Ten Misconceptions About Islam Misconception 1 Misconception 2 Misconception 3 Misconception 4 Misconception 5

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In this article, we will try to clear up many of the misconceptions that are prevalent about Islam. Before jumping into the list of misconceptions directly, it is important to give a little interesting background about the source of Islam.

Islam is the name of a way of life which the Creator wants us to follow. We avoid the word religion because in many non-Islamic societies, there is a separation of "religion and state." This separation is not recognized at all in Islam: the Creator is very much concerned with all that we do, including the political, social, economic, and other aspects of our society. Hence, Islam is a complete way of life.

The source of Islam is Allah, the Creator of everything known and unknown to us. He is One, and He is Unique. Allah has taught us about Islam via two mediums: the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Both the Qur'an and Sunnah were transmitted to us, humanity, via the Messenger of Allah: Muhammad bin Abdullah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (saas). The Messenger of Allah was nothing more and nothing less than a mortal messenger of the immortal Creator.

The Qur'an is a book containing the literal Word of Allah. It was transmitted from Allah to an angel of His (Gabriel), and from the angel to the Messenger of Allah who delivered it to us. The Qur'an covers a wide variety of topics, including evidence to support its claim of being the Word of the Creator, stories of earlier generations, rules which humanity is asked to obey, and information about the Hereafter. The Qur'an claims that it is protected from change by other than Allah, and this is confirmed by its 1400 year history. The earliest copies and the latest copies are the same.

The Sunnah is the term used to describe how the Messenger of Allah (saas) lived his life. The Messenger's life is an example for all Muslims, or those who accept Islam, to follow. Whatever the Messenger (saas) did, said, or approved of is a source of Islam just as much as the Qur'an. The Messenger's role is not overemphasized: his life was dictated by what the Creator desired, and the Messenger did not add or subtract to Islam according to his own personal whim. His life was such that his wife called him "a walking Qur'an."

The Qur'an and Sunnah are the only two mediums by which Allah has directly taught us about Islam. This leads us to the following simple but critical principle:

If any man or woman engages in a belief or action which clearly contradicts the Qur'an or Sunnah, then that belief or action cannot be thought of as `Islamic'.

This rule applies whether the man or woman is Muslim or non-Muslim. Hence, we cannot equate Islam and the Muslims. Islam is the way of life; Muslims are people who claim to follow that way of life. A Muslim may claim to follow Islam, but be wrong. In the context of misconceptions, we can restate the above principle in a slightly different way:

Some misconceptions about Islam are due to the wrong beliefs and actions of Muslims, and others are due to a significant lack of understanding and false stereotyping by non-Muslims.

Several misconceptions are listed below. Instead of simply stating the misconception by itself, we have also included some reasons why people might adopt that misconception. Therefore, each entry in the list is given in the following form:

<Statement of misconception> because:

o <reason 1> o <reason 2> o etc.

After each misconception and its possible reasons, we show briefly why the misconception is false by showing one or more of three possibilities:

1. a reason is false 2. the reason does not logically lead to the misconception 3. a key piece of information is being ignored

Our answers to the misconceptions are drawn from the Qur'an and Sunnah. All other approaches are insufficient: Islam is a way of life which is very firmly based on a scholarly approach, an approach which is based on knowledge.

Misconception 1 Islam is `the religion of peace' because:

o the Arabic word Islam is derived from the Arabic word "Al-Salaam" which means peace.

It might seem strange to think of this as a misconception, but in fact it is. The root word of Islam is "al-silm" which means "submission" or "surrender." It is understood to mean "submission to Allah." In spite of whatever noble intention has caused many a Muslim to claim that Islam is derived primarily from peace, this is not true. Allah says in the Qur'an (translated):

[2:136] Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the

tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered. [Arabic "Muslimoon"]

A secondary root of Islam may be "Al-Salaam" (peace), however the text of the Qur'an makes it clear that Allah has clearly intended the focus of this way of life to be submission to Him. This entails submission to Him at all times, in times of peace, war, ease, or difficulty.

Misconception 2 In Islam, denial of human rights is OK because:

o Islam is against pure democracy o Islam tolerates slavery

The misconception does not follow from the reasons given, and the reasons ignore a great deal of information.

As stated earlier, Islam is a complete way of life. Given this, it is not surprising that the Creator is concerned with the method which we choose to govern ourselves. The preeminent rule which the Islamic state must observe is stated in the Qur'an (translation follows):

[4:59] O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day; That is best, and most suitable for final determination.

From this verse, it is clear that the state's obligation of obedience to the Creator is as important as the obedience of the individual. Hence, the Islamic state must derive its law from the Qur'an and Sunnah. This principle excludes certain choices from the Islamic state's options for political and economic systems, such as a pure democracy, unrestricted capitalism, communism, socialism, etc. For example, a pure democracy places the people above the Qur'an and Sunnah, and this is disobedience to the Creator. However, the best alternative to a pure democracy is a democracy that implements and enforces the Shari'ah (Islamic Law).

The Creator also states in the Qur'an (translated):

[42:36-38] So whatever thing you are given, that is only a provision of this world's life, and what is with Allah is better and more lasting for those who believe and rely on their Lord, and those who shun the great sins and indecencies, and whenever they are angry they forgive, and those who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer, and their rule is to take counsel among themselves, and who spend out of what We have given them.

Allah orders us in this verse to conduct our matters by taking counsel among ourselves, or by consulting each other. This is the methodology of the Islamic state, to consult one another, but to always keep the Qur'an and Sunnah paramount. Any law which contradicts the Qur'an or Sunnah is unlawful. This broad principle of consultation is certainly wide enough to encompass a form of government where all are heard - in fact, encouraged to be heard. The early Islamic states were of this form. The petty governments of many `Muslim countries' today do not apply this principle and in fact commit many crimes against the people.

As for slavery, Islam is unique among the `religions' in its close attention to the peaceful removal of this practice. Before the advent of Islam, slavery was widespread all over the world. The Messenger of Islam taught us that freeing slaves was a great deed in the sight of Allah. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[3:46:693] Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Whoever frees a Muslim slave, Allah will save all the parts of his body from the (Hell) Fire as he has freed the body-parts of the slave." Said bin Marjana said that he narrated that Hadith to `Ali bin Al-Husain and he freed his slave for whom `Abdullah bin Ja'far had offered him ten thousand Dirhams or one-thousand Dinars.

Also from the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Malik's Muwatta, we find:

[38:9:15] Narrated Aisha Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked what was the most excellent kind of slave to free. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered, "The most expensive and the most valuable to his master."

The Creator has also made it easy for slaves to gain their freedom. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[3:46:704] Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Whoever frees his portion of a common slave should free the slave completely by paying the rest of his price from his money if he has enough money; otherwise the price of the slave is to be estimated and the slave is to be helped to work without hardship till he pays the rest of his price."

The condition of slavery is very different in Islam than the harsh conditions imposed by non-Muslims or disobedient Muslims. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sunan Abu-Dawud, we find:

[41:4957] Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (saw) said: None of you must say: "My slave" (abdi) and "My slave-woman" (amati), and a slave must not say: "My lord" (rabbi or rabbati). The master (of a slave) should say: "My young man" (fataya) and "My young woman" (fatati), and a slave should say "My master" (sayyidi) and "My mistress" (sayyidati), for you are all (Allah's) slave and the Lord is Allah, Most High.

Also from the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[3:46:721] Narrated Al-Ma'rur bin Suwaid: I saw Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a cloak. We asked him about that (i.e. how both were wearing similar cloaks). He replied, "Once I abused a man and he complained of me to the Prophet. The Prophet asked me, `Did you abuse him by slighting his mother?' He added, `Your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. So, if one has one's brethren under one's control, one should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear, and if you do so, help them (in their hard job)."

As a result of the teachings of Islam, slavery was almost completely eradicated from many areas of the Muslim world, peacefully and without bloodshed.

Misconception 3 In Islam, women are inferior to men because:

o a man can marry up to 4 wives, a woman can marry only one man o a man's share of inheritance is bigger than a woman's o a man can marry a non-Muslim, a woman cannot o women must wear the veil

This widely held misconception does not remotely follow from the reasons given. The first and most important observation to make about the popular question "Are men and women equal?" is that it is a badly-formed, unanswerable question. The problem which many people conveniently ignore is that "equal" is not defined. This is a very critical point: the equality must be specified with respect to some measurable property. For example, women on average are superior to men if we ask who is shorter in height than the other ("Growth and Development", Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1992). Women are also superior on average if we ask whom do children bond to deeper, mothers or fathers. Women are also superior on average if we ask who has a tendency to socialize more. On the other hand, men are superior on average if we ask who is taller in height than the other. And so on: every question can be turned around, and more importantly these are properties which are irrelevant.

What then, is the really important property which we are worried about in terms of gender equality? Naturally, from the point of view of the Qur'an and Sunnah, the obvious important property is who is dearer to Allah, men or women? This question is emphatically answered in the Qur'an (translation),

[4:124] If any do deeds of righteousness - be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Paradise, and not the least injustice will be done to them. [33:35] For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for men and women who are patient and

constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.

The Qur'an and Sunnah repeat over and over again that Allah only favors one person over another based on that person's awareness, consciousness, fear, love, and hope of Allah (the Arabic word is difficult to translate: Taqwa). All other criteria are excluded: gender, ethnic group, country, ancestry, etc.

Given that Allah does not favor one gender over the other in His attention to us (and it helps to remember that Allah is neither male nor female), we can now address the differences between the genders in Islam. First, men and women are not the same as we know. The Creator states in the Qur'an (translation),

[3:36]...and the male is not like the female...

Men and women are different in their composition, and in their responsibilities under Islam. However, both are bound by obligations to one another, especially the following important one which must be understood in any discussion on men and women. From the Qur'an (translation),

[24:32] And marry those among you who are single and those who are fit among your male slaves and your female slaves; if they are needy, Allah will make them free from want out of His grace; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.

In this verse, the Creator emphasizes that marriage is to be vigorously pursued by the Muslims: the state of being single is not to be maintained. With this in mind, we can begin to understand the four reasons cited above for the nonetheless erroneous conclusion.

Men and women are different in their responsibilities towards the families that they are strongly encouraged to set up. Women are not obligated to work, whereas men are obligated. The man must provide for the family, but the woman does not have to spend out of her money for it, though she gets a reward for doing so. Allah says in the Qur'an (translation),

[4:34] Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.

