"it is an insult to consider the whole of Muslims, to take them into one side, and make them extremists."
"So really they feel shy when Islam is being focused on as a religion of terrorism and extremism - which is completely wrong."
"It is a voice of traditional Islam, which is moderation and tolerance and love - loving and to be loved - and living in peace with all other faiths and religions."
"Islam, in general, is a religion that calls for respecting everyone and living together with everyone."
"So that's what is going on under the name of Islam, but Islam itself is innocent of such kinds of actions."
"Otherwise, media, television, newspapers, and the leadership will not understand that there is a difference between extremists and Muslims."
"President Clinton asked to separate extremism from Islam, to show they are completely separate entities, and that Islam as a religion has nothing to do with extremism.
Shaykh Hisham Kabbani DEFENDS the Muslim community from extremism: [these statements refute allegations that Shaykh Hisham attacked the Muslim community, or called most of them extremists, or that the 8 Muslim organizations need to defend the community against him
"All these American Muslims, from parents who migrated here from Europe in the 18th century or the 19th century or the 20th century, are really good Muslims, and they have a friendship with all different faiths."
"We want to tell you that the Muslim community as a whole is innocent from whatever extremism and extremist ideology is being spread around the world."
"Muslims, in general, are peace loving and tolerant."
"the media must work with the Muslims,must work with the Muslims that are everywhere and they are very moderate, and they are very well known to be moderate and traditional and denouncing extremism."
"It is the duty of the media not to jump quickly and fire accusations against the whole of Muslims, to provoke the Muslims. They have to go and work with the Muslims to separate theirs from the extremist ideology."
Section TWO: The Obvious Deceptions Of The 8 Muslim Organizations Is there no shame?
They say[their statement quoted in full, verbatim]:
"American Muslim leaders demand retraction and apology"
Yet not a one of them was courageous enough to sign his name on these false charges. Does Islam teach us to spread such slander as this and also remain anonymous.
They Say:
"It is with heavy hearts that we, the undersigned national American Muslim organizations, feel compelled to defend our community and its representatives from false and defamatory allegations."
Yet it is clear from the quotations above that Shaykh Hisham DEFENDED the Muslim Community. None of his statements have been shown to be either false or defamatory.
They Say:
"In a January 7, 1999, presentation to a State Department Open Forum, Mr. Hisham Kabbani, Chairman of the self-styled "Islamic Supreme Council of America," made a number of unsubstantiated allegations that could have a profoundly negative impact on ordinary American Muslims."
Notice suddenly the words "false or defamatory" have been replaced with the words "unsubstantiated". That is because none of the statements can be shown to be either false or defamatory. Now the evidences for the speech have been posted on the website: http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org
And now the speech is substantiated.
The reference to "ordinary American Muslims" is meant to rally Muslims against Shaykh Hisham. His speech strongly criticized Muslim extremists in leadership positions, they had to device a way to twist Shaykh Hisham's words so as to lie to the "ordinary Muslim" and say, "look he is attacking you", when in reality it is the abuse of the Muslim leadership that Shaykh Hisham is attacking, in defense of the "ordinary Muslim".
They Say:
"In the State Department forum, Mr. Kabbani:"
Islam says respect Islamic scholars, while the eight organizations say: change Shaykh Hisham's title from "Shaykh" to "Mister". Lack of respect for traditional Islamic scholarship has plagued many extremist trends.
They Say:
"1) Alleged that the "ideology of extremism has been spread to eighty percent of the [American] Muslim population." Having also stated that "extremists" gained control of American mosques through elections, Mr. Kabbani further strengthens the impression that the Muslim community as a whole is extremist."
While Shaykh Hisham said:
"Extremism has been spread to 80 per cent of the Muslim population. Not all of them agree with it,..."
By cutting off the "Not all of them agree with it.." the organizations distort the meaning of Shaykh Hisham's words in order to rally hatred against him, while it is they who have been proven as short changing the Muslim Community in their deceptions, as we can see. If extremism spreads to me, I need not accept it. Yet in so many centers we can see extremist ideology has spread.
As to the allegation that Shaykh Hisham "strengthens the impression that the Muslim community as a whole is extremist" then the numerous quotes above in this post prove that this is another distortion. How can we trust Muslim Organizations who have no shame to lie in public in order to try to destroy a scholar of Islam?
They say:
"2) Claimed that "there are many, many Muslim organizations, that they speak on behalf of the Muslim community, but in reality they are not moderate, but they are extremist...These people are very well supported, very well affiliated with outside regimes, that they have been sponsored by billions of dollars to be active within the United States..."
