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Bro. Rashid Shaz:
Assalamu Alaikum.
I thank you for inviting me to
submit articles for your web
journal. I am honored. You
already have many luminaries in
your contact list. Let me begin
with a few comments on your
letter.
1. You are using derogatory
language when you call some
Saudi Ulama as "neo-Wahabi
Ulemaa". I suggest that you drop
the term Wahabi from your
language. This is a derogatory
term coined by the British in
the 1820s to divide Indian
Muslims and fight the Shahidain
movement for driving out the
British and defeating the Sikh
tyranny in the Muslim majority
areas of Punjab-Kashmir and
parts of NWFP. They succeeded in
defeating the movement and
killing all fighters - it was
done with the help of Muslims
who believed the propaganda and
definition provided by the
British stooges among the
Muslims of India. Since then the
West has used the term numerous
times for defeating Muslims by
dividing them. I have
extensively traveled the Muslim
world and never met one person
who calls himself "Wahabi". Now
Americans are using the same
term very successfully. By using
this term you are aiding our
enemies.
2. The war in Iraq is against
Islam by the Americans and the
West, but Muslim fighters in
Iraq, in general, are not
fighting for Islam but for Iraqi
nationalism. However, War in
Afghanistan is fought against
and for Islam by the Americans
and Afghanis, respectively. I,
therefore, do not label war in
Iraq as a Jihad but the war in
Afghanistan is Jihad. In a
general sense of the word
meaning of struggle, both wars
are jihad. Please translate the
word Jihad meaning "holy war" as
no war is holy but some wars are
inevitable and justifiable.
3. A true struggle for freedom
never fails, however sometimes
the result is delayed. I do not
believe that the struggle by the
Iraqis and Afghanis will fail
because their sincerity will be
rewarded by Allah. If they are
fighting for money or power for
themselves then the result could
be disastrous because Allah's
help will not be there.
4. Ummah is not at "dead end."
Every struggle has maturing
phase that is, the initial phase
of learning through errors.
Muslims are in this stage. If we
hold on to the Qur'an and Sunnah
(see Qur'an 3:103) we will
surely be victorious. Prophet
Muhammad himself went through
such stages (see the Qur'an
8:65-66).
Wassalam.
Dr. M. Amir Ali
Institute of Islamic
Information and Education
amirali@ilaam.net
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