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| Arabia |
| No To War, No To Saddam: Kuwaiti Muslim Groups |
| 2003-03-27 |
| The representatives of the Kuwaiti Islamic groups expressed their misgivings about the U.S.-led war on Iraq with some of them rejecting this war while others remaining impartial. However, both camps expressed their sympathy with the Iraqi people for the havoc and destruction that would be wrecked on them by this war, holding, at the same time, the Iraqi regime responsible for helping the U.S. troops get a foothold in the region after the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. "I am against this war, because it will only bring destruction for the down-trodden Iraqi people, who suffered a lot from their unfair leadership, Dr. Wael al-Hesawi, a member of the Salafi Islamic Union (SIU)," told IOL. Kuwait had nothing to do with this war, which had taken place at the choice of the superpowers, he argued. Hesawi, however, made it crystal clear that he welcomed the unseating of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by war, asserting that it is the one and only alternative to get rid of him (Iraqi President) after attacking his neighbors and causing his people great suffering due to his oppressive policies, which violated their human rights. Abdullah al-Motawah, head of the Muslim Brotherhoods social reform society, said he is against war and its grave consequences, noting that no sane person on earth would support a war leveled at the Muslim Iraqi people. "We are looking forward for resolving the matter peacefully with Saddam going into exile once and for all, bearing in mind the great pains caused by his arbitrariness and dictatorship to his people and the peoples of the region," he said. Motawah hopped that a national government would replace Saddams by fair and free elections that would preserve the Islamic identity. In the meantime, the opposition Salafi Scientific Movement (SSM) branded as a Crusade invasion the U.S.-led aggression on Iraq. In a controversial statement, the SSM called on all Muslim peoples and governments to stand up to the new Crusaders and colonial schemes aimed at imposing their hegemony on the Muslim world. The movement further warned all political opposition groups in the Arab world of being deceived by the western pledges of establishing democracy and freedom after war. In a recent statement, the movement also voiced its support for the Kuwait leadership to protect the security and stability of the Kuwaiti people. Spokesman for the SIU Salem al-Nashi, however, dismissed the SSMs statement, arguing that the SIUs action and statements were adopted by ulamma (Muslim scholars) and in accordance with what served the countrys interest. For his part, the SSM information assistant secretary general Sagid al-Abdali said the movements statement is in line with the countrys official stance, noting that the SSM opposition to war was consistent with the stances of other anti-war bodies, including the league of the Palestinian scholars, Al-Azhar Islamic Researches Academy and the European council for researches and religious edicts. It is also consistent with the statement signed by more than 1,000 Islamic figures along with a myriad of Muslim scholars, such as Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Dr. Ugeel al-Nashmi, Sheikh Faisal Malawi, Sheikh Mohammed Ahmad al-Rashid, Sheikh Soliman al-Oada and Sheikh Abul Kareem Zidan, who flatly rejected war on Iraq and issued anti-war fatwas, he said. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #3 Like I said, they're still smarting from the temporary victory the Crusaders had in taking Jerusalem, and holding it for over 9 decades. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-03-27 11:33:32 |
| #2 News Flash! It's the Crusades all over again!!!!!! Sheesh. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-03-27 10:49:41 |
| #1 Funny thing. If get rid of Saddam, then you'll get rid of the war. But if you just get rid of the war... well, then you've still got Saddam. Looks like there's only one way to get what they want. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-03-27 09:48:30 |