Shaykh Hisham clearly showed in the speech that he is talking about Wahhabi groups, who are ideologically extremist. The extremism of the Wahhabis is confirmed by the works of hundreds of scholars of Islam [Ahl al-Sunna], and many examples are to be found in the following web site: http://www.sunnah.org
His quote:
"...there are many Muslim organizations that claim to speak on behalf of the Muslim community but that in reality are not moderate, but extremist. They hijacked the mike, or they were elected because they are good speakers, but they give a wrong idea about Islam."
This is an undeniable fact. Any traveled American Muslim knows that many of those most vocal in Islamic centers are the Wahhabi movements and their likes who frequently forcefully attempt to "take over" Islamic organizations, prohibiting Mawlid, Dhikr, Tasawwuf, and other beliefs of the majority of Muslim scholars, the Ahl al-Sunna. They are ideological extremists while their brothers overseas, as in Chechnya, are militant extremists who have been killing fellow Muslims for remaining on the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunna. What a dangerous group, who think the blood of their fellow Muslims is Halal[permissible] if they do not agree with their distorted views of Islam.
The second quote of Shaykh Hisham is in another section of the speech:
"You are not hearing the authentic voice of Muslims, of moderate Muslims, but you are hearing the extremist voice of Muslims. That's why they are getting a wrong idea, because the extremists are very well supported, are very well affiliated with outside regimes that have sponsored them with billions of dollars to be active in the United States."
Wahhabi oil money not only tries to force Wahhabi views on the majority of Ahl al-Sunna, they even use the Hajj as an opportunity to brainwash Muslims worldwide with their propaganda and free books, while books of Ahl al-Sunna as Dala'il al-Khairat praising the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam are confiscated and destroyed from all Hajjis. They can not bear to see Muslims praise the Crown of Creation, the Beloved of Allah, may Allah forgive us.
They say:
"3) Claiming that the main national Muslim student organization is "being run mostly by extremist ideology,"
The main Muslim Student organization has a long tract record of trying to prevent Shaykh Hisham Kabbani from speaking to students, of discriminating against Tasawwuf on their internet forum, they have even barred anyone who posts messages in support of Shaykh Hisham, and they have even as a group, their Shura Committee refused to respond to a letter extending to them the Salam's of Islam and requesting they explain their denial of rights of Muslims to post replies against slander. Recently the maintainer of that net callously flooded the AsSunnah Foundation of America web server with thousands of emails in an attempt to sabotage its function. Shortly after he was exposed, all those who have in the slightess form supported Shaykh Hisham in his stance for Ahl al-Sunna were without warning or further reply deleted from the forum. Those who have been members of the forum are aware of the frequent vicious attacks against Tasawwuf and Islamic Shaykhs as Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Shaykh Abul Hamid alGHazali, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, and many other great Shaykhs of Islam. Muslim Shaykhs are called "Dog Worshippers", Muslims are called "Grave Worshippers" without the slightest complaint from the leaders of this student email forum, even though their rules forbid it. We have even seen ideologies from students allowing killing of innocent people if they just happen to be in the way of the extremists. Many of those posting from the comforts of their American homes support statements declaring immediate war on the West. If these are not extreme then what is?
Note that Shaykh Hisham has lobbied in Congress for the rights of Muslims in Kosovo and against the Iraqi sanctions and has tried to extend much other needed help to Muslims everywhere.Support Muslims YES, Support Extremists NO.
They continue
"Mr. Kabbani raised the bizarre specter that the Bin Laden organization was "able to buy more than 20 atomic weapons, atomic nuclear heads, from some Mafias in the ex-Soviet Union...and now they are hiring thousands of scientists from the ex-Soviet in order to make these atomic warheads into smaller partitions, smaller particles, in order to be, like small chips to be put in any suit case, even in a handbag, and be shipped anyplace, anywhere in the world...If these small nuclear atomic warheads reach these (U.S.) universities, you don't know, these students, what they are going to do, because their way of thinking is brainwashed and limited."
Multiple widely referenced quotes at the above two web sites provide very strong evidence for the above statements even from Bin Laden himself. The ignorance of the 8 organizations is no excuse for slander. The consequences of a terrorist attack by a Muslim in America would be extremely devasting for all American Muslims unless we take a very strong stand against terrorism and extremism as Shaykh Hisham has.
They continue:
"Adding insult to injury, Mr. Kabbani even promoted and generalized an allegation that Muslim women in Europe "who are during the day, covered from top to bottom and, during the night, have dates. They are dating high officials in many countries around the world to take the information from them and to give it to the extremists."