From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[2:24:545] Narrated `Amr bin Al-Harith: Zainab, the wife of `Abdullah said, "I was in the Mosque and saw the Prophet (p.b.u.h) saying, `O women ! Give alms even from your ornaments.' " Zainab used to provide for `Abdullah and those orphans who were under her protection. So she said to `Abdullah, "Will you ask Allah's Apostle whether it will be sufficient for me to spend part of the Zakat on you and the orphans who are under my protection?" He replied "Will you yourself ask Allah's Apostle ?" (Zainab added): So I went to the Prophet and I saw there an Ansari woman who was standing at the door (of the Prophet ) with a similar problem as mine. Bilal passed by us and we asked him, `Ask the Prophet whether it is permissible for me to spend (the Zakat) on my husband and the orphans under my protection.' And we requested Bilal not to inform the Prophet about us. So Bilal went inside and asked the Prophet regarding our problem. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked, "Who are those two?" Bilal replied that she was Zainab. The Prophet said, "Which Zainab?" Bilal said, "The wife of `Adullah (bin Masud)." The Prophet said, "Yes, (it is sufficient for her) and she will receive a double rewards (for that): One for helping relatives, and the other for giving Zakat."

Given that husbands are obligated to provide for wives, and that marriage is a highly recommended goal of Islam, it is easy to see why women's inheritance share is half that of men. We note also that men are obligated to provide a suitable dowry to women on marriage. In fact, it is preferable at this point to speak in terms of husbands and wives instead of men and women. Allah says in the Qur'an (translation),

[4:4] And give women their dowries as a free gift, but if they of themselves be pleased to give up to you a portion of it, then eat it with enjoyment and with wholesome result.

Allah says in the Qur'an (translation),

[2:228]...And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them...

This one degree in no way affects the position of the Creator in which He has stated that He does not hold women dearer to him than men, or vice versa. Rather it is simply a way of partitioning responsibilities in a household of two adults: someone must make the final decision on daily matters. As will be shown below in a section on a different misconception, though the final decision rests with the husband, it is through mutual consultation that decisions are best reached at.

While men are allowed to marry up to four wives, they are also commanded to meet the preconditions of being able to financially support them. They must also deal with each wife justly and fairly with respect to marital and economic obligations. Allah says in the Qur'an (translation),

[4:3] If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able

to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.

Moreover, women are allowed to reject any marriage proposal made to her by prospective suitors, thus if she does not feel she can abide by the rules of the Qur'an and Sunnah if she marries a certain person, she can reject his proposal. While it is irrelevant to Islam, it is worthwhile to note that both Judaism and Christianity allow polygamy. The idea is not as foreign to the non-Muslims as is often claimed.

Finally, the wearing of the veil by women is also an illogical premise to claim that women are inferior to men. It is more appropriate to indict a society of female exploitation if it tolerates pornography rather than if it enforces the veil. Given that Allah is neither male nor female, given that He does not endear people to Himself based on their gender, given that the Creator cares about all of us male or female, given that the sexual and violent drive of men is stronger than that of women...given all this, it is illogical to cast a negative light on the following injunctions contained in the Qur'an (translation),

[33:59] O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not be annoyed... [24:30-31] Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands...

On this misconception, there is a great deal more to write, most of it showing how current practices in many Muslim lands go against what the Qur'an and Sunnah have ordained, lands in which women are treated as property (unIslamic), are not educated (unIslamic), are forbidden their economic rights (unIslamic), and more. On this point in particular, we encourage everyone to consult the Qur'an and Sunnah before incriminating Islam. Always remember that Islam is a complete way of life from the Creator, and that Muslims are people who claim to follow that way of life. A Muslim may claim to follow Islam, but be wrong.

Misconception 4 Islam is well-suited only to the Arabs because:

o most Muslims are Arabs o the Qur'an is in Arabic

The first reason for this misconception is far from the truth. Of the more than one billion Muslims around the world, only 18% are Arab. The most populous Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. The second most populous Muslim country is Bangladesh. Neither of these countries is Arab.

Islam is the fastest growing major religion in the world (Encyclopedia Britannica). It has adherents on all the populated continents, and is accessible to Arabs and non-Arabs alike. In the United States, Muslims are expected to become the largest religious minority around the turn of the century, outstripping the Jews.

The universal appeal of Islam to Arabs and non-Arabs comes in spite of the Qur'an being in Arabic. Allah states in the Qur'an that this way of life called Islam is for all people (translation follows),

[21:107] And We (Allah) have not sent you (Muhammad) but as a mercy to the worlds. [34:28] We have not sent you but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not.

Moreover, the Creator does not use the color or mother tongue of people to judge them, be they Arab or not. Instead, it is the level of their awareness of Allah which is the criterion,

[49:13] O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)."

The choice of Arabic as the language of the Qur'an is explained very simply and clearly (translation follows),

[41:44] And if We (Allah) had made it a Qur'an in a foreign tongue, they would certainly have said: "Why have not its communications been made clear? What! a foreign (tongue) and an Arab!" Say: It is, to those who believe, a guidance and a healing; and (as for) those who do not believe, there is a heaviness in their ears and it is obscure to them; these shall be called to from a far-off place.

However, it is also important to emphasize that the Qur'an in its revealed form in Arabic is the literal Word of the Creator - but any translation is not. Each translation is more accurately called a translation of an interpretation, for every translator includes his or her own bias.

Misconception 5 Islam rejects Jesus because:

o Jesus is not accepted as `the Son of God'

The Qur'an and Sunnah both teach us emphatically and without any doubt that the Creator considers the statement of the Trinity to be a great falsehood. The Qur'an states (translation):

[19:88-93] They say: "(Allah) the Most Merciful has begotten a son!" Indeed you have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, that they should invoke a son for (Allah) the Most Merciful. For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) the Most Merciful that He should beget a son: Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) the Most Merciful as a servant.

However, the misconception that Jesus is rejected does not follow from the reason given above. It is more precise to say that identifying Jesus as `the Son of God' is rejected. As a Messenger of Allah, Jesus is accorded the same honor that all the Messengers are given, as the following verse attests to (translation),

[2:136] Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered. [Arabic "Muslimoon"]

Misconception 6 Islam orders the worship of a man because:

o Muslims are also `Muhammadans'

Early non-Muslim quasi-researchers of Islam called it `Muhammadanism', implying in some way that Muslims worshipped the Messenger of Allah (saas). Hence, the (false) basis for this misconception really emanates from non-Muslims. However, as was described above, a "Muslim" is "one who submits to Allah." The essence of Islam is pure, pure, pure monotheism. Allah says in the Qur'an (translated):

[112:1-4] Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the One on whom all depend; He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him. [3:144] Muhammad is no more than a messenger: many Were the messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will you then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude.

From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[9:93:470] Narrated Mu'adh bin Jabal: The Prophet said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "Not to punish them (if they do so)." [4:55:654] Narrated `Umar: I heard the Prophet saying, "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle."

Misconception 7 Islam tolerates the killing of innocents because:

o Muslims can be terrorists o Muslims engage in `holy wars' (jihad) o Islam spread by the sword o it has a harsh and cruel judicial system

This misconception is one of the most widely held misconceptions about Islam today. And yet in the Qur'an, the Creator unambiguously states (translation),

[17:33] Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand retaliation or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life, for he is helped (by the Law)

Based on this verse, it is Islamically unlawful to murder anyone who is innocent of certain crimes. It is well to remember at this point the distinction made above between Qur'an and Sunnah, and the Muslims: only the Qur'an and Sunnah are guaranteed to be in accordance with what the Creator desires, whereas the Muslims may possibly deviate. Hence, if any Muslim kills an innocent person, that Muslim has committed a grave sin, and certainly the action cannot be claimed to have been done "in the name of Islam."

It should be clear, then, that "Muslim terrorist" is almost an oxymoron: by killing innocent people, a Muslim is commiting an awesome sin, and Allah is Justice personified. This phrase is offensive and demeaning of Islam, and it should be avoided. It is hoped that as the general level of public awareness and understanding of Islam increases, people will keep "terrorism" and "Islam" separate from each other, not to be used in the same phrase.

Another reason advanced in support of the misconception is that the Creator has imposed `jihad' on us. The term "holy war" is from the time of the Crusades and originated in Europe as a rallying cry against the Muslims in Jerusalem. Jihad is an Arabic word meaning struggle, but in the context of many verses in the Qur'an, it carries the meaning of military struggle, or war. Allah gradually introduced the obligation of military struggle

to the Muslim community at the time of the Messenger (saas). The first verse ever revealed in that connection is as follows (translation),

[22:39] Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them;

This verse lays down the precondition for all war in Islam: there must exist certain oppressive conditions on the people. The Creator unequivocally orders us to fight oppression and persecution, even at the expense of bloodshed as the following verse shows (translation),

[2:190-192] And fight in the cause of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the reward of the unbelievers. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.

As one might imagine, the method of military struggle has been clearly and extensively defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Since this subject is a huge one, we simply summarize part of it by noting that it is unlawful to kill women, children, the infirm, the old, and the innocent. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[4:52:257] Narrated 'Abdullah: During some of the Ghazawat of the Prophet a woman was found killed. Allah's Apostle disapproved the killing of women and children.

A related misconception to jihad is often propagated by Muslims who say that "Jihad is only for self-defense of physical borders." The Qur'an and Sunnah refute this notion categorically. As the verses cited above show, jihad is obligatory wherever there is injustice, and Muslims need not acknowledge imaginary lines around the earth when it comes to upholding this obligation. The Messenger of Allah (saas) has also commented on this extensively in the Sunnah. From the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find that,

[4:52:65] Narrated Abu Musa: A man came to the Prophet and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame and a third fights for showing off; which of them fights in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet said, "He who fights that Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause."

Hence, the Creator obligates us to fight wherever people are being grossly deprived of freely hearing or practicing the Message of Allah as contained in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Sayyed Qutb, a famous Muslim scholar eloquently discusses the notion of jihad and self-defense in his book Milestones,

"If we insist on calling Islamic jihad a defensive movement, then we must change the meaning of the word `defense' and mean by it `defense of man' against all those elements which limit his freedom. These elements take the form of beliefs and concepts, as well as of political systems, based on economic, racial, or class distinction."

A third reason often cited for the misconception about Islam which says that this way of life tolerates the killing of innocents is that the judicial system of Islam is unnecessarily harsh. This reason is weak in two respects. First, it presupposes that human beings are more just and more merciful than the Creator, and therefore we can change the law. Second, it is often based on gross oversimplifications of Islamic law, such as saying "all thieves get their hands cut off."

