‘Through the Looking Glass’ – An Analysis of Linda Sarsour’s July 1, 2017 Speech at the 54th Annual ISNA Convention
Where ever you came from, you came to America. And you came for one reason – for one reason only – to establish Allah’s deen [a complete way of life, governed by a system of law]. Imam Siraj Wahhaj, November 15, 1991
As long as you remember that if you get involved with politics,
you have to be very careful that your leader is for Allah. You don’t get
in politics because it’s the American thing to do. You get involved in
politics because politics can be a weapon to use in the cause of Islam. Imam Siraj Wahhaj, November 15, 1991
Before beginning an analysis of Linda Sarsour’s speech at the 54th
Annual ISNA Convention, I’d like to thank Ms. Sarsour for doing all of
us here in America (and the West) an invaluable favor.
What favor, you may ask?
Linda Sarsour has graciously accompanied us right up to the shore of the Great Sea of Islam, and allowed us to capture a rare glimpse into its impressive breadth and depth.
However, this thoughtful gesture comes with caveat, because even
though Ms. Sarsour has granted us this unique opportunity to see Islam
more clearly, we must still overcome the strong temptation to either
hide our eyes (and ears), or to simply walk away entirely.
Perhaps now, thanks to you, Ms. Sarsour, we’ll all be delivered from the powerful grip of ignorance and delusion about Islam, and we’ll finally be able to gain a better, correct understanding of The Religion of Peace ®.
More specifically, Thank You, Linda Sarsour, for so graciously showing us:
*how to use social media to blatantly distort and mischaracterize the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in real time
*how to lie (and distract) with a straight face about the deliberate and intentional efforts of Muslim Brotherhood front groups such as the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), to impose (“normalize”) the malevolent statutes of Islamic Shariah on our Constitution, and our unalienable, endowed rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
*how to criticize women with more vindictive obscenity and cynical sarcasm than anyone on the alt-right could ever imagine
*that female genital mutilation (FGM) is barbaric, but NOT an Islamic practice, that “has no place in Detroit or anywhere else in the world,” (while ignoring the well-established fact that it is considered obligatory according to Shariah law)
*how to skillfully use ad hominem attacks on your opponents (your “oppressors”), whenever facts (such as previous public statements) get in your way
*how to enthusiastically endorse your special roster of convicted murderers
*how to extend heartwarming, sincere praise to your chosen mentor, motivator and encourager (your “favorite person in this room”), who was himself an dedicated protégé of the murderous Blind Sheikh
*that since the Muslim terrorists who massacred the Charlie Hebdo staff had “avenged the Prophet,” you would not stand with the victims, especially since the magazine was “a bigot and a racist” for publishing Muhammad cartoons, which served to “vilify my faith, dehumanize my community [and] demoralize my prophet.”
*that advocating violence against right wing Zionist media outlets, Israel and Israelis=Jews, while insisting that “nothing is creepier than Zionism,” is now considered acceptable in the red-green alliance you so passionately represent
*that support of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement (BDS), under the banner of true feminism and social justice, has become so obviously avant-garde and progressive
*that for all those Islam-bashers out there who “spout anti-Muslim, xenophobic and white-supremacist beliefs” (along with “right-wing Zionists, and Islamophobes”), you are our self-proclaimed worst nightmare
Yes, Linda Sarsour, Thank You, for showing us the best possible
reflection of what a first-generation, native born Palestinian-American Champion of Change really should look like.
Analysis of Linda Sarsour’s July 01, 2017 Speech At The 54th Annual ISNA Convention
His announcements and his talk have made an incredible measure of mischief [to] the American Muslim people group.
ISNA President Azhar Azeez, June 30, 2017 (referring to President Donald Trump’s efforts to reform immigration)
This is a “through the looking glass” analysis of Linda Sarsour’s July 01, 2017, speech at the 54th Annual Islamic Society of North America Convention, entitled Hope & Guidance Through the Quran, which was held in Chicago, IL from June 30 through July 3, 2017.
Just above, I summarized several years of opinions and public
statements that have made Linda Sarsour a highly visible media figure.
This is the “looking glass” (mirror) that the general public gets to
see.
Meanwhile, as we’ll see in the following phrase-by-phrase
analysis of Linda Sarsour’s ISNA speech, there is an entirely different
dimension of meaning that lies camouflaged behind the everyday words
and phrases she used during her presentation.
