The following is the transcript of a circle delivered on this topic:
Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: "O you who believe! If a fasiq (liar – evil person) brings you a news, verify it, lest you harm some people in ignorance and afterward repent of what you did” [TMQ 49:6]
Bearing this Ayah of the Quran in mind Muslim must not accept any news reporting’s blindly. So how do we view the dramatic siege of India’s financial capital Mumbai, where over 190 people were killed and more than 250 people injured, where gunmen took over two of the most prominent landmarks of Mumbai, The Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Trident-Oberoi and many sporadic shootings also took place in different locations around the city. Some foreign nationals were also amongst those killed. This is the issue that everyone is talking about, we need to therefore understand the issue and have a correct perspective on it:
First it is not clear who were behind the recent siege. As with any crime people should not lay the blame on anyone without clear evidence. Unfortunately it is a common practice today especially by the media to point the finger and blame without clear proof, trial by media should not be accepted. The media is accusing Muslim groups and Pakistan to be behind the blast. The Prophet (saw) said: “A believer is not bitten from the same hole twice”.
There are many things to consider:
The timing of the incident needs to be looked at and we need to consider the events before this and who is going to benefit from this
There have been a series of blasts before this in various places around the country such as in Mumbai previously and more recently in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Surat, Ahmedabad and Malegoan.
There is clear evidence to suggest that many of these were undertaken by right wing Hindutva forces with links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajarang Dal – who are tied to the Bharti Janta Party (BJP). Due to the upcoming elections in May next year, it was obvious that Congress and BJP would vie for power and use tactics against each other. It is being reported that BJP was to end up third after Congress and BSP in the elections. If BJP were to do so badly in Delhi elections, they would have to write off their hopes for a come-back in next Lok Sabha elections. It is well known that the BJP have previously used violence such as the Gujarat massacre and the Godhra issue for vote bank politics. The exposure by the ATS caused a huge embarrassment for the BJP, with elections around the corner this could have caused major damage for it. The newspapers for the first time had headlines such as Hindu Terrorism! And were using this term. Congress utilized this issue trying to emphasise its secular image.
Recently the Anti-Terror task force (ATS) and its chief Hemant Karkare had exposed links between right wing Hindu groups and the Malegoan and Samjauta express blasts, something which was designed in a manner to pin blame on Muslims. The chief had exposed the involvement of the mode of operations of various radical Hindu groups and despite severe political pressure- including threats to blow up his house and kill him. The timings and method of the Bombay attack certainly served to distract the media glare from the Hindu fascist groups.
Senior officers in the military were involved in these. Malegaon bomb blast case Lt Col P S Purohit was also directly involved with 2007’s twin Samjhauta Express blasts that killed 68 people and injured 50, Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police told a Nashik Court. ATS alleged that Purohit is a recruit of Swami Amritanand Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey who they claim masterminded the Malegaon blast. The ATS says that Purohit organised RDX for that terror attack too.
Purohit has admitted that he met Sadhvi Pragya Thakur — the other key accused in the blast case — through the Swami. Pragya Singh Thakur (38), is a ‘sadhvi’ (woman monk), was a popular leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. According to ATS chief Hemant Karkare, the motorcycle in which the bomb was planted was traced to her. Narco-analysis on Purohit has revealed that he had been tasked by Army Intelligence to gather information on student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The right wing Hindu groups and the BJP leader had been holding demonstrations in support of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur the co-accused.
Now coming to the recent attack in Mumbai – there are certain key factors we must look at such as why was ATS chief Hemant Karkare targeted and killed? He was instrumental in exposing the anti-Muslim forces? Why would Muslims target him?
Also the ports are highly guarded, how did attackers come in and bring so many weapons, ammunition, equipment, etc? One of the photos of the attackers shows him wearing a Rakhi (hindu wristband). It is reported that within minutes of the event unfolding they discovered a boat in which these people had landed, and even found a passport and mobile SIM of Pakistani origin, just like in 9/11!
