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In a press release issued on June 13, 2022, on his blog[1] pro-Islamic State (ISIS) British preacher Anjem Choudary warns of possible violent reactions by Muslims to perceived insults made against the Prophet Muhammad in two unrelated events.
Recent disparaging comments made by two senior Indian officials from the ruling BJP party against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad have caused an uproar throughout the Muslim world.[2]
A further backlash followed with the UK release of the historical drama “The Lady of Heaven,” which narrates the story of Fatima, Muhammad's daughter, from a Shi’ite perspective. Implying that there are similarities between the revered figures in early Sunni Islam and the Islamic State in Iraq, the movie has become the object of protests in the UK and a number of Muslim countries.[3] Choudary claims that the film abuses the two first Caliphs (Muhammad's successors), Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and dishonors the Prophet’s wife ‘Aisha.
Referring to the two events in India and the UK, Choudary writes in his blog post that “the above actions are taken extremely seriously in Islam and defending the Prophet’s honor is literally a matter of life and death for Muslims.” He further notes that there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that a Muslim who insults the Messenger Muhammad becomes a “kafir” (apostate) and “should face capital punishment.” He quotes three scholars who support this view, including Ibn Taymiyyah, from the Middle Ages, who has inspired modern jihadi Salafis and whose book Choudary refers to, “The Drawn Sword Against Those who Insult the Messenger.”
Choudary further recalls various instances from the time of Muhammad in which people “faced capital punishment for insulting or harming the Prophet.” He specifies that the punishment can only be pronounced following “a trial and a verdict from a juristic authority under an Islamic State,” but warns that “because the honor of the Prophet belongs to all Muslims, there are those who will take the matter into their own hands!”
Choudary concludes his press release with a warning of "potential dire consequences" to “all those who might contemplate abusing or insulting the Prophet or dishonoring him,” and calls on “all Muslims to raise their voice and defend the honor of all the Messengers and Prophets of Allah and to propagate the true message of Islam, to exclusively submit to the commands of Allah.”
The British preacher also launched a Twitter storm to condemn the perceived insults with the hashtag #DefendTheProphetsHonour. The Twitter storm is scheduled on Friday June 17, 2022, at 5 p.m. EST, corresponding to 10 p.m. UK time, midnight Istanbul/Moscow time, 2 a.m. of the following day in Pakistan, and 8 a.m. in Sydney, Australia.
Choudary, a prolific blog writer, has previously launched several Twitter storms to raise awareness about various issues.[4]
[1] June 13, 2022.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Reacting To Perceived Insult Against Islam By Indian Officials, Jihadis Call On Muslims To Avenge The Prophet's Honor, Condemn Afghan Taliban For Maintaining Ties With India, June 13, 2022.
[3] BBC.com/ “The Lady of Heaven film: Morocco bans ‘blasphemous’ British film, June 13, 2022.
[4] See for example MEMRI JTTM Reports: British Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Preacher Organizes Twitter Storm To Call For Release Of ISIS Family Members Detained In Camps In Eastern Syria; Accuses U.S., UK Of Abetting Detainees' Abuse By SDF, May 25, 2022 and British Pro-ISIS Preacher Calls For Twitter Storm To Protest The Withdrawal Of Citizenship From Belgian-, Danish-Born Jihadi Preachers And Their Expected Deportation To Morocco, Tunisia, May 12, 2022.
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