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| Africa North |
| Egyptian big time Iman revising Jihad theology |
| 2007-07-27 |
| In a prison cell south of Cairo a repentant Egyptian terrorist leader is putting the finishing touches to a remarkable recantation that undermines the Muslim theological basis for violent jihad and is set to generate furious controversy among former comrades still fighting with al-Qaida. Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, was the founder and first emir (commander) of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation... Sharif recently gave an electrifying foretaste of his conversion by condemning killings on the basis of nationality and colour of skin and the targeting of women and children, citing the Qur'anic injunction: "Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits; for God loveth not transgressors." Armed operations were wrong, counterproductive and must cease, he declared sternly. Zawahiri, evidently rattled, rounded sarcastically on him in a video message broadcast after Sharif's statement - faxed from Torah prison to an Arabic newspaper - announced not only his change of heart but a book-length repudiation endorsed by hundreds of other former militants, and which is due to be published soon. The quote is 2:190 (the phrase translated "do not transgress the limits" has also been translated as "do not begin hostilities"). I would give high odds that the eventual book will be hard on muslims who kill muslim civilians but somewhere between enthusiasically praising and equivocal about muslims killing infidels. This Iman probably realizes that if Islam ever loses the ability to kill opponents, masses of people will leave the faith. |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #12 As Winston Churchill said...if you're going to kill someone, it costs nothing to be polite.... Dayuum, how'd I miss that one? Winnie rulz! Great cite, Sgt. Mom. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-27 19:00 |
| #11 Then, "faster, please!" As Winston Churchill said...if you're going to kill someone, it costs nothing to be polite.... ;-) |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-07-27 18:19 |
| #10 Sgt. Mom, actually, they very much always did kill each other in larger quantities, but as they say... faster! ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-07-27 17:46 |
| #9 Well, confusion to the Islamist enemy then... maybe they'll get so rattled over this, they'll turn to killing each other, rather than non-Muslims. |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-07-27 17:26 |
| #8 I think he's Olmert's house guest for the summer. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-07-27 16:18 |
| #7 Zawahiri, evidently rattled, rounded sarcastically on him in a video message broadcast after Sharif's statement-faxed from Torah prison to an Arabic newspaper sure doesn't sound like Zawahiri is in the remote provinces in NW Pakistan to have such access to current news to me |
| Posted by: Danielle 2007-07-27 16:07 |
| #6 it's also an experiment in selective inbreeding There, fixed that for ya, gg. Otherwise, you're most likely right. PS: Spot on graphic, doc! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-27 15:34 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: doc 2007-07-27 15:28 |
| #4 Zenster, I think you focus too much on Islam as ideology and forget that it's also an experiment in selective breeding---might as well ask Swedes to give up blond hair & blue eyes. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-07-27 15:21 |
| #3 I would give high odds that the eventual book will be hard on muslims who kill muslim civilians but somewhere between enthusiasically praising and equivocal about muslims killing infidels. Would someone please give mhw a Kewpie doll! All of this is utterly meaningless until all Muslims genuinely and thoroughly renounce taqiyya. Until then, we are absolute morons to believe a single thing |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-27 15:18 |
| #2 In a prison cell south of Cairo... Well take your time, Sayid. Do it right... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-07-27 14:04 |
| #1 Past "revisions" have included apologies to the victims of terror attacks, recognition of them as "martyrs", and the annulment of fatwas as misguided. But these are not an Islamist version of The God That Failed - the 1949 anthology written by disillusioned communists - but rather a reasoned rejection of theological misinterpretations. Their authors are neither secular nor liberal: their self-criticism includes observations that the wrong path to jihad benefits only the Jews, the US and Egypt's Christian minority. "The Egyptian state is holding all this out as a huge triumph," says a foreign diplomat. "But the views these people preach are still pretty sinister. The state has to some extent accommodated itself to the Islamists." The goal, establishing the Caliphate, remains the same, but the preferred method is now ballots rather than bullets? "One man, one vote, one time" |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-07-27 13:59 |