Preface

First: Assessing American Policy A Year After Obama’s Visit To Cairo

 America and the manufacturing of a Jinni

Would modifying the American Strategy save it from the effects of manufacturing a Jinni?

 Before modifying the American strategy:

1-               It is easy to transform a friendly ally into an enemy.

 At the end of World War II, The world was split into two camps. After the annihilation of the Axis powers and the dominance of the Allies, the Allies camp itself split further into two camps, The Warsaw pact and the NATO pact. Due to the nuclear deterrence, the conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was centered primarily on the cold war, in which the U.S. launched against the communist camp, a soft ideological war utilizing radio broadcasts, artistic dramas and printed materials. With the advancements in communications and transportations means and devices, this ideological warfare penetrated the depth of the soviet citizen imprisoned behind the iron curtain. It portrayed a robust, bright, dreamy free capitalist world in contrast with his dreary, deprived and repressive reality he was under. At the same time, the U.S. exhausted the Soviet Union with an armament race that sapped its resources, diverting it from basic needs of its citizenry, eventually losing the ability to keep pace. Additionally, the culture of freedom and human rights made the Soviet Union a dinosaur living out of its times, hence its and its satellites’ collapse without a single shot being fired, with the NATO Alliance as the only remaining power on the international arena, in wait for the emergence of a new threat to the new world order. Fearing such a threat, which could be a unified Europe or a Japan, allied with China, thereby reviving the Eastern camp, it was imperative for the U.S. to manufacture this enemy, preferably easy to triumph over, and easy to unify the new world order against. The U.S. found the Muslim World to make an enemy of replacing the old Soviet System.

2-               By doing so, The U.S. did not realize that it had created a Jinni for itself.

Many contributing factors led to the successful creation of this Jinni. One of which is the traditional animosity towards the colonial West held by the two most popular and widespread trends in both, the Arab and Islamic worlds, the Nationalists and the Religious Salafi (The Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahhabis), coupled with the siding of the West- Especially the U.S.-with Israel. Also, the oppressive regimes allied to the West, directing its populace’s animosity and hatred towards Israel and the U.S., spreading and circulating the myth that the West is conspiring against Arabs and Muslims. Yet, the most prominent factor, is the Islamic Republic of Iran, who is raising the banner of war against the U.S. and Israel, to hide its nationalistic and sectarian goals, of controlling the oil in the Gulf area and to assume leadership of the Sunni World and to revive the Khosrauite Persian Empire.

Those factors helped Iran in formulating an (Islamic) camp facing the American one, which is leading the world community, sometimes accompanied by the United Nations and its 7^th clause of its charter. From Afghanistan, the war started with the September 11^th. attack and the U.S. answered through Afghanistan then Iraq. Ten years later, it became evident that defeat is certain for the U.S. and its allies, because it did not create a traditional enemy in a traditional camp; rather it created a Jinni with all the connotations of such a word.

3-Few factors contributed to the American miscalculations:

     A-America does not posses England’s expertise in dealing with the Islamic World. America, despite its power, is but 3 centuries young, most of which was spent isolated from the outside world, before and after the Monroe doctrine. It entered the world arena during WWI. American experts, with their superficial outlook towards the Islamic World, thought that it was living a (civilizational) backwardness that would last for centuries, and that backwardness would render them a defeated enemy. War would be a profitable market for American and Western arms, a ready field to test its new weaponry, and to sell it its outdated ones. America would invade and impose its will upon it as it pleases. It would enjoy this hegemony over the Islamic World for few centuries until they catch up with (civilizational) maturity.

     B-It looked at the Islamic World through its defeat by Israel. There is no comparison between Israel’s population and the population of the Arab World, much less with the Islamic World, so what gives? The mistake in the perception here is that Israel did not defeat the Islamic World, not the Arab World, not even the Egyptians; it only defeated oppressive militarized regimes that indulged in politics, thereby forgetting the art of war, besides it is regimes at odds with its population, which (those regimes) need Israel to maintain its role in (riding) its people.

     C- America confused Arab and Muslim people with their oppressive rulers, thinking that it was dealing with a billion and a half Muslims, in reality it was the 30 or so despot that it was dealing with, most of, if not all of them are cronies of America doing its bidding. When America was forced to deal with a few thousands of Arab and Muslim people (represented by Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations), it found itself, with all its military might, fighting unseen ghost, not knowing when they strike, when they appear and where they disappear. The question is, what if a billion of tho

se Muslims turned into ghosts?

     D- It is true there is a gap, civilization wise, between Islam and the West, between Israel and the Arabs, but it is a temporary transitory gap, created by regional oppression that would not last except by maintaining the state of backwardness. That state could not survive for long, due to current factors, which are modern cultural influences, which are destined to triumph, (culture of democracy, human rights, the spread of technology and the transformation of the world to become a global village, in which time and distance are reduced to nonexistence). Also, for historical reasons, for the Muslims of today are the descendents of Muslims of yesteryears, leaders of civilization in medieval period, from whom Europe acquired its knowledge. They will not start from Zero (for they were the ones who invented it), did we forget that human civilization originated in Iraq and Egypt, lasting for tens of centuries before moving to Greece?

    E-The U.S. looked at the Muslim World while comparing it to the Soviet Union, thinking that if the former Soviet Union’s nuclear capability was a deterrent for America from attacking, then it was a different case with the backward Muslim World, which was banned from entering the nuclear club, the outcome was the discovery by the Muslim World of a more potent weapon than a nuclear one, a weapon America could not face with its nuclear arsenal; Suicidal explosion.

     F- America dealt with this new enemy camp (the Muslim Camp) with a confrontational militarized style only. Consequently, based on this erroneous assumption, it sent its troops to fight a wrong battle at a wrong location. It found itself stuck in a quagmire, every time it tried to pull itself out of; it sank deeper in it, for it is fighting militarily in an arena that better suited for an ideological warfare. It is impossible for tanks, warplanes and missiles to chase religious concepts out of the mind of a youngster, poised for a bright future, yet hell bent on racing to blow himself up to get into paradise and enjoy the company of those un-betrothed virgins. How is it possible for that American weaponry to learn or know the inward thoughts and feelings of others, and to distinguish between a friend and a foe? That is why an American tank in the streets of Iraq stands still, confused and puzzled, if it were to fire, it might kill innocent people, even some who support it among the Iraqis, and if it stopped, destruction befalls it from all directions.

(Worthy note to those interested, one of the numerous differences between ideological and military wars, is that the objective of the military one is to physically annihilate its opponent, whereas the ideological one’s objective is to save and preserve its adversary, because in this war, the real enemy are the ideas and thoughts dominating his mind, and by convincing and persuading him with what is right and true, he transforms from enemy to friend…).

4-By miscalculating, America jeopardized its position in many ways:

A-Your supposed enemy within the confines of the battle field is unidentifiable, meaning he is a Jinni or a ghost. You could expect a blow from any location…your enemy could be the closest to you…your closest Muslim supporter could turn against you in no time to become an explosive device…(exactly as it is taking place now).

B-The supposed enemy is not confined to the battlefield or to Muslim lands, now it extends to the depth of America and Europe, embedded among American and European Muslims, with their antagonistic propaganda and ideology, they become a fifth column transferring the war to American soil, as it is happening now.

C-The ease by which to acquire or to manufacture weapons of mass destruction, from primitive nuclear, to chemical and bacterial devices, and since it is lawful, in the fundamental Salafi ( in its Wahhabi Sunni or Iranian Shiite components) doctrine to kill civilian opponents, the destruction of Western and American major cities becomes a declared target, pursued by all opposing groups, a possibility that American authorities take every precautionary measure to prevent.( The likelihood of it taking place in the near future is very possible).

D-The terrorism camp is ready with its convincing argument ;( America is the one, who came here with its armies, invading our country, killing hundreds of thousands of our innocent relatives, and if it is said they were mistaken casualties, the ready reply would be: who brought here in the first place?)

