MEMO TO MR. BIN LADEN
Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D.
This is an American Muslim’s response to the Tape recorded message
dated February 11th, 2003 by fugitive-terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Mr. Binladen,
In the name of Allah, The Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent.
I begin by reciting some important principles of Islam to remind you
that there is more to Islam than just a call to arms.
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Islam was sent as mercy to humanity (Quran 4:79).
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Do not make mischief on the earth (Quran 29:36).
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People, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
into nations and tribes that you might know one another. The noblest
of you before God is the most righteous of you. (49:13) -
There are among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians)
upstanding nations that recite the message of God and worship
throughout the night, who believe in God, who order honor and forbid
dishonor and race in good works. These are the righteous.
(3:113-114).
I am writing this to make it clear that there are Muslims in America
and in the world who despise and condemn extremists and have nothing
to do with Binladen and those like him for whom killing constitutes
worship.
Islam was sent as mercy to humanity and not as an ideology of terror
or hatred. It advocates plurality and moral equality of all faiths
(Quran 2:62, 5:69). To use Islam, as a justification to declare an
Armageddon against all non-Muslims is inherently unIslamic – it is a
despicable distortion of a faith of peace. One of Allah’s 99 names in
the Quran is “Al Salam” which means Peace. Thus in a way Muslims are
the only people who actually worship peace. Today this claim sounds
so empty, thanks to people like you, Mr. Bin Laden. You and those
like you are dedicated to killing and bringing misery to people
wherever they are. God blessed you with the capacity to lead and also
endowed you with enormous resources. You could have used your
influence in Afghanistan to develop it, to bring it out of poverty
and underdevelopment and show the world what Islam can do for those
who believe in it. You chose to provoke and bring war to a people who
had already been devastated by wars.
Yes many innocent people lost their lives in America’s war on
Afghanistan and many more might lose their lives in Iraq. This is
indeed regrettable. But we must never forget as to how the West is
divided over this and how nations and people within nations are
agonizing in Europe and in America over this decision to go to war in
Iraq. While many Americans and Europeans oppose the war, Muslim
nations have already agreed to cooperate in this war. No Muslims
leader has tried to play the role of a statesman on this issue. It is
a tragedy that there is not a single Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter or
Nelson Mandela in the entire Muslim world who would stand up and
speak for justice!
Before we rush to condemn America we must remember that even today
millions of poor and miserable people all across the world are lining
up outside US embassies eager to come to America, not just to live
here but to become an American. No Muslim country today, can claim
that people of other nations and other faiths see it as a promise of
hope, equality, dignity and prosperity.
Yes, we American Muslims will continue to challenge the Bush
administrations’ proposal to wage war against Iraq. We think a regime
change in Washington is as necessary as a regime change in Baghdad,
but that is an intramural affair. Once the war is declared, make no
mistake Mr. Saddam Hussain and Mr. Bin Laden, We are with America. We
will fight with America and we will fight for America. We have a
covenant with this nation, we see it as a divine commitment and we
will not disobey the Quran (9:4) – we will fulfill our obligations as
citizens to the land that opened its doors to us and promised us
equality and dignity even though we have a different faith. I am sure
Mr. Bin Laden, you can neither understand nor appreciate this
willingness to accept and welcome the other.
Sure at this moment out of anger, frustration and fear, some in
America have momentarily forgotten their own values. I am confident
that, God willing, this moment of shock and insecurity will pass and
America will once again become the beacon of freedom, tolerance and
acceptance that it was before September 11th. On that day Mr.
Binladen, you not only killed 3000 innocent Americans, many of whom
were also Muslims, but you signed the death warrants of many innocent
people who will die in this war on terror and many more who will live
but will suffer the consequences, the pain and the misery of war.
Before September 11th, the US was giving aid ($45 million a year) to
Afghanistan and was content to wait for the Iraqi people to free
themselves and the rest of the world from their dictator. On that day
you changed the rules of the game and Muslims in many places are
suffering as a direct consequence.
When the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his companions fought in the name
of Islam, Allah made them victorious and glorified them in this
world. They made Islam the currency of human civilization for over a
millennium. You and your men on the other hand face nothing but
defeat, global ridicule and contempt and run and hide like rats in
caves and dungeons. You live in the dark. Your faith neither
enlightens you nor enables you to live in the light and you have made
Islam the currency of hate and violence.
Let me tell you that I would rather live in America under Ashcroft
and Bush at their worst, than in any “Islamic state” established by
ignorant, intolerant and murderous punks like you and Mullah Omar at
their best. The US, patriot act not withstanding is still a more
Islamic (just and tolerant) state than Afghanistan ever was under the
Taliban.
Remember this: Muslims from all over the world who wished to live
better lives migrated to America and Muslims who only wished to take
lives migrated to Afghanistan to join you.
We will not follow the desires of people (like you) who went astray
and led many astray from the Straight Path. (Quran 5:77).
I conclude by calling upon you Mr. Bin Laden and your Al Qaeda
colleagues and Mr. Saddam Hussain to surrender to International
Courts and take responsibility for your actions and protect thousands
of other innocent Muslims from becoming the victims of the wars you
bring upon them.
http://www.ijtihad.org/
