Al Qaeda organizations and meeting sins by mistakes

By: Essam Derbalah

Whoever behind the accident of "Our Lady of Salvation" Church in Baghdad is, this act cannot be justified or ignored. The threats directed to Egyptian churches cannot be neglected also.

Some may ask:

Why do you adopt such a stance if the attacks target American troops, which detain Iraqi innocent people, and some Egyptian churches, which imprison Christian women who converted to Islam?

The answer is:

Such an action taken by some organizations of al Qaeda is like curing a sin by a mistake. When I say "organizations of al Qaeda" I mean that al Qaeda is not one organization controlled by its historical leadership; Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahri, anymore. it turned to an ideology that spreaded around the world.

and when I say it meets a sin by a mistake I mean it is undoubtedly that the American occupation of Iraq is a great sin and what happens in the Iraqi prisons, which was revealed by "wikilex" website, is a greater sin.

the extreme conduct of some Coptic priests toward converted women is provocative, however, it is not acceptable to meet mistakes by other mistakes.

Someone may say:

What is wrong in such retaliation?

I reply:

It is religiously wrong for many reasons:

First: Islam prohibits punishing innocents in order to lift injustice done to whom we consider innocents.

Allah says: "And let not your hatred of a folk who (once) stopped your going to the Inviolable Place of Worship seduce you to transgress; but help ye one another unto righteousness and pious duty. Help not one another unto sin and transgression"

This verse was revealed when the Messenger of Allah and his companions were at Hudaibia and were prevented to enter the Sacred Mosque the polythiests of Mecca. Then, some pilgrims from the unbelievers passed near them. the Prophet's companions said "we'll stop them from going as their friends did with us". but Allah here revealed the previous verse to show that it is not acceptable to meet unjustice by unjustice. Islam teaches us to be fair with all people, whether they agree or disagree with us. Allah says "O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do".

It is no doubt that the prayers who were in "Our Lady of Salvation" Church were civilians. they are not responsible for detaining members of al Qaeda by the occupation forces. So, it is not right to target and kill such people to pressure on the authorities to release some Muslim captives.

second: the error is more horrible when such an accident takes place in worship places. Allah ordered the companions of His Messenger not to stop-or seize- the pilgrims who were in Hudaibia, which is miles distant from Mecca, although they were unbelievers. so it is more unaccepted to do this in the sacred place.

Add to this Islam allows the people of the Scripture to live safely in Muslim countries and grants them the right to perform their rituals freely. Thus, any justification for such accidents will not be acceptable.

third: Islam prohibits the killing of women, children and monks in case of war. so how it is permitted to detain them and kill them during the fight with the Iraqi forces?

Somebody may justify:

The interference of the Iraqi police to release the hostages caused the massacre.

I say:

Didn't the attackers expect this before seizing the church?

Fourth: Islam gives people the freedom of belief according to the golden prinsibles "there is no compulsion in religion".

to sum up, the noble values of Islam rejects such accidents and threats for it is a fair religion even if it is exposed to injustice from its opponents.

Ordinary stance:

The stance I declare today is not new for the al Jamaa al Islamiya of Egypt. I remember in 1988 Sheikh Najeh Ibrahim, Sheikh Osama Hafez and I were performing year-end exams in Minia prison. we met some members of al Jamaa, who were arrested for attacking some churches with explosives. we asked them:

What is the religious basis of your act? and why did you do this?

they answered: churches' security is part of mosques' security. it is not acceptable to let churches safe while mosques are attacked.

I said to them: are the people who go to churches attack mosques and arrest you?

They replied: no.

I continued: so, "nor doth any laden bear another's load."

then we sent to Sheikh Ali al Dinary, the group's leader in Minia, asking him to stop such operations which contradict the Islamic justice and punish innocent people for the faults of others. He immediately obeyed, may Allah reward him.

it is worth mentioning that al Jamaa al Islamyia in Egypt never targeted Christians. and the accidents that were executed against Christians or churches were individual ones that we never gave consent to and which we instantly condemned and commanded to stop.

Extremisms feed extremism:

An observer of the recent events can conclude that extreme stances made by some personalities feed extreme thoughts of others.

it is obvious that the crimes committed by the American forces against Iraqis pushed the executers to carry out such attacks. And the extreme situations of some priests of the Egyptian Catholic Church created an international extreme reaction against them.

Honoring the Danish Muhammad cartoonist by Angela Merkel and the war waged against Muslim immigrants and against burqa by Necola Sarkozy is the cause of sending them such explosive packages.

Some ask:

Will the threat launched by the organization responsible for the accident of "Our Lady of Salvation" Church find response among Muslim youths in Egypt or other countries?

The answer is:

This will not happen, God willing, among al Jamaa al Islamyia members because they know well the religious and political aspects of such threats. as for the rest of Muslim youths, they must be of the same awareness in order not to be seduced or to face a mistake by a sin.

Back to Jihad