Brennan unfortunately did not explain how al Qaeda is misinterpreting the Qur’an. The key problem with his assertion is that al Qaeda justifies its actions and makes recruits by quoting the Qur’an and the Sunnah. With al Qaeda on the offensive and surging in Africa and elsewhere, there is a huge need for Muslims who sincerely reject its understanding of the Qur’an to fight against it on theological grounds. But that debate within Islam is notably muted. Some say al Qaeda is wrong for killing innocents, or for killing Muslims, but where is the challenge to its central claim that Muslims have an obligation to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers?
“CIA Head: Al-Qaeda Has ‘Perverse and Very Corrupt Interpretation of Qur’an,'” by Patrick Goodenough for CNS News, March 11:
(CNSNews.com) – Al-Qaeda’s ideology, built on “a perverse and very corrupt interpretation of the Qur’an,” resonates in many parts of the world, and is often fed by political repression, economic disenfranchisement and “lack of education and ignorance,” CIA Director John Brennan said on Tuesday.During an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, Brennan was asked about the “war of ideas” surrounding Islam, which the questioner said many Americans tend to equate with violence.
In the course of his response Brennan said al-Qaeda has “a perverse and very corrupt interpretation of the Qur’an. One of the things that I’m struck with when I travel throughout the Middle East and I meet with leaders, military and civilian – these are individuals who are Qur’anic scholars themselves and they are the ones who are most annoyed at how al-Qaeda has hijacked their religion and how they have really distorted the teachings of Mohammed, you know, for violent purposes.”
“Now, quite unfortunately, though, that ideology, that agenda of al-Qaeda has gained resonance and following in many parts of the world,” he continued. “It’s fed a lot of times by, you know, political repression, by economic, you know, disenfranchisement, by, you know, lack of education and ignorance, so there – there are a number of phenomena right now that I think are fueling the fires of, you know, this ideology.”
Assertions of a link between Islamist terrorism and poverty or lack of education have been called into question by some research.
A Rand Corporation report on counterterrorism, prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2009, found that, “Terrorists are not particularly impoverished, uneducated, or afflicted by mental disease. Demographically, their most important characteristic is normalcy (within their environment). Terrorist leaders actually tend to come from relatively privileged backgrounds.”
“Terrorists turn out to be more rather than less educated than the general population” according to a number of academic studies, one of the report authors noted.
Far from being impoverished or lacking economic opportunity, some of the most prominent jihadist terrorists have been well-educated. Osama bin Laden was the son of a billionaire businessman, his al-Qaeda successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is a physician, and the 9/11 attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has an engineering degree.
In Singaporean study on combating radical ideology over the 2001-2011 decade found that key members of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network were also well-educated. They included Yazid Sufaat, a Malaysian former military officer and businessman, who provided lodging to two of the 9/11 hijackers in 2000 and was later involved in a foiled Singapore bomb plot.
JI bomb expert Azahari Husin, who was killed in 2005, had a doctorate in engineering; Noordin Mohammed Top, Indonesia’s most-wanted terrorist until he was killed in 2009, was also a university graduate; and wanted JI fugitive Zulkifli Abdul Hir is a U.S.-trained engineer.
Islam_Macht_Frei says
Well – maybe he has a point – that they subscribe to the “perverse” notion that the Koran means what it says.
hiwakhorsed says
with all respect, I may have been a Muslim once, but who follow Muslim rules then you must be blind and slave all your life
richard Sherman says
BRENNAN should read the Koran…specifically Sura 2.106 (ABROGATION)…He would learn that Al Qaeda, Cair, HAMAS, etc are all following the Koran. The so called “moderate Muslims” have to ignore 95 percent of the Koran.
Shane says
I am sure that Brennan has read the Koran; he is practicing Taqiyya against the infidels like the good Muslim that he is. Brennan has never denied being a Muslim.
londo says
And in that misinterpretation they follow a 14 century long tradition of muslims before them. Maybe they just forgot to put that into the sunnah, to misinterpret the quran and now they are just following the footsteps of their forefathers and kill non-believers. It’s tradition.
Bill C. says
Brennen knows damn well what’s really going on in Islam. Anyone here (other than R.S.) bother to check his bio?
