sure that these bombings are suicide and not planted? And the other question is, how far do we go to believe the non-Muslim media when they say that it is a suicide bombing? We should check our references before accepting the non-Muslim media news and analysis. Please elaborate on these questions.
Answer
Really, in the Moroccan case we have witnesses that saw what happened last Friday. Heads and human parts were scattered in places, and establishments targeted. Investigations prove that these attacks are suicide bombings and all victims (41 killed and more than 100 injured) are Moroccans, except more than 7 foreign victims.
Name
Dalida
- Canada
Profession
Question
Do you personally believe that there’s a link between what happened in Riyadh and Casablanca?
Answer
Concerning time there is some link. But concerning the methods and targets there are differences. In Morocco, the Casablanca attacks didn't target American settings or interests, using bombing cars, for example. Terrorist attacks in Casablanca were very simple. All the attacks in Morocco were at night. Moroccan Officials hinted that the attacks are the kind that belong to international terrorism.
Name
abdul-kader
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Profession
Question
Away from what happened, how do the Moroccans look to the Jews in Morocco?
Answer
More than 4,000 Moroccan Jews are living in Morocco in peace and security and respect deserved from all Moroccans. We differentiate between Zionists and the Jewish people. Some may use these events to start a new wave of expatriating them, and to accelerate normalization with Israel. And we should note that none of the Moroccan Jews fell in the attacks.
Name
Ilhan
- United States
Profession
Question
Salam. Do you think that some of the terrorist attacks that occurred before or recently were by somebody who hates Islam (Munafiqs [hypocrites], Zionists, etc.), so that Islam gets a bad picture worldwide?
As-salam `alaykum!
Answer
We note that the Zionist lobby wish to exploit these events so as to vanquish the Islamic movement and distort Islam and win the struggle for their aim to realize normalization. This may help to the appearance of other terrorist attacks anywhere in the world. Confronting these deeds necessitates remedying the imbalance in the policies of the U.S. towards the Islamic and Arab world as far as the Palestinian issue. We expect that our relation to the West, including the U.S., will be based on mutual respect.
Name
scott
-
Profession
Question
I want to visit Casablanca with my girl friend. I want us to wear whatever we like, I want to hug her and kiss her in the streets. I want to drink a toast in every place we go. Do you think we'll be killed?
Answer
First of all, we say that we are a Muslim country. You should know that Moroccan law forbids these things you like to be practiced in Morocco. But be sure you won't be killed. Security is our haven.
Name
Sulaiman
- United States
Profession
Question
Are the recent bombings an indication that if any Muslim country decides to join the war against Muslims, this will be the fate? And if so, can we say that they have a legitimate claim? After all, we have seen the devastation that Afghanistan, Iraq, and other Muslim countries have endured in that hands of the West.
Answer
It's not a fate that Muslim countries will enter a war against their people. We should know that the Islamic movement is at some level of conscience and knowledge that make it able to deal fairly and correctly with these events. Arab and Islamic regimes will not have any excuses to do that. Actually, governments have the right to take measures to mend abnormal behaviors.
Name
Mohammed
- Nigeria
Profession
Engineer
Question
Islam has come under considerable scrutiny of late. It also highlights the humiliation of Arab states in '67 and most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now there are so called calls for reforms. Does the religion of Allah require reform? Secondly, Islam is under attack. What can and must we do?
Answer
We should differentiate between [calls for renewal] and American calls to create American and liberal Islam, as it was with Luther's call for Christian reform movement in old Europe. This kind of reform targets coherent principles so as to formulate them according to some interests. In Islam we only have the right to renew, but not in the core of the Islamic principles we know as definite.
Name
Aziz
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Profession
Question
Is there much sympathy for militant or radical Islamic thought in Morocco? Is it reasonable to assume that a not-insignificant percentage of Moroccan Islamists may be dedicated to pursing their political agenda through violence?
Answer
The nature of Moroccans and their morals insure their choice of moderate Islam and to embrace the style of behavior shown by Moderate Islamists belonging to the moderate Islamic movement. This is proven in the last legislative elections in which the JDP won 42 seats in the parliament. The same thing we can say about the moderate Justice and Charity group (Al- Adl wa Ihssan) group, which even [though] it is always a target of harassments and siege, it persists to be peaceful and moderate. Radical groups are a minority and they represent a very small and limited percentage.
Name
Mahmoud
- Egypt
Profession
Question
It is often said that government repression in the Middle East causes Islamic moderates to adopt more aggressive approaches and often radicalizes Islamic opposition into becoming militants. Is this the case in Morocco? Could the government’s stifling of Islamic dissent be fueling the kind of hatred we saw manifested in Casablanca?
Answer
As far as Morocco is concerned, the Islamic Movement condemns the barbaric attacks in Casablanca. All the Islamic parties descended yesterday in a march in front of the parliament saying no to terrorism, yes to Islam. Since decades the Islamic movement does its best so as to make youth far from violent practices and embracing terrorist trends coming from abroad. But the last blasts carry the probability that the state will divert from the choice of moderation on the part of the ruling governments vis-à-vis the Islamic movement, which represents a real future challenge that needs wisdom and thought.
Name
Abeer
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Profession
Question
What are the right actions that the Islamic parties should consider taking now?
Answer
What is needed from all the Islamic parties is a great effort to reinforce and promote standards and ideals of dialogue; peace and be on guard concerning violent practices; doing its effort to embrace the peaceful methods of work for the benefit of Islam and strengthening the national and social cultural political front in its programs. We know the radical thought and trends finds their way whenever we leave the fields vacant.