Let us now walk through this looking glass, into Sarsour’s ISNA-endorsed
world of the Quran, Hadith and Shariah, as we examine the deeper
Islamic meanings that lie hidden behind the veil of common American
English.
Also, we should keep in mind that the federal government has already proven that the ISNA is a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas, and that for nearly 10 years, the ISNA has remained listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial, still the largest terrorist financing trial in American history.
It should also be noted that the ISNA is prominently listed in a May 5, 1991 document entitled An Explanatory Memorandum On the General Strategic Goal for the Group In North America, as one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s self-described “organizations of our friends.”
The same Muslim Brotherhood strategic document, which was drafted for
internal review as early as 1987, also lists the ISNA Fiqh Committee,
the ISNA Political Awareness Committee, and the ISNA+Dr. Jamal Badawi Foundation (Islamic Information Foundation), as friends of the “Muslim Brotherhood Group in North America.”
In addition, Jamal Badawi, who also remains listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF trial, has been an ISNA member since its inception on July 14, 1981. Dr. Badawi joined the ISNA Board of Directors (Majlis Ash-Shura) in 1988
and also served on the board of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT)
from 1991 until 1993. Along with the ISNA and the Council on American
Islamic Relations (CAIR), the NAIT was also named as an unindicted
co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trail.
With all this in mind, we might ask: Who was the real target audience
for Linda Sarsour’s speech? Was it the American general public, or was
it the ISNA’s core leadership (Majlis Ash-Shura), who were assembled there at the annual conference?
A partial answer to this question will be found in a particular phrase on Page 1, Paragraph 1, of the Explanatory Memorandum. In Arabic, the phrase is Al-Qaeda Al-Islamia Al-Moltzema, while in English, it is translated as the Observant (Obedient) Muslim Base.
Yes, Al-Qaeda, the word translated here as “Base,” is the very same
word we commonly associate with Jihadist groups throughout the world.
However, in its original meaning, Al-Qaeda is actually an important
socio-political concept, i.e., a “base of operations,” rather than a
violent terrorist organization operating somewhere far away in
Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.
In the context of her ISNA-endorsed speech, this is the “Base,” (audience), i.e., the ISNA Board of Directors, or Majlis Ash-Shura, that Ms. Sarsour was specifically addressing.
Ms. Sarsour’s calls to socio-political tactical action are actually
based on well-established Islamic strategic principles, and were closely
parallel to the call(s) to action (and Quranic warnings) found in a
carefully-written document entitled AMJA Post-Election Statement: Principles and Roadmap, which was published by the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) on November 28, 2016.
A careful analysis of this 14-paragraph document, which regards the election of Donald Trump as President a disruptive calamity and source of oppression (see Sarsour’s comments on oppression below) for the Muslim community, can be found here. Officially known in Arabic as the Majama Fuqaha Al-Shariah B’Amrikia
(Group of Shariah Specialists in America), the AMJA is openly promoting
the implementation of Islamic Shariah, right here in America.
This is in direct violation of Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, which reads:
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall
be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be
made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law
of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby.
To put this all in context, Sarsour’s speech before the ISNA leadership echoes the strategic and tactical plans of both the “Muslim Brotherhood Group in North America,” as outlined in the Explanatory Memorandum, drafted thirty years ago, and in the AMJA Roadmap, published just two weeks after the November 2016 election.
Note: This analysis is presented in a chronological
time sequence. Specific comments or phrases are cited by marking the
time they occurred in Ms. Sarsour’s speech, e.g., (3:01)
Honoring Imam Siraj Wahhaj as “My favorite person in the room” (1:50-2:33)
Much has already been written about Siraj Wahhaj, Imam of Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn, NY, who was listed as an “unindicted person who may be alleged as co-conspirators” in the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing, and stated that the bombing was a terrorist attack staged by
the U.S. government and possibly Israel as a “conspiracy” against Islam.
What does it say about Ms. Sarsour, who considers Imam Wahhaj to be her mentor,
when Wahhaj supported Blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was charged
with the attempted assassination of Egyptian leader Anwar Al-Sadat, and
said while leading the Al Farouq mosque in Brooklyn that, “We must
terrorize the enemies of Islam and…shake the earth under their feet.”
In fact, what does endorsing and supporting Siraj Wahhaj say about the leadership of the ISNA?
