PMW Bulletin
Nov. 27, 2014

Ahmadi Muslim leader condemns terror against Israelis as distortion of Islam

Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Odeh, leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the
Holy Land:

"I visited the synagogue that was attacked in Jerusalem, and from the first
moment, I felt a sense of anger because of this shameful act, which does not
conform to our glorious Islam"
[Ma'an (independent Palestinian news agency) Nov. 24, 2014]
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=13262

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
p:+972 2 625 4140 e: pmw@palwatch.org
f: +972 2 624 2803 w: www.palwatch.org

Ahmadi Muslim religious leader, Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Odeh, who lives in
Israel, condemned all the recent terror attacks carried out by Palestinians
under the pretext of defending the Islamic holy sites, stating that they are
a distortion of Islam. In an op-ed published in Ma'an, a private Palestinian
news agency, he said that Muslims must "defend, first of all, the churches,
houses of worship and monasteries of their fellow men, even before their own
mosques."

Rejecting the statements of the PA and Fatah leadership, who have supported,
defended and glorified the attacks, Odeh wrote:

"I assert that those people who are attempting to sanction this crime or
incite to similar acts in the name of religion have no backing from the
Quran."

He stated that crimes like the killings in the synagogue "contradict the
principles of tolerance" in Islam:

"I visited the synagogue that was attacked in Jerusalem (i.e., in which five
people were killed), and from the first moment, I felt a sense of anger
because of this shameful act, which does not conform to our glorious Islam
and contradicts its principles of tolerance. My condemnation of this crime
arises from my understanding of and belief in glorious Islam..."

Note: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a relatively small branch of Islam
that was founded at the end of the 19th century and has between 10 and 20
million followers. Many mainstream Muslims consider Ahmadis heretics and
non-Muslim, and they have been subjected to persecution and oppression.
Pakistan, for example, amended its Constitution to categorize them as
non-Muslims and prohibits them from identifying as Muslims. There have been
riots in Muslim countries in which Ahmadis were killed for their "heretic"
beliefs.

Palestinian Media Watch has reported that although PA Chairman Abbas
condemned the murders in the synagogue, Fatah officials have since explained
his condemnation was insincere and a diplomatic necessity while Abbas'
advisors have glorified the terrorists, endorsed their crimes and promoted
more violence.

The following is a longer excerpt of the op-ed by Sheikh Muhammad Sharif
Odeh, leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the Holy Land, condemning
murder in the name of Islam:

Op-ed by Sheikh Muhammad Sharif Odeh, leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community in the Holy Land.

"When Allah, exalted be He, gave permission for the Muslims to fight, he did
so in order that they might defend complete freedom of religion. He
emphasized to them that it was their duty to defend, first of all, the
churches, houses of worship and monasteries of their fellow men, even before
their own mosques. He promised to support them if they adhered to this noble
aim: to realize freedom of religion and defend the houses of worship from
aggression and defilement...

It is striking that Allah, exalted be He, set this aim for them... in a
period in which they, the Muslims, were suffering religious persecution,
before they attained authority and influence - which they acquired later on,
once they ruled over large countries populated by people of other religions.
This proves that Allah, exalted be He, gives no excuse for neglecting, in
any way, the defense of your neighbor's houses of worship, even if the
Muslims themselves are suffering from religious persecution and their
mosques are being attacked. It is the duty of all Muslims to rise up and
protect these houses of worship from attack, with the same fervor with which
they defend their mosques...

As for mosques, Islam confirms that they are open to visitors - in fact, to
worshippers of any religion, as long as their visits do not unjustly provoke
or hurt the worshippers. If the visits are conducted according to these
rules, which can be agreed upon, no Muslim has the right to prevent visitors
from entering the mosques of Allah. On the contrary, Allah has threatened
those who prevent visitors from entering mosques with disgrace in this world
and suffering in the next... Muslims must remember these principles and
teachings, and abandon the obsolete, criminal ideas that call for violence,
crimes and aggression... that are voiced by the traffickers of religion and
those seeking to realize their personal or political aspirations by igniting
strife and escalation at any price...

A few days ago, I visited the synagogue that was attacked in Jerusalem
(i.e., in which five people were killed), and from the first moment, I felt
a sense of anger because of this shameful act, which does not conform to our
glorious Islam and contradicts its principles of tolerance. My condemnation
of this crime arises from my understanding of and belief in glorious Islam;
my religion, of which I am proud, and which the above individuals are
attempting to stain with their ideas and behavior. Neither this act nor the
other run-over attacks and criminal actions have anything to do with [the
principle of] Islamic Jihad, Islamic moral principles or muru'a (traditional
Arabic term for positive qualities a person should have, including
hospitality, generosity, and courage).

It is the duty of my Muslim brothers in this land and around the world to
condemn it and disassociate themselves from it. I assert that those people
who are attempting to justify this crime or incite to similar acts in the
name of religion have no backing from the Quran or from the Prophet's Sunnah
that support their position. I assert that supporting this or any other
similar act will have a destructive effect on our nation and our future."

[Ma'an (independent Palestinian news agency) Nov. 24, 2014]