Egyptian Cleric Hisham Al-'Ashri: It Is the "Dream of My Life" to Wage War against Israel; There Is No Such Thing as a "Christian Religion"

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian cleric Hisham Al-‘Ashri, which aired on Al-Tahrir TV on January 10, 2013. Al-‘Ashri, who recently returned to Egypt from the U.S., has established a committee for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice.

Interviewer: Does the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11 constitute Jihad?

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: Well, it depends who did it. Jihad is only for Muslims. They even say “Jihad” in English because they have no equivalent.

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I call on everybody to type in Google “911”, and then click. You will get an incredible amount of videos, documents, and documentaries made by Americans – not Muslims, Arabs, or people of Arab origin – proving that the Islamists had nothing to do with 9/11, unless they were targeted.

The two planes that hit the World Trade Center were military planes, not civilian ones.

Interviewer: So, those who led this...

They were controlled by...

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: By the US airforce.

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Under Mubarak, Egypt did not have a war for 30 years. Israel, on the other hand, did not last for 30 days without a war. The U.S. did not last for three months without a war.

Interviewer: That’s true.

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: England and France did not last for three years without a war.

Interviewer: But these were not direct wars...

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: Yes, they were. America is fighting a direct war...

Interviewer: I was referring to England and France.

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: They joined America in the Iraq war...

Interviewer: They fought wars outside their borders.

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: They sent fighters to fight. Our concept of war is that it is great to live in peace, as long as you do not enter a war in which you will be defeated. Got it? When I do not engage in a war for 30 years, but I allow my enemy to have a war every 30 days – this is negligence.

Interviewer: Does that mean you are calling us to wage a war against Israel?

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: It is the dream of my life to wage war against Israel, under the command of the state, the president, the regime, and the army. I will not decide all by myself to start a war.

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There is no such thing as a Christian religion. Did Jesus come to prophesy the Christian religion?

Interviewer: He came to prophesy his religion...

Hisham Al-‘Ashri: The Christian religion?

Interviewer: Or did he come to call people to monotheism?

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Hisham Al-‘Ashri: In Islam, we believe that our religion is the true religion, and that the Muslims will enter Paradise. Out of love for the Christians, I call upon them to enter Paradise with me.

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