E-The near future would bring even a greater threat; the exploding Muslim population. For, as the White population of Europe and America is on the decline, the Muslim population in Asia and Africa is bursting at the seams, their influx to the West is on the increase, carrying with them, their hatred for Judeo-Christian West. Within few decades, Islam would increase its folds, and Muslims would become the majority. If this majority bears animosity towards Christianity, Judaism and the West, then there are massacres awaiting future white generations in America, Europe and Israel. It is the current American and Israeli policies which, through the use of its weaponry, is writing down all the justifications to be used in the near future, say by the middle of this century, by Muslim Extremists, in explaining, theorizing and implementing the massacres intended for future innocent white generations, who as a minority will paying the price for current American and Israeli policies carried out in our times.

5-(Continuity) is one of the main differences between ideological and militarywars

Military warfare uses devices that become obsolete as the war winds down. Its aftereffects remain vivid in the psyche carrying hatred, animosity and burning desire for revenge. Warplanes drop its loads; tanks fire its ammunitions, bullets, rockets, bombs, warplanes, tanks and all military hardware end up as rubble, what remains is the victims’ hatred and the desire for revenge. Pictures of dead and injured, demolished homes atop its inhabitants’ bodies are being recorded, documented and circulated in our times. It is being preserved forever. Its continuous display renews the victims’ painful cries, agitating the emotions for vengeance from one generation to another…..For weapons are not permanent….their effects are …they remain bloody and full of hatred.

It is different with ideological wars…when won…its weapons are continuous…permanency is some of its aftereffects.

Means of ideological war are permanent. It comprises letters and pictures within an article, a research paper or a book. It could be a documentary film, a drama or a television program. Most of traditional Sunni books about Hadith and Jurisprudence were written and recorded during the Abbasid period, about 12 centuries earlier, yet with its wide printing and wide circulation is considered the most valuable ammunition for extremists in their war of ideas against Christians, Jews and the West.

The impact of these (weapons) is permanent, be it in waging war as with the Sunni tradition, or in waging peace, calling for justice and freedom as in the case of  the Quranists tradition, in their peaceful reformative approach inspired by lofty Islamic values of freedom, justice, peace, benevolence, tolerance and compassion.

6-The strange thing is that America has tried both approaches in its war with Japan, armed warfare in its worst and ugliest form, and the ideological war in its most brilliant form. America committed its nuclear massacre in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, right afterwards, Japan fell under American occupation, and America atoned for its misdeeds by waging a war of ideas. Through that, Japan got rid of its chauvinistic, racist culture of war (The Samurai), the culture of imperial despotism, Emperor’s adoration, establishing instead, the culture of peace, freedom and democracy. Consequently, Japan rose to become one of the mightiest economical and industrial powerhouses in the world and the greatest friend for America….thereby forgetting and forgiving the twin massacres of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 Is it possible for America to employ war of ideas to reform Muslims and to confront the culture of terrorism from within Islam?

 That’s what was ignored by the New American Strategy formulated by president Obama,  a year after he addressed the Muslim World from Cairo.

Finally:

             This New American strategy is insufficient, though it does not consider the Muslim world as an enemy, rather the terrorists only. It lacks a clear stipulation indicating adoption of war of ideas as a tool in interacting with the Muslim World. War of ideas absolutely does not mean animosity to Muslims; on the contrary, it means rescuing Muslims through political, educational, social and religious reforms, from within Islam, confronting religious extremism by showing its contradiction to Islam.

Last note, please do not forget that Muslim victims of  extremism, religious and otherwise, by far exceeds many folds, Non Muslim victims. 

Preface 2

 Freedom of Religion needs War of Ideas

 First: War of ideas, a new kind of peaceful war

1-     The usage of the term (war) in this context might create a problem, since we are talking about an intellectual war, (a peaceful war) as a substitute for a military war, or as a de-escalating factor, curtailing the use of military might except in the most compelling situations. It is the culture of our contemporary times, where Humanity has reached a level of civilization, practice of democracy, human rights recognition and peace, it realized that war is not the solution for conflicts at all times, rather war could be the worst solution, better yet, itself becoming an added problem. We are still feeling the pains of two world wars that resulted in the death of millions of combatants and civilians, and what followed them of local and regional wars, in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, none of which succeeded in accomplishing the desired objective, which is peace, tranquility and harmony among people, and the removal of causes of future wars.

2-     Hence, to use the term (war) in our war of ideas, is considered distasteful due to the negative connotations it elicits ,yet we are forced to use it for two reasons:

A-Our war of ideas against terrorists is the only peaceful one that prohibits or limits the use of military force, halts or limits terror attacks and random killing of the innocent civilians, whereas the other party who murders the innocents, uses the war of ideas, to brainwash simple Muslims into committing suicide attacks, killing themselves and others with no distinction. In other words, our war of ideas is meant to maintain peace, and to save lives including those of the suicide bombers, whereas, the war of ideas of those terrorists is meant to kill the innocents randomly.

B-The second reason, it is an actual and real war but of a different nature. A rational intellectual war, ideas collide, religious, historical, cultural and fatwas struggle against each other, and there is no other adequate description befitting this condition except the term (War). It is a war of ideas comparable to an actual militarized war, yet it attempts to replace if not limit the latter one in order to save lives on both side.

3-         Furthermore, the war of ideas against terrorism differs than the militarized war in as much as the militarized one considers the other party as an enemy that should be killed, his infrastructure should be destroyed and himself should be exterminated. On the other hand, our war of ideas does not consider the opponent an enemy; rather it regards his evil ideas as the enemy, those controlling ideas that make him sacrifice himself in killing others, thinking that that jihad is the price to be paid for an eternal abode in paradise. The war of ideas against terrorists is meant to save them from those misconceptions, whereby they become friends instead of enemies. In addition, of our goals, is to reform Muslims from within Islam, to embrace democracy, religious freedom of choice, values of justice, equality, human rights, tolerance, benevolence and peace as the essence of Islam in interacting and dealing with others, it also aims at motivating the Muslim masses, a billion and a half billion of them, to understand and come to terms with the plundering of its rights by the tyrants, and to assume its active role in doing what is good as commanded by Islam, and to remain as a subjugated mount for a corrupt insolent tyrant.

The ammunition of a war of ideas differs from that of militarized war. Its ammunition is extensive knowledge of Islam and Muslims. To use such ammunition in new armaments like a written word, a picture, through publishing books, articles, research papers, the internet, radio, TV and the arts. The foot soldiers of this war of ideas are the Muslim scholars, whether extremists, war and terror mongering as on the other side, or peace and reform advocates as in our camp.

The battle field is the one and the same for both; the heart and the mind of the Muslim. We try to teach and inform him with the forgotten principles of Islam, try to win his heart and mind, to reform him peacefully from within Islam, and they try to force upon him, their Wahhabi doctrine, the culture of enslavement, and jihad that they interpret as the killing of the other different in religion or sect. This is evident in the young man whom they arm with their doctrine to become a suicide bomber; they fill his heart with hatred for the other, and the urgency of murdering him, they convince him ,through their Wahhabi or extreme Shiite doctrine to  blow himself up in order to kill the innocent other. In contrast, our war of ideas, tries to convince him from within the Quran, that killing himself and others, is nothing more that utter and absolute enmity to Allah, Glory be to Him, to His messenger and to Islam, and that if he were to commit such an act, he would earn Allah’s wrath, he would be accursed by Allah, and his destination on Judgment day would be eternal hellfire.

Second:  Obstacles in implementing religious freedom in the Arab and Islamic World

There are two obstacles facing this objective: Culture of religious fanaticism, and Tyrannical regimes, which are interconnected. The fanatical religious trend, in its two branches: The pro regime, represented in the religious apparatus or establishment, and the other branch aspiring to gain control of power represented in the Muslim Brotherhood (with their open and secret organizations and sub organizations), persecuting its adversaries in doctrine (Copts, for example in Egypt), its adversaries in sect (like the Shiite, Quranic and Baha’is, in Egypt and Saudi Arabia), Also the Sunnis in Iran. On the other hand, the tyrannical regime tries to outdo the religious fanatics by presenting itself more religious and more extreme judged by prevailing forms of religiosity.

Yet it is in the interest of tyrannical Arab regimes, friendly to the West, to promote and advocate the culture of religious extremism for many reasons:

1-     To scare and alarm the West externally, and the secular, civil organizations internally, about the danger of extremism, and that the regime is the only one capable of confronting, suppressing and eradicating it. For as long as this threat is looming, the regime is the one specialized in dealing with it, which means that it needs this extremism and its religious culture as a justification for its existence. That is why; the system indirectly, promotes and spreads the culture of extremisms, and at the same time, forcefully pursues any militarized attempt that threatens its power. It persecutes any free discourse or debate or discussion of this extremist thought from within Islam, trying to prove its contradiction with its tenets, and that is paramount reason why it persecutes the Quranists.