Although it is feasible that Muslims undertook the actual attack, we have to realize that many militant groups are easy to infiltrate and motivate as they rely heavily on money – other forces can direct them for specific actions. This is what is most likely happened in 911 in America, where it is so clear that the US allowed that to happened in order to project US foreign policy. Even many non-Muslim thinkers have exposed the whole issue, many websites by non-Muslims are there highlighting this. It is well known that a group to whom George Bush belongs to called PNAC (Project for the New American Century) had been lobbying Clinton to invade Iraq since 1998 and they said on their website that America needs a catastrophic event like Pearl Harbour to project American foreign policy.
We have to appreciate that it is feasible for political factions in this country utilize issues to win elections. It is well known the BJP had been calling for the Interior Minister Shivraj Patil’s resignation since the earlier blasts, but after the Batla house episode in Delhi, where evidence points that it was fabricated to save Patil’s position. This time he has been forced to resign.
We have to understand the wider politics at play, Congress and BJP are 2 sides of the same coin but are backed by different powers. It is well known that Congress historically since the time of Nehru has allegiance to the British and they even directly attacked the BJP for being pro-American. The Congress Party openly stated its disdain for the relationship between the BJP and USA. In its election manifesto under ‘Security, Defence and Foreign policy, The Congress Agenda’ it states:
“Of equal concern has been the BJP/NDA Government’s policies towards the USA. They have been charcterised by a lack of transparency. Till this day, the country has never been taken into confidence about the outcome of several rounds of discussions which Shri Jaswant Singh as Minister of External Affairs had with Mr. Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State of the USA. Sadly, a great country like India has been reduced to having a subordinate relationship with the USA where the USA takes India for granted. This is the result of the BJP/NDA Government’s willingness to adjust the US priorities and policies without giving due attention to India’s own vital foreign policy and national security interests. The declaration of Pakistan as a non-NATO ally by the USA recently exposed the BJP’s claim of a “paradigm shift” in Indo-US relations. This declaration caught the Government of India by surprise. The subsequent protests by the Government of India have been very weak and have lacked credibility and conviction. The BJP/NDA Government has failed to take the country into confidence about the national security implications of the new tie-up between Pakistan and the USA. It has also failed to dispel the widely-held fears that India has accepted the mediator role for the USA in Indo-Pakistan relations.”
Islam condemns violence against civilians
It should be clear that Islam condemns the killing of innocent civilians wherever they may be whether in Bombay, London or Madrid. Islam prohibits the targeting of civilians even during legitimate wars. This is established by clear evidences in the Islamic texts:
Ahmad narrated from Safwan bin ‘Asal who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) sent us in an expedition and said: “Travel in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight those who do not believe in Allah. Do not mutilate, deceive or kill a child.”
Al-Bukhari narrated from ibn Umar who said: “A woman was found killed in some of the battles of the Messenger of Allah (saw), so the Messenger of Allah (saw) prohibited the killing of women and children.”
Ahmad narrated from Al-Aswad bin Sar’i who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “What is wrong with the people whose killing exceeded today until they killed children? A man said: O Messenger of Allah (saw) they are merely the children of polytheists. He said: Verily the best of you are the children of polytheists.”
Abu Dawud narrated from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Go forth in the name of Allah, with Allah and in the creed (millah) of the Messenger of Allah. Do not kill a perishing (fani) old man (shaykh), a child or a woman and do not betray. Gather together your booties and be righteous as Allah loves the righteous.”
Ahmad and Abu Dawud narrated from Rabah bin Rabi’ that he left together with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in a battle which was fought with Khalid bin Walid at its front. Rabah and the Sahabah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed by a woman killed in what the front (group) had struck. They stopped to look at her and were astounded by her beauty, until the Messenger of Allah (saw) met them upon his mount so they made a place for her. The Messenger of Allah (saw) stopped over her and said: “This is not one to fight. Go meet Khalid and say to him: Do not kill children nor the hireling.” So the hadith made the reason for the prohibition of killing her as long as she does not fight.
Why do they label it Islamic terrorism?
When the IRA committed terrorist acts in the past, people didn’t blame the Bible and label them as Christian terrorists or when the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) commit terrorism today, people don’t blame Hinduism and call them Hindu terrorists.
There are so many contradictions.
They use issues such as this in order to further curtail the expression of Islam especially the political aspects, they blur the lines between what they call extremism and terrorism.