To be fair, we should also ask why the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC would feature Siraj Wahhaj as their ‘Grand Imam’ at its first ever “Jumah [Gathering] At The DNC”?
Allah is the Best of Protectors (3:01)
This phrase is taken directly from Quran 3.150 and Quran 12.64, Allah is the Best of Protectors (Al-Hafiz in Arabic).
For more on this concept from an Islamic perspective, especially the
severe admonition not to take non-Muslims as helpers or protectors, or
against obeying disbelievers and hypocrites, because such obedience
leads to utter destruction in this life and the Hereafter, see here, here and also see Tafsir Ibn Kathir for Quran 3.150.
In America, Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism (5:32-5:45)
Patriotism in your home country is different than patriotism in
these United States of America. In this country, in the land of freedom
of speech, in the land of democracy, dissent is the highest form of
patriotism.
Is Linda Sarsour correct? Is dissent really the highest form of patriotism in America?
Apparently, the earliest documented use of this phrase is found in a 1961 Friends Peace Committee publication entitled, The Use of Force in International Affairs: “If what your country is doing seems to you practically and morally wrong, is dissent the highest form of patriotism?” The Friends Peace Committee is a Quaker anti-war group that was founded in the 1880’s.
It was also used repeatedly during the Vietnam era, as when New York Mayor John Lindsay declared during an October 15, 1969, speech at Columbia University, “We
cannot rest content with the charge from Washington that this peaceful
protest is unpatriotic…The fact is that this dissent is the highest form
of patriotism.”
In a July 3, 2002 interview, Howard Zinn said, “While
some people think that dissent is unpatriotic, I would argue that
dissent is the highest form of patriotism. In fact, if patriotism means
being true to the principles for which your country is supposed to
stand, then certainly the right to dissent is one of those principles.
And if we’re exercising that right to dissent, it’s a patriotic act. ”
While dissent may truly be a form of patriotism (depending on the
circumstances), so is defending the freedoms and liberties that our
Creator endowed us with, as documented in the Declaration of
Independence, and the U.S. Constitution.
Whether or not dissent is a higher form of patriotism than defense of
our Constitutional freedoms depends entirely on motive, i.e., is it
designed to undermine or supplant the Constitution, or strengthen and
support it?
Sorry, Ms. Sarsour, but according to Article 6, Islamic Shariah will never
be compatible with the Constitution, which means that, here in America,
dissent for the sake of Islam cannot possibly be the highest form of
patriotism.
Policies that Oppress the communities that they came from…(5:45-5:55)
This is the moment when Ms. Sarsour introduces the central theme of
her speech, which is the volatile Islamic concept of fighting or
striving (Jihad) against Oppression (Fitnah فِتْنَةَ, which occurs at least 60 times in the Quran). Fitnah is also translated as Affliction, Confusion, Disbelief (Shirk),
Discord, Dissention, Distress, Domination, Mischief, Sedition, Strife,
Testing, Trials, Tumult, Opposition, Persecution and Punishments.
To further build her case, Ms. Sarsour goes on to say that if you [the ISNA audience] maintain the current status quo that not only oppresses Muslims…you, my dear sisters and brothers, you are aligned with the oppressor…if you are neutral in the face of oppression in this country…you are not a patriot, you are aiding and abetting the oppressors in these United States of America (6:09-6:35)
The concept of fighting or striving (Jihad) against Oppression (Fitnah)
is a 1,400 year old doctrine, deeply embedded within the founding
ideology of Islam. From such a Quranic perspective, the consequences of
transgressing the statutes and commandments of Shariah law, or of oppressing (opposing or preventing ) the Islamic community from following the laws of Allah, warrants a Shariah-authorized violent response toward all such ‘rulers and tyrants.’
For example, in 2014, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, wrote to President Barack Obama about his views on the situation in Iraq, Gaza and Palestine, while also commenting about “Muslim oppression at the hands of the West in general and the United States in particular.”
For three explicit Quranic examples, see Quran 2.190: Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors, Quran 21.9: Then We fulfilled for them the promise, and We saved them and whom We willed and destroyed the transgressors, and Quran 2.193 Fight
them until there is no [more] Fitnah [oppression] and [until] worship
is [acknowledged to be] for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to
be no aggression, except against the oppressors.