2-     The extremist religious trend could never make peace with or reconcile itself to democracy, because its political creed is derived from its religious creed which, according to them, states that the ruler has the right and duty to govern in the name of religion. Thereby, it is easier for a tyrant to deal with a tyrannical mentality like that, than having to deal with a democratic mentality that sees the ruler as no more than a servant of the people. Moreover, it is impossible for the Eastern tyrant to reconcile with transparency, since his culture and the culture of traditional religious extremism regard the ruler as possessor of both wealth and power, or as described in traditional terms (He owns the land and what is on it). He does not have a watch dog or an overseer; he is not accountable for what is being collected or what is being spent. In an effort to look good, he resorts to some (democratic cosmetics), making sure that parliaments and houses of representatives behave in a secretarial fashion to his bidding, brought about through fake elections to hoot, holler and dance in his processions. The competing extremists wish for the same things, because they believe they are more deserving of it, the wealth, power and mounting the populace, and why not, since they are seeking it in the name of religion. Considering the compatibility between the tyranny of the regime and the corruption of the extremists, neither one could coexist with Democracy and Transparency that we (The Quranists) advocate and promote, two characteristics of the essence of Islam and its forgotten obligations.

3-     Religious extremism allows the tyrant to play a wider role in sawing the seeds of dissension among the people along religious and sectarian divides. The tyrant strives to turn religious fanaticism into religious conflict and violent acts whereby religious and sectarian minorities become the victims of the religious majority, hence pleading and begging for the tyrant’s protection, who never tries to find permanent and comprehensive solutions, rather superficial band aid measures, to exacerbate and maintain the status quo, at the same time, the fanatical rhetoric is reigning supreme in media, educational and cultural outlets. And as long as the religious fanatical fomenting is producing the desired religious strive, the tyrant is content to have them busy with each other instead of resisting and fighting his oppression. Taking in consideration this political and sometimes militarized conflict between the tyrant and those fanatical extremists seeking to topple him, yet they stand united against religious and political reforms, and against those who promote it. And since religious freedom is the cornerstone in religious reform, it becomes the top of the list in prohibited items with both contestants, the tyrannical ruler and the religious fanatics , and since the tyrant ruler usurps both wealth and power, suffocates reform movements on the inside, then the last resort left for reform and reformers, is the world community, the United Nations and the Unites States of America, through its specialized organizations, most notably of is the American Commission for religious freedom in the World.              

Third: War of Ideas is the solution.

1-     Since militarized wars are impractical and useless in effecting changes in extremist’s religious cultures and in establishing ideas of reforms, the only alternative avenue left available is war of ideas. This type of war benefitted from the transformation of this world into a global village, where vast separating distances are rendered useless, and access to people’s minds and hearts is made simple via satellite TV, Radio and the Internet.

2-     Regrettably, it was the extremists terrorists who initiated the use of war of ideas against America and the West, in the fifties of the twentieth century, followed by the Shiite extremists in 1979, both trends are experts at using the war of ideas in fomenting hatred against the other, and spreading religious fanaticism and extremism. Through this war of ideas, they penetrated America and the West, managed to brainwash the minds of Muslim communities to be used as fifth columns. The rampant diffusion of religious extremism among Muslims in the West is an obvious phenomenon, resulting in terroristic behavior and activities, committed by homegrown civilian and military Muslims, in America and the West, indicating conclusive evidence that those extremist Wahhabis were successful in waging their war of ideas against the West since the fifties.

3-     Therefore, it is expected of the West, especially America, to wage a counter offensive of war of ideas, led by sincere genuine Muslims, loyal to the same values that are shared by Islam and the West, values of freedom of religion, justice, human rights, democracy and religious tolerance; experienced and qualified to defeat those extremists, on intellectual and Islamic grounds, to show and prove in no uncertain means, the contradiction between terrorism, extremism ,and Islamic principles, its creed, its legislation and its moral values. A feat exemplified in and by the Quranists, who have been waging an unabated war of ideas with the Wahhabi extremists since the mid eighties of the last century. They have been so successful at it, that those oppressive suppressive fanatic extremists could not face up to the challenge except through persecution, imprisonment, torture and fatwas of apostasy and bloodletting. The tyrants and the extremists unite in facing the Quranists, since both cannot contend and argue with the Quranists, they resort to available means, which are violence and use of force. Each group uses what he is qualified to use, the Quranists use their knowledge of Islam, their expertise of Islam in combating its adversaries, and the extremists use all their resources, their power, their prestige, unlimited capabilities in persecuting the Quranists, who are devoid of any protection or material resources.          

It is incumbent upon the U.S. and the Quranists to be allies against the common enemy. America should provide the Quranists with adequate protection, adequate support, material and moral, and in turn, the Quranists would dedicate their lives to fighting extremism, intellectually through the Internet, Satellite TV, Media, TV programs and all means of delivering ideas, in all languages spoken by Muslims inside America and outside.

4-     The cost of waging this war in one year is less than what is costing America in one hour in Afghanistan and Iraq. And although the end of the tunnel in both wars is not certain, with all its military expense, yet victory is almost certain in the war of ideas, without shedding any blood or assuming that exorbitant expense.

5-     In reality, the war of ideas is the perfect solution, not only in spreading religious freedom in contrast to extremist’s fanaticism, but also in combating tyranny, by advocating, teaching and spreading the culture of democracy. People have to be exposed to and learn about the benefits of democracy before implementing it. The U.S.A. committed a mistake by using military force in dealing with Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, and before that, in Somalia and Lebanon. A more effective war would have been the war of ideas, backed up by the threat of using military force without actually using it. We have already explained that the war of ideas needs the military might to protect those carrying it out. The weak point with the Quranists, the experts in war of ideas with extremists, is the lack of protection and material resources.

6-     It is regrettable and very unfortunate that America still ignores the Quranist’ struggle in their war of ideas against the extremists.   

It is also regrettable that America, with all its resources, does not have one single website facing or standing up to tens of thousands of websites spewing Al-Qaeda ideology and helping Bin Laden in recruiting foot soldiers, collecting monies, getting aid, training terrorists and preparing suicide bombers.

            It is regrettable that the only website defending America against the extremists is www.ahl-alquran.com                      

It is regrettable that the only Islamic center in America dedicated to combating extremists and extremism through war of ideas, defending the principles and values of Islam, the same as America’s, is the International Quranic Center, a not for profit American center, located in the state of Virginia, with tax deduction status for donations and contributions. With its tremendous positive reputation throughout the Muslim World, as the leader of the Quranic movement, and as the overseer of the website, yet both entities have been met with total indifference by the Administration and its policymaker, this despite of all the attempts and efforts we have pursued since 2002.

All that the Quranists in America and in the West have been accorded was few lines in the annual report about religious freedom and human rights, that they were persecuted, but no reference to the cause of this persecution; their struggle in defending freedoms and higher values, and their opposition to tyranny and oppression.

This American position of indifference towards the Quranists, their struggle and their war of ideas against the extremists, beginning in June 2002 and until today (June 7^th 2010), deserves an analysis; we will give it a year’s time to deliver, if we were still alive.

During President Bush’s administration, I managed to introduce my plans for War of Ideas to the inner circle of decision makers at the White House…then I lost hope.

Now at the time of writing this article, Wednesday July 14^th 2010, words about my plans for War of Ideas have reached the inner circle of President Obama, and as it happened with Bush’s administration, I have not received a response. During Bush’s administration, some of his aids met up with me and listened to my proposal. This has not happened yet with any of president Obama’s aids.

But I am still hopeful, based on President Obama’s openness and his acceptance of new ideas. No matter how hard it is to get to the President personally, I am still hopeful. And in order for this hope not to be in vain, I am willing to wait another year, for President Obama‘s administration to take a decision. After that, I will be writing an analysis of both, President Obama’s administration and the refusal of America to engage in a war of ideas, after a fruitless struggle that lasted more than 10 years.