He’s just a puppet, or much worse, possibly hanging something *very* dangerous over Obama’s head (check out the reporting done by Theconservetivetreehouse.com today).
Either way he’s blowing smoke.
CogitoErgoSum says
This notion that the Quran is being misinterpreted by Al-Qaeda must come to an end as must the belief that Allah is the same god as the one of the Jews and the Christians. The Quran is being interpreted by Islamic terrorists just as Muhammad and his master, Satan, intended from the beginning. Death, murder, rape, destruction, slavery, eternal war and unending misery are all among the serpent’s plan for mankind since the days of the Garden. With Allah as god what need is there for Satan? You who want to believe that Islam can co-exist peacefully with other religions…or even with atheism…must come to accept the fact that you are wrong. The goal of Islam is to wipe out all other religions (and atheism) and to make everyone…EVERYONE…slave to the imposter god, Allah. It is there for you to read in the Quran. Do not try to over-think things. It is simple enough for even a child to understand. Once you come to realize this, you will be able to see beyond the lies and the contradictions and the inconsistencies in Islam and everything will begin to make sense to you.
Defcon 4 says
It’s interesting to note that Tamerlane/Timurlane went to war with other muslimes over this very issue. Some of the muslimes of Tamerlane’s time became addicted to jizya and weren’t really interested in converting their profitable untermenchshen community to islam. I seem to remember it might have been illegal to convert to islam in some muslime states — to protect their jizya payments.
bobm says
So; with this declaration we now know that the virus lie has entered into the very heart of the castle keep….. how can the master at arms defend the land when he is in the thrall of the deceiver… when he abides in a lie how can he hope to know the Truth…He is utterly compromised.
RodSerling says
Brennan is a fast talker, especially when he is saying incredible things, as I just learned when I tried to take notes while listening to the video.
Brennan is misleading the public by citing a few anecdotal opinions of Muslim leaders–“Qur’anic scholars,” “military and civilian”–have told him in various meetings in the Middle East, such as that they are “annoyed” by al-Qaeda. In addition to having committed the obvious fallacy of using a few anecdotes to represent mainstream Islam and Muslims, Brennan is either clueless or complicit, in relaying the public relations statements of those leaders to predominantly non-Muslim audiences. If one wants to find out what Muslims believe about terrorism and al-Qaeda, they can get some idea from appropriate sources, such as from polls conducted by Pew, World Public Opinion, etc. Al-Qaeda was more popular after 9/11 and in the following few years, but their popularity declined when they began to focus more attacking other Muslims. (That may be a reason why Brennan’s “Qur’anic scholar” acquaintances in the Middle East are annoyed with Al-Qaeda, though that’s assuming that those leaders are telling Brennan, an American infidel mouthpiece and CIA Director, their frank, candid thoughts). A significant minority of Muslims still support al-Qaeda, though, and the percentage of support is probably higher among Sunnis. (In contrast, support for the terrorist organization Hezbollah is more popular among Shias). A better way to assess level of Muslim support for jihad terrorism is to find out what percentage of them support at least one such group from the long list of jihad terrorist groups. The longer the list of groups, the more opportunities to discover support for at least one group on the list.
How can the Qur’an be “hijacked for violent purposes” when the book commands violence, and, btw, does so more so than the religious scriptures of any other major religion?
Tina Magaard
March 25, 2010
Tina Magaard reference re analysis of violence in the Quran vs other religious texts
http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2010/03/25/all-islamic-things-not-considered-at-npr/
Tina Magaard, from her “Fjendebilleder og voldsforestillinger i islamiske grundtekster,” Acta Jutlandica : aarsskrift for universitetsundervisningen i Jylland. 82, no. 1, (2007): p. 221, (kindly translated by Fjordman)
“The expressions derived from the root ja-ha-da, which the word jihad stems from…mean ‘to struggle’ or ‘to make an effort’ rather than killing. Yet almost all of the references derived from this root are found in stories that leave no room for doubt regarding the violent nature of this struggle. Only a single ja-ha-da reference (29:6) explicitly presents the struggle as an inner, spiritual phenomenon, not as an outwardly (usually military) phenomenon. But this sole reference does not carry much weight against the more than 50 references to actual armed struggle in the Koran, and even more in the Hadith.”