The Qur'an and Sunnah make it clear that the law of retaliation (or equality) governs us for murder and physical injury, but forgiveness is better as the following verses from the Qur'an show (translation),

[2:178] O you who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then prosecution (for the bloodwit) should be made according to usage, and payment should be made to him in a good manner; this is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy; so whoever exceeds the limit after this he shall have a painful chastisement. [42:40-43] The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loves not those who do wrong. But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a grievous penalty. And whoever is patient and forgiving, these most surely are actions due to courage.

The Creator ordained the law of retaliation on us knowing full well that we might question it. In many non-Muslim societies today, there are ongoing debates about the death penalty. In Islam, this discussion is moot: the Creator has decided the matter for us. He has however given us an interesting verse in the Qur'an which advises to consider the matter carefully if we want to understand it (translation follows),

[2:179] And there is life for you in (the law of) retaliation, O people of understanding, that you may guard yourselves.

Most people are also unaware of the stringent conditions which must be met for the law of retaliation to be applicable. The Sunnah is full of examples of the Messenger of Allah showing us when the law's preconditions were fulfilled. For example, a thief is only

liable to lose his or her hand if the item stolen exceeds a certain value, and if it is proven that the item was taken from its normal resting place. Stealing food is not punishable by the loss of one's hand, and other items are exempt as well. This is just an example of how gingerly the law is applied in Islam.

Finally, another reason advanced for this prevalent misconception is that Islam `spread by the sword'. It should be clear by now that we must always distinguish between the Qur'an and Sunnah and the Muslims when it comes to determining what the Creator has asked of us. Allah has stated clearly in the Qur'an (translation),

[2:256] There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever rejects Satan (and what he calls to) and believes in Allah, he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handhold, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Hence, it is impossible to accept Islam under duress. Even if misguided Muslims were to try to `force' Islam somehow on others, it would not be accepted by the Creator based on this verse.

Historical arguments that try to demonstrate that Muslims did not `convert others by force' are actually secondary to the argument given above. However, it is worth noting that historically, Islam did spread by peaceful means. The Message of the Creator was conveyed to Africa and to southeast Asia by trading Muslims, and today the largest Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. The military expeditions that led to the conquest of large swathes of territory in Europe and central Asia were all marked by tolerance of other creeds and faith.

Again, it is important to remember that Allah declares it IMPOSSIBLE that Islam can be forced on a person, hence Muslims find it useless to try!

Misconception 8 Islam is intolerant of other religions because

o the Qur'an condemns the other religions as false

The Creator has taught us in the Qur'an and Sunnah that all other `religions' and ways of life are unacceptable to Him if a person is aware of Islam. The Qur'an states (translation),

[3:85] And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers.

However, even though the Creator has clearly specified that no other way of life is acceptable to Him except Islam (i.e. submission to Him as embodied in the Qur'an and Sunnah), He has also commanded the Muslims to be tolerant of people who espouse

other creeds. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Al-Awsat by Al-Tabarani, we find regarding those non-Muslims living in the Islamic state,

The Messenger of Allah (saas) said, "One who kills a non-Muslim person under protection (Arabic: dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."

Also from the Sunnah, specifically in a report from Al-Khatib, we find that the Messenger of Allah (saas) also said:

Whoever hurts a non-Muslim person under protection, I am his adversary, and I shall be an adversary to him on the Day of Resurrection.

In short, Islam is intolerant of false ideas, however it is tolerant of the people who hold to those ideas. One historical example of Muslims living up to the standard of Islam can be found from the time of the Spanish Inquisition. During that disaster sprung by misguided Catholics, some Spanish Jews fled to Muslim Turkey and to this day, there is a community of Spanish-speaking Jews in Turkey. Another example may be found during one of the Crusader invasions from Western Europe. Some of the the Catholic Western European knights were so likely to rape, murder, and pillage the Jews and Orthodox Christians, that when the Muslims won, they were treated as a liberating force by those non-Muslims.

Misconception 9 Islam is a racist, afro-centric cult because:

o Nation of Islam espouses the superiority of the black man o The Nation of Islam recognizes God as a black man

One of the great misconceptions of the twentieth century is that the so-called `Nation of Islam' is a Muslim community, or more precisely: a community which submits to Allah by following the Qur'an and Sunnah. The `Nation of Islam' is a man-made way of life which borrowed some elements of Islam and then mixed them with a large number of inventions and lies to reach their present doctrines.

It suffices to point out the `Nation of Islam's deviation in two areas. First, they reject the essence of Islam by concocting a story wherein the Creator takes the form of a black man. From their on-line publications, we find that the `Nation of Islam' believes in

...one God (Allah) and that Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July, 1930; the long awaited `Messiah' of the Christians and the `Mahdi' of the Muslims...

However, the Creator states in the Qur'an (translation),

[6:103] No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.

The `Nation of Islam' also claims that white men are `devils', and that black people are in general superior to all other races. However, from the Sunnah, specifically in the Messenger of Allah's farewell sermon, we find the Messenger (pbuh) saying:

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action.

There are many other beliefs which the `Nation of Islam' holds which take it outside of Islam. It is interesting to note that in the mid-1970's, the overwhelming majority of the group realized its errors and converted to true Islam. There is, however, a splinter group which remains active today.

Misconception 10 Islam produces a lazy, uneducated society because:

o all things come from God, and so fatalism is OK o modern technology and science are condemned

The reasons given for this misconception are false, and the misconception itself is actually refuted directly by the Qur'an and Sunnah. While it is true that the Creator is the source of everything to us, it is not true that this can be used as an excuse for humanity to hide behind as the following verses from the Qur'an state (translation),

[16:35] The worshippers of false gods say: "If Allah had so willed, we should not have worshipped anything but Him - neither we nor our fathers,- nor should we have prescribed prohibitions other than His." So did those who went before them. But what is the mission of messengers but to preach the Clear Message? [43:20] They (the idolators) say, "If it had been the will of (Allah) the Most Merciful, we should not have worshipped such (deities)!" Of that they have no knowledge: they do nothing but lie!

Allah has taught us via the Qur'an and Sunnah that we all have a certain amount of free will. This free will must be exercised properly in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah to please the Creator. This is plenty of motivation for all Muslims to push themselves to be the most knowledgeable, effective Muslims they can be. If Muslim societies today are not meeting their potential, it is surely not due to their knowledge of Islam, rather it is their ignorance of this way of life. The importance of seeking knowledge and working are made clear in the Sunnah.

From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sunan Abu-Dawud, we find:

[9:1637] Narrated Anas ibn Malik: A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (pbuh) and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked: Have you nothing in your house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water. He said: Bring them to me. He then brought these articles to him and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked: Who will buy these? A man said: I shall buy them for one dirham. He said twice or thrice: Who will offer more than one dirham? A man said: I shall buy them for two dirhams. He gave these to him and took the two dirhams and, giving them to the Ansari, he said: Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me. He then brought it to him. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said: Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight. The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the others. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) then said: This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Judgment. Begging is right only for three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for compensation and finds it difficult to pay.

Also from the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sunan Ibn Majah, we find that the Messenger of Allah said:

Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim.

Knowledge of the Qur'an and Sunnah are clearly the best types of knowledge, and knowledge which benefits humanity is good as well. The Qur'an and Sunnah do not condemn the study of this earth and in fact the Creator encourages us to investigate the world we live in according to the following verse from the Qur'an (translation),

[3:190-191] Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for people of understanding. People who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (with the thought): "Our Lord! not for nothing have You created (all) this! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire."

Anything good in this document is from Allah, while everything bad in it is from us.

Sponsored by the MSA.

How to Perform the Rituals of Hajj and Umrah by Shaikh Muhammad As-Salih Al-Uthaimeen

In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Forms of Pilgrimage | The Umrah | The Hajj | Visiting the Prophet's Mosque | Preliminary Notification | Requirements for Men | Glossary

Preface

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe. May peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, the last of the prophets and messengers, and upon his family and esteemed companions.

Hajj is one of the best forms of worship and is one of the most sublime deeds because it is one of the pillars of Islam that Allah sent Muhammad(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)with. A servant's religion is incomplete without it.

A form of worship is only acceptable when the following is true.

1. One devotes it to Allah alone, with a desire for the Hereafter. It cannot be done with the intention of being seen among men or for worldly gain.

2. One follows the Prophet's example, in words deeds. This cannot accomplished except knowledge of the Sunnah.

Forms of Pilgrimage

There are three forms of Hajj: Tamattu'-Ifraad-Qiran

Tamattu': A pilgrim wears Ihram for Umrah only during the months of Hajj, which means when he reaches Makkah, he makes Tawaf and Sa'yi for Umrah. He then shaves or clips his hair. On the day of Tarwiya, which is the eighth of Dhul-Hijja, he puts on his Ihram for Hajj only and carries out all of its requirements.

Ifraad: A pilgrim wears Ihram for Hajj only. When he reaches Makkah, he performs Tawaf for his arrival and Sa'yi for Hajj. He doesn't shave or clip his hair as he doesn't disengage from Ihram. Instead, he remains in Ihram till after he stones Jamrah Al-Aqaba on the Eid day. It is permissible for him to postpone his Sa'yi for Hajj until after his Tawaf for Hajj.

Qiran: A pilgrim wears Ihram for both Umrah and Hajj or he wears Ihram first for Umrah, then makes intentions for Hajj before his Tawaf for Hajj. The obligations on one performing Ifraad are the same as those on one performing Qiran, except that the latter must slaughter whereas the former is not obligated to do so. The best of the three forms is Tamattu'. It is the form that the prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged his followers to perform. Even if a pilgrim makes intentions to perform Qiran or Ifraad he is allowed to change his intentions to Tamattu'; he can do this even after he has performed Tawaf and Sa'yi.

When the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed Tawaf and Sa'yi during the year of the Farewell Hajj with his companions, he ordered all those who hadn't brought sacrificial animals to change their intentions for Hajj to intentions for Umrah. cut their hair, and disengage from Ihram till Hajj. He said, " If I hadn't brought the sacrificial animal, I'd have done what I've ordered you to do."

The Umrah

If a pilgrim wishes to be ritually pure for Umrah, he should shed his clothing and bathe as he would after sexual defilement, if convenient. He should perfume his head and beard with the best oil he can find. There is no harm in what remains of it after Ihram.

Bathing for Ihram is Sunnah for both men and women, including menstruating women and those experiencing postnatal bleeding. After bathing and preparing himself, a. pilgrim, other than those menstruating or experiencing postnatal bleeding, prays the obligatory prayer, if it is time. Otherwise, he makes his intention by praying the two Sunnah Rakass which are made each time Wudhu is performed.

When he finishes his prayer he should say: "Here I am for Umrah, here I am, Oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partner." [Talbeeyah].

