Uthman began, “These Americans have been killing our people for a long time – even the Marine anthem mentions the “shores of Tripoli” which is about a US naval raid on Libya in the nineteenth century. Every time and everywhere you look in recent history, you see them interfering in our lands. The entire world knows that the establishment of a Jewish state in the Occupied Territories was only made possible by US support. They have committed genocide on Muslim people in Libya, Iraq, Somalia, and all but occupied the Arabian peninsula. From there they launched continuous attacks, which, along with the sanctions and trade embargos, caused the deaths of more than five thousand Iraqi children every month. The sheikh sees these innocents as our own children, and grieves for them, as we should all do. “The Muslim nation,” the Prophet said, “is like one body: when one limb hurts it affects the rest.” The sheikh did not go to America until America came to him. He had no desire to go there; he only wanted to set our own house in order and change the corrupt, apostate rulers that have imposed themselves on our people, or remove them by force. Look at Algeria. We don’t believe in democracy, although it is the better of the two evils, in comparison to Arab Socialist Nationalism, but still the Islamic movement, the FIS, chose to use the democratic process. What happened? They were poised to win the election, but the government, with the full support of America, cancelled the elections and outlawed the party. A similar thing happened in Turkey with the very moderate Islamic Refah party: outlawed, and the West is silent.”
“They do not want to see a unified Islamic bloc; it would be worse for them than the USSR was. They are siphoning the people’s wealth from their own lands, and making sure their puppet leaders are in power so that they don’t have to occupy every Muslim country to do it. We have it from the most authoritative sources that they plan to economically and militarily strangle the Muslim lands into submission. And they have no qualms about killing millions of us in the process.”
“Listen, Uthman,” I said, “that is not the issue here. I agree with most of what you’ve said. But the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited Muslim armies from deliberately targeting women, children, old men, priests, and civilians in general; he even forbade the burning down of trees. He outlawed the use of torture, causing death by fire, and the mutilation of enemy dead. Prisoners of war were freed, or ransomed, if they could teach Muslims to read and write. I have no doubt that what we had at the time was the first ever set of military rules of engagement in human history. There is no argument between us about defending Muslim lands from aggression and military occupation. Allah says, “Fight those who fight against you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like the transgressors.” That verse is addressing Muslims, telling them not to overstep the boundaries of war…”
“So what about the verse,” he said, “’And whoever transgresses against you, transgress against them the way they transgress against you’?”
“But that verse finishes with, “And fear Allah. Indeed Allah is with the God-fearing,’” I quoted. “There’s nothing conducive to fearing God in killing women and children, Uthman. The criminals, Muslim or not, are not our teachers. When they commit rape against our women, like in Bosnia, are you now telling me that we also should rape their women in retaliation, ‘transgressing against the transgressor’? Each time we begin an action we say, ‘In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful’. The Messenger of Allah whilst being unflinching in battle is called ‘A Mercy unto Mankind’ in the Quran. And Allah Himself says, ‘And His mercy supersedes His wrath.’ I don’t claim to know all the classical explanations of Quranic verses, but the meaning you’re extrapolated here cannot be in tune with the spirit of Islam.”
“This is war. They didn’t target a nursery or infants’ school. Firstly, it was their Defense Ministry, the Pentagon, where the apparatus of making decisions to strike our countries is held. Then it was the World Trade Center; they struck at the US economy, just like they usurp ours. And the White House was the head of the dragon, even though that attack was unsuccessful. Furthermore, the American people voted for their leaders, and knew full well the foreign policies they were implementing in our lands. They are not all innocent.”
“But you know that most people elect their leaders based on internal policy; many do not agree with everything their government does. And what about those who voted against Bush? The sheikh’s strikes do not discriminate.”
“Just like their bombs don’t discriminate.”
I knew I’d ignited a passion in Uthman. He continued, ‘Not innocent from guilty, not man from woman, not child from adult, not even human from animal. But at least the sheikh aimed his strikes, he knew the targets and hit them accordingly. When America bombs our countries with 1,500lb loads, from thousands of meters high, do you think they care about accuracy? If young children are left with no eyes, or severed limbs, or horrific burns with half their faces hanging off, crying for their mothers, who in turn scream in agony for their offspring, ‘What crime did my child commit, that they punish him like this?’ – the lucky ones that didn’t die – they call it collateral damage; a casualty rate that they’re more than happy to inflict. On September 11th, they too suffered collateral damage. They were so busy hitting every other small child in the world, that when one small child hit back, the giant stumbled. Next time he’ll fall. Muslims have always been the reactionaries to agendas set by them. Whether it was indirectly, like the jihad in Afghanistan against the USSR, or directly when they invaded Iraq or Somalia. This time we’ve set the agenda; they’re playing to our tune.’
“And was it part of your tune that they destroy Afghanistan too? “ I asked. “I understand when you hit military targets, even though it makes no sense to me that you take on the US, since the Muslim world was plagued by occupation forces in Bosnia, Chechnya, Palestine, and Kashmir already. You managed, in one single swoop, to undermine the struggles for freedom in these places, by shifting world attention, and importantly, opinion, because bin Ladin decided what was in the interests of the Muslim world. And now we all have to pay the price.”
“You are not part of al-Quaeda,” he said, “and neither are all of the others here. But you should make no mistake: the only reason you are here is because you have some feeling for the Muslims, and America has declared a war on Islam. It is the Americans who are responsible for this,” he said, spreading his arms apart towards the blocks.
“Sheikh Abu Abdullah [Osama bin Laden] has made immense personal sacrifices for this cause. Nobody can question his sincerity during the Afghan jihad, when he physically fought against the Russians, abandoning the luxurious lifestyle that was his for the taking, sleeping instead in trenches, eating dry bread and tea, making his home in caves and battle-scarred mountains, giving his wealth freely to the poor and the mujahideen. Tell me of just one Western, or even Eastern leader who is like that? Most of them are too afraid to walk in the open, for fear of assassination by their own people.”
“Or by your group.”
“We are from among the people, the ordinary people.”
