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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

In Defence of the Muslim Ummah, Islamic Ideology, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Ideology
In Defence of the Muslim Ummah
By El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan
Saturday, 02 January 2010

In last month's edition of The Muslim Link, an article titled "Spokespersons Busy in Fort Hood Aftermath" (November 20, 2009) raised some serious concerns for this writer. The article quoted Imam Johari Abdul Malik, Imam Yahya Hendi and Asra Nomani in ways that required a response - both in the interest of balance and justice.

The focus of the article centered around the controversies generated by Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki's response to the Fort Hood tragedy. In brief, Sheikh Awlaki praised the shootings and considered them justified because America was at war in Muslim lands and the victims were American soldiers on the verge of being deployed.

The purpose of this article is not to debate that argument, per se, but to examine the response to Awlaki's argument from a number of well known figures in the Muslim American community. In the opinion of many, including this writer, these very public reactions went too far in condemnation of Awlaki, and served little to clarify Islam's position on one of the major issues of the day (war and peace).

In preparing my own response, I was reminded of an essay that I wrote years ago titled "Five Mistakes of U.S. Policymakers in the Muslim World." The article was published in the March 1999 edition of The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. (For those who possess a copy of my book titled Islam & Terrorism: Myth vs. Reality, it is also republished there beginning on page 11.)

http://newageislam.com/in-defence-of-the-muslim-ummah/islamic-ideology/d/2405


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