A man raises his voice when saying this and a woman says it so that only one beside her may hear her.

One in Ihram should say the Talbeeyah as often as possible, especially when times and places change. For example: when descending or ascending during travel or when day or night approach. He should also ask Allah for His pleasure, for Heaven and seek refuge in Allah's mercy from Hellfire.

One should say the Talbeeyah during Umrah, starting from the time he puts on his Ihram till he starts Tawaf. During Hajj he should say it starting from the time he puts on his Ihram till he starts to stone Jamrah Al-Aqaba on the Eid day.

When a pilgrim enters the Holy Mosque he puts forth his right foot first and says: "In the name of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. Oh Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the doors of Your mercy. I seek refuge in Allah the

Almighty and in His Eminent Face and in His Eternal Dominion from the accursed Satan."

He approaches the Black Stone, touches it with his right hand and kisses it. If this isn't possible, he should face the Black Stone and point to it.

It is best not to push and shove, causing harm and being harmed by other people.

When touching the Stone, a pilgrim should say the following: "In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest. Oh, Allah, with faith in you, belief in Your book, loyalty to you, compliance to the way of your Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."

A pilgrim must walk, keeping the Ka'bah on his left. When he reaches the Rukn Al Yamani he should touch, but not kiss it, and say: " Our Lord, grant us good in this life and good in the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Hell fire. Oh Allah, I beg of You for forgiveness and health in this life and in the Hereafter."

Each time he passes the Black Stone he should say: "Allah is the Greatest."

During the remainder of his Tawaf he may say what he pleases of supplications, mentioning Allah, and recitation of Quran. This is because Tawaf, Sa'yi, and Stoning the Jamrah have been devised for the purpose of mentioning Allah.

During this Tawaf it is necessary for a man to do two things:

1. Al-ldhtebaa' from the beginning of Tawaf until the end. Al-ldhtebaa' means placing the middle of one's Reda' under his right arm and the ends of it over his left shoulder.

When he is finished performing Tawaf, he may return his Reda' to its original state because the time for Idhtebaa' is only during Tawaf.

2. Al-Raml during the first three circuits. Al-Raml means speeding up one's pace with small steps. A pilgrim should walk at a normal pace during his last four circuits.

When he completes seven circuits of Tawaf, he approaches Maqam Ibrahim and recites: "And take ye the station of Abraham as a place of Prayer" Chapter 2, Verse 125 [2:125].

He prays two short Rakaas, as close as conveniently possible, behind Maqam Ibrahim. During the first Rakaa he recites Surah Al-Kafirun [Chapter 109] and during the second one Surah Al-lkhlas[Chapter 112].

When he completes the two Rakaas he should return to the Black Stone and touch it, if convenient. He goes out to the Mesa'a and when he nears As-Safaa he recites: " Verily As-Safaa and Al-Marwah are among the shrines of Allah " [2:158].

He ascends As-Safaa until he is able to see the Ka'bah. Facing the Ka'bah and raising his hands, he praises Allah and makes any supplications he chooses. The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed thus: "There is no Deity but Allah alone," three times, supplicating in between.

He descends As-Safaa and heads for Al-Marwah at a normal pace until he reaches the green marker. He should then run fast until the next green marker. He continues toward Al-Marwah at a normal pace. When he reaches it, he ascends it, faces the Qibla, raises his hands and repeats what he said on As-Safaa. He descends Al-Marwah heading towards As-Safaa, taking care to walk where walking is designated, and run where running is designated.

He continues this procedure until he completes seven laps. Going from As-Safaa to Al-Marwah is a lap and returning is another lap.

During his Sa'yi he may recite what he wills of supplications, recitation of Qur'an, and mentioning Allah.

In completion of Sa'yi he shaves his head. A woman clips her hair the length of a finger tip.

Shaving is preferable, except when Hajj is near and there isn't sufficient time for hair to grow back. In this case it's best to clip so that hair will remain for shaving during Hajj.

With that, Umrah is completed. and a pilgrim is free to dress in other clothing, wear perfume and engage in marital relations, etc.

The Hajj

In the forenoon of the eighth day of Dhul-Hijja, a pilgrim purifies himself once again by bathing as he did before Umrah in the place in which he is staying, if convenient. He puts on his Ihram and says: " Here I am for Hajj. Here I am, oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partners."

If he fears that something will prevent him from completing his Hajj he should make a condition when he makes his intentions, saying: " If I am prevented by any obstacle my place is wherever I am held up." If he has no such fear, he doesn't make this condition.

A pilgrim goes to Mina and there prays Dhuhr, Asr, Magrib, Isha and Fajr, shortening his four unit prayers so as to make them two units each, without combining them.

When the sun rises, he goes to Arafah and there prays Dhuhr and Asr combined at the time of Dhuhr, making each one two units. He remains in Namira Mosque until sunset if possible. He remembers Allah and makes as many supplications as possible while facing the Qibla.

The Prophet (may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) prayed thus: "There is no Deity but Allah alone. He has no partner. All dominion and praise are His and He is powerful over all things.

If he grows weary it is permissible for him to engage in beneficial conversation with his companions or reading what he can find of beneficial books, especially those concerning Allah's grace and abundant gifts. This will strengthen his hope in Allah.

He should then return to his supplications and be sure to spend the end of the day deep in supplication because the best of supplication is the supplication of the day of Arafah.

At sunset he goes from Arafah to Muzdalifah and there prays Magrib, Isha, and Fajr. If he is tired or has little water, it is permissible for him to combine Magrib and Isha. If he fears that he will not reach Muzdalifah until after midnight, he should pray before he reaches it for it is not permissible to delay prayer until after midnight. He remains there, in Muzdalifah, making supplications and remembering Allah till just before sunrise.

If he is weak and cannot handle the crowd during Ar-Ramy, it is permissible for him to go to Mina at the end of the night to stone the Jamrah before the arrival of the crowd.

Near sunrise, a pilgrim goes from Muzdalifah to Mina. Upon reaching it he does the following:

a) He throws seven consecutive pebbles at Jamrah Al-Aqaba which is the closest monument to Makkah, saying Greatest," as he : "Allah is the throws each pebble.

b) He slaughters the sacrificial animal, eats some of it, and gives some to the poor. Slaughter is obligatory on the Mutamati and Qiran.

c) He shaves or clips his hair; shaving is preferable. A woman clips her hair the length of a finger tip.

These three should be done in the above order if convenient, but there is no restriction if one precedes another.

With that, one is allowed to come out of Ihram. He can wear other clothing and do everything that was lawful before Ihram except engaging in marital relations.

He goes to Makkah to perform Tawaf Al-lfadha and Sa'yi, also for Hajj. It is Sunnah to put perfume on before going to Makkah.

With the completion of this Tawaf and Sa'yi, a pilgrim is allowed to do everything that was lawful before Ihram, including engaging in marital relations.

After performing Tawaf and Sa'yi, he returns to Mina to spend the nights of the eleventh and twelfth days there.

He stones the three Jamrah in the afternoon of both the eleventh and twelfth days. He starts with the first Jamrah, which is furthest from Makkah, then the middle one, and lastly Jamrah Al-Aqaba. Each one should be stoned with seven consecutive pebbles accompanied by Takbeer. He stops after the first and middle Jamrah to make supplications facing the Qibla. It is not permissible to stone before noon on these two days. It is best to walk to the Jamrah, but riding is permissible.

If he is in a hurry after stoning on the twelfth day, he leaves Mina before sunset. But if he wishes to prolong his stay, which is best, he spends the night of the thirteenth in Mina and stones that afternoon in the same manner as on the twelfth day.

When he is ready to return to his country, he makes Tawaf Al-Wadaa, which is seven circuits around the Ka'bah. Menstruating women and women experiencing postnatal discharge are not obligated to perform Tawaf Al-Wadaa.

Visiting The Prophet's Mosque

1. A pilgrim goes to Madina before or after Hajj with the intention of visiting the Prophet's mosque and praying in it. Prayer there is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere except in the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

2. Upon reaching the mosque he prays two Rakaas of salutation or performs any obligatory prayer that is due.

3. He goes to the grave of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he stands before it. He greets him saying the " May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, oh Prophet. May Allah grant you a good reward on behalf of your people. "

He takes a step or two to his right to position himself before Abu-Bakr and greets him saying : "May the peace, mercy, and blessing of Allah be upon you. oh Abu-Bakr, Caliph of the Messenger of Allah. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people."

Then he takes a step or two to his right to position himself before Umar and greets him saying: " May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, oh Umar, Prince of the believers. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people."

4. In a state of purity, he goes to pray in Qubaa Mosque.

5. He goes to Al-Baqee to visit Uthman's grave (may Allah be pleased with him). He stands before it and greets him saying: "May the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you,

oh Uthman Prince of the believers. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people." He greets any other Muslims in Al-Baqee.

6. He goes to Uhud and visits the grave of Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) and the other martyrs there with him. He greets them and preys to Allah to grant them forgiveness, mercy, and pleasure.

Preliminary Notification l

The following is incumbent upon the Muhrim for Hajj or Umrah:

1. That he be committed to Allah's religious obligations upon him such as prayer in its time (in congregation for men).

2. That he avoids what Allah has prohibited such as obscenity, inequity, and disobedience. if anyone undertakes Hajj therein. Let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling during Hajj ~ [2:197].

3. That he avoids harming the Muslims with words or actions within the Masha'ir or elsewhere.

4. That he avoids all of the restrictions of Ihram:

a. He shouldn't cause the loss of any of his hair or nails. A prick by a thorn and the like is unobjectionable, even if there is bleeding.

b. He shouldn't perfume himself, his clothing, his food or his drink after entering Ihram. He should also abstain from cleansing himself with scented soap. There is no harm in what remains of the effect of perfume used prior to Ihram.

c. He shouldn't touch, kiss, etc. his spouse out of passion and, even worse, shouldn't have sexual intercourse.

e. He shouldn't be wed or propose to a woman for himself or others. f. He shouldn't wear gloves, although there is no harm in wrapping the hands in cloth. This ruling goes for both men and women.

Requirements for Men:

a) He cannot cover his head with something that touches it, although there is no harm in the use of an umbrella, the roof of a car or tent for shade. There is also no harm in carrying his baggage atop his head. b) He cannot wear a shirt, turban, hooded cloak trousers, or shoes. Only if he is unable to obtain an Ezar or sandals can he wear trousers or shoes.

c) He cannot wear anything with the same qualities of the above mentioned such as an Abea', Qubaa, hat, undershirt, etc.

