Uprisings in Egypt and Libya and around the Middle East
This week we observed 9/11 and remembered the attacks on New York and Washington. In other parts of the world, it was a time to celebrate the attacks and continue them by destroying American embassys and killing Americans working in those buildings. As I watched the news coverage, I saw several people questioned as to whether or not these attacks were an "act of war". My reaction was, "How absurd. War has already been declared".
On February 23, 1998, five Islamic caliphates signed a fatwa declaring war against the United States. Representing five Islamic factions, these men united to call the Muslim world to common cause against the perceived enemy of Islam.
The statement was signed by Sheikh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin; Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of the Jihad Group in Egypt; Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, a leader of the Islamic group; Sheikh Mir Hamzah, secretary of the Jamiatul-Ulema-e-Pakistan; and Fazlul Rahman, leader of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh. These five caliphates have been held in high esteem by hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide.
The fatwa is four pages long, but it can be summarized by this conclusion: "On that basis, and in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims: The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies-civilians and military-is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it....This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, 'and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together, and fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah' ".
Since the fatwa was issued, there has been a continual series of attacks on America and Americans lasting to the present. The fatwa is still active and yet I see no indication that American officials or the population in general know about it. Thousands of American civilians and military have been murdered and mutilated since the fatwa was issued and we are still asking, "Are these attacks an act of war?"
The current attacks are supposedly prompted by a little known film showing the Prophet Muhammad in a negative light. I haven't seen the film. I don't know anyone who has, but news sources claim Muhammad is depicted as a womanizer and pedophile. According to Islamic history, Muhammad's first wife, Khadija, died and Muhammad then married somewhere between 15 and 25 other women. Does that make him a "womanizer"? I'll let you decide. His close friend, Abu-Bakr, gave his seven year old daughter, Aisha, to Muhammad to be one of his wives. Islamic history says Muhammad consummated the marriage when she was nine. Does that make him a pedophile? I'll let you decide.
But the film is not the real issue. Authorities now know these attacks were not primarily a spontaneous response to a film. They were too well planned. They are the work of organized armies carrying out the 1998 fatwa and we better understand the fact so we can respond properly.
