Petition is “Not in the Name of Islam”

Were the thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan undeserving of a petition?

“Not in the Name of Islam” Petition 

CAIR's message has gone beyond being politically correct. It has manifested in what we were warned about in the Qur'an of not being accepted by non-Muslims until we have abandoned our religion and become like them. 

At the end of the CAIR “Action Alert” on the petition, CAIR Chairman Omar Ahmad is quoted as saying “We hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in America   and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in the name of Islam.” The intentions of this message are loud and clear, and reflect a lack of wisdom, assertiveness, steadfastness and loyalty to Muslims, and especially to Allah.

The petition was drawn up in response to the release of a video of the alleged beheading of an American Jew, Nick Berg. I say alleged because that is what it is up to now — alleged.

Jumping to conclusions against Muslims, without proof, with inadequate evidence, amounts to a mindset that is consistent with an infamous statement made by a certain rabbi that “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.”

Petition Misread

The petition appears to be a double-blinded message which, on the one hand, attempts to appease the non-Muslim movers and shakers in the US who constantly call for Muslims to apologize for acts committed against American people and interests, even before a proper investigation determines whether or not any fault lies with a Muslim individual or the Muslim population as a whole — and worse yet, in defiance of the words taught to us in the Qur'an.

On the other hand, it promotes a message of pacifism to Muslim s in the US and around the world, disregarding Islam's instructions to fight oppression and invasion. This is suggested when the term reject violence is used.

Violence and all its forms are subjectively interpreted. To non-Muslims, the desired interpretation would be “Drop all of your beliefs in fighting against our oppression.” Another possible connotation would be that Muslims should not support the death penalty or corporal punishment. The death penalty, whether by stoning, hanging or beheading, is considered a violent act by many.

Desperate to curry favor with non-Muslims, CAIR has successfully been trapped in a catch-22. Now that we've suggested that Muslims do not believe in violence, non-Muslims will tear us up in their writings by accusing us of hypocrisy for daring to take up arms against an occupying force.

Although the petition appeals to the world after the horrific death of one American, a petition to recognize the horrors inflicted on thousands upon thousands of Iraqi men, women and children, is never made – unless of course, they're asking for money to improve relations with the Americans.

We basically gave in to those demanding that Muslims bow down to them. It will take a lot of work and mercy from Allah to reverse this subjugation of many Muslim nations.

Non-Muslims will no doubt use this as a means to further pacify Muslims. Many Muslims, through the influence of previous petitions and requests, are already under the impression that being a Muslim means that we have to renounce all forms of violence, even to protect our own lives. In fact, when was the last lecture anyone went to in the US that spoke of Jihad as anything other than an internal struggle?

The petition has further threatened the credibility of the substance of CAIR's message, which will inevitably undermine future efforts of assertively lobbying and debating the US Administration.

The irony of this is that voices like mine have received violent threats by those who claim the pacifist approach... go figure. Not only that, the people that CAIR is pleasing (rightwing warmongers and their supporters) with this “once and for all” statement are the same people who preemptively and violently attacked Afghanistan and Iraq for something neither country did.

Another irony is that we, as American Muslims, are taking an overly passive and politically correct approach, while many non-Muslim Americans (especially Democrats and Liberals) have actually been far more critical of the establishment. Many American politicians (like Cynthia McKinney), activists and whistleblowers who have voiced their opinions are actually more inline with the Islamic stance on fighting oppression than we are with this petition.

CAIR's “once and for all” seems to admit their frustration. In doing so, they jam down our throats what others dictate our religion should be. What they should do is send a message to them as to the ideals that Islam really does stand for: justice and fairness, and to be assertive, not squeamish in the process. And please don't insult Muslims around the world by claiming that this message is just that.

A Comparative Defense

Recently, Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and others have actually belittled the atrocities of the Abu Ghraib prison by suggesting that it was the only place where Iraqis were subjected to maltreatment, and that it was only a handful of people who have done wrong. He called for the US public to put those individuals through the system, move on and get over it because it was an isolated incident.