In one of my letters to the President, that I have received no reply for, I stated:

How long will it take to convince America to help us in defeating Al-Qaida and other terrorists in the war of ideas?

•           How many thousands of lives and thousand of billions America will lose until the American policy makers will be convinced to wage war of ideas?

•           Who will be responsible for this wasting of money and lives?

            In a year’s time I will write my testimony for posterity, if I don’t receive the desired reply.

In conclusion:

At any rate, recommendations to policymakers remain as follow:

1-You cannot separate advocating for religious freedom among Muslims from advocating for democracy, freedom in general and justice, without opposing religious fanaticism and political oppression. It is all in one reformation entity that cannot be split.

2- This necessitates the employment of war of ideas instead of military war alone.

3-Utilizing a war of ideas requires a change in the mentality of the American decision makers. It also requires a fundamental change in the core of the American policy, centered on the friendship of America with the Arab people, rather than with few oppressive hated and despised individuals, shifting from allying itself with a bunch of criminals to the respect and admiration of vast number of people. Those criminals should be brought to justice, to be tried as war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity, human rights organizations, whether American or international, along with the united Nations, attest to that fact. How can the U.S.A. deal with them as true genuine presidents and monarchs? How can it deal with Mubarak in the same fashion as it deals with the French President? How can it deal with Abdullah, the Jordanian and the Saudi versions, the same way it deals with constitutional monarchs of Europe? There is a humungous difference between a president elected by his people to be their servant, and a ruler who oppresses and suppresses his people, uses torture to subjugate and terrorizes them, transforms his country into a big prison, and fills it with hidden mass graveyards.

America’s alliance with those criminals is against its short and long term interests,( a subject deserving of  a more in detail analysis), it is not only against American values and against the spirit of the American constitution, it is contradictory to the American slogan, learnt by every American child, and sung  every morning at school while saluting the flag…and justice for all.

The painful reality is that with all the changes in conditions abound, America did not change its old worn policy with Arabs and Muslims since the cold war, a good reason why America’s Policy is met with failure there, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Palestine, etc..etc…Even internally, Al-Hurrah TV channel (which means, The Free Channel), aimed at Arab speaking people, to promote freedom and democracy in the Arab World, is utter failure, because it takes into consideration the interests of Arab governments, and ignores the Arab Man , even the whole Arab People, and pays them no mind. Why? Because it follows the dictates of the American policy, and forgets about being (Free) as its name indicates.

As a symptom of this perpetual American policy failure, is the aid it bestowed on Mubarak in Egypt, what amounts to over 100 billion dollars in assistance, who used it to direct his people’s sense of failure and their anger towards America, instead the rightful target; himself. Hatred for America increased directly proportionate to the level of monies America spent on Mubarak and his corrupt cronies, monies went directly to his and his aid’s bottomless pockets…..Then the Americans foolishly wonder: Why do they hate us?

The answer is two pronged…we keep emphasizing:

1-     You are fighting a military war in fields that are better suited for war of ideas.

2-     You are allying yourselves with the biggest enemy of the people: The Arab Tyrant. A carnivore, who in order to stay in power relies on 4 legs:

A-A monopoly of unlimited military and police forces, and directing them ruthlessly against defenseless people

B-Continuation of Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict….unresolved

C- Unabated growth and intensity of terror tide.

D-Unconditional support of America for Tyrants

  Examples of our proposals of war of ideas:

 As just examples, I present here three of our proposals in war of ideas, were sent to whom it may concern in the American policy makers.

Making America the super power in war of ideas in minimum cost

First:

The mission::

1- Promoting the American image in the Muslim World.

2-Win the war of ideas against the radical Muslims

3-Reforming Muslim World to accept democracy peacefully

4-Reform the American Muslims to defend America in the name of Islam

5- Recruiting the open minded Muslims to work with us in this mission.

Second:

How? By:

(A) - Network of Arabic web sites on line to handle Online War of Ideas to defeat the terrorism and promote the American Image in the Muslim world.

It will explore, analyze and combat the radical Muslim web sites on line.

(B)  Conferences to reform Muslim World in these fields:

1- Reforming the Muslim communities in the U.S by:

*-Reforming mosque in the U.S to defend America in the name of Islam not to insult America by misusing Islam

*-Reforming the Islamic schools in the U.S

*-Reforming the research centers of Islam in the American academia to discuss Wahabism and face its terrorism and extremism.

2- Constitutional and Legislative Reforms in the Arab and Muslim World, such as:

*-Reforming of the Elections Law in the Arab World

*-Reforming the laws of Liberties:

*-Reforming the Criminal Law in the Arab legislation

*- Leading an effort to convince the Islamic world to accept Universal Declaration of Human Rights as Islamic law according to the real core of Islam

.

3- In the field of education:

*-Reforming Al-Azhar:

*- Reforming Higher Education in the Arab World starting with Egypt

 * -Discussion of the International Human Rights Charters in the Light of Islam

(c) Independent T.V channel and company to produce programs and drama to reach and undeceive the silent Muslim majority ( more than one billion people)

( D ) High Islamic institute in which open minded Imams will be graduated to undeceive the American Muslims.

Finally:The Quranists can do it with minimum costs

The Quranists are the pro American Muslim scholars who are represented by theInternational Quranic Center (IQC).

War of ideas has its unique aspects. Its battle field is the mentality of Muslims in the entire World. It needs ammunitions, weapons and professional soldiers.

The Quranists are the professional soldiers. They have the 30 years expertise and the sincere commitment.

The Quranists have also the ammunitions which is the Islamic and the Muslim knowledge.

The Quranists are professional experts in producing articles, researches, books from this knowledge. They are also experts in dramatizing their knowledge and in making T.V programs. Drama and T.V programs are the most effective ammunitions in the war of ideas.

The only aspect that the Quranists need is the weapons of war of ideas. These weapons are company of producing drama and free independent T.V channels that can reach the entire Muslim World.

The Quranists are working in dramatizing their knowledge since 1977. They have more than 20 scripts ready for producing now. The Quranists can provide this proposed company of movies for decades. The same is in T.V programs.

It is not impossible to establish a company and T.V channels that produce the scripts and TV programs.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/sep/26/anti-al-qaeda-base-envisioned/

What can the Quranists do in war of ideas against terrorism?

Initiative (1): Online War of Ideas to defeat the terrorism and promote the American Image in the Muslim world

Generally: This aims to:

*Analyze, Detect, and fight the extremist culture of terrorism inside the US and abroad.

*Understanding the culture behind terrorism and fighting it from inside Islam.

*Waging the War of Fatwa against them

*Translating and countering the Arabic fanatic websites to the Americans policy makers.

Briefly: It’s to explore & Action together.

To explore the battle field to analyze and detect the Arabic fanatic websites, sort them, know how they brainwash the young Muslims and prepare them to be suicide bombers, how they recruit them, and how they raise fund. To find the best way to defeat them and how to deal with “Al Fatwa”- the verdict or the rule given by the Sheikh – as the most dangerous weapon against them. Also, it is very important to expose the so – called moderate Muslims and sheikhs - who have two discourses, who are deceiving the West and the U.S, while they are working for the terrorism.

In details: This needs four professional groups:

1. Survey Group:

The mission of this group is to survey all the Arabic sites on line and sort them out in different categories.  The group will begin by establishing the criteria that define each site and divide them accordingly. The Arab religious sites have different kinds of moderate and fanatic sites and others in between. They are also having different sects and cults and many lines inside each. It is very important to define the differences between the frank sites belong to Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, and the so – called moderate sites, which are more dangerous than Al Qaeda because it have two discourses.

There are also the fanatic secular sites. They are owned by communists and leftists and the Arab fanatic nationalists who are against America and Israel. There are some Arabic sites that are owned by ex- communists who become Muslim brothers. Their discourse is not pure religious but it is strong and very active in fabricating lies and rumors to tarnish the American image.

Finally, there are neutral Arabic sites and other sites which have not decided its goals.

This first group makes this survey and continues its work dealing with any new Arabic site appears on line, and updates the new sites and the new changes inside the famous sites. This group has to educate other group the criterion that defines the fanatic terrorist Arabic website, the different categories of the fanatic Arabic websites according to this definition, the possibility of getting information about the terrorists from these websites and the professional high tech used in these websites.