The concept of Oppression is also discussed in extensive detail in the Hadith (Bukhari), Volume 4, Section 43, and in Tafsir Ibn Kathir for Quran 8.73
What is the Best Form of Jihad, or Struggle? (7:02-7:04)
After introducing the concept of Oppression (Fitnah), Ms. Sarsour segues into a discussion of fighting or striving (Jihad) against Oppression, by recounting a passage from the Hadith: “What is the best form of Jihad”?
Paraphrasing the Hadith, Ms. Sarsour then provides the answer, which is, “A word of truth, truth in front of a tyrant, ruler or leader, that is the best form of Jihad.”
At this point, it is also important to note that the phrase “The best Jihad is speaking the truth to an unjust ruler” also occurs in Chapter Q1.2(3) of Reliance of the Traveller, which is the world’s most authoritative English translation of Islamic Shariah.
Also, Chapter Q2.4(4) of Reliance begins a section entitled Being Able To Censure, which includes the following incredible endorsement of what we call lone-wolf terrorists, or lone-wolf Jihadists:
There is no disagreement among scholars that it is permissible for a
single Muslim to attack battle lines of unbelievers headlong and fight
them even if he knows he will be killed…Such censure is only
praiseworthy when one is able to eliminate the wrong and one’s action will produce some benefit.
The phrase eliminate the wrong in Chapter Q2.4(4) is just the theological equivalent for what we call Socio-Political Activism in the secular (non-Islamic) arena.
All of Book Q in Reliance is under the main heading of THE OBLIGATION TO COMMAND THE RIGHT (AND FORBID THE WRONG), which is derived from Quran 3.104.
For additional detail on the concept of enjoining Al-Maruf (all that Islam orders) and forbidding Al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden), see Tafsir Ibn Kathir for Quran 3.104.
It is disingenuous, at best, for Ms. Sarsour to claim that she wasn’t talking about violence, or that she is being persecuted by the alt-right, for her statements about the Best Form of Jihad, when she is well aware (and so is her ISNA audience), of the deeper, inflammatory, theological connotations of her remarks.
A Note on Linda Sarsour’s use of the phrase “A Word of Truth” (7:10-7:18)
In his July 11, 2017 article entitled Linda Sarsour Defends Her Call for Jihad Against President Donald Trump, writer Neil Munro made the following observation:
Sarsour’s “word of truth” phrase seems like a Western-style appeal
for debate, but for Muslim activists, truth is only found in the Koran’s
transcribed instructions from Allah, which include his frequent calls
for warfare against his enemies.
That ‘word of truth’ phrase also evokes the dramatic courtroom
defense strategy adopted by the “Blind Sheik” Omar Abdel Rahman, who was
accused by the Egyptian government of urging the murder of Egyptian
dictator Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Shortly after Sadat was murdered, Rahman was accused by the Egyptian
government of urging the murder of Sadat in prior religious tracts. But
Rahman pressured the Egyptian government and judges to declare him
innocent by portraying himself as merely a blameless messenger of the
Koran’s denunciations against oppressors.
This is what “A Word of Truth” looks like, when you go through the looking glass, and look at the world through the eyes of Islam.
And I hope…that Allah accepts from us that as a form of Jihad, that we are struggling against tyrants and rulers…but here in these United States of America (7:23-7:29)
This is the part of Ms. Sarsour’s speech that received the most attention (and criticism) in the media. In an attempt to defend her comments, she posted a July 09, 2017 editorial in the Washington Post, entitled Islamophobes Are Attacking Me Because I’m Their Worst Nightmare.
In her editorial, Ms. Sarsour made the following assertions:
Most disturbing about this recent defamation campaign is how it is
focused on demonizing the legitimate yet widely misunderstood Islamic
term I used, “jihad,” which to majority of Muslims and according to
religious scholars means “struggle” or “to strive for.” This term has
been hijacked by Muslim extremists and right-wing extremists alike,
leaving ordinary Muslims to defend our faith and in some cases silenced.
It sets a dangerous precedent when people of faith are policed and when
practicing their religion peacefully comes with consequences.
At this point, an obvious question arises: Is Linda Sarsour correct that the term Jihad “has been hijacked by Muslim extremists and right-wing extremists alike”?
Let’s start with Chapter O9.0 of Reliance, which defines Jihad in the following manner:
Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word Mujahada signifying warfare to establish the religion. And it is the lesser Jihad. As for the greater Jihad, it is spiritual warfare against the lower self (Nafs), which is why the Prophet said as he was returning from Jihad.