From Bostom’s article, All Islamic Things Not Considered at NPR
Mar 15
http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2010/03/25/all-islamic-things-not-considered-at-npr/
Tina Magaard
Here is a Google translation of part of a news article about her work:
“Islam is the most bellicose religion
By Orla Borg
Published at 10.09.2005. 22:30
A Danish linguist has over three years analyzed 10 religions basic texts and concludes that the texts of Islam stand out by encouraging terror and violence to a greater extent than other religions […]”
“Islam’s text invites a much greater extent than other religions’ basic texts for terror and warfare, concludes Tina Magaard, who graduated from the Sorbonne in Paris as a PhD in text analysis and intercultural communication, and as a three-year research project has compared 10 religions basic texts […]”
http://jp.dk/indland/article223091.ece
Magaard, T. “Fjendebilleder Og Voldsforestillinger I Islamiske Grundtekster.” Acta Jutlandica : Aarsskrift for Universitetsundervisningen I Jylland. 82.1 (2007): 213-44. Print.
Peer-reviewed
RodSerling says
OT:
Petition to ban halal slaughter in the U.K.
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-rt-hon-owen-paterson-mp-ban-halal-slaughter-in-the-united-kingdom
Extreme and unnecessary suffering caused in halal slaughter process, animals remain alive for minutes with their throats cut (warning: very graphic):
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=545_1345800806
RG says
To ‘Rod Serling’ – Thank you so much for alerting everyone to the vile practice of halal slaughter by sharing this unbelievably horrific graphic video. My God, I knew that halal slaughter was vicious and satanic, but never in my wildest nightmares did I realize that it was this utterly insane and demented! I assure you I will never eat in another restaurant without first asking the management whether or not they serve halal products. And if the manager doesn’t want to give me a straight answer, I assure you I will make no bones about showing my tremendous displeasure, as I turn and make my exit!!!
guy macher says
This liar should be arrested, tried ,and shot.
mortimer says
A taqiyya artist and crypto-Muslim. Brennan MAKES UP STUFF to fit his agenda (called BS).
Those of us who have studied the original texts in the original language know that he’s spouting rubbish.
All the Sharia law manuals disagree with Brennan.
Who are YOU going to believe? The ‘consensus’ mullahs or Brennan, the GUESSER? (Guessing is not good enough.)
Jay Boo says
Ayaan Hirsi Ali points out how Islamists laugh at people like CIA chief Brennan for doing Islam’s PR work — in a little past the halfway mark in this brief video
Calling things by their name
Amber says
I disagree with Brennan…I don’t believe for one minute that it was built on a corrupt interpretation of Islam; it’s a correct and quite accurate interpretation.
nacazo says
Imam Brennan must have failed his Islam 101 at al-azhar or whichever school he went.
umbra says
chief brennan is as informed as chief wiggum.
pongidae rex says
Our first Muslim president, B. Hussein Obama, and his appointees, are operating under the delusion that they can ‘reform’ Islam simply by making public pronouncements about what it is, and is not. Similarly, Obama is impeachable on the grounds of a speech he gave to the UN where he stated flatly that the Freedom of Speech guaranteed by the US Constitution (that he is sworn to defend) is invalid if the speech involves criticism of Islam and its ‘prophet’. That is the ultimate in hubris. I voted for this con artist twice and I am counting the days to the next election.
David says
The higher the official now the bigger the lies they tell, going all the way up to the President. Brennan is just another example of that. The CIA isn’t even allowed to operate inside the US yet they clearly are, this fact seems to be getting ignored for some reason.
voegelinian says
Brennan is just following the PC MC paradigm which is dominant and mainstream throughout the West. He may as well have issued a public statement averring that “humans are carbon based life forms which walk erect, have opposable thumbs, and breathe oxygen”.
This paradigm has many different components: the key one that erects an artificial distinction between Islam and its supposed “twisting” by “extremists” is the one I first noticed as I was waking up in the months following 911.
voegelinian says
And George “Most Muslims are Decent Moms and Pops Like the Rest of Us” Bush did his part to promote this artificial distinction. Funny how the mainstream Left ridiculed Bush mercilessly for years — and yet they agree with him on his views of Islam and Muslims.
