In an August 29, 2005 article in the London Arabic-language daily Al-Quds Al-'Arabi, titled "The London Bombing: Harm Is Brought Upon the Muslims Only by Their Own," British Islamist Dr. 'Azzam Al-Tamimi argues that Muslim critics are Islam's worst enemies, whereas support from non-Islamic sympathizers is Islam's greatest asset, and must be utilized.
Al-Tamimi is referring primarily to liberal Arab and Muslim writers who, following the London bombings, criticized the previous long-standing British policy of tolerance towards Islamist preachers of hatred and violence. He calls these liberal writers traitors, and says that without their help, "Blair, and Bush, and the leaders of Australia and New Zealand, would not have dared to act impudently toward Islam and the Muslims" in a "frenzied attempt to destroy Islam."
Al-Tamimi's argument echoes a similar accusation by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, termed "the notorious fundamentalist" by the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Following the London bombings, Bakri, the head of the Islamist Al-Muhajiroon movement in Britain, fled to a Lebanon hideout from his London base of activity of many years. [1]
For a broader ideological profile of Dr. Azzam Al-Tamimi, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 163, "Dr. 'Azzam Al-Tamimi: A Political-Ideological Brief," Dr. 'Azzam Al-Tamimi: A Political-Ideological Brief. [2]
It is noteworthy that in a BBC interview of November 2, 2004, Al-Tamimi stated: "...Sacrificing myself for Palestine is a noble cause. It is the straight way to pleasing my God, and I would do it if I had the opportunity. " [3]
The following are excerpts from Al-Tamimi's article:
Treacherous Muslims' Alliance with Liberal Democracies
"Since the July 7 bombing in London, there have been continuous attacks on Islam and Muslims, not only in Britain but throughout the liberal democratic system in what is known as the West, in Europe or beyond.
"There is no doubt that the forces of the extreme right and the racist movements… and the Zionist lobby in this democratic system have been full of rancor and hatred, and that these events gave them the opportunity to spew their venom…
"Yet all the human and material resources possessed by these forces, including media and political [influence], have not served [their interests] as much as has a fanatical group of Muslims, who, competing with politicians and writers hostile to Islam, immediately rushed to defame the most esteemed 'ulama and the Muslims in general. They shirked from defending the just causes of Islam in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir and Chechnya, [whilethey justified] the violations of human rights, civil liberties and the rule of law, under the pretext of fighting [Islamic] extremism and terrorism."
"Blair, Bush, and the Australian and New Zealand Leaders Would Not Have Dared to Act Impudently toward Islam and the Muslims But for the Traitors Among Us"
"The leaders of the liberal West… have received much moral support from a group of Muslims detached from their faith and from the Islamic nation. In some cases, their support was given in the form of fatwas, and in other cases in the form of advice to the leaders of liberal democracy. Tony Blair, George W. Bush, and the leaders of Australia and New Zealand would not have dared to act impudently toward Islam and the Muslims but for the existence of [traitors from among our own]. [4] [It is these traitors] who help them in their frenzied attempt to destroy Islam, which ascends high in spite of them.
"Despite their small numbers, [these traitors] are widespread. Some of them are rulers of Islamic countries, causing suffering to their own people. One such [ruler] rushed to arrest hundreds within hours of the publication of the news of the bombing on July 7. He then ordered the expulsion of hundreds of foreign students from the religious schools of his country... [5]
"Despite the severity of the harm caused by these [rulers], their danger is limited in comparison to the danger posed by those traitors, who reside in the liberal democratic countries and who have suddenly found for themselves a role whereby they rise to the surface and become closer to the rulers."
SUPPORT OUR WORK
These Traitors Suggested to Blair and His Ilk to Persuade Parliament to Deport Anyone Praising Jihad or Martyrdom for the Sake of Allah
"It is they who suggested to Tony Blair and his ilk most of the procedures to persuade Parliament [to adopt], as soon as it convenes in September – and at the top of the list [of procedures] is the deportation of anyone who praises Jihad or martyrdom for the sake of Allah, or supports the mujahideen in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan…
"It is they who suggested to him to ban Islamic groups whose rhetoric they did not like, even if they [i.e. these groups] were completely innocent of any act of violence or terrorism, such as the Tahrir party.
"It is they who suggested to him to forbid Islamic figures such as the Imam of the Al-Haram Mosque of Mecca ['Abd Al-Rahman] Al-Sudayis and the great scholar [Sheikh Yousuf] Al-Qaradhawi from entering the country, due to their speeches which contain criticism of the Zionists occupying Palestine.
"It is they who suggested to him the idea that whoever did not assimilate into our society and did not accept our values – let him seek another country.
"It is they who caused him to be frightened of the popular reaction in Britain to the events of July 7, thus ruling that young Muslim women should be stripped of their headgear to protect themselves from being harmed in the street.
"It was some of them who claimed that the Muslims of Great Britain are not represented by the large [Muslim] organizations… arguing that those in charge of these organizations are either under the influence of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Hasan Al-Bana, or of the founder of the Al-Jama'a Al-Islamiyya in Pakistan Abu Al-A'la Al-Mawdudi, or are followers of Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Al-Wahhab, one of the greatest reformers [of Islam] in the 18th century."
