In
a speech to the U.S. State Department more than two years ago, Sheik
Muhammad Hisham Kabbani warned that Islamic extremists posed a security
threat to America. Six of the leading Arab-American groups denounced him
at the time. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Sheik Kabbani, who
heads the Fenton-based Islamic Supreme Council of America, has urged
American Muslims to stand firm against Islamic extremism. The following
are edited excerpts from an interview with Detroit News editorial writer
Diane Katz: Q. Where were you on Sept.
11 when you heard about the terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington, D.C., and what was your reaction?
A. I was at home. My wife woke me and told
me to come quickly because one of our members who works on Wall Street
was on the phone. She was hysterical. I tried to calm her down. At the
same time, my wife turned on the TV, and we saw the other plane hit (the
World Trade Center). Immediately, I prayed to God that this attack would
be minimized in its casualties. Q. Did you
immediately suspect these were acts of terrorism?
A. I didn't think it was an accident --
especially when the second plane hit. And especially when there had been
reports 10 days before the attack ... all over the Middle East that they
were going to hit hard on American soil and on the banks and the U.S.
economy. Q. You warned in a speech to the
State Department in January 1999 that extremism posed a threat to U.S.
national security. You were excoriated by other Arab-American groups for
saying that. A. As someone who has visited
lots of countries and seen many wars in the Middle East, and coming from
a very well-known family in Lebanon with a lot of roots in politics and
religious affairs, I can know from sources around the world when there
is something being prepared. And when we hear speeches antagonistic to
America, you can put all these together. Moderate Muslims and
peace-loving Muslims felt we had to say something. But there is a
minority that is not like that. And we don't have the microphone as they
have. Q. Why do they have the microphone
and you don't? A. Peaceful Muslims,
moderate Muslims, do not interfere in the politics or foreign policy of
the United States. We want to pray. We are not interested in speeches.
But the activists are very clever. They use the mosques and Islamic
centers to gain credibility for themselves. And that's where it begins
to create a problem. Q. So the pulpits are
being hijacked for political purposes? A.
Yes, that is correct. They are using the name of Islam for their own
benefit and interest. But it is not in the principles of Islam to attack
and terrorize people. Prophet Mohammed never declared war against
anyone. The way (activists) present things is dangerous. It is not the
real Islamic way. It is a mistake to mix our religious teachings, our
freedom of religion, with politics or foreign policy.
Q. Is this part of a plan to establish a
U.S. network for political groups overseas?
A. I don't know that. I know they are
strong. They have a huge network, and they work together. These
opposition groups didn't find a space in their own countries because
Middle East governments didn't allow them. So many of their leaders ran
away and began to establish themselves around the world. And some of
them came to the United States to establish this radical ideology. And
they have grown because they have money, and they begin to take over.
Many of our moderate people become the silent majority.
Q. President Bush has had people to the
White House whose organizational ties would be a significant concern to
most Americans. A. I was surprised, when I
was invited to the National Cathedral for the national day of prayer,
and saw many of them there who had condemned me. Those people ... who
says they speak on behalf of Muslims? There are a lot of Muslims who
don't like them. They don't want them. But they have the microphone. In
front of the cameras, they say the United States is good. Then they
rally against the United States, they demonstrate against the United
States, they say the wrath of God is coming against the United States.
Q. Has the reaction from Muslim groups to
the terrorist attacks been adequate? A. No,
because they haven't stated names. They have tried to keep running
around the bushes, saying, "Show us proof of who did this." But it is
the responsibility of the Muslim community as a whole to stand up and to
condemn by name the terrorists and specify what these organizations are
and dissociate themselves from them. I said it to the State Department
two years ago. I mentioned who is good and who is not good. Who is being
a terrorist and who is not. And that has to be asked of them today.
Either they come out now or they will be accused in the future of being
sympathizers of organizations that have been classified as terrorist.
They have to be careful because they represent some Muslims, and the
lives of the Muslims they represent might be jeopardized because they
have stopped short of condemning these terrorist organizations.
Q. Was the United States naive to think it
was immune from terrorism? A. The United
States is not naive. When it wants to know, it knows. But it might be
that Congress never got this information.
Q. Have there been mistakes in foreign
policy that have created an environment for terrorism?
A. I don't like to interfere in politics or
foreign policy. But in every country, there are mistakes in foreign
policy. President Bush has to know who he can really trust, and he has
to build a coalition with the Arab and Muslim world to solve the problem
of terrorism. I'm sad because when I spoke up in 1999, they didn't
listen. And to the extent that the extremists are everywhere -- in the
administration, on Capitol Hill -- they didn't do their homework.
Q. Has the United States been lax on
immigration? A. The Immigration and
Naturalization Service has been lax on everything. It didn't do the job
correctly because it felt that America is the best country, a just
country, and it didn't expect such payback.
Q. What is the biggest misconception about
Islam? A. Whenever there is problem in the
Middle East, whatever crisis, it is always Muslim countries or Arab
countries fighting. So Americans got the wrong picture of Islam. The
moderate Muslim community has tried to work this out, but the
interference of the others who are hijacking the microphone and becoming
stronger is creating a problem. They are always criticizing and
complaining. The real message of Islam is submission, surrender to the
Lord's will, and goodness to one's neighbors. Islam is a message of
peace.
Ask the
Expert
Comment
on this story