Allah (swt) says: “They wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths….” [TMQ 9:32]
State Terrorism leads to individual terrorism
What is terrorism? Violence against civilians to achieve political goals. Therefore the USA, Europe, Israel, India etc are the biggest terrorists in the world!
The causes behind acts of violence against innocent people on a wide scale in the world need to be scrutinised in an honest manner. Some of the questions that need to be asked are: What are the factors causing violence against innocents by states, groups and individuals? How do countries and their policies contribute towards this? Does occupation and state oppression lead to a backlash?
We admit that some actions of terrorism are committed by Muslims, however we need to identify the real cause of terrorism. The true cause of individual terrorism is state terrorism. E.g. Imagine if your house was destroyed and your father killed, your sister raped – how do you think you will act? We cannot expect everyone will be restricted by the rules of the Shariah, some of them will go beyond the Shariah and may undertake violent acts. So who is to blame? It is the state terrorism of Israel, America and other nations that causes individual actions.
The killing of all innocent people should be remembered and should be condemned including the civilians being killed as we speak in Gaza and Lebanon by the Israeli state, the 1 million people killed in Iraq due to current occupation, Afghanistan, Gujarat, Kashmir and all other places.
Even Muslims who live under oppression should realise that we must not react in a manner that contradicts the rules of Islam. It is not legitimate for even the oppressed to kill innocent people. They must speak out against the oppression and work against it according to the shariah method. Our emotions must be brought in line with Islam. The Prophet (saw) said in a well known narration, “No one of you is a true believer until his emotions are in line with what I have brought.”
We must also take heed from the words of our beloved Prophet (saw):
Hazzam bin Hakeem narrated from his uncle from the Messenger of Allah (saw) who said: “You are in a time of many jurisprudents (fuqaha), few speakers, many who give and few who ask; so action in this time is better than knowledge. There will soon come a time of few jurisprudents, many speakers, many who beg and few who give; so knowledge in this time is better than action.”
Do not succumb to fear
The Prophet (saw) has told us in a hadith: “Let not the fear of people stop you from speaking the truth when you see or witness something. Verily, speaking the truth or reminding about a great matter will not draw death closer or deprive someone from his provision (rizq).” [Reported by Ahmad]
Bearing this Ayah of the Quran in mind Muslim must not accept any news reporting’s blindly. So how do we view the dramatic siege of India’s financial capital Mumbai, where over 190 people were killed and more than 250 people injured, where gunmen took over two of the most prominent landmarks of Mumbai, The Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Trident-Oberoi and many sporadic shootings also took place in different locations around the city. Some foreign nationals were also amongst those killed. This is the issue that everyone is talking about, we need to therefore understand the issue and have a correct perspective on it:
First it is not clear who were behind the recent siege. As with any crime people should not lay the blame on anyone without clear evidence. Unfortunately it is a common practice today especially by the media to point the finger and blame without clear proof, trial by media should not be accepted. The media is accusing Muslim groups and Pakistan to be behind the blast. The Prophet (saw) said: “A believer is not bitten from the same hole twice”.
There are many things to consider:
The timing of the incident needs to be looked at and we need to consider the events before this and who is going to benefit from this
There have been a series of blasts before this in various places around the country such as in Mumbai previously and more recently in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Surat, Ahmedabad and Malegoan.
There is clear evidence to suggest that many of these were undertaken by right wing Hindutva forces with links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajarang Dal – who are tied to the Bharti Janta Party (BJP). Due to the upcoming elections in May next year, it was obvious that Congress and BJP would vie for power and use tactics against each other. It is being reported that BJP was to end up third after Congress and BSP in the elections. If BJP were to do so badly in Delhi elections, they would have to write off their hopes for a come-back in next Lok Sabha elections. It is well known that the BJP have previously used violence such as the Gujarat massacre and the Godhra issue for vote bank politics. The exposure by the ATS caused a huge embarrassment for the BJP, with elections around the corner this could have caused major damage for it. The newspapers for the first time had headlines such as Hindu Terrorism! And were using this term. Congress utilized this issue trying to emphasise its secular image.