2_: Investigation Group:

The mission of this group is to investigate the entire fanatic and the so – called moderate Muslim sites.  There are websites seems to be moderates, have nothing to do with the political discourse, concentrating on the religious issues only. For the ordinary Muslim, they seem just religious websites, so they have a millions of partisans. Actually, they are the most dangerous sites. They use the religious tradition to prepare the ordinary Muslim to be fanatic, and then he may become suicide bomber after that.

The most famous moderate web site is Islam online, owned and controlled by Sheikh Al Qaradawy, the spiritual leader of Muslim Brothers. This so – called Moderate Sheikh has a famous bloody fatwa calling to kill all American civilians in Iraq. It is a must to face it and to analyze it.

The Saudis have the biggest number of the fanatic web sites in different discourses. There are the official sheikhs who attack Ben Laden and defending the Saudi Kingdom while they are upholding the same faith and same belief of Ben Laden. There are the sites of some Sheikhs like Salman Al Ouda and Safar Al Hawaly who were against the Saudi regime and put in prison, then were released in one condition: not to attack the Saudi State. Accordingly, they ignore the Saudi policy but focus on attacking the West and the U.S and encouraging the terrorists every where.

Other Saudi oppositions in London have their own websites attacking the Saudi family and the U.S together and encouraging the war against the West. Al Mas’ary and Al Fakeeh are good example for this category. London has many other fanatic Muslims who have famous web sites attacking the Arabic regimes and the U.S and the West. Many of these fanatic websites talk in behalf of Ben Laden, while some of them attack Ben Laden but preaching the same bloody religious culture of Ben Laden but in different tunes and different accents.

All of this jungle of sites has to be investigated thoroughly in order to analyze all the details, especially how they brainwash the young Muslims and prepare them to be suicide bombers, how they recruit them, and how they raise fund, and how to face them.

3- Fatwas Groups

This group is going to be specialized in the new kind of the war of ideas (war of Fatwa).  Fatwa is the religious verdict said by the high leveled Muslim scholars in the past, or in our time. The fatwa controls the daily life of the religious Sunni or Shiites Muslims. The fanatic Wahhabists and Shiites are using the fatwa calling for violence in the name of the Islamic Jihad, so, by their fatwa many of Muslims become suicide bombers. The fatwa issued by Al Qaradawy to kill the civilian Americans in Iraq has encouraged many of the so- called moderate Sunni Muslims to fight all the Americans and it has also endangered the American lives in any Muslim country.

This group (Squad of Fatwa attack) has to face this war of fatwa in many ways, includes, but not limited on:

• Discuss the fanatic fatwas proving the contradiction between them and the Islamic laws.
• Prove the contradiction between Islam and the sacred Sunni and Shiites scriptures of the Middle Ages, which are the resources of the fatwas for the fanatic sheikhs in our time.
• Writing articles to ridicule these old and recent fatwas.
• Prove and highlight the contradictions among the fanatic fatwas, using the continuous debate among the old Imams, and also the same dispute among the sheikhs of our time. This will undermine their credit.
• Issuing a real Islamic fatwas that excommunicate Ben Laden, his people and the so – called moderate as well.
• Prove the other side of the fanatic Shiekhs who seem saints while they are corrupted and very mean. This will undermine their fatwas.
• Restore the old Fatwas of the respectable open minded Muslim scholars in the middle ages which contradict the fanatic Imams and their fatwas.

Some official sheikhs give fatwas to justify the political interests of the regime. This is usually done specially in all Muslim World, especially in the Saudi Kingdom and Egypt. This reflects the enmity between these regimes and Muslim Brothers. So, so – called moderate sheikhs have to issue fatwas to condemn some terrorist crime done by Ben Laden and others. These temporary fatwas contradict other fatwas they issued and contradict the old fatwas of their old sacred imams of the middle ages. The group can use this in fighting them back.

4 -Daily Guards Groups:

This group will search all the Arabic sites to defend America. Some of this team will comment on every thing said about America to clear the American image. Other will write article to support the American policy. They will prove that the real enemy to the Arabs and Muslims are not the U.S and Israel. It is the local dictators and the fanatic Wahhabists and Muslim Brothers. They will also make a comparison between the American values and the Arabic Muslim dictators, and how the American Muslim Community enjoys the freedom of belief and speech in America while there is no freedom in the Muslim World. They also will prove to the Muslim World that the American values are the same original Islamic values of justice, freedom and tolerance and loving humanity. This does not mean the American foreign policy has not big mistakes. It has but they are brave enough to admit it and correct it while every Muslim dictator punishes any one who dares to oppose him.

Initiative (2): Conferences to understand reform and recruit

Conferences to call for peaceful reform and to explore real reforming Muslims and:

1- Reforming the Muslim communities in the U.S by:

*-Reforming mosque in the U.S to defend America in the name of Islam not to insult America by misusing Islam

*-Reforming the Islamic schools in the U.S

*-Reforming the research centers of Islam in the American academia to discuss Wahabism and face its terrorism and extremism.

2- Constitutional and Legislative Reforms in the Arab and Muslim World:

*- Leading conference for measuring the level of Infiltration of Wahabism in Egyptian Education and Society

*-Reforming of the Elections Law in the Arab World

*-Reforming the laws of Liberties:

*-Reforming the Criminal Law in the Arab legislation

*- Leading an effort to convince the Islamic world to accept Universal Declaration of Human Rights as Islamic law according to the real core of Islam: By doing so, these resolutions could be the main source of legislation in Muslim countries instead of Islamic Jurisprudence, which actually means the fanatic Wahabi legislations.

3- In the field of education:

*-Reforming Al-Azhar:

To reform the Arabs and the Egyptians, it is imperative to reform Al-Azhar. To do so, it is essential to reform Al-Azhar basic law and its educational programs.

 Al-Azhar is the oldest educational institution in the world. It is over thousand years old. It includes seven universities in Egypt and it has its own educational system from the elementary level to the Secondary level. Al-Azhar wields huge authority on the religious life in Egypt from the mosques to the religious and educational programs in press and drama. It is as the Vatican status for one and quarter billion people.

*- Reforming Higher Education in the Arab World starting with Egypt

Reforming the Religious Education Material:

Deploy alternative religious syllabuses that emphasize the human rights and democracy:                       

Reforming the History Material

Reforming the National Education Material

Discussion of the International Human Rights Charters in the Light of Islam.

Recruitment:

During these conferences:

*Recruiting and organizing the secular and other open minded Muslim scholars and their web sites to be in our side against the terrorism. *Incorporate Muslim moderates who struggle against the Wahabists monopoly over the Internet in the US administration’s effort to promote the American Image in the Muslim world.

* Undeceiving scholars and activists who still have bad feeling against the U.S.

* Convert and undeceiving the soft lines among the radical Muslims.

Initiative (3): Writing T.V programs (in brief):

To use the T.V satellites as weapons against the radical Muslims and to promote the American image

In case if we have a free independent T.V channel and company to produce and broadcast program that achieves: 

1. Reform and Introducing Reform by education
2. Improving the Image of America in the Arab World
3. Genuine competition to Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel.

The scope of these programs is in the following areas:

First: Reform:

1. Constitutional Reform:
2. Reforming Al-Azhar:
3. Reforming Higher Education in the Arab World starting with Egypt
   1. Concepts Correction:
   2. Reforming the Religious Education Material:
   3. Deploy alternative religious syllabuses that emphasize the human rights and democracy:    
   4. Reforming the History Material:
   5. Reforming the National Education Material:
   6. Discussion of the International Human Rights Charters in the Light of Islam:
4. Legislative Reforms in the Arab World:

1. Reforming of the Elections Law in the Arab World:
2. Reforming the laws of Liberties:
3. Reforming the Criminal Law in the Arab legislation:
4. Reforming the Islamic Societies in America:

1.     Reforming the mosque to defend America in the name of Islam

2.     Reforming the Islamic schools.

3.     Reforming the research centers of Islam in the American academia. This is essential to discuss Wahhabism and face its terrorism and extremism.

Second Reform: Here in the USA: This reform has two parts:

First: American Part: This part depends on descriptive non-critique programs. It includes an informative description of America for the Arab viewer from old and contemporary history. Also, recognizing the American geography and philanthropy. This shall provide documentary movies after translating them to Arabic and give explanations suitable to the Arab viewer perception to satisfy his eagerness about the America: the dreamland.

