New Salafi Exposé Now Available in North America

As a follow up to my earlier posting on the destruction of Historic Sites in Makkah, I need to mention that I recently received 100 copies of the new book Albani & his Friends, by Shaykh Gibril F. Haddad. Not only is Shakyh Gibril the translator of the article Advice to Our Brothers the Scholars of Najd, which this earlier posting mentioned, but he is the author of Albani & his Friends as well. This new book by AQSA Publications, which carries the subtitle of "Concise Guide to the Salafi Movement", goes into considerable detail explaining how various scholars of the so-called "Salafis" have deviated from the creed, methodology and jurisprudence of the Ahl as-Sunnah. This is probably the most detailed, scholarly and pointed exposé of the so-called "Salafi-Wahabis" that I've read, so I highly recommend it to those who can afford to purchase a copy.

I'm in the process of developing an advertisment banner and on-line store so that I can start selling these copies of Albani & his Friends. I plan to sell this book for US$10.65 (which is the equivalent of its price in the UK), plus US$2.35 shipping and handling (which covers postage and materials), thus bringing the total to a nice even US$13.00. Please note that this is only for readers in the U.S.A. and Canada, since everyone else is encouraged to order directly from the AQSA Publications website.

Since it might take me awhile to get the banner and store added to my site, anyone who wants a copy is welcome to submit an order using the PayPal button which can now be found in the PURCHASE BOOK box on the right-hand column of this page (which is located between the BOOK of the MONTH and ESSENTIAL READING boxes). Please be aware that this PayPal button only works for purchasing one copy of the book at a time, so if you want to buy multiple copies in one order, please email me directly so we can work out the details. Insha'llah, before too long I'll have a on-line store established that offers the flexibility of ordering multiple copies, calculating variable shipping, etc.

Also, I'm certainly willing to accept personal checks and money orders, so if you don't have a PayPal account, please contact me using the email address displayed in the CONTACT ME box below.

Srebrenica Remembered, Srebrenica Denied

Srebrenica 10 Years Later

Srebrenica's Sombre Ceremony

In Pictures: Srebrenica Anniversary

Bosnia Remembers Massacre

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the massacre of about 7,800 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica near the conclusion of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. I think it's rather telling that most people would scoff if we called on all Christians to apologize for the crimes against humanity carried out by Orthodox Christian Serbs -- who were well-known for sporting a three-fingered "Trinitarian" salute during their anti-Muslim rampages. However, many of these same scoffers, based on what I've heard, seen and read on the news that past view days, seemingly believe that all Muslims should apologize for the recent attrocities in London. Condemn? Yes. Apologize? No. There's quite a difference between the two and I pity those who don't (or can't) see the distinction. Quite simply, we condemn everything that is immoral and un-Islamic, but only apologize for acts that we are complicit in.

If they're consistent in their thinking, then we should all be waiting for Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Ann Coulter, William F. Buckley, Jr. et al to apologize for the mass killings at Srebrenica, the genocide in Rwanda, the Sabra and Shatilla massacres in Lebanon, the fire bombing of Dresden and other crimes carried out by Christians...and may God save us all from double-standards. Indeed, if religions were proven false by the barbarous and idiotic actions of a few of their fanatical followers, then Christianity would have disappeared a long time ago.

One should also realize that while a world-wide "War on Terror" is being conducted in order to track down so-called "Islamic terrorists", the well-known perpetrators of much graver crimes against humanity during the Bosnian War remain at large and continue to enjoy impunity. While I support tracking down and bringing to justice all terrorists, which is not to be confused with the foreign policy agenda that actually hides behind the "War on Terror" façade, I think most people need to be aware of the rather inconsistent and selective way that terrorists are given priority. It seems that if you kill Americans, Britons or Israelis, you'll be on the top of the most wanted list in a big hurry, but if you massacre Muslims you'll enjoy near complete impunity for at least the foreseeable future. The truth of the matter is that that if they really wanted to wage a war on terror, they'd track down all those who purposely employ wanton violence against civilian populations, but since this would involve many of those in power, including some heads of state, don't hold your breath.