Prinz Eugen says
Brennen is known as “Al Quds” Brennen — that should make clear his views on islam.’ Israel and the USA.
James.E. Hay says
The Sad Fact Brennan Could Be Describing The Obama Regime’s And The Equally Corrupt Socialist Democrats’ Interpretation Of The Constitution And Of The Workings Of Government Which Are Perverse And Completely Corrupt. Not To Mention Their View Of The World. These Criminals Should Be Removed From Office And Prosecuted Then Promptly Executed.
Geordie says
Brennan unfortunately did not explain …….
… an obligation to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers?
Very well said Robert. Common-sense, the reason why I keep returning to this forum. As Sam Harris once said. “The fundamental problems with Islam are the fundamentals of Islam.”
dumbledoresarmy says
Geordie – thanks for that quote by Sam Harris. (Where, and when, did he say it? Chapter and verse, please!). It’s going straight into my “famous quotes” file, where I place assorted ancient and modern bons mots on the subject of the religion of blood and war. (And if you want to know who it was who called Islam ‘the religion of blood and war’, it was Winston Churchill, and he said it in his book “The Story of the Malakand Field Force”).
I don’t have much time, as a rule, for the so-called New Atheists: but *that* quote is a beauty and deserves to be better known. Puts the problem in a nutshell.
Bezelel says
Brennan seems to be trying to sell the belief that, If you throw money at islam and improve their conditions yada yada , the leopard will change his spots. Crock O’ Sheiza. The bigger their budget the bigger the trouble.
Wellington says
My only “unknown” about Brennan is whether he’s complicit or “merely” ignorant. I submit it’s one of these two with no third possibility.
I welcome a refutation of this charge of mine since I’m in a sporting mood. I say Brennan is a fool or a traitor. Anyone?
RCCA says
Brennan: Don’t let the facts get in the way of what you want to believe or the law get in the way of what you want to do.
Veil 416 says
You don’t get to be director of the CIA without being a political insider and knowing how the wind is blowing through the beltway.
Brennan is not any less clueless than Condi Rice and other Bush advisors (her comments in 2007 on how the Shias and Sunnis needed to “get over” their 1000+ year old religious divide continue to be astonishing in their stupidity years later).
Bush’s close relationship with the Saudis drove an initial misdirection of US intelligence and military operations after 2001 with the focus only on Bin Laden and the Taliban (and on ‘the terror, the terror’ to paraphrase Conrad), instead they should have focused, as NSC-68 did in 1950, on the strategic and ideological threat as well as the immediate tactical threat. The policies put in place following NSC-68 gave the US the framework for a successful resolution (after 40 years) to the conflict with the USSR.
What is needed is a modern day NSC-68 which correctly identifies the nature of the ideological threat facing the US and civilisation in general.
The misdirection of US intelligence and military efforts has only continued and gotten worse since Obama took office. While Bin Laden’s death was welcome and psychologically important it was just a sideshow.
The brief opening after 9/11 that allowed people like Robert Spencer and others to inform intelligence and military staff about the true nature of the enemy’s ideology has since closed. Obama is in line with the Clinton approach of only attacking the enemy via air strikes with no regard for their ideological motivation.
If you’re looking for clues of how to win the war, read about Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje’s secret report to the dutch government re the Aceh jihad situation in the late 19th century. While there is some misreporting about it on the net if you research enough you’ll find his answer and it isn’t rocket science.
Apply his approach worldwide as well as cutting funding to islamists from Saudi Arabia, Iran and other sources; systematically expose the contradictions and negative aspects of their underlying ideology in the same way communist practice and propaganda was identified and countered during the Cold War; identify and apply sanctions and containment to countries like Malaysia implementing religious and sexual apartheid and call them out for denial of basic human rights to muslims such as the right to choose a belief system other than Islam; encourage and fund non-religious modes of identification for youth, so their religious background is only a minor part of their self-identification not the primary part; that’s what our political, intelligence and military focus should be.