It is permissible for him to wear sandals, rings, glasses, a hearing aid. a watch, worn on his wrist or hung from his neck, or a speech aid. It is permissible for him to cleanse himself with unscented cleansers and to wash and scratch his head and body, even if some of his hair falls unintentionally. In such a case there is no obligation on him because of it.

A woman cannot wear a Niqab or Burqa'. The Sunnah is for her to uncover her face except if men not related to her might see her, in which case it is obligatory for her to cover her face during Ihram and otherwise.

Allah is the giver of success. May His blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all of his family and companions.

By the needy before Allah, Muhammad As-Salih Al-Uthaimeen

Glossary

Abaya': cloak like, woolen wrap. Abu Bakr: first Muslim Caliph. Al-Baqee': a place in Madina. Al-ldhtebaa:placing the middle of the Reda' under the right arm and the ends of it over the left shoulder during Tawaf. Al-lkhlas: Chapter 112 (Purity of Faith). Al-Kafirun: Chapter 109 of the Qur'an ( Those who reject Faith). AlMarwah: name of the hillock where a Muslim begins Sa'yi. Al-Raml: walking quickly but with small steps during the first three circuits of Tawaf. Arafah: the most important stop during Hajj, located beyond Muzdalifah. Ar-Ramy-- The Stoning. As-Safaa: name of the hillock where a Muslim ends his last lap of Sa'yi. Asr: the afternoon prayer. Burqa': a face veil like a Niqab. Dhul-Hijja: the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Dhuhr: the noon prayer. Eid: celebration for Muslims. Ezaar: lower cloth of Ihram. Fajr: dawn prayer. Hajj: official Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah. Hamza: one of the Prophet's uncles and a martyr during the battle of Uhud. Ifraad: isolated form of Hajj. Ihram: the ceremonial state of making Hajj or the Hajj garments themselves. Isha night prayer.

Jamrah: Monument in Mina. Jamrah Al-Aqaba: the monument closest to Makkah. Ka'bah: the house of Allah in the Holy Mosque in Makkah. Magrib: dusk prayer. Maqam Ibrahim: the stepping stone of the prophet Abraham. Mes'aa: the stretch between As-Safaa and Al-Marwah. Masha'ir: ceremonial shrines. Mina: one of the ceremonial shrines, a valley near Makkah. Muhammad-- the last of the prophets, the prophet of Islam. Muhrim: a person in Ihram. Mutamati: a pilgrim performing Hajj Tamattu'. Muzdalifah: one of the ceremonial shrines of Hajj, between Mina and Arafah. Namira: mosque in Mina. Niqab: a face veil revealing the eyes through slashes Qiran: a pilgrim performing Hajj Qiran. Qibla: the direction Muslims face to pray. Qiraan: Accompanied form of Hajj. Quba: a mosque in Madina, used to be on the outskirts. Qur'an: the Book of Allah. Rakaa: a unit of prayer. Reda': the upper cloth of Ihram. Rukn Al-Yamani: the corner of the Ka'bah which faces Yemen. Sa'yi: the walk made between As-Safaa and Al-Marwah. Sunnah: way of the Prophet. Surah: a chapter of the Qur'an. Takbeer: saying "Allahu Akbar ("Allah is Greatest") Talbeeya: the supplication a Muslim recites once he is in Ihram and has made his intention. Tamattu': enjoyable form of Hajj. Tarwiyya: the eighth of Dhul-Hijja. Tawaf: circumambulation of the Ka'bah Tawaf Al-lfadha: tawaf for Hajj. Tawaf Al-Wadaa: farewell Tawaf. Uhud: the name of a mountain in Medina and the site of the battle by this name. Umar: the second Muslim Caliph and first Prince of the believers. Umrah-minor Hajj: the combination of Tawaf and Sa'yi. Uthman: the third Muslim Caliph and second Prince of the believers. Wudhu: ablution.

Note: This very informal essay was written shortly after the September 11 attacks. Some of the information is dated. (At the time of the essay, for example, Afghanistan was on the verge of mass starvation under an increasingly depraved and repressive Taliban rule. I was supporting an end to the Taliban regime at the time, and that regime has, fortunately, ended its rule over Afghanistan). Because I still receive comments showing interest in this essay, I will leave it up in the present form until I can complete an updated and revised version.

The Interlinked Factors of a Tragedy Michael Sells

Thoughts in Progress / incomplete / but still . . .

1) September 11 was distinctively shocking in several ways:

•

a) the enormous loss of innocent life -- the most in single day inflicted by an outside power

b) the boldness of an attack that strikes at the very heart of the nation and the society it represents: the economy (as represented in the Trade Towers, the government and democracy (as represented in the attempted strike on the Capitol or White House), and the military and security forces (as represented in the strike on the Pentagon. In this sense, the strike is deeper than the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is a crime and an atrocity, but also an act of war in that it was clearly aimed at the destruction of the defeat of a nation.

c) The attack on the Trade Towers was also an attack of New York City, and all that such New York City stands for: the city, with its different religious, ethnic, and racial peoples building a civilization together.

d) the calm, steely, ruthless, cold-bloodedness of those who piloted plains of civilians into densely occupied buildings, with massive causalities and their own death.

e) the way in which the event was staged to be as dramatic as possible and succeeded in outdoing generations of terror films.

f) the surreality of the weapons use: at a moment when the greatest military power in history was debating modes of "Star Wars," this strike was perpetrated by 19 men armed with box cutters.

g) the lack of a defined nation state: a nation has been attack but there is no definable nation as enemy, and no clearly defined enemy, beyond a man named Bin Laden and some otherwise inconspicuous-seeming men from the Middle East (many from Saudi Arabia) with educated, westernized backgrounds.

1. Why, why, why? Don't tell me, there is no justification for such an act.

• a) Outrage and anger are an inevitable concomitant to empathy. Any discussion of this tragedy must begin with a serious with a sharing of the sorrow and outrage.

b) The question "why?" is frequently followed by angry accusations that those who are attempting to explain "why" are justifying the act: "Nothing you say can justify what they did!" The angry on the Sept. 11 "Letters to the Editor" page of the Philadelphia Inquirer has been repeated in almost all public forms.

c) In fact explanation has been used--by defense lawyers and by political columnists to justify, excuse, mitigate, or exonerate heinous behavior. Any explanation that cannot, from the outset, make it clear that not only that justification is not intended, but that it is not accepted, will not be heard by those who empathize with the victims.

Explanation does not necessarily mean justification. Whatever one's political views, whether one wants reconciliation or war, how one wishes to proceed with reconciliation or war-- ignorance of the motives of the other side is self-defeating. To disempower a threat, you must understand the the reasons behind it and the interior logic within it. If you fail to understand these points, you will be surprised by his next move, taken off guard, and you will end up not ending the threat, but destroying innocent bystanders, many of whom have already suffered under the same regimes that are threatening "us." And when that happens, in hurt and rage, the bystanders will be further susceptible to being enticed into the world view of the enemy that portrays "us" as lacking any human feeling for "them." Unless we understand the factors that go into the creation of an Osama bin Laden and the society that gives him refuge, we will be thrashing around in the dark. And in the tinderbox of Middle East and Central Asia--on the edge of major conflicts and possible nuclear conflict, thrashing around in blind anger is profoundly self-destructive.

Osama has publicly stated his desire and his prediction that by over-using its power, the U.S. and allies will kill him only to raise a thousand Osamas in his place. He has proclaimed a war of civilizations between Islam and the West. And any attempt to counter his moves not based on an understanding of the context (religious, historical, political, social, and economic) in which he lives and moves will risk further polarizing the West and the Islamic world and ultimately fulfilling his dream of a complete war between two incompatible civilizations -- the same conflict that Samuel Huntington has declared already exists.

My own position on near term actions, just to make it clear and explicit from the beginning, is the following:

A) The Taliban leaders belong--along with architects of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda--before an International Criminal Tribunal for crimes against humanity -- for massive crimes against humanity within Afghanistan (see below), in addition to their support for the mass-killings carried out outside of Afghanistan.

B) Until the Taliban are removed from power, removing Osama will only result in the Taliban inviting in or creating another Osama.

C) The Taliban have committed acts that may be genocide (against the Hazari Shi`ites) and Afghanistan is on the verge of imminent starvation. It is both a moral and legal

(under the terms of the 1948 genocide convention) to work for their removal as soon as possible.

D) That any miscalculation in the public use force by outside groups (Americans, Russians, Chinese) will cause a backlash that could strengthen the Taliban or even cause a coup in Pakistan, leading to the Talibanization of a country with nuclear weapons.

E) Although a coalition is necessary, any coalition of large states against terror could turn into an alliance of state power against those without it. Terrorism is the weapon of the weak. If terrorists had military power they would use it to strike military targets. To wage war on terrorism as such risks putting terrorism in a moral realm of evil to which state-inflicted atrocities or genocides, and state-committed war crimes would become essentially immune.

F) There will be difficult choices to make (should the international coalition support the Northern Alliance, some of whose leaders have committed war-crimes themselves, or use an outside force -- that may provoke a backlash in the region?).

G) If the above, delicate but necessary steps are successfully taken and the above hole in the needed is successfully threaded, it is the obligation of the "coalition" powers to work with Afghans to help create a viable state ("nation building" that Bush Sr. so ardently rejected), rather than repeating the mistake of 1989 when, after Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Western powers that had poured money and arms into the Mujahidin and neighboring Pakistan, packed up and went home, abandoning their former allies to a country in a state of ruin and chaos.

3. What is Qur'an and Islam's position on war, violence, suicide, the killing of civilians, jihad?

The situation with Islam is the same kind of situation we find with other traditions. What is the Bible's position on war and violence? For some, the Bible authorized the crusades, the Inquisition, slavery, the extermination of the American Indians, the killings of the Ku Klux Klan, the atrocity in Oklahoma City, and most recently, the organized genocide against Bosnian Muslims. For others, the Bible has motivated and sustained movements of non-violence, the anti-slavery movement, efforts to support Bosnian Muslims and others in the face of genocide, the nurturing of movements of democracy and social justice, and lifetimes of sacrifice in the service to other human beings.

Many Muslims view the concept of Jihad (a word that means struggle) as primarily a spiritual struggle against one's own faults, but others view it primarily as military struggle -- just as many Hindus (including Gandhi) viewed the Hindu sacred text the Bhagavad Gita as advocating non-violence while many others view it as advocating the obligation to fight war. And even among those who view jihad primarily in military terms, there are a thousand positions on when and where the use of force is justified.