Another interesting aspect of all this, and one that I hope all Muslim conspiracy theorists will take to heart, is that most Serbs are still in deep denial over the crimes that Serb soldiers committed in Bosnia. For documentation of this, please check out the following links:

Serbs Divided Over Grim Video
A new opinion survey suggests one-third of Serbs believe that footage of atrocity is fake.
by Beth Kampschror - The Christian Science Monitor

Serbs' hero worship sours
A recent Serbian survey suggested only half the population believed the 1995 Srebrenica massacre by Serb forces of more than 7,500 Muslim men and boys had happened.
by Matt Prodger
BBC News, Belgrade - 11 July 2005

Yes indeed, they just dismiss all of the evidence that has been amassed by various investigators and human rights organizations -- and even some Serbs who personally participated in the massacres as well. As the articles above document, a "majority" of Serbs, who certainly seem brainwashed by their own ethnic myths, believe that "Serbs were the greatest victims of the Balkan wars of the 1990s" and that videos showing Serbs killing Muslims are "fake". When it comes to the crimes of the Zionist Israelis, there are also droves of people who are seemingly unaware that denial ain't just a river in Egypt as well. I present this in the hope that some Muslims out there will realize that myopic denial, conspiracy theories and crass tribalism run both ways. The important thing to recognize in all of this is that the explanation lies not so much in documenting the facts or in the injustices of power politics, but rather in sheep-like "group think", whiney victimization psychology and a puerile "my-tribe-is-always-right" mentality...and my Almighty God save us from all that.

Deen On...

Historic Sites in Makkah Threatened

I found the following article during a recent visit to DeenPort:

Makka's historic sites under threat
Al-Jazeera - 08 July 2005

All Muslims should be concerned about the destruction going on in Makkah (i.e. Mecca) and other locations in Saudi Arabia as well, since our noble and beloved heritage is being destroyed by un-orthodox, self-righteous and simple-minded puritans -- and by greedy developers as well.

As the article explains, "They (Wahhabis) have not allowed preservation of old buildings, especially those related to the prophet. They fear other Muslims will come to see these buildings as blessed and this could lead to polytheism and idolatry."

For more of the details on Wahabi (a.k.a. "Salafi") descrations of blessed sites in Saudi Arabia and many of their other deviations, please read Advice to Our Brothers the Scholars of Najd [365K Acrobat .pdf file], by Sayyid Yusuf ibn al-Sayyid Hashim al-Rifa`i of Kuwait.

Follow Islam, Don't Reformulate It

Here's a link to an Interesting article by Merryl Wyn Davies, a Welsh convert to Islam and co-author of The No-Nonsense Guide To Islam, that I just came across on DeenPort.

Islam is a religion of peace... But how do we convince you?
by Merryl Wyn Davies
Sunday Herald - 10 July 2005

The author is a student in London and I feel that some of her thoughts and sympathies about being Muslim in Britain are worthy of considering. However, as a staunch traditionalist I found her assertion that "We have to get beyond just acting out the strict letter of laws whose essence is to constantly be rethought to keep them alive and pertinent" somewhat ill-conceived, since if we could get all Muslims to follow the letter of the law, we wouldn't have any more terrorist and suicide bombings being committed by Muslims!

This is not to say that we don't need to use wisdom or understand our present context in our application of the law. However, the root of the problem today seems to be that many Muslims are more worried about politics instead of self-purification, a point which Merryl Wyn Davies did indeed touch on, and that they aren't following the moral guidance that Islam already offers. So it's not that we Muslims need to reformulate our religion, but simply that we need to follow the one that we already have. Those who make claims to the contrary are almost always those who: 1) have been duped into believing that Islam does advocate terrorism; or 2) are extremely liberal Muslims who have an agenda of getting rid of aspects of Islam that don't fit their personal tastes. Since the co-author of Ms. Davies' aforementioned book was none other than Ziauddin Sardar, I think the latter is a distinct possibility.