Then, in Chapter H8.17 of Reliance, in a section entitled Those Fighting for Allah, we find the following discussion of Jihad:
The seventh category [of giving charity] is those fighting for Allah,
meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no
salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers
for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them
for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and
expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time
they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned
here of the expense involved in supporting such people’s families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).
In addition to what is found in Reliance, it is also important to note that variants of the root word Jihad occur about 40 times in the Quran. In virtually every case, it is obvious from the plain Arabic meaning of the text, that Jihad means to wage war against non-Muslims.
It seems pretty obvious that the leaders of Turkey recognize the full meaning of Jihad, too. On July 22, 2017,
Ahmet Hamdi Çamlı, a deputy of the governing Justice and Development
Party (AKP), participated in a debate about the introduction of the
concept of jihad, or holy war, into the national school curriculum.
During the debate, Çamlı said it is useless to teach math to a child who
does not know the concept of jihad, while also asserting that jihad is
one of the main pillars of Islam. The previous week, Ankara Minister of
Education İsmet Yılmaz said, “Jihad is an element in our religion; it is
in our religion…”
Fascists, and White Supremacists and Islamophobes reigning in the White House (7:30-7:38)
This is another subject that is discussed extensively in the Quran (for example, see verses 10.83, 28.19 and 40.35), and in Reliance. Chapter P13.0 of Reliance is entitled The Leader Who Misleads His Following, the Tyrant and Oppressor. Section P13.1 refers to Quran 42.42,
which says: “The dispute (lit. ‘way against’) is only with those who
oppress people and wrongfully commit aggression in the land; these will
have a painful torment.”
In Section Q1.2(4) of Reliance, it is
written: The Prophet said, “When you see my Community too intimidated by
an oppressor to tell him, ‘You are a tyrant,’ then you may as well say
goodbye to them.”
The Tafsir Ibn Kathir for Quran 40.35
says, “[Tyrants] who attempt to refute truth with falsehood and who
dispute the proof without evidence or proof from Allah, Allah will hate
them with the utmost loathing. It is greatly hateful and disgusting to
Allah, and to those who believe…”
From an Islamic perspective, Ms. Sarsour is well aware of the
volatile implications of calling President Trump a tyrant, fascist, white supremacist or Islamophobe.
Islamophobia Industry…if those who choose to vandalize our masjids [mosques]…if they are treating us like we are one community, why are we not acting like one community…(8:42-9:06)
According to Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry,
Fear sells and the Islamophobia Industry – a right-wing
cadre of intellectual hucksters, bloggers, politicians, pundits, and
religious leaders – knows that all too well. For years they have labored
behind the scenes to convince their compatriots that Muslims are the
enemy, exhuming the ghosts of 9/11 and dangling them before the eyes of
horrified populations for great fortune and fame.
Their plan has worked. The tide of Islamophobia that is sweeping
through Europe and the United States is not a naturally occurring
phenomenon. It is their design.
A June 24, 2016 Al Jazeera article entitled Report: Islamophobia Is A Multimillion-Dollar Industry claims that,
More than $200m was spent towards promoting “fear and
hatred” of Muslims in the United States by various organisations between
2008 and 2013, according to a fresh joint report by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the University of California,
Berkeley.
Released on Monday , the report [Confronting Fear]
identifies 74 groups, including feminist, Christian, Zionist and
prominent news organisations, which either funded or fostered
Islamophobia. “It is an entire industry of itself. There are people
making millions of dollars per year from promoting Islamophobia. They
often present themselves as experts on Islamic affairs when they are
not,” Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, a spokesman for CAIR, told Al Jazeera.
At least 32 states have introduced and debated anti-sharia or
anti-foreign law bills. And, according to our research, 80 percent of
legislators who sponsor this type of legislation also sponsor bills
restricting the rights of other minorities and vulnerable groups.
If Ms. Sarsour wants to put an end to the Islamophobia Industry, she
should simply stand up for the Constitution, and stop promoting the
normalization of Shariah in America.
Potentially horrific time that could come (9:20)
This is a direct parallel to Paragraph 8 of the AMJA Roadmap, which states:
Islam, with respect to its belief and legal foundations is unalterably fixed. It does not accept any replacement for change…A
Muslim must comply with his faith and refer confusing or troublesome
matters to the well-grounded scholars. AMJA is of the view that there
has yet to occur – and they do not expect to occur – a situation in
which one is required to flee with one’s faith, or wherein one is excused from performing some parts of the faith’s teachings.