It is vital that Americans come to know the Qur'an better and Islamic civilization more deeply. I spend much of my time working on ways that non-Muslim Americans can understand and read the Qur'an and other Islamic texts, which is very difficult to understand if one picks up a translation and starts reading from the beginning. (The logical thing to do, but something that is the reverse of how the Qur'an is learned and taken to heart). Everyone should have some education in the sacred text of the world's fastest growing religion, a religion practiced by 1/5 the world's population. But it will take a revision in the way in which diverse religions are presented to the general public and understood by them.

This education will not, however, explain a criminal regime like the Taliban, but it will allow us to see the humanity in our Muslim neighbors and the full range of human expression within Islamic civilization, and to realize that the Taliban are no more representative of Islamic civilization as a whole that they witch-hunters of Salem were of Christian civilization as a whole.

3. How is Islam represented and self-represented in the U.S.?

One problem is that many organizations and individuals who make pronouncements in the name of Islam are influenced by a particularly narrow version of the tradition rooted in Saudi Arabia. The vast Saudi wealth allows this version, commonly known as Wahhabism, to influence the presentation and self-presentation of Islam worldwide, often in ways that loose many of its deepest and most subtle human and cultural qualities, contributing to an image of stiffness and obdurate dogmatism.

A second problem has to do with symbols and images. The media show repeated images of criminals like Saddam Hussein, the Taliban leaders, or Bin Ladin, surrounded by images of Islam, by Qur'anic calligraphy, with sounds of the Islamic call to prayer--often spliced with images of their crimes, such as Saddam with an American child hostage or pictures of the planes hitting the towers and the towers falling.

Yet the same media almost never show these same Islamic symbols in the world of Islam as a whole, the world of the 99.99% of Muslims for whom Islam represents nothing of what Saddam Hussein or the Taliban represent. Then, after showing repeatedly such images, the television newscasters make pronouncements on how Muslims should not be targeted or discriminated against. But as any advertising executive knows, images and symbolic associations are infinitely more powerful than words. Images of healthy, sexy, thoughtful people smoking cigarettes help persuade millions to smoke and to risk sickness, misery, and death. All the education in the world cannot counter such images. Symbolic images operate on realms of the human personality, conscious and unconscious. In fact, Saddam and the Taliban deliberate "set up" the media by offering them photo-ops to show precisely these images linking their criminality to Islam, thus, in the words of President Bush.

The association of Qur'an and violence is aggravated by the difficulty of the non-specialists accessing the Qur'an directly (try it: pick up a standard translation and see how far you get into the Sura of the Cow (the second chapter) before you are lost and before the Qur'anic deity -- presented with a combination of intimacy and majesty in the Arabic -- becomes stiffened by the incommensurate nature of the diction of translating the Bible and that of translating the Qur'an (where Biblical translation vocabulary is often applied laterally to the Qur'an) into the God of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Finally, though the press and media have been far more judicious in showing images of Afghans as people, for example, or other aspects of Muslim life, they still use biased terminology. Bin Ladin is an "Islamic Terrorist," but Timothy McVeigh was almost never (and never to my knowledge) called a Christian terrorist, even though he was living out a fantasy of the Christian Identity movement which aims to cause a race and religion war that would end with a pure, white, Christian nation--a war that in its apocalytpic and absolute dualism between two sides is the mirror image of Osama bin Laden's. Associations are as powerful as images: the term "Islamic terrorist" instead of "terrorist acting in the name of Islam," repeatedly used in contexts of emotion, anger, and stress, links the two terms in a way that makes it difficult for many to disassociate them in any context.

4. Who are the Taliban?

The Taliban are militant fundamentalists who came to power in the aftermath of the Afghan war, in which Afghan militias, armed with massive U.S., Saudi, and Chinese arms and financial aid, fought a ten year effort by the Soviet Union to dominate Afghanistan. The result was a devastating defeat for the Soviet Union (its Vietnam), and complete destruction of Afghanistan which was left without agricultural production, roads, communication, all forms of social order--with seven major militias and hundreds of gangs, armed not with pistols and rifles, but tanks and missiles.

The Taliban disarmed the militias, and used immediate and severe punishment, with frequent public executions, to end the plague of rape, murder, and extortion. At first the people were relieved to have a minimal sense of security in their lives. Then the Taliban began imposing their ideology. Their fanaticism was intensified with the arrival of Osama Bin Laden who has become the spiritual and intellectual adviser to Taliban leader Mulla Omar, and who brings a particularly virulent version of fundamentalism, Wahhabism (see below) along with him.

By abandoning the Afghans after using them to fight a "proxy war" with the Soviet Union, the U.S. left behind a devastated country, with seven armies and hundreds of gangs feuding not with pistols and rifles, but with stinger missiles and tanks, with no central authority and no protection for the populace. The exploitation of Afghanistan as a pawn in the war against the Soviets, with no effort whatsoever to help Afghanistan recover after the total devastation of that war, is viewed in the region as an act of political

cynicism. When the Taliban took over, they took over the U.S. supplied and U.S. financed weaponry and used it to consolidate their control.

After years of war and misery in refugee camps, most of the young people recruited into the Taliban have almost no understanding of Islamic tradition or culture: of the history of Islam, of the varieties of interpretation, of its theological perspectives, of its poetry and art, of its scientific contributions. Their education consists of a minimal introduction to the Qur'an along with years of intense political indoctrination. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A little religious knowledge, without any of the cultural education (in Islam, "adab")--that cultural education that allows people to integrate religion into a humane and humane perspective, is a very dangerous thing. (And the narrow, technical education of many of the Bin Laden terrorists is remarkable because of its lack of all the modes of Islamic and non-Islamic culture (every form of art or aesthetic).

The Taliban are guilty of crimes against humanity, possible genocide against the Hazari Shi`ite population in central Afghanistan, imprisonment of half the population on the basis of gender (something never done or contemplated in the history of Islam), the astonishing act of dynamiting ancient Buddhist statues (a clear signal of their absolute fanaticism), influencing militant fundamentalists in neighboring nations and in Chechnya to start or continue wars, and harboring the Osman Bin Laden network.

5. Who support the Taliban

The Taliban came to power with organized, systematic support of the Pakistani Intelligence Service and of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia remained their main financier until they gave haven to Osama ben Ladin. Wealthy Saudis continue to support the Taliban. Muslim intellectuals, like the recently deceased Eqbal Ahmad, have been warning for years that the Taliban and its increasing influence in Pakistan represents a mortal threat, particularly since Pakistan now has the nuclear bomb. Few were listening. The U.S. press and public were busy with more important issues: Monica Lewinsky, Denise Rich, and the debate over whether Gary Condit was a worm or a rat.

6. Why did Saudi Arabia support the Taliban

The Taliban are a pathologically radicalized group who identify themselves with the "Sunni" Muslim tradition. They have persecuted Shi`ite Muslims (those Muslims who believe that Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin should have succeeded him as moral and political leader of Islam). Saudi Arabia is itself a Sunni state that views the Taliban as an ally in its cold war against the Shi`ite nation of Iran. But there is a deeper, more disturbing reason as well for Saudi support of the Taliban--beyond this logic of Realpolitik.

The Saudi official version of Islam is called Wahhabism. It is a narrow ideology introduced into Islam in the 18th century. It would have remained a fringe element in Islam except for the fact that it was sitting on the world's greatest oil deposits. Since the 1930's, the Saudi monarchy and its Wahhabist ideology have been protected by the West which needs its oil. But the massive fortunes made in Saudi Arabia, while in part have gone for philanthropic causes and for efforts at interreligious understanding, have also financed the propagation of militant versions of Wahhabism around the world.

Until the United States faces the contradiction in its policy toward Saudi Arabia, there is no possibility of a long-term, stable relationship with many areas of the Muslim world. We help keep in power a regime that is condemned by millions of Muslims, that is based on an extreme fundamentalism, that is infamous for (with some wealthy Saudi men enforcing extreme puritanical moral laws in Arabia but engaging in all the vices that Western society has to offer in London, Amsterdam, Thailand and other places, where in some cases, entire sex-industry districts are set up to cater to wealthy Saudis). Even as this regime offers governmental support the West by keeping oil prices from exploding and by offering political support, its religious establishment frequently propounds violently intolerant forms of religion, both at home and through its massive outreach throughout the world. And yet the fear of American policy makers is that if we don't support this regime, what takes its place may be more radical. The Saudi monarchy itself, under attack for its oil-based relationship with the U.S., often exports a more virulent form of Wahhabism abroad than it countenances at home, in order to rehabilitate its anti-Zionist, anti-West credentials.

With bitter irony, most Muslims (including the non-Wahhabi Saudis) find themselves stereotyped as the kind of Muslim represented by the most militant version of Saudi Wahhabism. Wahhabi ideologues account for a small percentage of Muslims but Islam is more and more presented to the world through the lens of this financially powerful sect.

7. Who is Osama Bin Laden and why does he hate the U.S.

Osama bin Laden is a multimillionaire of Saudi and Yemeni background who made his fortune through construction business and "sweetheart" contracts he received from allies in the Saudi political regime. After the Gulf War, when the U.S. administration decided, at the very last minute, to keep Saddam Hussein in power, it became necessary to station U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. One extreme version of Wahhabism maintains that Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims "pollute" the soil of the Saudi state. This idea has nothing to do with the Qur'an or with classical Islam. It is a complete innovation. Osama bin Laden wrote to the Saudi king stating that, according to the religious ideology he had been brought up on in the Saudi milieu, U.S. troops must be sent home. But because Saddam Hussein was still in power, neither the U.S. nor the Saudis could afford to send them home without risking a new attack by Saddam.

It was at this moment that Bin Laden became radicalized. He denounced the Saudi monarchy and called for its overthrow for violating the principles of the version of Islam it in some ways had propagated, and he denounced the U.S. for "occupying" what by his own, extreme minority view of Islam, was sacred ground. Of course, that grievance is aggravated by his anger over U.S. policy in the Middle East and other issues.

8. Image Wars and Westernization

I'm been giving talks on the various components behind the current situation. Today's rumination is sparked by an 8th grader question at a forum I was giving: "why can't we find Bin Laden if he's always on TV." The question knocked me out. The 8th grader had hit upon a core problem.

Bin Laden is a guy living with the Taliban who have banned all images (except for identity card photos), blown up ancient Buddha's, but who invite Western camera crews in to make videos of them themselves smashing TV's, tearing up video and audio cassette film, and stomping on photographs. At the same time they encourage Bin Laden to make regular videos of himself to be shown throughout the world on a regular basis. And they invite Western media in to photography and image both Bin Laden and their ritual destruction of images and media.