Anyway, here are some excerpts from the article that I can certainly agree and sympathize with:

“The monsters who planned and executed the attacks so callously are supposedly Muslims. Faith is between each individual and God. What is in the hearts of these terrorists, God alone knows – I certainly don’t.”

“These evil-doers violate every principle and precept I cherish. To condemn such fanatics is no test. To ask how such horrors make me feel is more telling. Where do I begin? And more importantly, will you hear what I mean?”

“You might call it the ‘onward Christian soldiers’ syndrome, ‘marching as to war’. What it means to those in the pews is ‘follow the path of the Prince of Peace’. But in whichever religious tradition it occurs – and it afflicts them all – eventually such language has to be jettisoned. It always gives aid and comfort to those who would pervert the message to their own malicious, brutal ends.”

Deen On...

Mas'ud Khan on the Terrorist Attacks in London

Leaving behind his nice posting on Salafi Foot Jamming for more serious moral issues, Mas'ud Khan has posted some worthwhile thoughts on the Terrorist Attacks in London. I was almost taken aback thinking that he was going to call the perpetrators "animals", but thankfully he ended up calling them "worse than animals" -- which is what they are.

The reason that I mention this is because I recall an incident in which an Islamic scholar corrected a Muslim who called some Muslims terrorists "animals" due to their heinous criminal acts. The scholar explained that calling people who carry out murderous acts against civilians "animals" is actually slanderous to animals, since animals don't do such things. Due to that, we should all keep this in mind and refrain from casting aspersion on creatures that have no God-given free will. Food for thought...which makes me realize that I wish Mas'ud would blog more.

"We Are All Collateral Damage", by Zaid Shakir

Please read the following article from the Zaytuna Institute website:

We Are All Collateral Damage
by Zaid Shakir

"...there is no they or we in this affair. We are they and they are we. "

The London Bombings -- A Time for Reflection

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the heinous bombings in London that took place yesterday morning, and our heartfelt condolences are offered to all families that lost loved ones. We hope that the perpetrators of these crimes, which by intentionally targeting a civilian population contradict every known ethical-code of the human race, are captured and brought swiftly to justice. We pray that Almighty God brings all of the maimed and injured victims to a full and speedy recovery, and we also hope and pray that neither innocent Muslims nor the religion of Islam are blamed for the idiotic and misguided acts of dastardly "Islamic extremists" -- if indeed that's who carried out these attacks -- since such attacks are explicitly prohibited in the teachings of Islam. For more views on this, I encourage everyone to read Mas'ud Ahmed Khan's Statement on the Bombing Attacks in London and, for even more insightful details, I Am Still Here from the Indigo Jo Blog in London. Furthermore, SunniPath.com has posted a valuable response to the all-important question of What is the Islamic stance on the London bombings?, so please read it and take it to heart.

Additionally, I encourage all Muslims -- many of whom seem to be either trapped in denial, content to bury their heads in the sand or delude themselves with countless conspiracy theories -- to take the time to realize that even if these murderous crimes, which are totally unbecoming to the pure religion of Islam and its Prophet of Mercy - salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam, were not carried out by Muslims (and that seems unlikely), there are, without a doubt, extremist so-called "Jihadi" groups out there who, based on their own well documented statements, would love to carry out such attacks -- so put that in your "conspiracy theory" / "denial stage" pipe and smoke it.

Please use this as a time to reflect on what you can do to help resist and correct some of the dangerous trends that have undoubtedly and most unfortunately taken root in our Ummah. One thing that you can certainly do is educate yourself and your family about the dangers, flaws and heretical views of the various forms of non-traditional "Do-It-Yourself" Islam that are currently having such a negative impact on the world in general and the Muslim Ummah in particular. Likewise, you can put forward and try to foster a zero-tolerance attitude in your local Muslim communities towards murderous so-called "Jihadi" understandings of Islam that attempt to portray cowardly murder as glorious Islamic military acts -- and we pray that Almighty God saves us all from such foolishness, callousness and hard-heartedness.