Here are some details:

1. The indigenous inhabitants of the new world and their origin.
2. The old civilizations in the Americas before the Geographic expeditions.
3. The original geographic explorations, their motives, Christopher Columbus, the Spanish expansion, European competition in settlements between Spain and Portugal, the French and English conflict and their competitions and wars with the indigenous populations, the importing of   Negros from Africa, the revolutionary War, Civil War, Monroe Doctrine, American social conflicts that gave women the right to vote and the civil rights movement, League of Nations, United Nations, Vietnam’s War, Iraq’s War,..etc.
4. Major American landmarks such as the American Constitution, the Presidents, Type of Government, Congress, Supreme Court, Hollywood, economy, American society… and so on.

Second Part: Arab Americans: This part concentrates on the Arab Americans and includes the following topics:

1. The beginning of the Arab migration to USA and its relation with the Christian massacres in Levant in the middle of the 19^th century.
2.  The most dominate nationalities of Arab immigrants.
3. Distinctive Arab intellectuals in America.
4. Diaspora Arab poets in North & South America.
5. The current distribution of Arab population in America.
6. The Arab & Islamic Museums in America.
7. The departments of Arabic & Islamic Studies in American Universities.
8. American Embassies in the Arab countries and the Arab embassies in America.
9. Type of visas for American entry.
10. Lottery system.

The third subject: The Victims in the Arab World:

The sympathy of “al-Horrah” Freedom channel with the victims in the Arab World would increase its respect with the number of those victims and the sympathizers with them. The programs here are varieties depend upon the situation of the victims, for example:

• The victims of torture in the police stations.
• The victims of the psychological torture because of terrorism.
• The victims of torture because of opinion and belief.
• Victims of torture for no reason.
• Most famous cases of torture.
• Torture cases in courts.
• Most famous accused torturers
• Treatment of torture victims
• Most famous Centers for treatment of torture victims.
• Most famous websites that expose the torture practice.

The Fourth Subject: Free Tour in the Arab Art:

Arab Cinema and Television

• Discussion of Censorship in light of freedom of opinion.
• Most distinctive victims of censorship of Arabic films.
• Most famous Arab directors and analysis of their works.
• Most famous stunts/extras.
• Genius Arab actors disappeared early in their careers.
• Famous Arab documents and their directors. 
• Movies with history in the Arab Egyptian cinema.
• Political opportunism in the Arab cinema.
• Wahhabi effect on critique writing for Arab and Egyptian Cinema.
• Egyptian cinema industry between the foreign production and Arab brilliance.
• Brief history of Arab & Egyptian cinema.

 The Fifth Subject: The Enlightened Arabic Heritage:

Regrettably, Wahhabism reverted the modern Arab and Moslem life back to the worst and bloodiest extreme dogmas and beliefs in the age of human rights and democracy. More regrettably, Wahhabis is a mere school of thoughts belongs to the Sunni sect. However, it monopolized not only the Sunni sect, but also the whole Islam and Moslems.

In fact, the medieval had witnessed many Islamic sects that were more civilized than the contemporary Wahhabism. There was a reform movement that called for human rights. It’s imperative to shed the light on such movements after the Wahhabis tried to overshadow them.

This subject shall handle these dogmas and their patrons who called for liberty and human rights like Abu Haneefah and Mohammad Abdo who was the most famous reformer. He died a hundred years ago and tried to reform Al-Azhar. He also founded a first civil party that separated religion from politics. This subject shall also demonstrate the most important books that were written by this enlightened group and discuss them based on our time requirements and convention. Some of these scripts were ahead of their time such as the books of Al-Jahedh in Abbasid, Ibn Khaldoun Epilogue in Mamluk and the books of Taha Hussein, Ahmad Amin, Sheikh Shaltout and Mohammad Abdo in the last century. It’s also possible to produce documentaries about these personalities and discuss the subject after viewing the films.

This subject can include Arabic anecdotes either old from the heritage books or new from whatever published on the Internet. It’s possible to produce them as short documentaries and comment on them later.

Initiative (4): Writing drama for T.V and theaters

To use the drama and movies as weapons against the radical Muslims and to promote the American image.

In case if we have a company to produce and broadcast drama.

The silent Muslim majority get their knowledge from mosques and T.V drama. The fanatic Sunni and Shiites Muslim leaders usually use drama to brainwash this silent Muslim majority. Our mission is to use drama to undeceive this silent Muslim majority. By this drama, we can reach all the Muslims in the entire world, if we produce it subtitled with all Muslim languages.

The Quranists are experts in writing drama. They have written more than 22 scenarios which are ready to be produced now, beside new ideas for drama that can provide the proposed company for many years. Of course the Arabic censorship refuses the Quranist’s drama writings.

The drama written by the Quranists covers three fields:

1- Muslim history and Muslim tradition that discuss and expose – directly and indirectly – the sacred secret side of the fanatic tradition.

2- Current Muslim life – especially in the Arab World - to discuss the prohibited fields in Arabic drama, religion and politics.

3 – The real life of the Muslim communities in the U.S in many aspects, like their religious life, their different sects and cults and their relationship with Americans and with the fanatic extreme leaders inside U.S.

It is easy to establish that company to produce and distribute this drama as a business and as a mission.

But if there is not such company

Sooner or later, Islam and Muslims will be the main topic for the American drama. The Quranist’s drama writings are available for any company from now. The American support is needed here. It is not difficult to marketing these scenarios in Hollywood and New York.

My Testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee

Washington, D.C.

October 25, 2005

Introduction

 For more than two decades, this witness, as a writer has struggled in his home country in discussing the untouchable side of Muslim tradition in order to reform the religious Muslim life to confirm and to conform to the real Islamic values of peace, justice, tolerance and freedom of speech and belief. This has angered the hardest line of Sunni Muslim sect; known as Wahabi cult, or the fanatic Muslims. Finally, the writer had to escape to the U.S to practice his freedom of speech and belief, and to make his religious knowledge available to benefit those who may be concerned.

Coming to the U.S, and finding the Islamic schools influenced by the Wahabi fanatic culture, has been a great disappointment. The efforts to publicize the writer’s teachings and his articles are generally opposed by the well-trenched Muslim institutions in the US, namely the mosques and other centers. The writer has very similar experience in Egypt, when he tried to reform the religious courses in general education in Egypt through Ibn Khaldoun Center in Cairo. The project was confiscated in Egypt by the pressure of the Wahabi influence.  Despite the tremendous differences in the societies of Egypt and the US, the writer sees the same problem here in the Islamic mosques and schools. 

Working on one year’s visiting fellowship at Harvard Law School, Human Rights Program, the writer intends to dedicate his time in research  to reform the religious teachings in Islamic schools in the U.S with the original pure teachings of the Quran and Islam which happen to be in conformity with the Western and American values highlighting basic Human Rights.

, The writer has moved to Alexandria VA, to seek needed support in his struggle for theses needed reforms in the religious education and training of Muslims. After moving to VA, the writer helped some brave Americans in Boston in their struggle against the fanatic Wahabists in their mosque

The writer is honored by giving this testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee Judiciary Committee.

To make the respected members of this committee easily understand the gist of my testimony, I will give this testimony in a question and answer format.

The First part: The Wahabism and the Saudi State

1- Does Wahabism represent Islam officially?

No. No one particular group of Muslims can claim official representation of Islam. The religion of Islam is represented only by the Quran. All Muslims believe in the Quran as the official (and final) word of God for this world.

2- Do Wahabists represent all Muslims?

No, Muslims now are in three traditional sects: The Sunni sect, the Sufi sect and the Shiites. The Sunni sect is the most fanatic sect among them. The Wahabists belong to the fanatic Sunni sect.

3- Do Wahabists represent the entire Sunni Muslim sect?

No, the Sunni sect has four schools. The most fanatic Sunni school is Hanbelah. The Wahabists belong to this Hanbelah Sunni School.

4- Do Wahabists represent the entire Hanbelah School?

No, they belong to the hardest line among the Hanbelah School. This hardest line named Ibn Taymeya groups.

5- Do Wahabists represents the entire Ibn Taymeyah groups? 

