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Editorial

Crusade in the Making

The President of the United States declared that the attack on the Twin Towers deserved a crusade. He did not repeat verbally this determination subsequently. Perhaps someone reminded him that he might need the "Muslim" vote again in less than four years if he does not wish to follow the footsteps of his father who, like him, also drew a line in the sand. His counterparts in Europe however did not miss the cue and had fewer reasons to show restraint. So they openly invited the "Christians" to take this battle to its logical end.

On October 7, 2001 the "crusade" began. Against the advice of all their Muslims "friends" the American and British forces began pounding the helpless, desolate, poverty-stricken, hungry and half-naked Muslims of Afghanistan. It took merely a week to knock out all the utilities and meager facilities of communication and transportation. Congratulations!

Now the world waits to see when the commandos will actually enter the cities of Afghanistan and repeat history. What will the "civilized world" do when it reads letters from the frontline soldiers like the letter written by one of the Crusaders on July 15, 1099, from the bloody scene in Jerusalem: 'With drawn swords our people ran through the city; nor did they spare anyone, not even those pleading for mercy. The horses waded in blood up to their knees, nay, up to the bridle. It was a just and wonderful judgment of God.'

What the commandos do, we will only see through the eyes of the "free press" which has been thus far cooperating slavishly to keep the American public uninformed of the devastation rained upon the innocent Afghanis. We will see the kind, caring and gentle marines carrying nicely wrapped gift packets of harram food to feed to the emaciated and emancipated "heathens". No one would be surprised if some of the Imams are invited to bless the food so as to minimize its rejection.

In contrast to the slaughter described by the above crusader, listen to what Paul Findley, a twenty-two year veteran of the US congress, still a Christian as far as we know, writes about the "uncivilized" conduct of Muslims, "In contrast, on the three separate occasions when Muslims took control of Jerusalem, no blood was shed." (Silent No More, Amana Publications, 2001).

The crusades, beyond the killings, did nothing to Islâm except to make it spread even faster in the world, including in the European populations. So do not be surprised if the fastest growing religion of the world presently assumes a pace even faster in spite of the killing of thousands of Afghanis.

Divinely the nature of Islâm is blessed with the ability to bounce back;
The more it is suppressed, the faster it rebounds.

As a Muslim we are duty-bound to do whatever we can to help the violated Muslims of Afghanistan. We must send material help needed for their mere survival. A much easier task for us, the materially blessed Muslims of America, to do. We can and insha Allâh will surely do it. This help can be bought at the grocery store.

Equally and perhaps even more important and more urgent is the help that the people of this country need. The hurt of the destruction of life and property on September 11 looms large in the psyche. We had nothing to do with it, but somehow Muslims are responsible for it. The price that is being extracted from the innocent Muslims of Afghanistan, who also had nothing to do with it, is not going to be quite sufficient. So we have to do something to assure everyone that we are not their enemies. Telling the truth, even though it is painful, is a first sign of this friendship. A friend does not lie to a friend, no matter how bitter the truth.

Secondly, the number of Qur'âns that have been bought since September 11, and are surely being read indicates how naked, hungry, helpless, desolate, poverty-stricken, and spiritually violated by the secular ways of life Americans feel. They, in spite of the most expensive and elaborate defense paraphernalia of the US Government, feel defenseless. Are we, the Muslims of America ready to help them? This help we cannot buy at the grocery store. So we need to get busy to gather our provisions.

Learn and practice Islâm the way it is the right of this deen, so that after reading the Qur'ân, when people are ready to say the shahadah and seek an inner shield of defense against fear and grief, for an example of Islam they can follow, they do not have to travel to Afghanistan to see how it is practiced. We don't dare miss this opportunity to stock up.

Some may be amused by what we say, others may be outright offended, and it may take longer then we wish for it to happen, but this is history repeating itself. It has happened before. Islâm conquers the conquerors.

The pagan Mongols for reasons of their own decided to crush Muslim and finish off Islâm once for all. The fall of Baghdad was, in their eyes the accomplishment of their goal. They achieved it. Congratulations!

A historian (R. A. Fidai, Concise History of Muslim World, New Delhi, 1988) writes, "The sack of Baghdad was completed in a week, during which nearly one million of its innocent inhabitants were massacred. The author of 'Kitabul-Fakhari' refers to this holocaust in the following words, 'Then there took place such whole-some slaughter and unrestrained looting and torture as it is hard to hear or spoken of even generally, how think you then, of its details? There happened things I like not to mention, therefore imagine what you will, but ask me not of the matter'".

The Mongols also deliberately destroyed every book they could lay their hands on, dumping them into the river Dijlah (Tigris) that stayed black because of the ink for a long time. They too, just like some of the present day warriors wished to take the battle to its logical end.

They discovered however, that one book is impossible to destroy. In addition to being a physical book it was also recorded in the hearts of the people. So they too decided to read it. The result was that many of them accepted Islâm as early as 1260, including Berek Khan, the chief of the Golden Horde. Ghazan Khan, upon his accession to the leadership 38 years later, proclaimed himself a Muslim and repudiated the suzerainty of the Khaqans, his non-Muslim ancestors.

It would be tremendous fortune for President Bush, Secretary Colin Powell and other American leaders if they too read the Qur'ân like Ghazan Khad did. It appears that American people are, however, not waiting for them to lead.

Published: October 2001