Former Dean of Islamic Law at Qatar University 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari: The Arab Intellectuals are More Oppressive Than the Governments

Former dean of Islamic law at Qatar University 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari, was interviewed by Bahrain TV on March 2, 2005. The following are excerpts:

'Abd Al-Hamid Al Ansari: Our satellite channels deserve the name "media of terrorism." They spread among the youth ideas that might not be considered outright terrorism but spread extremism. Such extremism is the beginning of violence and fanaticism, and violence leads to terrorism. Fanaticism - extremism -violence - terrorism.

When you host key figures [on TV] - either religious personalities or extremist personalities of a specific ideology… Anyone who disagrees with them is considered a traitor or a collaborator. When one guest is a nationalist, the other is a traitor and collaborator. When one guest is a religious figure, the other is considered deviant, with false beliefs. Such a guest pours his wrath out on the West and on Western culture. He starts by saying: "Look what they are doing to the Muslims," "The materialistic West," "The permissive West," "The US is the enemy of Islam and the Muslims."

What do such expressions instill in the souls of the youth if not hatred? At the same time, he depicts the past as glamorous and glorious - "The beautiful Caliphate," and so on. When a young man listens to such depictions and compares them to his own situation, with its many tragedies... Who does he blame? He blames others, not himself. He doesn't assume responsibility for the situation.

Oppression of intellectuals by intellectuals is worse than oppression by governments. I'm afraid of intellectuals like myself, who push me to the sidelines and call me a traitor and an infidel, more than I'm afraid of the governments. Today the governments give room for freedom, and they are the ones that protect us now.

The civil society organizations, which are supposed to protect liberties and democracy, are the ones that oppress the intellectuals and accuse them of treason and of being at odds with them.

Look what the Jordanian unions are doing. They applaud Saddam and still feel sorrow for the fallen regime. The Arab Lawyers Association has compiled a team to defend Saddam, and they haven't said a word about the mass graves.

After 50 years of enlightenment, education, and modernization, along comes someone like Bin Laden, like Saddam, like Al-Zawahiri, like [Sleiman] Abu Al-Gheith, someone like Al-Zarqawi… We need to act as Germany upon its defeat.

The German elite reexamined its culture and found that the entire German culture is full of poison. Its sources are full of poison.