The world will be glad to hear this: it turns out that it has all been a misunderstanding. That’s right! Osama bin Laden, you see, has been proceeding according to a faulty view of jihad!
Of course, regular Jihad Watch readers have read this kind of thing from Muslim spokesmen dozens of times. It is, of course, an empty and useless statement unless these Muslims in Australia can begin to convince their violent brethren that really, they have gotten it all wrong, and should just calm down and wage the spiritual jihad. The problem is that some of the foremost theorists read and respected today by jihadists, including Hasan Al-Banna (founder of the Muslim Brotherhood) and Abdullah Azzam (a founder of Al-Qaeda) taught against the idea that jihad was only a spiritual struggle. They used Qur’an and Hadith to show that jihad meant primarily, if not solely, warfare. Because they provided evidence for their views, rather than simply making assertions, their position immediately appears stronger — and more convincing to young Muslims. But of course, it is likely that these Australian Muslims are not intending to speak to Muslims at all, but only to jittery non-Muslims.
From AAP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
THE Arabic word jihad does not solely equate with holy war and the rise of Osama bin Laden has caused widespread misuse of the term, a Muslim cultural spokesman has told a seminar.
More than 500 people gathered at the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque in Sydney today to hear a series of lectures on the teachings of Islam during the mosque’s annual open day.
Ahmet Keskin, director of Affinity Intercultural Foundation, a cultural group which provides seminars and education on Islam, today told a group of about 30 people the word jihad had been “misused and misunderstood”.
“Jihad really means to strive or struggle — it does not equate to holy war,” Mr Keskin said.
“It (the misconception) may have unfortunately made people apprehensive of the word.”
The word jihad is used in a much broader context, such as a mother’s struggle to bring up her child in the best way possible, he said.
But al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had used the word jihad in a more global and political context, Mr Keskin said.
“Osama bin Laden is not my leader and his understanding of jihad is really outside the context of true Islam,” he said.
“He may have his agenda but the overwhelming majority of Muslims including this mosque, condemns his acts in the name of Islam.”
Mmmm hmmm. And what is that overwhelming majority of Muslims doing to counter his ideas among Muslims?