Egyptian cleric Dr. Salah Al-Din Sultan, Bahrain resident and advisor to Bahrain's Islamic Affairs ministry as well as a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) which is headed by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, wrote in a recent article that the terrorism committed by the U.S. is worse than that by Osama bin Laden. In the article, which appeared on the website of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, he explained that while the U.S. committed terrorism in the service of hegemony, oppression, and tyranny, bin Laden had raised the banner of jihad for the sake of Allah and had served a lofty goal, even if he had done so in a misguided way.
Following are excerpts from the article:[1]
"Bin Laden's terrorism was in the defense of Islam and the resistance against the occupiers, [even if it was waged] in a way that deviated to some extent from the middle path of moderation. The terrorism of the U.S., [on the other hand,] is in defense of hegemony, oppression, and tyranny and [aimed at] subjugating the peoples and regimes of the world to American [uni-]polarity.
"Bin Laden's terrorism raised the banner of jihad for the sake of Allah after the Islamic countries had renounced it as part of their resistance to Zionism in Palestine, to communism in Afghanistan, and to Hinduism in Kashmir. [True], bin Laden may have rushed in to things without first consulting the clerics and preachers of the ummah. He exercised independent discretion in matters of religious law and erred in some of his deeds. But the terrorism of the U.S. [is much worse because it] is essentially hegemony over money and power aimed at humiliating the regimes and peoples, at stealing the good of their [lands], plundering their resources, and producing tyrants in our Arab and Islamic world.
"Bin Laden's terrorism started out under the slogan, 'Strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies [Koran 8:60],' while the terrorism of the U.S. was and still is [waged] under the slogan, 'I am your Lord, the Highest [Koran 79:24],' and, 'I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will have you crucified on trunks of palm-trees: so shall ye know for certain, which of us can give the more severe and the more lasting punishment [Koran 20:71].'
"Bin Laden's terrorism combined a lofty end with misguided means, if what they say he did is true. The lofty end was liberating the [Muslim] ummah from the communist, crusader, and Zionist attackers. The terrorism of the U.S., on the other hand, combined a base end with base means. Indeed, this is the [same] country that implemented the worst kind of oppression and tyranny against the countries of South America in order to take control of their resources...
"Bin Laden's terrorism is [merely] alleged, since the accusations against him came from the media rather than from a court, whereas there is no doubt as to the terrorism of the U.S., [whose] hundreds of thousands of troops have not [remained] encamped within the U.S. in order to defend it but spread like locusts across Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gulf states, Korea, Europe, and Australia...
"History will not forget how [the U.S.] occupied Iraq and turned it into three torn fragments at war with one another, or that, in its great skill, it left behind it eight million widows and orphans, after plundering billions [of dollars in Iraqi] oil barrels, valuable ores, and rare artifacts. And much more in the same vein can be said of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries.
"We did not hear of bin Laden's terrorism torturing a prisoner or violating a woman's honor, while the U.S. has taken the crown of terrorism for its prisons in Guantanamo and for violating the honor of the daughters of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not only a matter of raping [women] alive; American villainy surpassed itself by raping our daughters after they had been killed and by preventing charges from being brought against [the rapists] in the U.S. And on top of all this, [the U.S.] endlessly and shamefully supports the Zionist entity in killing and expelling millions of the Palestinian people...
"Perhaps [America's] claim that it cast [bin Laden's] body into the sea renders likely the rumor that he died several years ago, which would tarnish the face of the U.S. [and reveal it] as totally helpless. [The U.S.] fabricated the drama [of bin Laden's assassination] in order to present imaginary achievements, just as [it falsely claimed that there were] nuclear arms in Iraq.
"O people, in Heaven there is but one God who is just and rules as He sees fit.' And soon will the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take'! [Koran 26:227]."
[1] Ikwanonline.com, May 3, 2011.