No, they are the most fanatic group among the followers of Ibn Taymeyah.  They are a very minute but most fanatic Sunni cult within the group.

6- If they are such a minute cult, why do they wield so much power?

Because they are backed by one of the most oil-rich monarchies in the world today: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

7- Is there a conflict between the modern intellectual Muslims and the traditional Wahabi sect?

To understand this dilemma in the Muslim world, let us bear in mind that there are now more than one billion Muslims, spread all across the globe. Most of them (>80%) are non-Arab and constitute a silent majority. Nearly half of the present Muslim population (approx. half billion) live in the Indian subcontinent of India, Pakistan and Bangla Desh. Indonesia constitute another big chunk of the Muslims. Egypt is the largest Arab Muslim nation.

Due to the wide spread illiteracy of eth general Muslim population in the Muslim lands, the religious Muslim scholars and sheikhs, numbering not more than just few thousands; wield tremendous power over the masses. These “scholars” popularly known as Imams, seem to fall under two main categories: 1- the anti- Western (and now more so anti- American) including the fanatic Wahabists, and  2- The Quranic intellectual Muslims who tend to admire the West (and America) for its achievements and for what it stands for society. They believe in Islam as the religion of peace, tolerance, freedom of speech, with core democratic principles for justice and human rights for all subjects.

These two groups are locked in a struggle against each other for the support of the Muslim silent majority. In this fight for survival, the Wahabists have the tremendous advantage of unlimited monetary help and more support from the Saudi Kingdom.  On the other hand, the so-called Quranic scholars, who being a minority to begin with, generally find themselves helpless in the entire Muslim World. Even with their small numbers, they are considered a big threat by the majority Wahabi-influences Muslim clerics and their backers. The leaders of the Quranic groups were persecuted and all of them are under the pressure of these terrorists and the dictators in Muslim lands. For their very survival they need protection and support to carry out their “Jihad Against Terrorism”.

8- How to understand the root causes of this evil known today as “Wahabism”

The Saudi State was established three times and was destroyed twice in recent history.

The initial process of the first Saudi State began in 1745, when Ibn Abdel Wahab, the zealot Sunni scholar, revolting against the Sufi and Shiite Muslims in the 18th.century, had formed an alliance with Ibn Saud, the prince of Al Dare’iah in Najd, north of the Arabian Peninsula. According to this agreement, the Saudi Prince was given the religious justification to conquer his neighbors and occupy their lands under the banner of Jihad. This sowed the seeds for the Wahabi cult in the first Saudi State.

Generating its Wahabi dogma from the hardest line of the Sunni tradition, the first Saudi State used the name of Islam and Jihad to occupy most of the Arabian Peninsula and to invade and massacre the Shiites and Sufi Muslims in Iraq and Syria. The helpless and dwindling Ottoman Empire of that time asked its strong ruler of Egypt; Mohammed Ali Pasha to eliminate the Saudi Wahabi danger. After seven years of hard battles, Mohammed Ali was finally able to destroy the first Saudi State and its capital in 1818.

9- Did the defeat of the Saudi State in 1818 eliminate the Wahabi faith?

No. On the contrary, the Military solution against the first Saudi State apparently helped the Wahabi faith to learn an important lesson. While the Turkish military uprooted the first Saudi State, but it gave the Wahabis  more strength and determination to help the broken Saudi house to reestablish their second state in Najd for some decades in the 19th century.

Due to the absence of strong Islamic ideology during that time to counter the emerging Wahabi doctrine from inside Islam, the Wahabi teachings spread unopposed in the heart of Muslims even in the absence of a well-defined Saudi State itself.

Moreover, their military defeat had made the Wahabi scholars become more determined in their extreme ideology. 

10 –What is the role of Wahabism help in reestablishing the current Saudi State?

The second Saudi State collapsed because of inner military conflicts.

Abdel Aziz, [Ibn Saud] is the founder of the current third Saudi State by his tough wild Wahabist followers named Al Ikhwan; or “Brothers”.

Those ardent fanatic Wahabi soldiers[ Ikhwan] helped Abdel Aziz in reestablishing his Saudi State, [1914 – 1925] which was called [The Saudi Kingdom ] in 1932.

The wild tough Bedouins of [Ikhwan] were inculcated with Wahabi dogma as real and forgotten Islam which should be applied by their swords and military Jihad.

After adding Al Hejaz and the Muslim Sacred Mosques, the Ikhwan continued their military conquests by invading Iraq and Syria where they committed many massacres. It was against the will of the mighty British Empire and its interests and allies. Abdel Aziz refused to defy the greatest power in the world to keep his new state secure.

This apparent conflict between the Saudi political authority and its religious Wahabi hierarchy, was absent during the first Saudi State. The tough soldiers of Al Ikhwan, believed in the continuous military Jihad and condemning Abdel Aziz and accused him to be friend of the idol worshippers [the other Muslims] and the infidels, [the British]. They had a strong Wahabi argument against Abdel Aziz who tried to eliminate this dissension by some of his other religious official scholars, who were unable to help him against the basic teachings of their sacred old masters ; Ibn Abdel Wahab and the oldest Imams; Ibn Taymeya and Ibn Hanbal.

11- How could Abdel Aziz solve this problem ?

Abdel Aziz’s policy was mainly aimed at the protection of his state, rather than reform the Wahabi faith. This has created the problems and the resultant bloodsheds extending to our present times, manifested by the emergence of leaders like Bin Laden.

12- This needs more explanation.

It was clear that the Wahabi doctrine needed reform in the 20th century, but the helpless non-Wahabi Saudi scholars found themselves incompetent for such an important task. So the peaceful political efforts of continuous conference in Riyadh on 1927 and 1928, failed to avoid the military conflict.

Abdel Aziz had to fight his own brothers [Ikhwan], defeating them militarily in 1929, but he could not defeat their extreme religious beliefs, nor could he reform them. Leaving this problem unsolved until now, makes the Saudi State, the core of extremism and fanaticism for the entire Muslim World, including the Western World as well.

Abdel Aziz had another problem in protecting his new state from its enemies, the Shiite Muslims around his borders in Iran, Iraq, Syria and in Yemen, and inside his state, in its eastern part and in Al Hejaz. He planned to convert the Muslims around his state from Sufism to the Wahabi faith. He concentrated first on Egypt and India where there were a big Muslim Sunni masses suffering from the British colonization and who would find solace in the Wahabi doctrine to provide religious motive for revolt against the occupiers of their lands. He acted on his plan as soon as he established full control over Al Hejaz and its sacred mosques and hence the Muslim pilgrimage. This gave the Saudi State a control over the religious heart and nerve center for the entire Muslim World.

So as early as 1928 the Muslim Brotherhood organization was created in Egypt by Hassan El Banna and his Spiritual master Rasheed Reda, an agent of Saudi Abdel Aziz in Egypt.

Between 1928- 1948, Hassan El Banna established some fifty thousand branches of the Muslim Brotherhood all across Egypt, besides many international collaborators and the secret military organizations. Muslim Brotherhood orchestrated the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, which changed the history of Middle East. After that conflict between the Brotherhood and Nasser the leader of the Revolution (1952), most of the Muslim Brotherhood members escaped from prosecution to Saudi State, their spiritual home. They finally returned to Egypt in the time of Al Sadat (1970’s) who gave them controlling authority in Egyptian religious and educational  life. They used their influence to create their public and secret organizations to take over Egypt, and in turn assassinated Al Sadat himself in 1981.  Finally, the Egyptian Muslim Brothers produced two famous leaders, Sheikh Omer Abdel Rahman, currently imprisoned in the U.S and Ayman Al Zawahery, the right hand of Bin Laden, beside Mohammed Atta the leader of the attack of September 11. Muslim Brotherhood and its public and secret organization are some of the bad fruits of the policies of Abdel Aziz.

13- Besides Egypt and the Middle East, what were the effects of this fanatical policy in the India subcontinent?

It was relatively easy for Abdel Aziz to force his doctrine in recruiting Indian Muslims who were against the British and other majority of their Indian people; they found in the Wahabi faith a religious justification to revolt against their British masters and other Indians, sowing the seeds for the division of the great Indian state and its people into two countries, creating Pakistan, which has been one of the greatest calamities of the 20th century.