Non-Muslims won’t just apply the petition to Nick Berg’s killing, but to the whole “War on Terror”

But it was not an isolated incident. What about the slaughter of tens of thousands in Afghanistan and Iraq ? What about other “isolated” incidents, such as the over 1,000 Muslims and Arabs being detained in the US along with their families? Some of these detentions resulted in overt torture and deaths. What about the hundreds of Guantanamo Bay detainees?

If, as CAIR's petition suggests, they're only a few criminals, let's deal with them accordingly and appropriately. However, even if CAIR's statement is inaccurate, as we are taught that some Muslims will take their religion to an extreme, who gets to define what is extreme? In this case, it's the non-Muslim. In either case, we are incorrect in our political correctness.

How do we explain to a pacifist that the Qur'an states “… Say: ‘Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of God to prevent access to the path of God, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members.' Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter,” (2:217)?

While I know that CAIR's statement applied to the Nick Berg issue, non-Muslims didn't get that message. They want it to apply to the whole “War on Terror.”

Not the First Time

This is not the first time many American Muslims jump to conclusions which later prove to be false. These Muslims would do better seeking a just analysis, tempered by patience, rather than trusting the very same media that the Republicans, Democrats or other Americans claim they don't trust.

Everything from the anthrax attacks to the Oklahoma City bombing was falsely blamed on Muslims. Even if the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq were handled in a properly conventional manner, without prisoner abuse and the like, they're still daily attacks and violence. And at least one of them was a war which CAIR and others originally fully supported.

Some Islamic organizations in the US have in the past, during this same “War on Terror,” taken public positions in support of the pre-emptive attacks on Muslim countries. This was done against my advice and the advice of other insignificant bodies, like the United Nations, European Union, Organization of Islamic Countries, Arab League, the Pope and a host of other groups interested in the protection of human rights. Actually, I don't recall a single country headed by a Muslim that called for the US to take this action. Yet we find ourselves championing the cause when it suits us.

The sincerity of groups who claim to represent Muslims in America is hard to prove when they actually work to stifle assertive positions such as this. While the image of American Islamic organizations is prominent, it is my humble assessment that Allah is more concerned with the prominence of our convictions, intentions and actions, rather than by how popular we are.

The hapless state of affairs that exist for Muslims in the US is a result of a series of individuals and groups who have ignored what has been taught by our imams. There is not a Shura [consultative] council of knowledgeable leaders willing to lay it all on the line. We are comfortable behind our tax-exempt, non-profit organizations that call the non-Muslims our friends in public and shun the advice of Muslim leaders or others who are seeking to steadfastly maintain our message and way of life.

An Open Invitation

I recommend that there be a debate, whether in the mosques or in public, on this very topic of being politically correct, and who it benefits, to be conducted with the mannerisms taught to and expected of Muslims. I also recommend an exploration of how Islamic organizations in the US can be held to a system of accountability, since these same organizations are promoting the essence of democracy, transparency and the like.

I call for knowledgeable people to speak out and challenge this “politically correct” approach. If none care to, only then will I throw my name into the hat, as Alhumdulillah, before the war my public statements were consistent, and I have maintained every position since then.

Writing to the mosques to “pressure” them to spread the message of the petition warrants a response from anyone who challenges this as being anti-Islamic. The Quranic verse that was used in promoting the petition [“Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God can best protect both. Do not follow any passion, lest you not be just. And if you distort or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (Quran 4:135)] applies here as well. Therefore, it is hoped that this message will be taken with a bit more than a grain of salt and in the spirit of brotherhood.

Samir Jerez is Executive Director and certified Islamic Chaplain of the 5-Pillar Foundation, Inc. of South Florida, as well as Vice President of Operations for the National Islamic Chaplains Organization in Portland, Oregon. You can reach him at 5pillar@adelphia.net