Note on the phrase ‘Flee With One’s Faith’: This refers to the Hijrah (Migration),
another fundamental concept in Islam, with connotations going back
1,400 years, to the founding history of Islam. At this point, the
Roadmap introduces the possibility that Muslims in America may have to
flee to a safer location, for the sake of their faith. Socially, this is
a very provocative (and potentially inflammatory) statement by the
AMJA. It engenders immediate animosity and tension, and serves to
further alienate and marginalize the Muslim community in America.
Notice also that in this time of crisis, the AMJA is not encouraging
Muslims to assimilate into American mainstream culture, but instead
advises them to further distance themselves from it, while surrounding
themselves with the protective wall of Shariah law, and preparing for the possibility of leaving the country entirely.
We need to build coalitions; we need allies…in communities who are marginalized and oppressed in this country (10:23-10:32)
Ms. Sarsour also refers to building coalitions as “creating intersectional alliances within communities of color, and other oppressed minorities,” while her biography
says she is “most known for her intersectional coalition work and
building bridges across issues, racial, ethnic and faith communities.”
Remarkably, building coalitions is also specifically called for in Paragraph 11 of the AMJA Roadmap:
Among the most important of obligations
during these days is to open our doors to all sectors of our society and
to reach out to the other ethnic and religious groups as well as
political movements on both the left and right of the political
spectrum. This will be the only way to stop those who deal in hate.
This is AMJA’s call (and official authorization) for American Muslims
to form coalitions with a diversity of ethnic and religious groups, as
well as movements on the left and right of the political spectrum. In
other words, to start forming new alliances, in as many different arenas
as possible, to build a wall of resistance.
Some of the organizations involved in this AMJA-authorized effort to develop common-cause alliances include the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, the Black Lives Matter movement, ANSWER Coalition, the Tides Foundation, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
In Islamic terms, phrases like creating intersectional alliances and building bridges across issues, racial, ethnic and faith communities are socio-political substitutes for what is known as Dawah, which means to invite or summon someone, in order to teach them more about Islam.
Quran 16:125
calls Muslims to, “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and
beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most
gracious.” Dawah is mentioned at least 19 times in the Explanatory Memorandum. In fact, Mohamed Akram Adlouni, the author of the memo, signs the Foreword with the salutation, May God reward you good and keep you for His Daw’a, Your brother, Mohamed Akram.
Paragraph 12 of the AMJA Roadmap reinforces this premise:
From among the most important obligations during this
stage is to support those institutions and organizations that serve the
Muslim community, such as those interested in defending freedoms, civil
rights and political activism, those dedicated to social services and
relief, and those dedicated to Dawah,
religious instruction and providing religious rulings. It is most
unbelievable that there are some who cry over the state of the community
and then they are too stingy to donate their time or money to such
organizations. Worse than that are those who are even too stingy to pray
for them or give them a kind word. But the worst of all are those who seek to destroy such organizations.
U.S.-based Shariah-promoting organizations include the AMJA itself, as well as the Fatwa Center of America, the North American Imam’s Federation (NAIT), and the Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), which is part of a network of Islamic schools (Madrassas) operating across America.
So, when we go through the looking glass, we find out that Linda
Sarsour is channeling (mainstreaming) the strategic goals of the Muslim
Brotherhood here in America, as found in both the Explanatory Memorandum, and in the AMJA Roadmap.
We also discover that creating intersectional alliances is
really just the cynical use of American style politics and social
activism for the promotion of Islam, and, ultimately, to push us toward
acceptance (normalization) of Islamic Shariah.
Giving support to ICNA Relief, ISNA, CAIR, MAS (13:43-13:48)
All four of these organizations are known front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood. CAIR and ISNA remain unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial, while ICNA Relief and the Muslim American Society (MAS), have also been linked to support of terrorism (specifically, to the support of Hamas).
What does it say about Linda Sarsour, that she would encourage
(exhort) Muslims in America to increase their financial support of these
known pro-Shariah, pro-Jihad Muslim Brotherhood organizations?
And we still as a community find ourselves unprepared, in so
many moments…Why, sisters and brothers, why are we so unprepared, Why
are we so afraid of this administration, and the potential chaos, that
they will ensue on our community…? (14:10-14:45)
At this point, Ms. Sarsour reinforces her basic theme, which is to
resist the tyrannical, racist, relentlessly Islamophobic Trump
administration. She also uses the word ‘chaos,’ which is just another
adjective for the Islamic concept of Fitnah.