The Muslims of Britain and Europe Heard for the First Time Voices Claiming to Speak for a Silent Muslim Mainstream, Supposedly Representing an Islam that Renounces Violence and Calls for Peaceful Co-existence and Complete Assimilation
"The Muslims of Britain and Europe have heard for the first time voices that claim to speak for a silent Muslim mainstream, which, according to this claim, is the true representative of an Islam that renounces violence and calls for peaceful co-existence and complete assimilation –namely, Sufi Islam.
"The most peculiar thing about this claim is that it harms the Sufis more than it harms other trends which have developed throughout Islamic history… How can one who lives comfortably and joins the company of great wealth and political power be a real Sufi? [The real Sufis] were ascetics devoted to worship, giving up the pleasures of this world in preference for the afterlife, turning away from men of wealth…
"A Sufi cannot possibly be a confidant of the likes of Tony Blair and George Bush, who are waging war on Islam and Muslims. A [true] Sufi cannot denounce Jihad for the sake of Allah, for the [Sufis] are all continuously engaged in Jihad. Who, if not they, have confronted colonialism since the 16th century – first at the far end of the Asian Orient, and subsequently in the countries of Africa, south, east, west and north?"
"The Position of Muslims in Britain and Other Liberal Countries Would Not Have Been Weak Had It Not Been for Those who Stuck Pickaxes in the Body of the Islamic Groups, in the Service of the Enemies of Islam and the Muslims"
"The position of the Muslims in Britain and other countries of the liberal system would not have been weak had it not been for those who stuck the pickaxes in the body of the Islamic groups in the service of the enemies of Islam and of the Muslims."
"These Traitors Are a Far Cry from the Giants of the British Left, Ken Livingstone... and the Fighter George Galloway Who Has Allied Himself with the Muslims..."
"It is wonderful that the Muslims find non-Muslim men and women who stand by them and support them during this trial, while there is treachery on the part of people who presume to belong to the Islamic nation and claim to be defending its creed and law. These [wretched] ones are a far cry from the giant Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London… likewise, they are a far cry from [other] giants of the British Left, led by the fighter George Galloway, who has allied himself with the Muslims and has defended them against the racists and the Zionists…"
"What is happening now in the British arena, and repeating itself in various degrees in the other countries of the nearly collapsing liberal system, confirms without any doubt that the world today is divided into two camps. One is the camp of those who, despite different religious beliefs and racial origins, stand together in defense of falsehood and injustice under the leadership of George Bush. The other camp is that of those who, despite different religious beliefs and racial origins, stand together in defense of truth and justice.
"Those who defend our Muslim right to worship Allah freely and to assist our oppressed brothers and sisters [in the] East and West are not necessarily Muslim, while those who strive to injure our creed and our law and to fight our Islamic nation are not necessarily of another religion. This was witnessed by whoever watched the Panorama program on BBC television on the night of August 21. [The host] John Ware could not have insulted, taunted, and defamed Islam and the Muslims if not for the help he received from some Muslims in Britain, be it during the year-long prior research or during the production."
"The Traitors Are a Small Group Full of Envy and Rancor"
"This is a small group which is full of envy and rancor, due to the great success achieved by pioneering Islamic organizations such as the Muslim Association of Britain, the Muslim Council of Britain, and the Islamic Foundation in Leicester, which the program attempted to damage, accusing them of extremism and terrorism. The problem was not in the words of the representatives of these organizations who were interviewed on the program, but in what was said about them by the [biased traitors] who wanted to glorify themselves and their organizations. [These organizations] hardly represent anyone but themselves and their families, at the expense of the higher Islamic interest."
"In Our Long-term War of Defense Against Injustice and Aggression, We Will Find in Our Midst Leaders, Politicians, Writers, and Academics Standing in the Other Camp Against Us… They Are the Enemy..."
"In our long-term war of defense against injustice and aggression, we are going to find [in our midst] leaders, politicians, writers, and academics who stand in the other camp against us… They are the enemy, and we must be wary of them. By the same token, we will find in our camp those who do not embrace Islam as a creed or live by its laws, yet who stand with us on the foundation of common humanity. They are today the most precious [assets], as we are living as minorities facing the hatred of racism and Zionism. With them, we must strengthen and ally ourselves to support justice and truth, and to oppose injustice and falsehood wherever and whenever struggle or fight breaks out between the two camps."
[1] In an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Bakri said: "[The Muslim community in Britain] allows itself to join the British intelligence, security, and army. Therefore, I consider them responsible before God..." He also said, "I accuse those recruited by the British government, and they must account for their actions before God." Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), August 30, 2005.
[2] For a comment by Al-Tamimi on the London bombings, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 742, http://memritv.org/clip/en/742.htm.
[3] To view the November 2, 2004 interview, on BBC, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/3985403.stm.
[4] Al-Tamimi mentions here "the likes of Abu Rughal," referring to a man of that name who, according to Islamic tradition, served as a guide to the invading army of Abraha, the Abyssinian commander who intended to destroy the Ka'ba. According to Islamic tradition, this event, presumably referred to in the 105th sura of the Koran (Surat al-Fil), occurred in the year of the Prophet Muhammad's birth. The name Abu Rughal is often used today as a derogatory term for a traitor serving an invading foreign power.
[5] This is probably a reference to the president of Pakistan.