Recently the Anti-Terror task force (ATS) and its chief Hemant Karkare had exposed links between right wing Hindu groups and the Malegoan and Samjauta express blasts, something which was designed in a manner to pin blame on Muslims. The chief had exposed the involvement of the mode of operations of various radical Hindu groups and despite severe political pressure- including threats to blow up his house and kill him. The timings and method of the Bombay attack certainly served to distract the media glare from the Hindu fascist groups.
Senior officers in the military were involved in these. Malegaon bomb blast case Lt Col P S Purohit was also directly involved with 2007’s twin Samjhauta Express blasts that killed 68 people and injured 50, Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police told a Nashik Court. ATS alleged that Purohit is a recruit of Swami Amritanand Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey who they claim masterminded the Malegaon blast. The ATS says that Purohit organised RDX for that terror attack too.
Purohit has admitted that he met Sadhvi Pragya Thakur — the other key accused in the blast case — through the Swami. Pragya Singh Thakur (38), is a ‘sadhvi’ (woman monk), was a popular leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. According to ATS chief Hemant Karkare, the motorcycle in which the bomb was planted was traced to her. Narco-analysis on Purohit has revealed that he had been tasked by Army Intelligence to gather information on student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The right wing Hindu groups and the BJP leader had been holding demonstrations in support of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur the co-accused.
Now coming to the recent attack in Mumbai – there are certain key factors we must look at such as why was ATS chief Hemant Karkare targeted and killed? He was instrumental in exposing the anti-Muslim forces? Why would Muslims target him?
Also the ports are highly guarded, how did attackers come in and bring so many weapons, ammunition, equipment, etc? One of the photos of the attackers shows him wearing a Rakhi (hindu wristband). It is reported that within minutes of the event unfolding they discovered a boat in which these people had landed, and even found a passport and mobile SIM of Pakistani origin, just like in 9/11!
Although it is feasible that Muslims undertook the actual attack, we have to realize that many militant groups are easy to infiltrate and motivate as they rely heavily on money – other forces can direct them for specific actions. This is what is most likely happened in 911 in America, where it is so clear that the US allowed that to happened in order to project US foreign policy. Even many non-Muslim thinkers have exposed the whole issue, many websites by non-Muslims are there highlighting this. It is well known that a group to whom George Bush belongs to called PNAC (Project for the New American Century) had been lobbying Clinton to invade Iraq since 1998 and they said on their website that America needs a catastrophic event like Pearl Harbour to project American foreign policy.
We have to appreciate that it is feasible for political factions in this country utilize issues to win elections. It is well known the BJP had been calling for the Interior Minister Shivraj Patil’s resignation since the earlier blasts, but after the Batla house episode in Delhi, where evidence points that it was fabricated to save Patil’s position. This time he has been forced to resign.
We have to understand the wider politics at play, Congress and BJP are 2 sides of the same coin but are backed by different powers. It is well known that Congress historically since the time of Nehru has allegiance to the British and they even directly attacked the BJP for being pro-American. The Congress Party openly stated its disdain for the relationship between the BJP and USA. In its election manifesto under ‘Security, Defence and Foreign policy, The Congress Agenda’ it states:
“Of equal concern has been the BJP/NDA Government’s policies towards the USA. They have been charcterised by a lack of transparency. Till this day, the country has never been taken into confidence about the outcome of several rounds of discussions which Shri Jaswant Singh as Minister of External Affairs had with Mr. Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State of the USA. Sadly, a great country like India has been reduced to having a subordinate relationship with the USA where the USA takes India for granted. This is the result of the BJP/NDA Government’s willingness to adjust the US priorities and policies without giving due attention to India’s own vital foreign policy and national security interests. The declaration of Pakistan as a non-NATO ally by the USA recently exposed the BJP’s claim of a “paradigm shift” in Indo-US relations. This declaration caught the Government of India by surprise. The subsequent protests by the Government of India have been very weak and have lacked credibility and conviction. The BJP/NDA Government has failed to take the country into confidence about the national security implications of the new tie-up between Pakistan and the USA. It has also failed to dispel the widely-held fears that India has accepted the mediator role for the USA in Indo-Pakistan relations.”
