US Muslim Chaplain: CAIR’s Berg Petition is Un-Islamic

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In an article for Islam Online, Samir Jerez, Executive Director and certified Islamic Chaplain of the 5-Pillar Foundation of South Florida and Vice President of Operations for the National Islamic Chaplains Organization in Portland, Oregon, says that by circulating a petition condemning the murder of Nick Berg, CAIR is being politically correct and un-Islamic, and that Muslims have a right to violence and a right to jihad: Petition is “Not in the Name of Islam”. (Hat tip: Gabe.)

CAIR’s message has gone beyond being politically correct. It has manifested in what we were warned about in the Qur’an of not being accepted by non-Muslims until we have abandoned our religion and become like them.

At the end of the CAIR “Action Alert” on the petition, CAIR Chairman Omar Ahmad is quoted as saying “We hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in America and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in the name of Islam.” The intentions of this message are loud and clear, and reflect a lack of wisdom, assertiveness, steadfastness and loyalty to Muslims, and especially to Allah.

When was the last lecture that spoke of Jihad as anything other than an internal struggle?.

The petition was drawn up in response to the release of a video of the alleged beheading of an American Jew, Nick Berg. I say alleged because that is what it is up to now — alleged.

Jumping to conclusions against Muslims, without proof, with inadequate evidence, amounts to a mindset that is consistent with an infamous statement made by a certain rabbi that “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.”

The petition appears to be a double-blinded message which, on the one hand, attempts to appease the non-Muslim movers and shakers in the US who constantly call for Muslims to apologize for acts committed against American people and interests, even before a proper investigation determines whether or not any fault lies with a Muslim individual or the Muslim population as a whole — and worse yet, in defiance of the words taught to us in the Qur’an.

On the other hand, it promotes a message of pacifism to Muslims in the US and around the world, disregarding Islam’s instructions to fight oppression and invasion. This is suggested when the term reject violence is used.

Violence and all its forms are subjectively interpreted. To non-Muslims, the desired interpretation would be “Drop all of your beliefs in fighting against our oppression.” Another possible connotation would be that Muslims should not support the death penalty or corporal punishment. The death penalty, whether by stoning, hanging or beheading, is considered a violent act by many.

Desperate to curry favor with non-Muslims, CAIR has successfully been trapped in a catch-22. Now that we’ve suggested that Muslims do not believe in violence, non-Muslims will tear us up in their writings by accusing us of hypocrisy for daring to take up arms against an occupying force.

Although the petition appeals to the world after the horrific death of one American, a petition to recognize the horrors inflicted on thousands upon thousands of Iraqi men, women and children, is never made — unless of course, they’re asking for money to improve relations with the Americans.

We basically gave in to those demanding that Muslims bow down to them. It will take a lot of work and mercy from Allah to reverse this subjugation of many Muslim nations.

Non-Muslims will no doubt use this as a means to further pacify Muslims. Many Muslims, through the influence of previous petitions and requests, are already under the impression that being a Muslim means that we have to renounce all forms of violence, even to protect our own lives. In fact, when was the last lecture anyone went to in the US that spoke of Jihad as anything other than an internal struggle?

The petition has further threatened the credibility of the substance of CAIR’s message, which will inevitably undermine future efforts of assertively lobbying and debating the US Administration.

The irony of this is that voices like mine have received violent threats by those who claim the pacifist approach… go figure. Not only that, the people that CAIR is pleasing (rightwing warmongers and their supporters) with this “once and for all” statement are the same people who preemptively and violently attacked Afghanistan and Iraq for something neither country did.

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Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
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