Shaykh Hisham's actual words:
"Recently they found in London, between London and France and all that area in Western Europe, that there is a big network of women that one of the very famous Arabic newspapers - either al Wasat or al Watat al Arabi - revealed in a big report two or three months ago. They found a network run by Muslim women who, during the day, are covered from top to bottom and, during the night, have dates. They are dating high officials in many countries around the world to take the information from them and to give it to the extremists. We have to ask ourselves: is this Islamic or un-Islamic?"
This article is fully referenced at the following site: http://islamicsupremecouncil.org/support/references.htm
Testimony includes that from a Muslim woman involved in these activities. It was a prostitution ring one of whose main leaders was a secretary of a Saudi Prince.
One of the many references, The Ottawa Citizen, an article by Susannah Herbert [Feb. 1998] states:
"At stake are million of dollars' worth of arms deals and long-nurtured contacts between France and the ruling families of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. ...[deleted for brevity] It is alleged by one of the ring's organizers that the consultant, a much-feared operator in political circles, brought prostitutes from Morocco with the assistance of certain figures in the French consulate in Casablanca."
Note then the following:
The 8 organizations statements "promoted and generalized an allegation that Muslim women.." is a lie. Shaykh Hisham only referenced an article that is widely supported, referenced and not in dispute. He did not generalize it. He gave a specific example of how extremists, as the Saudi government, who is cloaked in the falsehood of the Wahhabi version of Islam that Shaykh Hisham has named as a source of extremist Muslims, how they used unIslamic activities to further their extremists aims. The whole point far from being an attack against Muslim women which the organizations would like people to believe, it is only an example of how extremist Muslims do not respect Islam. Is it not shameful that the 8 Muslim organizations thus prove Shaykh Hisham's words by using lies to promote the self benefit of their leaders?
Shaykh Hisham founded an organization Kamilat, which is taking active steps at bringing the true elevated status of a woman in Islam to Muslim women, by addressing issues as domestic violence and other issues of concern to Muslim women[and all women] frequently ignored in many Islamic centers.
More examples of lies against a Muslim Shaykh are found in continuing the words of the 8 Muslim organizations:
"Through outrageous statements such as these, Mr. Kabbani has put the entire American Muslim community under unjustified suspicion."
What is claimed to be outrageous has been proven as true. These words do not put the American Muslim Community at risk, rather they put the Extremists at risk of being rejected by the American Muslim Community.
They continue:
"In effect, Mr. Kabbani is telling government officials that the majority of American Muslims pose a danger to our society."
Reading section one above quoting the words of Shaykh Hisham there should be NO DOUBT that every signatory on this statement below has LIED in their testimony to falsely slander a Muslim Shaykh. We as Muslims must now ask ourselves why all these organizations have lied? What is so dangerous to the leaders of these organizations that they LIE to the American Muslim Community in such an unprecedented letter?
Such is the way of extremist ideology. It may be nice when one is talking nice generalities about Islam, but when the deviant nature of extremism is exposed, the person who is its victim may show an unexpected very unIslamic behavoir. Notice that as Shaykh Hisham has always stressed, extremism is to be opposed, yet he has always tried to make ties with those whom extremism has brainwashed, and to put Islamic Unity first. That was the case when all Muslim organizations where invited to the Islamic Unity Conference, but most, including represenetatives from the 8 organizations boycotted one of the greatest[if not the greatest] gatherings of Islamic scholars in North America.
They continue:
"Additionally, Islamophobic individuals and groups may use these statements as an excuse to commit hate crimes against Muslims of the kind witnessed following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City when Muslim-bashers, Steven Emerson and others, offered similarly unsubstantiated claims that Muslims were behind the attack."
An unfortunate low-down attempt to accuse Shaykh Hisham Kabbani who has brought countless people into Islam, who has upheld the Sunnah and defended the way of Ahl al-Sunnah, a low-down attempt to label him a Muslim-basher. Steve Emerson took a situation in which he had no knowledge of to accuse Muslims. Shaykh Hisham has only quoted Extremists and facts. Steve Emerson words worked to divert American anger towards Muslims. Shaykh Hisham's words work to divert future American anger away from Muslims, because Islam and Muslims are innocent, as Shaykh Hisham said. His words work to encourage Muslims to prevent extremism from misguiding us. Steve Emerson has his own personal agenda, while Shaykh Hisham's agenda is to put the word of Allah and His Messenger, Salla Allahu alayhi wa Sallam on top of all others.
They continue:
"We therefore ask Mr. Kabbani to promptly and publicly retract his statements, to apologize to the American Muslim community, and to exert his utmost effort to undo the damage these statements have done."
