Dr. Ergun
Caner has responded :
Dr. Ergun Caner Response:
Date: November 30, 2005
Dear Nadir Ahmed:
As we have returned from Thanksgiving break, I wanted to get right back into answering the question posted by Nadir Ahmed. To wit:
1. The
money (reward) is not an option. I reiterate the point that any exchange of
money, from either side or for any purpose, defeats the open exchange we want
to pursue.
2. To
"donate the money to charity" is a meaningless gesture, usually only
used by politicians.
3. My
statement on "they want us dead," regardless whether a person is a
peace protestor or supporter ...
4. The
simplest way to answer the question is to print the February 23, 1998 fatwa,
signed by the men below.
5. The
entire fatwa is included at the end of this letter for complete disclosure. It
can be found at http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm
6. It
is also found in many other places on the web, including the Arabic text, on
the web of
7. I
include the web addresses to show that these are not "Christian"
sites, or otherwise biased sites. Cornell is not known as a "hotbed"
of conservative thought, and the FAS is the
"Federation of American Scientists."
8. The
fatwa, as is evident, is signed by a number of Muslim leaders, from
9. The
edict of the fatwa is clear: "We -- with Allah's help -- call on every
Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah's
order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they
find it."
10. Notice:
"EVERY Muslim...kill Americans...wherever and
whenever." This is not out of context- it IS the context.
11. The
enemy is also clear- "Americans and their allies -- civilians and
military"
12. The
combatants are also clear: "We also call on Muslim ulema,
leaders, youths, and soldiers"
13. Of
course, we see numerous quotes from the Qur'an and
the Hadith as well, justifying the call to action.
14. Thus,
the point is made.
15. The
larger issue may be your objection, and this leads me to my questions to you-
ARE there Muslims who do want the death of the Americans, and who are willing to act on this fatwa? Yes.
However, are there Muslims who do NOT want to kill the Americans and who do NOT want to follow this fatwa? Yes.
Internationally, their voices are few and far between. It was not
until this year that the Fiqh Council here in
My question is - WHO is the voice for Islam? If there are peaceful Muslim groups, are they willing to call on Muslims to STOP the bombings and suicide attacks- IN those countries? And if so (because I do believe there are Muslims who want to stop this bloodshed), why do they not rise to the leadership in these places.
16. In summary - I have shown the evidence for the call for the death of ALL. Either Bin-Ladin is right, and all Muslims are obliged to fight, and thus you are wrong, or YOU are right, and Bin-Ladin is wrong. If Bin-Ladin is wrong then he has shed innocent blood and is in danger of damnation in Islamic doctrine.
Is Bin-Ladin wrong?
Ergun
******
TEXT OF THE FATWA
23 February 1998
Shaykh Usamah
Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin
Ayman al-Zawahiri, amir of
the Jihad Group in Egypt
Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, Egyptian Islamic Group
Shaykh Mir Hamzah,
secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Pakistan
Fazlur Rahman, amir of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh
Praise be to Allah, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)"; and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, who said: I have been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but Allah is worshipped, Allah who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my orders.
The Arabian Peninsula has never -- since Allah made it flat, created its desert, and encircled it with seas -- been stormed by any forces like the crusader armies spreading in it like locusts, eating its riches and wiping out its plantations. All this is happening at a time in which nations are attacking Muslims like people fighting over a plate of food. In the light of the grave situation and the lack of support, we and you are obliged to discuss current events, and we should all agree on how to settle the matter.
No one argues today about three facts that are known to everyone; we will list them, in order to remind everyone:
First, for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples.
If some people have in the past argued about the fact of the
occupation, all the people of the
Second, despite the great devastation inflicted on the Iraqi people by the crusader-Zionist alliance, and despite the huge number of those killed, which has exceeded 1 million... despite all this, the Americans are once against trying to repeat the horrific massacres, as though they are not content with the protracted blockade imposed after the ferocious war or the fragmentation and devastation.
So here they come to annihilate what is left of this people and to humiliate their Muslim neighbors.
Third, if the Americans' aims behind these wars are religious
and economic, the aim is also to serve the Jews' petty state and divert
attention from its occupation of
All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on Allah, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in "Al- Mughni," Imam al-Kisa'i in "Al-Bada'i," al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam in his books, where he said: "As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life."
On that basis, and in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims:
The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah."
This is in addition to the words of Almighty Allah: "And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? -- women and children, whose cry is: 'Our Lord, rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will help!'"
We -- with Allah's help -- call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan's U.S. troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson.