From an Islamic (Quranic) perspective, she is now calling for the Muslim community in America to Prepare themselves fight Jihad against the Fitnah of the Islamophobic Trump administration.
The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood is Wa’a’idu (وَأَعِدُّو), which is translated “Be Prepared,” or “Make Ready.” Make ready for what, exactly?
The answer is found in Quran 8.60 (Al-Anfal – The Spoils of War), which says:
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power
and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and
your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah
knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully
repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.
Also see Tafsir Ibn Kathir for Quran 8.60,
which makes it very plain that this entire verse (in fact, the entire
Chapter) is about preparing to wage war against unbelievers.
Once again, the Explanatory Memorandum has already laid the groundwork for the path that Ms. Sarsour (and the ISNA) are now following. In a section entitled Understanding The Role Of The Muslim Brother In North America, the following emphatic declarations are made:
The process of settlement is a “Civilization-Jihadist Process” with all the word means. The Ikhwan [Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad
in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and
“sabotaging” its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the
believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious
over all other religions. Without this level of understanding, we are
not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and
work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes,
and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who chose to
slack. But, would the slackers and the Mujahedeen be equal.
Page 8 of the Memo also addresses the theme of being prepared:
And in order for the process of settlement to be completed, we must plan and work from now to equip and prepare ourselves,
our brothers, our apparatuses, our sections and our committees in order
to turn into comprehensive organizations in a gradual and balanced way
that is suitable with the need and the reality
All of this sounds remarkably similar to the major themes that Linda
Sarsour emphasized during her ISNA speech. In fact, Ms. Sarsour was
obviously warning her ISNA audience, as well as the wider Muslim
community, not be caught unprepared, or to be numbered among those who
are counted as ‘slackers’ by Allah.
Now that we’ve gone through this part of the looking glass, we can
finally get beyond the outward persona, and the social media hype, and
the cultural barriers, and the gender sensitivities, and just listen to
the actual words that Ms. Sarsour is saying.
When we do that, we soon discover that she is speaking a dialect of English that is 100 percent pure Muslim Brotherhood.
When I think about building power, I think about brothers
like Abdul Sayed, who is in this room today, who is running to become
the first Muslim Governor of the state of Michigan (14:49-16:07)
To set an example of taking direct action (i.e., political Jihad),
Ms. Sarsour now endorses Abdul Sayed [Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed],
who was seated in the audience, while urging the audience to donate to
his political campaign (cue the applause).
At the same time, Ms. Sarsour also criticized “establishment
Democrats” who have blocked Muslims from succeeding within the
Democratic Party in the past, and declared that brother Sayed would
change that.
On February 25, 2017, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed announced his bid to become the Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan. Dr. Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan on June 11, 2007,
where he served as Vice President of the Muslim Students Association
(MSA), and was also chosen for a [Paul & Daisy] Soros “New American” Fellowship.
With nearly 600 chapters located in the United States and Canada, the Muslim Students Association (MSA)
is the most visible and influential Islamic student organization in
North America. The MSA was incorporated in January of 1963 by members of
the Muslim Brotherhood at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
with the goal of “spreading Islam as students in North America,” and for the specific purpose of Dawah (promoting Islam, as discussed above).
Dr. Sayed has grown up in an environment saturated with Muslim
Brotherhood ideology. If he is selected to run as the first Muslim
Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan, it will likely draw
national (and international) interest.
We have to stay outraged…We as a Muslim community in these
United States of America have to be Perpetually Outraged every single
[day] (18:52-19:01)
Even this concept – Staying Perpetually Outraged – is alluded to in Reliance. The title of Book Q is COMMANDING THE RIGHT AND FORBIDDING THE WRONG, which is based on a passage
from the Hadith, “Command the right and forbid the wrong, or Allah will
put the worst of you in charge of the best of you, and the best will
supplicate Allah and be left unanswered.”
To add further context, Book Q of Reliance specifically discusses how Muslims should actively oppose the unjust leader (the tyrant,
the oppressor), who does not rule his people according to Islamic
Shariah. Perhaps now, we can better understand why Ms. Sarsour’s
determination to stay perpetually outraged is actually authorized by Islamic law.