Rather Islam demands that the Muslim organizations who have collected millions of our monies retract their lies and slander and openly say why they oppose Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. If they envy what Allah has given him, or they hate Mawlid, or they hate that he brings thousands to praise the Beloved Prophet of Allah, Salla Allahu alayhi wa Sallam, and say he is ALIVE and WITH us, then let them state their qualms. If they hate the great Shaykhs of Tasawwuf, Shaykh Abd al-Qadir, Shaykh Naqshband, Mawlana al-Rumi, and so many others, let them state what they believe and spare us deceptions. If they hate to follow Madhhabs and prefer to follow modern day Salafis who derive their own understanding of Shariah, let these organizations state it, so that the Muslim Community can see where they are.
They continue:
"The issue is not that of a mere difference of opinion within an American religious community, but involves the irresponsible act of providing false information to government officials. This false information can jeopardize the safety and well being of our community and hurt America itself by damaging its values of inclusiveness, fairness, and liberty."
Their "false information" has been proven how can they dare accuse anyone else of false information. Shaykh Hisham provided very well referenced and known facts. Few may know exactly how many nuclear war heads Bin Laden has, but it is well known even if against odds he has none, then he certainly wants one, and described it as a religious duty to get nuclear weapons in an interview on ABC. The falsehoods then remain with the accusers, the signatories:
"Signatories (in alphabetical order):
American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC) [American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslim Council (AMC), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) & Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)] Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (MSA)"
and latter some more organizations signed.
Allah knows who the true voices behind these names are, they are surely not the whole organizations. If their intention was to bring unity to American Muslims would they secretly and suddenly come out in public and accuse one to whom they had not even spoken to, in order to clarify his intentions. Rather they tried to humiliate a Muslim Shaykh, and Allah is Just.
We must hold these organizations responsible for using their positions of power for their own purposes in trying to slander a Shaykh who has been working for Islam and Islamic Unity. We must make it known to them that we will not tolerate that our monies go to fund their lies or to support those who attack Ahl al-Sunna across the world, as to the Wahhabi sect who have already killed many in the Asian Muslim Republics, and whose American counterparts spue lies and curses against Ahl al-Sunna in America.
Some of the leaders of these organizations boycotted Islamic unity, discriminated against Muslims, and used unfair tactics to destroy fellow Muslims, what can one say that they hypocritically invoke the Principles of "inclusiveness, fairness, and liberty", call them American to invoke American sympathy and say a Muslim Shaykh is damaging them, what can one say when they have already demolished them in their wake?
The Extremist meme is very subtle in its inception. Yet when it leads it victims to all out lies to slander, then it has taken a very serious toll. We must all as Muslims return to the teachings of tradtional Islam and ask that Allah show us the way of Ahl al-Sunna. So frequently have we instead adopted foreign ideals and camoflaged them with Islamic words. Extremism is foreign to Islam. Why have so many of our books and lectures come from its putrid springs?
Section THREE: Shaykh Hisham's words regarding extremism from his statement
1.What is one definition of extremism?
"Extremism in Islam, or in religion, is when you use religion to label intolerance, to turn from religion and take ideas that you can extract for yourself, or deduce for yourself, and use to make a militant movement and disturb the peace in your country or around the world."
One of the best sources on true Islam versus extremist ideology is Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's multi-volume Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine which is available throught Kazi Publications: http://www.kazi.org
It is fully referenced to authentic Islamic sources, all Muslims should read it and see to what extent extremists have affected our understanding of Islam.
A short summary of Shaykh Hisham's activities for the sake of Islam is present at this site:
http://sunnah.org/shaykh_muhammad_hisham_kabbani.htm
2. Where can we trace back the extremism of today?
"It began in the 17th and 18th century, when this ideology was supported by the tribes. The man who brought it to the tribes was a Muslim scholar by the name of Muhammad ibn Abd-al Wahhab."
3. Is extremism the same as terrorism[i.e. militant]?
"Slowly, slowly in the many years from 1920 until today they were very successful in establishing a new ideology in Islam that is very extremist in its point of view. It was not so militant, however; it didn't take the form of militancy, but it took the form of revival or renewal of Islamic tradition."
"This ideology prevented and prohibited that, but it was not militant until recently, when it took a militant standpoint and enforced itself in many regions around the world."
"There are two kinds of extremism: there is the extremism ideology and there is the extremist militant movement."
4. Are extremists living Islamic ideals?:
"what we are seeing as Muslims is that extremism became more of a business than a message because it involves drugs, and drugs are not allowed in Islam."
5. Is extremism coming from Islamic centers of learning?
"The extremist ideology comes from the street so the extremists don't know what they are talking about. So they form small circles in different homes or different basements or in different areas and they begin to brainwash the people."