Almighty Allah said: "O ye who believe, give your response to Allah and His Apostle, when He calleth you to that which will give you life. And know that Allah cometh between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom ye shall all be gathered."
Almighty Allah also says: "O ye who believe, what is the matter with you, that when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling so heavily to the earth! Do ye prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things."
Almighty Allah also says: "So lose no heart, nor fall into despair. For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in faith."
MY RESPONSE:
Dr. Ergun caner stated:
My statement on "they want us dead," regardless whether a person is a peace
protestor or supporter ...
Response:
No, that was NOT your statement. Dr. Ergun Caner, let me remind you that we have your statement
recorded on audio, there is no use hiding. Your statement was the following: At
40 minutes and 50 seconds of the audio clip, Dr. Ergun
Caner stated:
“I had
protestors every where I speak, I speak universities and conferences and crusades and such and there always protestors,
and when the peace protestors are there , I often tell them, regardless of how
big your sign is, regardless of against this war you are, you are still an infidel to my
people, you are still a kaffir… you still must die.”
You clearly stated that according to “your people”
(referring to followers of Islam), infidels (non believers) must die, how else is someone suppose
to understand this statement? That is the only way we can interpret this
statement given the context. Note, you did not say that “according to some
terrorists like Bin Laden”, as you are saying now! So, what are you actually
trying to say Dr. Caner? Do you believe that according to Islam, all infidels
must die? Yes or No? If No, then let’s move on.
Dr. Ergun caner stated:
The simplest way to answer the question is to print the February
23, 1998 fatwa, signed by the men below.
The entire fatwa is included at the end of this letter for
complete disclosure. It can be found at http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm
Response:
No, this is not the simplest way. The simplest way and the only way is to show
us in the Quran or the Sunnah
of Prophet Muhammed(P) where it teaches that all infidels must die. You have
not done so.
Dr. Ergun Caner stated:
The fatwa, as is evident, is signed by a number of Muslim
leaders, from
The edict of the fatwa is clear: "We -- with Allah's help
-- call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to
comply with Allah's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money
wherever and whenever they find it." Notice: "EVERY Muslim...kill Americans...wherever
and whenever." This is not out of context- it IS the context.
The enemy is also clear- "Americans and their allies --
civilians and military"
The combatants are also clear: "We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers"
Of course, we see numerous quotes from the Qur'an
and the Hadith as well, justifying the call to
action.
Thus, the point is made.
The larger issue may be your objection, and this leads me to my
questions to you-
ARE there Muslims who do want the death of the Americans, and who are willing to act on this fatwa? Yes.
However, are there Muslims who do NOT want to kill the Americans and who do NOT want to follow this fatwa? Yes.
Response:
These people are not “leaders”, rather these people
are Bin Laden’s goons and nothing more. Why am I not
surprised that you would pick the most rotten scum to represent Islam? I guess
that is part of being a good propagandist. We can also apply the same “logic”
to Christianity. Take for example Brian David Mitchell, a devout Bible believing
Christian who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart because God told him to do it ( * )( * )( * ). Therefore, I have to ask the same
questions you asked me:
ARE there white Christian males
who do want to kidnap girls, and who are willing to act on this fatwa
(religious verdict)? Yes.
However, are there white
Christian males who do NOT want to kidnap girls and who do NOT want to follow
this fatwa? Yes.
Should we be scared and hide our children from white
Christian males? Of course, I’m not this stupid, I
just hope Christians are not that stupid either. But the question we should be
focusing on, is where does it teach in the Quran or Hadeeth that ALL
infidels MUST die? Up till now, neither Bin Laden nor Dr. Ergun
Caner has been able to produce a single verse which teach
this. Now, there are verses which do endorse war in certain circumstances, as
Islam possesses a just war doctrine which we can talk about later. And finally,
as a point of correction, Bin Laden’s warped fatwa
was not because he believes ALL infidels MUST die. This is not the ideology of
Al Qaeda or any terrorist organizations which I know of. Rather, the fatwa was
issued as a result of occupation, continued aggression against the Iraqi
people, and brutal Israeli terror.
Dr. Ergun Caner stated:
Internationally, their voices are
few and far between. It was not until this year that the Fiqh
Council here in
Response:
False. Many have given fatwas condemning terrorism
way before 911 ever happened, take for example Abdul Aziz Ibn
Baaz ( * ), who died over 4 years ago. The rest Dr. Ergun Caner’s statements is
all off topic, therefore, I will not respond to them. Again..
the challenge is, Does Islam teach that ALL infidels
MUST die? If you don’t believe this, then let’s move on.
Go back to Unveiling Dr. Ergun
Caner’s Canard
Lies Against Islam
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