Islam condemns violence against civilians
It should be clear that Islam condemns the killing of innocent civilians wherever they may be whether in Bombay, London or Madrid. Islam prohibits the targeting of civilians even during legitimate wars. This is established by clear evidences in the Islamic texts:
Ahmad narrated from Safwan bin ‘Asal who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) sent us in an expedition and said: “Travel in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight those who do not believe in Allah. Do not mutilate, deceive or kill a child.”
Al-Bukhari narrated from ibn Umar who said: “A woman was found killed in some of the battles of the Messenger of Allah (saw), so the Messenger of Allah (saw) prohibited the killing of women and children.”
Ahmad narrated from Al-Aswad bin Sar’i who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “What is wrong with the people whose killing exceeded today until they killed children? A man said: O Messenger of Allah (saw) they are merely the children of polytheists. He said: Verily the best of you are the children of polytheists.”
Abu Dawud narrated from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Go forth in the name of Allah, with Allah and in the creed (millah) of the Messenger of Allah. Do not kill a perishing (fani) old man (shaykh), a child or a woman and do not betray. Gather together your booties and be righteous as Allah loves the righteous.”
Ahmad and Abu Dawud narrated from Rabah bin Rabi’ that he left together with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in a battle which was fought with Khalid bin Walid at its front. Rabah and the Sahabah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed by a woman killed in what the front (group) had struck. They stopped to look at her and were astounded by her beauty, until the Messenger of Allah (saw) met them upon his mount so they made a place for her. The Messenger of Allah (saw) stopped over her and said: “This is not one to fight. Go meet Khalid and say to him: Do not kill children nor the hireling.” So the hadith made the reason for the prohibition of killing her as long as she does not fight.
Why do they label it Islamic terrorism?
When the IRA committed terrorist acts in the past, people didn’t blame the Bible and label them as Christian terrorists or when the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) commit terrorism today, people don’t blame Hinduism and call them Hindu terrorists.
There are so many contradictions.
They use issues such as this in order to further curtail the expression of Islam especially the political aspects, they blur the lines between what they call extremism and terrorism.
Allah (swt) says: “They wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths….” [TMQ 9:32]
State Terrorism leads to individual terrorism
What is terrorism? Violence against civilians to achieve political goals. Therefore the USA, Europe, Israel, India etc are the biggest terrorists in the world!
The causes behind acts of violence against innocent people on a wide scale in the world need to be scrutinised in an honest manner. Some of the questions that need to be asked are: What are the factors causing violence against innocents by states, groups and individuals? How do countries and their policies contribute towards this? Does occupation and state oppression lead to a backlash?
We admit that some actions of terrorism are committed by Muslims, however we need to identify the real cause of terrorism. The true cause of individual terrorism is state terrorism. E.g. Imagine if your house was destroyed and your father killed, your sister raped – how do you think you will act? We cannot expect everyone will be restricted by the rules of the Shariah, some of them will go beyond the Shariah and may undertake violent acts. So who is to blame? It is the state terrorism of Israel, America and other nations that causes individual actions.
The killing of all innocent people should be remembered and should be condemned including the civilians being killed as we speak in Gaza and Lebanon by the Israeli state, the 1 million people killed in Iraq due to current occupation, Afghanistan, Gujarat, Kashmir and all other places.
Even Muslims who live under oppression should realise that we must not react in a manner that contradicts the rules of Islam. It is not legitimate for even the oppressed to kill innocent people. They must speak out against the oppression and work against it according to the shariah method. Our emotions must be brought in line with Islam. The Prophet (saw) said in a well known narration, “No one of you is a true believer until his emotions are in line with what I have brought.”
We must also take heed from the words of our beloved Prophet (saw):
Hazzam bin Hakeem narrated from his uncle from the Messenger of Allah (saw) who said: “You are in a time of many jurisprudents (fuqaha), few speakers, many who give and few who ask; so action in this time is better than knowledge. There will soon come a time of few jurisprudents, many speakers, many who beg and few who give; so knowledge in this time is better than action.”
Do not succumb to fear
The Prophet (saw) has told us in a hadith: “Let not the fear of people stop you from speaking the truth when you see or witness something. Verily, speaking the truth or reminding about a great matter will not draw death closer or deprive someone from his provision (rizq).” [Reported by Ahmad]
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