Terrorism and Islam Do Not Mix, Says Sheik Tamim
“How does the Muslim world assess the tragic events of September 11 in the US?”
“True Muslims cannot assess these events other than negatively. Our religion, Islam, condemns killing children, women, and the elderly. The Koran, the Muslims’ holy book written by the Prophet Mohammed, says, ‘You shall not kill the soul that Allah forbade (killing)... Whoever kills a soul unjustly is thus killing all people in the world.’ Islam also condemns suicide as an unforgivable sin. It is the extremists who invented the notion that voluntary death for Allah leads one to paradise. The holy books of Islam advise reconciliation even in wars against the non-Muslims, to make peace and then ‘rely on Allah’.”
“Why was September 11 of all dates chosen for the terrorist act? Is this date connected with the Muslim calendar or history?”
“I have also been pondering this, following the reports of Arab media also interested in this circumstance. But nobody has found any kind of link anywhere. It must have happened accidentally, for some contingent reasons.”
“It is common knowledge that today there are more than one billion followers of Islam worldwide. It is also known that a part of these Muslims belong to various fundamentalist branches, the breeding grounds of extremism and terrorism. Could you tell us what share the fundamentalists make in the global Muslim community?”
“It is common practice to believe that Muslim countries have about 1.5 to 2 million fundamentalists. We trace their history from the eighteenth century, when, 200 years ago, the Wahhabi movement came into being. Last century saw the emergence and extremist activities of such organizations as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Party of Liberation. The Islamic world does not consider them Muslims, although they reside in the most Muslim countries. Despite this, in many countries, such as Egypt and Morocco, Christians live side by side with Muslims in peace and security. For, according to Mohammed’s teaching, ‘those who followed the path of Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed will find themselves in Paradise after death.’ For they are ‘people of the Book,’ the Holy Writ. The point is that Muslims, like Jews and Christians, recognize the Old Testament, the Bible. Yet, we consider that neither the Jews nor the Christians fulfill the Book’s commandments.
“The majority of Muslim states favor permanent international cooperation with other states and values very much the existing normal ties with the West.”
“The US is convinced it is Osama ben Laden who stands behind the latest terrorist acts. Do you think this is really so?”
“I think the American should know about this better than others, because quite recently they maintained continuous contacts with him, supporting his activities in Afghanistan. But investigation is still going on. I will not sound original if I say that whoever stood behind this horrendous act had good connections in the US administration. On the other hand, let us recall the terrorist act in Oklahoma, when suspicion was at first focused on Islamic terrorists and then it turned out to be the handiwork of an American, a war veteran. Nevertheless, we condemn terrorist acts no matter who perpetrated them, Muslims or Christians, with the latter also having a lot of extremist organizations.”
“The Ukrainian and Russian media occasionally publish materials claiming that the Crimea hosts some fundamentalist religious centers which train people for extremist activities. Is this true?”
“I have my own information and opinions on this matter. All I can say is that hot spots always emerge where people live a hard life. Only then can they fall prey to fundamentalist propaganda. And does anybody live worse than the Crimean Tartars, who were persecuted and deported yesterday and have today no place to live and no chance to work and earn a decent living? I can give a very telling example: a leaflet was recently circulating among the Crimean Tartars, which openly justified and praised ‘the No. 1 terrorist’ Osama ben Laden. The most important thing here is spiritual education in order to forestall the moment when bombs go off and ‘education’ becomes the prerogative of law enforcement.”
“In connection with the latest events, have there been any instances of enmity, mistrust, or aggressiveness toward Muslims on the part of the residents of Kyiv and Ukraine? Perhaps some graffiti on mosques or religious schools? And how do our authorities react to this?”
“I will say with great satisfaction that nothing of the sort has so far been noted, there was not a single occasion for law enforcement to intervene.”
“There is much speculation now that we are on the threshold of World War III. What do you think?”
“We live in a time when more and more conflicts constantly break out. It has always been so. But today’s conflicts tend to be born but not closed. New ones arise and coexist with the old ones. The point is not only in so-called Islamic terrorism. Suffice it to recall Spain, Northern Ireland, Japan, or the acts of terrorism perpetrated by Israel.
“A very important point is how the world will defend itself from today’s terrorism. For example, the international community will set up organizations and bodies, also with the participation of Muslim countries, to combat terrorism. I think we should start by drawing up a UN-sponsored detailed list of terrorist hotbeds on our planet and identifying the perpetrators, organizers, and causes of terrorist acts. It must also be determined who is responsible for solving the conflicts. This could be some individual countries in combating their own domestic terrorism or international alliances. Ukraine, for instance, should deal with the embryos of extremism that can exist not only in the Crimea but also in the eastern and western regions. One should not wait until troops have to move in. The only possible method is solving the urgent problems of hot spots. As has been proven, force is of little consequence here.
“But if the Western and Muslim states find themselves on opposite sides, the situation will be worse. Even today, some proposals, not yet actions, of the White House are leading to splits in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I don’t have to explain what this means. The only thing that can preserve peace is normal and fair cooperation and the complete absence of discrimination against Islam. It is especially dangerous to mix religion with extremism and equate the words Islam and terrorism, as some are already doing. Should President Bush unite ‘the world against the Muslims,’ the latter will never be able to understand this. Never.”