They destroy images but exist everywhere in the virtual world (except for their leader in their own society, where Mulla Omar has allegedly never been photographed). One explanation for the Taliban's ultra-iconoclasm has been the influence of Saudi-born Wahhabism, which abhors images as idols and has campaigned throughout the Islamic world against popular forms of Islam that are practiced everywhere (except in Saudi Arabia, where all local shrines and even the graves of the companions of Muhammad have been systemically annihilated as loci of idolatry). Another explanation has been the general anger in the traditional societies over the pervasive and powerful influence of Western advertising, films, and music.

The question by the 8th grade leads me to think that neither explanation really works on its own. Traditional cultures all over the world are being wrenchingly impacted by globalized Western culture, but none act with the fanaticism of the Taliban. And Wahhabism has spread throughout the Islamic world on the wings of Saudi oil and money, but few Wahhabis, even those who have attacked Sufi shrines, would go the extreme of the Taliban. The two elements have linked and compounded one another.

Here is a man, Bin Laden, in Afghanistan who understands symbols better than most. He set up the Trade Towers horror to outdo all Godzilla films and knew they would be repeated traumatically day by day on televisions through the society he considers his enemy. He has annihilated what he considers to be the poison of image in his own realm and turned in back -- in the most ruthless manner -- on its producer. The truism that

fundamentalists are products of modernity rather than atavistic throwbacks to the past has never been so starkly revealed.

Here our defense department was talking about building a trillion dollar, literal, hardware Star Wars program, only to be surprised by a the image of this man in a sitting in a place bombed back to before the stone age, appearing to them everywhere they look, image repeated endlessly, courtesy of the nuke-defying weapon of the box-cutter--the U.S. military, financial, and technical empire invaded on all sides by the virtual presence of this fanatic--as if invaded by some superior alien culture out of the wildest dreams of Star Trek-- sitting in his not-even-a-tent in a country bombed back beyond the stone age

When I think of the cultural pain I have in moving from Tunisian villages or even Damascus back to an image driven culture, in which each year the frames of movies and videos are speeded, as life becomes more a series of shorter interactions (I recently realized I depressed for almost 7 months after returning from the 7 months spent in Rabat, Tunis, and Damascus). . .. If that is the pain of culture shock after 7 months . . .

Or when I think of the billboards for Nordic-style bikinis and lingerie (pictures that might be banned in Cincinnati) hovering over a street of people who have lived a lifetime with different notions of modesty, or the lines of adolescent men outside U.S. produced movies, dubbed into Arabic, with names like "Lethal Weapon III: Extreme," -- films that are popular all over the non-industrialized world, I came to the conclusion that the reason Wahhabism has succeeded so well around the world is twofold: first, the pervasive Saudi influence (not only to create Taliban in Afghanistan but as close as they can come in other Islamic societies) made possible by Saudi financial empires and its growing control of Islamic self-representation; an second, ultra-iconoclastic backlash that is one way (in a world of not too many alternatives) of reflecting the sense of being invaded -- (a sense that in the Middle East and Central Asia is combined with senses of other forms of invasion).

In the West, the world of advertising and image is defended as "free speech." Thus, images of smoking (to take one example) use image associations (tough, sexy, social, sophisticated, thoughtful) to implant an association so powerful it becomes relatively impervious to any counter-information, even the obvious fact that the product consumed will make the person into the very opposite of all the above). Efforts to ban such images completely are met by claims that to ban them would be to provide citizens of free flow of "information," though what information is communicated by a billboard, subliminally glimpsed on a commuter road twice a working day for years, is a very special kind of in-form-ation indeed.

It need be no surprise that the perpetrators were pious young men from respectable families who lived a double life of extremes between ultra-orthodoxy moralism and red-light indulgence; they are the two sides of the divide. And when that divide is aggravated by problems of oil politics and Middle East tragedy, there are those who fall into the abyss between.

10. Pakistan?

Pakistan is split between those who favor cooperation with the West and those who sympathize directly with the Taliban. The long war with India over the region of Kashmir has continued to radicalize elements in Pakistan and Osama bin Laden and the Taliban have supported Pakistani militias in their war with Indian forces in Kashmir. If the Pakistani population becomes too inflamed, if a majority believe the U.S. is attacking Islam as whole, the possibility of radical fundamentalists seizing power in Pakistan becomes an acute danger. Pakistan has the atomic bomb and is a far more influential and powerful player in the world, despite its poverty, than Afghanistan. A radicalized Pakistan could well plunge into another full-scale war with India over Kashmir, a war that could involve nuclear weapons used by both sides.

11. Iraq? Some in the Bush administration are said to favor an attack on Iraq.

Iraq is ruled by one of the most vicious dictators in the modern era. Saddam Hussein is not religious and not a fundamentalist. His cabinet includes Christians and Muslims, but all are highly secularized and all use religion only as a showpiece.

The end of the Gulf War, while viewed almost unanimously in the U.S. public and media as a great victory, was in many ways a moral and geopolitical catastrophe. According to all the exiled Iraqi military officials and other experts, Saddam would have fallen had the U.S. not stopped its operations, and would have fallen in 48 hours. He was on the brink. And it would not have taken an occupation of Baghdad by the U.S.

George Bush Sr. broadcast appeals to the Iraqi people to rise up and overthrow the Saddam regime. They did rise up, with extraordinary courage. Then, after the Iraqi army was defeated, the Bush administration decided not to support the rebellion. It authorized Saddam to use helicopters. And General Powell deliberately stopped the coalition advance before destroying the Republican Guard on which Saddam's power rested. While Americans were celebrating at the jubilant ticker-tape parade down 5th avenue, Saddam was using those helicopters and that Republican Guard to systematically exterminate those who had rebelled. Because they had rebelled, they exposed to Saddam who they were and where they lived, allowing him not only to kill those who rebelled, but their entire families, extended families, villages, even annihilate entire districts. Although most Americans know something of the plight of the Kurds in the North, few know that Saddam also attacked the Shi`ites in the south, poisoning their water supplies, diverting water to cause draught, using the U.S.-authorized helicopters to strafe entire villages. This brutal punishment went on for years.

Then the U.S. advocated an economic blockade of Iraq that harmed everyone but Saddam Hussein. While he continued to make biological and chemical weapons, his people

starved. Images of these starving innocents have horrified the Arab and Islamic world. Why would the U.S. carry out such massive violence, leave the criminal Saddam and his regime in power, and then punish everyone but the criminal in power? If the U.S. attacks Iraq this time, there will be very little support in the Arab world (unlike last time when many Arabs, knowing Saddam's criminality, supported the coalition and his demise).

Perhaps nothing illustrates the gulf between public opinion in the U.S. and the view in the Middle East as the different views on the Gulf War and its aftermath. For many in the Middle East, the Gulf War showed that the U.S., despite its claims to care about human rights, was concerned only with protecting its oil sources and, in a policy in which carnage, starvation, and misery were brought to Iraqis while the criminal regime of Saddam Hussein remained intact, showed a truly horrifying lack of concern with the humanity of those innocents who were suffering.

12. Oil-based foreign policy and the Middle East tragedy

If the Taliban are the near term problem, and Iraq perhaps a problem to face after, the long term problems are the U.S. relationship with a Saudi regime that both provides it the oil that sustains its economy and, playing the game both ways, supports a radical Wahhabi ideology, and to appease those angry at its cooperation with the West, supports militant and extremist versions of such ideology around the world.

Finally, the deepest grievance in the Middle East is the Israel-Palestine tragedy. On both sides it is the deepest wound.

There are some who dismiss this point, claiming it is only a "whipping boy" for corrupt Arab regimes to distract the attention from other matters (see the contemptuous comments of Fareed Zakariya, columnist for Newsweek, on a recent interview). Indeed, the Palestinian tragedy has been used in this way and manipulated shamelessly. It has been used by Arab and other Islamic governments to distract attention from corruption and human rights violations. It has been used by Islamic fundamentalist religious leaders to gain leverage in the fight against secular governments. It has been used by individuals to excuse their own difficulties and failures. It has also been, tragically, mixed with old-fashioned anti-semitism, as some circles, particularly in Saudi Arabia, borrow European anti-semite charges such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the rhetorical context for such charges, in their war against Israel. And the viciousness of some of the anti-semitism is both inexcusable and frightening.

But that does not mean that empathy with the Palestinians is a false issue, is not deep, or is not important. The reason people can be exploited through appeals to this issue is that they really do care about it. Similarly, even though the Holocaust has been shamelessly exploited by some to justify new settlements on the West Bank and new evictions of Palestinians, the exploitation of the Holocaust does not mean it did not happen or is not important.

And even though other areas (Bosnia, Kashmir) may have lost more lives in conflict, it has become the symbolic center of conflict. In my years in the Arab world and in studying Islam I have never met and Arab or Muslim who hated America because it was "free" or "good" or "prosperous." And I have also never met an Arab or Muslim who did not sympathize with the plight of Palestinians. For this reason, the collapse of peace talks last year, after they had come within a hair's breadth of success, was a catastrophe, not only for Israelis and Palestinians, but globally.

The logic is inexorable. With Arabs and Muslims sympathetic to the Palestinians and with the U.S. reinforcing its special relationship and military guarantees with Israel, the U.S. government will be viewed as a party in the war, and to the extent Arabs and Muslims feel engaged in it, a hostile party.

I will not speculate on how or why the negotiations collapsed or who was to blame. I will only say that the structure needed to support the tension of a final agreement, which everyone knew would be attacked by rejectionists on both sides, proved not strong enough. Over the past ten years that structure was constructed.

A peace agreement, like a classic skyscraper, needs to be built with redundant strength. Classic skyscrapers typically build with 100x, 100 times the resistance needed for the strongest force they had to withstand. A peace agreement needs such redundant strength, especially at the end when the extremists on both sides will do anything to destroy it -- bombing buses, assassinating their own leaders as in the case of Yitzak Rabin, bombing pizza parlors, or having a man responsible for the worst atrocity in the conflict stomping around and defiling the sacred site of the people on whom he inflicted the atrocity -- at the very moment the negotiations reached the most delicate point -- how two peoples could share a partially overlapping center of sacred space with some kind of guarantee that the sacred space, the center of the sense of home, belonging, and meaning, would be respected.