Then, Chapter Q5.0 of Book Q, which is entitled THE ACT OF CENSURING,
provides eight ‘degrees’ (levels) of authorized response when a Muslim
encounters a non-Islamic ‘wrong act.’ Each one of these progressively
more violent eight levels of response has ‘various degrees of severity
and rules.’
For brevity, I will just include the main title of each one of the eight authorized degrees of response to a wrong act (i.e., Fitnah).
Q5.2: Knowledge of the Wrong Act
Q5.3: Explaining that Something is Wrong
Q5.4: Forbidding the Act Verbally
Q5.5: Censuring with Harsh Words
Q5.6: Fighting the Wrong By Hand
Q5.7: Intimidation
Q5.8: Assault
Q5.9: Force of Arms
Ms. Sarsour, haven’t we been told repeatedly that Islam is a benign, harmless religion of peace?
Do not ever be those citizens that normalize this
administration, because when the day comes that something horrific
happens to us, or to another community…you will be responsible for
normalizing this administration…(19:18)
Once again, we can turn to the Quran, and to Reliance to find the deeper source of what Ms. Sarsour refers to as “normalization” of a corrupt, tyrannical regime.
For example, Quran 4.89 warns Muslims that:
They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until
they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize
them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them
any ally or helper.
Quran 5.51 gives an even more specific warning:
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies.
They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to
them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides
not the wrongdoing people.
Section R7.1 of also Reliance reiterates this theme:
It is not permissible to give directions
and the like to someone intending to perpetrate a sin, because it is
helping another to commit disobedience. Allah Most High says, “Do not
assist one another in sin and aggression” (Quran 5.2).
Once again, as we go through another part of the looking glass, we
find that Ms. Sarsour’s use of the term “normalization” is just a
secular (political) equivalent of the well-established Islamic concept
of opposing (“striving against” = Jihad) tyrants and unjust rulers.
Our number one and top priority is to protect and defend our
community; it is not to assimilate and to please any other people in
authority…(19:32-19:36)
The admonition to avoid assimilation
into non-Muslim cultures is found in multiple places in the Quran (as
in verse 5.51, cited above), as well as in the fundamental Islamic
doctrine known as Al-Wala’ Wa’l-Bara (Loyalty and Enmity; see here and here), and in the Explanatory Memorandum, as stated here in paragraph 7 of the section entitled The Process of Settlement:
The success of the [Islamic] Movement in America in
establishing an observant Islamic base with power and effectiveness will
be the best support and aid to the global Movement project…the global
Movement has not succeeded yet in “distributing roles” to its branches,
stating what is needed from them as one of the participants or
contributors to the project to establish the global Islamic state. The day this happens, the children of the American Ikhwani [Brotherhood] branch will have far-reaching impact and positions that make the ancestors proud.
In other words, more than thirty years ago, the leadership of the
Muslim Brotherhood movement in North America was already looking ahead,
to the time when an entire generation of American children would be
raised under the influence of orthodox Ikhwan ideology, with the hope that this future American Muslim generation would play a central role in the establishment of a Shariah-compliant, global Islamic state (= Caliphate).
Nor is this strategic goal of non-assimilation and separation unique
to North America. Islamic communities in many western countries are in
the process of balkanizing, as they rapidly transform into Shariah-compliant “no-go zones.”
Finally, if we refer one last time to the AMJA Roadmap, we find that
in this time of calamity, chaos and crisis (i.e., the tyrannical Trump
Administration), the AMJA scholars are not encouraging American Muslims
to assimilate into mainstream culture, but instead advising them to
further distance themselves from it, while building a protective barrier
of Shariah, and preparing for the possibility of leaving the country entirely.
No wonder, then, that Linda Sarsour would feel compelled remind the
audience of the ISNA, the premier Muslim Brotherhood organization in
America, that their top priority is to “defend and protect our community; it is not to assimilate.”
Our top priority…even higher than all those [other] priorities, is to please Allah, and only Allah (19:52)
The concept of pleasing only Allah is found in at least 110 verses in the Quran, such as this example from Quran 5.55:
Your Guardian [Friend, Helper or Protector] can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor due, and bow down (in prayer).
As Linda Sarsour has said, we must be prepared.
Even if you don’t believe me (yet), then at least take a look at the world around you.
It remains my hope that America will never succumb to the temptation to hide our eyes (and ears) from the threat(s) we face.
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