Australian Islamist Leader Ismail Al-Wahwah: Our Number One Enemy Is the U.S. and Europe

In an audio clip posted on the Internet on October 16, 2014, Ismail Al-Wahwah, spokesman for the Australian chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir, said: "Our true conflict is with Europe and the US. They are the enemy." The speech was broadcast on the Australian Voice of Islam radio. In an October 10 Friday sermon at Sefton Mosque, Sydney, Australia, he said: "Your civilization will pay the price" for defiling our women's honor.

 

Following are excerpts:

 

 

Voice of Islam Radio (Australia), October 16, 2014:

 

 

Ismail Al-Wahwah: The U.S. is criminal, and it did not go to Iraq and Syria to [fight] ISIS. ISIS is like the chemical weapons of Saddam Hussein. Nobody should have any doubt that... ISIS is like the chemical weapons of Saddam Hussein. The U.S. is seeking a false pretext to burn the country down. They have to have a false pretext, because they cannot just go in like that.

 

 

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The problem is that if you say to the [West] that ISIS is, indeed, criminal, they would use it to say: "All the Islamists support the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Syria to prevent the slaughter."

 

 

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My number one enemy is the U.S. and its policies. Sometimes, the U.S. places obstacles in our path, but we must not get into conflicts with these obstacles, and forget about U.S., Europe, and their allies. Our true conflict is with Europe and the U.S. They are the enemy. They are the ones that perpetrated crimes against the Islamic nation and its history. Our main battle is with them.

 

 

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Let me say to the political savvy brothers: do not think that political decision-makers base their policies on media campaigns. Media campaigns are utilized to one's advantage, but you should not be afraid that just because of the media campaign, you will be arrested tomorrow. This is not Jordan or Egypt here.

 

 

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If the Australians wish to follow the path of Russia, Jordan, Al-Sisi, or Saudi Arabia, they are most welcome to do so, but I say to them: If you turn against your own notions, it will be the beginning of the end for your civilization. If you turn against the so-called democracy and freedom of expression, at the end of the day, you will be the losers.

 

 

Interviewer: do you view ISIS as an American, Western-made product, created in order to terrify the Islamic world, and used to invade the Islamic world and to plunder its resources?

 

 

Ismail Al-Wahwah: I say that the U.S. is a criminal state, which has always targeted our region and will do so forever and ever. It invents pretexts, and uses existing pretexts... Therefore, the conflict must continue, and we should focus on the U.S., on its deeds and its crimes, and never accept the U.S. as part of the solution in our region.

 

 

We have internal problems, but let us resolve them on our own. The U.S. will only exacerbate our problems.

 

 

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Why are we here? Why did we – you, me, and our listeners – come to this country? We came either in search of job opportunities, or to flee civil wars, like the wars in Lebanon, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Those who came because they had nothing to eat came because the West stole our livelihood and drove our countries to poverty. The Western standard of living is high because they stole our oil and resources, and prevented us from engaging in agriculture, industry, and trade. The famine in our country stems from Western policies.

 

 

As for those of us who fled civil wars – we did not ignite these wars. They were ignited by France, Britain, and the U.S., in order to sell their weapons. We are the victims of their crimes. So who can tell us to go home?! Let them first get out of our countries, and then all the Muslims will leave. Not a single one will remain here.

 

 

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Some people tell us that we should criticize ISIS, so that Australia will not say that we are terrorists. By God, I will not give the Western media the satisfaction. By God, I will not criticize even Satan to please Western media.

 

 

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Friday sermon at Sefton Mosque, Sydney, Australia, October 10, 2014:

 

 

Ismail Al-Wahwah: I understand [the importance] of having a police force in the country, but when they enter our homes at 3 or 4 AM and storm our wives' bedrooms... You know full well the significance of women's honor in Islam. You know full well what it means to storm our wives' homes when they are naked, and to remove their covers.

 

 

By God, your civilization will pay the price for this, even if it takes 1,000 years.

 

 

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