And what was the U.S. society, politics, and press doing in regard to the building of the structure of peace with a redundancy that could withstand the final, withering attack of rejectionists? One illustration: at a press conference of the President of the United States with Palestine Authority Yasir Arafat on the building of that structure of peace, the national press corps did not focus on issues such as:

a) How Arafat could be sure he was in control at the point of danger; b) how he could be sure of the vital support of some of the neighboring Arab states; c) how he could gauge his concessions against any reaction on the street; d) how Israelis could feel trust with vicious anti-semitic rhetoric in the air and what the U.S. was doing to pressure its allies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to shut down the anti-semitism mills; or e) how Palestinians could possibly feel trust while settlements were being expanded even as the negotiations moved toward their most sensitive areas.

Instead, the national press corps burst in with the question, address to Clinton: "Mr. President, did you have oral sex with Monica Lewinsky." For the Palestinians, Israelis,

Jews, Arabs (Christian and Muslim), Muslims around the world -- and now we realize perhaps -- for us, the questions that were not asked were the ones that concerned our most basic security. And for people in the Middle East, the utter indifference of the American public and press to their plight and the enormity of the power the U.S. plays in that conflict, was exhibiting with a truly barbaric insult to a visiting head of state and the peoples of the region whose lives were and still are on the line.

It will take years to get back to any possible peace agreement. Next time, for the sake of everyone, we must be more focused and we must find a way to create taht redundantly strong foundation.

Some have argued that peace in the Middle East will not solve all problems. That is true, but it will diminish the deepest well of grievance, hurt, and anger that allow the radicals to space within a society in conflict and conflicted. Some have argued that a peace treaty would not have stopped Bin Laden. That is obvious. Part of his rage was at the fact that a peace treaty actually looked possible. And a signed peace would have led to his, and other extremists who exist only in and for war, to his most concerned efforts at a violent effort to reverse and destroy the peace, knowing that if he fails in the long run, he and the others like him, will surely, over time, wither away.

13) Many now ask me how to tell a terrorist Muslim from a non-terrorist. How do we tell a terrorist Christian (like Timothy McVeigh and the thousands like him who have been arrested for terrorist or racist crimes in the past decades) from non-terrorists. Not by appears, clearly. Rather, we can tell by certain "cues" in what they say, by certain stereotypes or bigotries in their language, by a certain militancy and fascination with weapons and violence not related to hunting, by a kind of seething anger that does not necessarily show itself openly, but often through a kind of calmly expressed resolve to get even.

And most of all, we can distinguish them because we know other Christians and other manifestations of Christian civilization. To this extent, it is vital to begin to know Arabic and Islamic civilization -- beyond the facts about ritual rules and historical battles that are easy to obtain. We need to hear the spirit of the civilization, to appreciate its art, poetry, music, and diversity of cultures. Too often, the notion of "knowledge" is reduced to a question of political definition for purposes of immediate expediency. But such knowledge is shallow without some sense of the civilization in which a particular political phenomenon takes place. In Islam there is a word for this, taste (dhawq). It involves learning to appreciate the full register of Islamic values just as a lover of good food learns to appreciate the full range of cuisine. Most of us have a better developed palate than we do other forms of taste. . . .

But, as much as I believe in the power of culture, I also notice that until violent political polarization is broken down, people on either side of the polarizing divide have trouble hearing the more human voices of the other culture, even when they are well presented.

And yet the polarization cannot be countered unless those voices are heard. All important questions end in paradox. Cultural courage is the willingness to face such paradoxes.

For some suggestions on where to start in attaining this sense of wider and more subtle aspects of Islamic civilization, see the resource page: suggestions on Islam and Sept. 11 Tragedy.

Michael Sells Department of Religion Haverford College 370 Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041 Office Phone 610-896-1027 FAX 610-896-4926 http://www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/home.html msells@haverford.edu

Resource List: Islam in the Wake of September 11

In my years of teaching Islamic civilization and courses in religion and violence, I have found few truly outstanding resources that I could recommend, without reservation, for wide readership--that are accessible without being simplistic. Below are some that I have found consistently useful.

1) Topic: The Taliban. Book: Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Fundamentalism, Oil, and Militant Islam in Central Asia (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000). The authoritative work, readable, and accurate. Every informed citizen will wish to read it.

2) Topic Fundamentalist Terrorism. Book: Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God (University of California Press, 1998). An examination of how fringe elements of fundamentalist groups move toward terrorism, and the communities of support that allow the terrorist to exist and feel fulfilled in his actions: with readable case studies of terrorists acting in the name of Buddhism-Hinduism, Islam (Bin Laden associates and others), Judaism (Baruch Goldstein and the assassin of Prime Minister Rabin) and radical Sikhs in India. I in showing the similarities across religious tradition in the particular combination of social anger, sense of alienation, and fundamentalist reading of scriptures in the mind of these terrorists.

3) Topic: Religion and Violence. Books: Regina Schwartz, Curse of Cain:The Violent Legacy of Monotheism (University of Chicago Press, 1997); Peter Partner, God of Battles: Holy Wars of Christianity and Islam (Princeton University Press, 1998). Excellent studies, readable, informed, and fair.

4) Topic: The Abrahamic Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Book: Karen Armstrong, A History of God (Knopf, 1994). A classic.

5) Topic: Islamic Civilization. Resource: The 2001 vhs PBS production, shown recently in the U.S., Canada, Britain, and Australia entitled: Islam: Empire of Faith, widely regarded as the best available appreciative view of the origins of Islam and the flowering of Islamic civilization. Includes interviews with scholars, accurate re-enactments of historical events, a clear narrative spoken by Ben Kingsley, and the best video images ever produced the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Alhambra. Available (at around $29.95) from the

PBS.org. (Disclaimer, I was a consultant and appear in a few interview segments, but I make no royalties or profits from the sales of this film).

6) Topic: Human and Cultural World of Islam. On 10/19/01, The MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) the program First Person: Speaking of Faith featured The Spirit of Islam with Omid Safi and Seemi Bushra Ghazi. MPR is making the show available to all NPR stations nationwide. The show is available on the web for readaudio listening or download at: http://www.firstperson.org. Whether a local NPR station picks it up depends on public interest. Your calls to your local NPR affiliate, asking with the Spirit of Islamprogram on First Person: Speaking of Faith will help demonstrate public interest.

Safi discusses Islamic culture, poetry, mysticism, and music (with recitations and songs). Ghazi speaks of the meaning of Qur'an recitation for her as a woman (with an example Ghazi's own beautiful Qur'an recitation); veiling; her prayer shawl for Qur'an recitation or "portable tabernacle"; and how Urdu poetry has consoled her in the current situation. Both speak of their lives as Muslim Americans and backgrounds (in Iran for Omid and in India and Saudi Arabia for Seemi) with personal immediacy. This is the human face of Islam missed or unknown in the non-Muslim world.

7) Topic: The Hajj, Islam, and Social Justice. Book: Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The chapter on the Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the most sensitive discussions of the Hajj written (chapter 17, pp. 325-346). It is immediately accessible to American audiences, either read alone or with the entire book. It offers key insights into ritual, sacred time, and sacred space, as well as the relationship of Islam to the black liberation movement in the U.S. One caution: although Malcolm sensed that as a public personality he was often being treated in a special way, he did not always sense the precise political agenda behind certain of his hosts in Saudi Arabia.

8) Ramadan [videorecording] : A Fast of Faith / produced, written and directed by Ra'up McGee (Publisher: Princeton, NJ) distributed by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1999, c1997: see the web site at www.films.com (in my view, the Ramadan film is by far the best film from this outlet. I have found the others inconsistent). Ramadan is "A stunning, sensitive, lyrical entry into the world of Islamic life, through the lens of a family and through interactions throughout the local society, which in this case is Indonesia." An accessible yet deep entry into a central aspect of Islamic religion and life. Both Malcolm X and the Ramadan film also off insight into the Islamic ritual prayer or "Salah" and the ritual ablutions made before it.

9) On The Qur'an. When non-Muslims pick up a translation of the Qur'an, they are frequently soon discouraged. After a few pages, one is plunged into a complex mix of politics, history, law, mysticism, prophets, and apocalypse -- all seemingly bunched together. How can one begin to understand it without a mastery of early Islamic history?

The answer is that Muslims do not read the Qur'an this way either. For historical reasons, the Qur'an is arranged in reverse order, with the larger and often the last revelations at the beginning, those steeped in historical, military, and political details. The first revelations, on the fundamental Qur'anic values on the meaning of life and the search for justice, come at the end of the written Qur'an. In addition, Muslims learn the Qur'an in Arabic, and no English translation has managed to bring across the tones of tenderness, intimacy, and meditation within the Qur'an. When those tones are lost, a stiff language and the impression of a wrathful God is often the impression given -- not at all what Muslims hear when they hear the Qur'an recited.

Over the past 18 years, I have developed a method that allows those who do not know Arabic to encounter a more accurate sense of the Qur'an. In Approaching the Qur'an: the Early Revelations (White Cloud Press, 2001; 1-800-380-8286 or http://www.whitecloudpress.com),

translations and commentaries are present of the first revelations, those learned by Muslims first and recited most often, along with an introduction to the life of Muhammad and early Islamic history, and a CD with sound charts that allow the listener to hear Qur'anic recitation and follow the meaning with interlinear translations.

10) Overviews of Islam. Two overviews work well when used together. Huston's Smith's chapter on Islam in his Religions of the World offers an accessible, philosophical overview that brings most readers directly into the tradition. As a balance to Smith, the Matthew Gordon's chapter in The Illustrated Guide to World Religions, ed. by Michael Coogan (Oxford University Press, 1998), offers fine view into the sights, sounds, rituals, and textures of Islamic life and history, while still presenting clear and accurate narrative. Not to be confused with another of the same title that is superficial: make sure it is the Oxford, Coogan edited volume.

11) Topic: Palestinians. The most sensitive treatment of the experience of Palestinians can be found in novels of Ghassan Kanafani: Men in the Sun and other stories (London: Heinemann Educational; Washington D.C.: Three Continents Press, 1978), translated by Hilary Kirkpatrick; and Kanafani, Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa & Other Stories, translated by Barbara Harlow (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000). These novels humanize the Palestinian, in part because they refuse to demonize those on the other side, and in part because the life of refugee in its humanity is brought forth, without political positioning.

12) Topic: Iran. Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985). A lucid and sweeping portrait of Iran in revolution and in history, culture, and humanity.

13) Topic: Women in Islam. Susan Schaefer Davis, Patience and Power: Women's Lives in a Moroccan Village, 1983), Farzaneh Milani, Veils & Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers; Leila Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam.

14) Topic Islam in Morocco, in Marrakesh, and women's life and and spirituality in an Islamic old city,: Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, A Street in Marrakesh (Garden City, N.Y. : Anchor Press, 1980). A luminous book.

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If you have comments on these resources or reports on how helpful (or not) they were, please send them to me at: msells@haverford.edu