In spite of all the injustice, deprivation, suffering and death that has occurred in the Muslim World at the hands of Western powers over the past few centuries, and which continues to this very day, the religion of Islam is not, has never been and will never be a hate-based "Monkey See, Monkey Do" religion. Thus to any Muslims out there thinking "...but the Americans did such-and-such" or "...but the Israelis have done such-and-such" in an attempt to side-step the frustration, anger, disgust and sorrow that you should feel when barbaric crimes are committed in the name of Islam, please put the half-baked denials to rest once and for all. It's unfortunate that some Muslims today don't realize the simple truth that Islam doesn't call for returning one injustice with another, even though our beloved Prophet's life -- salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam -- is replete with examples and sayings that make it abundantly clear that two wrongs don't make a right. His -- salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam -- methodology was to return a wrong with a right and to respond to harshness with compassion, and when that wasn't possible he was patient -- salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam. So if you're not aware of all this, nor the fact that the Prophet Muhammad -- salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam -- clearly forbade killing non-combatant civilians and other similar crimes, then you need to get started on your Islamic education (or re-education) today.

Indeed, two wrongs never make a right and the crimes of non-Muslims are not the example that we are called upon to emulate, so instead of going into myopic denial (which ain't just a river in Egypt) or emotion-based finger pointing, from now on just let the realization sink deeper and deeper into your heart and brain that it's time that we started cleaning up our Ummah. There are many ways to do this, but one of them is to educate yourself and promote proper Islamic understandings to other Muslims in your community. It seems to me, based on what's going on today, that one of the best ways to start cleaning up our Ummah is to help Muslims sweep their minds clean of the pseudo-Islamic rubbish that's managed to infiltrate them dressed in the garb of various revivalist Islam slogans and dunya-focused ideologies.

There's no doubt that in our age we're locked in an ideological (sorry, can't think of a better word at the moment) battle for the very heart and soul of Islam. It's well past high noon in this ongoing battle, so it's about time that God-fearing and good-hearted Muslims realize what's going on and get involved. If this war is to be won, it's going to have to be won from within by mainstream Muslims who appreciate the unassailable intellectual and spiritual legacy of God's pure religion of Islam -- not by the deluded liberal "Progressive" and "Reformist" Muslim stooges who are often on the payroll of the avowed enemies of Islam.

Please, dear Muslim readers, take this time to reflect and build some resolve to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem -- and I pray that Almighty God gives us all success in this matter. Regardless of where you are today, take a few steps to learn about and board the steady, true and unsinkable ark of salvation that is mainstream, moderate and traditional Sunni Islam -- an immeasurable blessing from Allah Most High which is based on authentic Divine revelation, pure Prophetic example and over 1,400 years of astute and God-fearing scholarship. With God's help, we will be guided to and be steadfast on this straight path, all the while remembering those who are suffering and continuing to Deen On.

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Please Read:

Bombing Without Moonlight: The Origins of Suicidal Terrorism
by Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad

Making the World Safe for Terrorism
by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Recapturing Islam From the Terrorists
by Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad

AIDS in the Muslim World

The July/August 2005 issue of Foreign Policy has an article entitled The Muslim Face of AIDS, by Laura M. Kelley and Nicholas Eberstadt. The full-text of the article is not available on-line, so you'll have to find it at your local book shop or library.

The introduction to the article says, "While elites in Muslim countries have looked the other way, HIV has crept into the most vulnerable populations in the most volatile parts of the world. Muslim leaders must now address the threat—or risk losing their community of believers to a global plague" -- and I agree that with the decline of Islamic values in the Muslim World, prentending that there's not a problem isn't the correct response.