Pakistan by the help of the Saudi State and its Islamic university in Islam Abad and its [Madrassas ] or Islamic primary schools, created Taliban, who took over Afghanistan subsequent to Russian departure in 1989. The problem of Taliban in Afghanistan still persisting despite their military route by the US in 2001. 

14- Is Abdel Aziz, the founder of the current Saudi State and the father of the current Saudi king Abdullah, mainly responsible for all the ills of Wahabism we face today?

Yes.

Instead of up-dating and reforming the Wahabi faith after his clash with his [Ikhwan], Abdel Aziz preferred to export the Wahabi cult in its original Middle-Age teachings to the Muslim world creating religious bloody conflicts and turmoil from Algeria to Indonesia and from Sudan to Russia, and finally to the West and the U.S.

His sons are keeping his policy until now.  They have steadfastly refused any political reform entering the kingdom, either coming from the West or from within Islam. Moreover, they continue to use their influence in persecuting any Muslim thinker and scholar if he dares to counter their Wahabi dogmatic culture.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the time for true reform for Muslims, for their own safety and the safety of the entire word and civilized society.

It is also time to realize that while some battles may be won by military force in select places, this ideological war between the U.S and the Wahabism will have to be won by the Quranic Muslims who are pro Americans. Empowerment of such Muslims is therefore the need of the hour.

The Second Part: The bad results of the Wahabism

1- Does the Saudi State still uphold its founder’s policies?

 Do they seem to care about the world’s  concerns for reforming their primitive society?

Yes and No.

After the death of the Saudi founder Abdel Aziz, his sons have maintained their absolute grip on power by relying on the Wahabi doctrine. This hypocritical approach has been boosted by their new-found oil wealth and their eager enthusiasm to make Saudi Arabia as the leader of the entire Muslim World. The U.S – because of its political and economical interest in the region inadvertently provided a moral support for the Saudi policy. Moreover, the Western nations including the US have continued to provide facilities to the Saudis to create the Islamic Centers inside the West to spread the Wahabi dogma as the real religion of Islam, and gave them the opportunity to mislead and misguide the Muslim communities in the West.

Although the oil wealth has given the Saudis the ability to modernize the material life, their religious, social and cultural lives are still controlled by the fanatic Wahabi dogma. This apparent contradiction between the Middle-Aged fanatic teachings and their government’s policies of allying with the infidel West (according to the Wahabi doctrine) has caused increasing resentments among the new brand of radical Muslims, typified by the likes of Bin Laden.

2- How significant is the Saudi State problem in dealing with its own extreme Wahabists, in becoming a victim of its own policies?

It is extremely big.

Trying to keep the Wahabi teachings intact under the rising tide of radicalism and discontentment against government policies makes the Saudi State a prime target from these radical religious factions.

On the first day opening the 15th century of the Muslim calendar [November 22, 1979] some of these fanatic Wahabists, lead by Johayman, laid a siege on the Sacred Mosque of Mecca dooming the Saudi State to seek military help from their Western allies (the infidels). This in turn gave the ultra Wahabists an ax to grind claiming that the Saudi State is anti Islam. As expected, the Saudi authorities used their borrowed military power to eliminate Johayman and his group while its official religious scholars were - and still are - unable to rebut Johayman’s arguments.

3- What is the level of current opposition groups within the kingdom?

Besides the Kingdom itself, the U.S and the entire World have to deal with the current Saudi opposition which produced the likes of Ben Laden. The current Wahabi opposition- born after the first Gulf war in 1992 – includes many different intellectuals with different backgrounds; most of them have graduated from the Western universities but still maintain their fanatical and extreme Wahabi views.

4- What is the effect of Wahabism on the Arab World?

The Arab World is the first victim of the Wahabi culture.

The medium of dictatorship has generally supported in the spread of the cancer of Wahabi Faith around Arab Muslim World.

Democracy is the forgotten Islamic virtue, a dirty word allied with the infidel West, but the Wahabi faith gives the Muslim dictator unlimited political power in accordance with the Middle aged political culture. The Saudi royal family could not let go of the monarchy to face any democratic aspirations of its people to hold on to their absolute power. However, the current neo Wahabi opposition while believing in absolute authority of the Muslim ruler or [the Caliph] is in conflict with the Saudi regime as the real enemy of Islam. These extremists, allied with Muslim Brothers around the world are condemning the military despotic regimes, as the followers of the [infidel West]. Their aim is to take over the political power and establish theocratic regimes. So the irony is that while the political oppositions around the world uphold democracy and human rights, the  Wahabi political oppositions inside Muslim World are against the [Infidel  West] FOR its democratic culture and their total rejection of all non-Muslims.

In this complex game of political power, the Military despotic regimes in Muslim World seem to support that Wahabi oppositions only to scare the intellectual opponents and the unsuspecting world making a choice on their behalf: Us (meaning the dictatorship) vs. them (meaning the Wahabists)? That is how they have been able to maintain their control over the Wahabi culture as well as the masses, at the same time by using military power against the selected Wahabi terrorists who propagate overthrow of regimes by violent means (jihad) as true teachings of Islam.

As a result of dictatorships of the regimes and their religious oppositions, the wave of democracy abandons the Middle East while it invades other nations in Africa which are less civilized than the Muslims.

5- What about the Saudi Wahabi influence in Egypt?

Muslim Brotherhood was created in Egypt by the efforts of the Saudi agents. After Nasser destroyed their organization for his own political survival,  they returned back to Egypt - with renewed Saudi oil-rich influence – during the time of Al Sadat, who gave them limited authority to control the Egyptian religious and educational life. But extreme religious zealots are seldom satisfied with limited power and soon they began their influence to create other public and secret organizations to take over entire Egypt. Though Mubarak seems to have kept them at bay to gain control, they have the great power in the Egyptian street. Muslim Brothers are not just an organization. It is a live powerful Wahabi culture. It is the culture that makes the Wahabi fanatic dogma acceptable in the entire Muslim World. Ironically, this Muslim Brother culture (with the Saudi influence) have taken full control of Al Azhar .

6- What more do we need to know about The Al Azhar University of Egypt?

Al Azhar was initially a Mosque, built in 972, the same year the Egyptian capital Cairo was built. As the original seat of many great Islamic scholars and thinkers, it continued to be the magnet over the centuries to attract Muslims scholars from around the world to come and learn about the Islamic Jurisprudence and religious philosophy. Soon it obtained the status of the most respected name as the premier Islamic institution in the Muslim world for its scholarly expertise to dispense religious knowledge and train Muslims scholars who pursued knowledge in specific fields of their interests.

It is not only the oldest university in the entire world, but also the biggest as it has more than fifty colleges and five universities in Egypt, beside its own educational religious system in Egypt for the primary, preparatory and secondary schools. You can find its schools in every Egyptian village and neighborhood. Al Azhar trained Muslim Imams control the entire network of Egyptian mosques and hence the religious life of all Muslim Egyptians.

As a legendary part of the Egyptian life and history, Al Azhar has been manipulated by the modern Egyptian rulers to brain wash the masses in the name of Islam.  Its current President Mubarak has tightened his grip on Al Azhar to preach the Wahabi culture to preserve his power. Paradoxically, this has made the Egyptian streets and mosques increasingly hostile to the U.S and its policies in the Middle East.

It is a must to reform such a critical Islamic institution as Al Azhar to support real democratic values of Islam, which are not opposed to America because of its freedoms and its charter for basic human rights. The reformed Al Azhar must defend the freedom of speech and belief, democracy, tolerance and human rights as real Islamic values.

For 15 years (1973- 1987), I struggled against the Saudi fanatic influence inside Al Azhar and tried to reform it in my limited capacity without much support.  I was fired from Al Azhar University for my views and put in prison on trumped-up charges. My struggles against them continued  as a free Islamic Scholar trying to propagate Islam according to its original teachings from the Quran of peace and tolerance. For this I was constantly persecuted until my escape to the U.S in October 2001.

Thus reforming Egypt will not be possible without the needed reforms at its religious nerve center- Al Azhar.

And in trying to reform the Middle East, reformed Egypt with a renewed Al Azhar can play a central role. If we approach it with a right understanding of the issues, I humbly submit in front of this committee that it is possible to reform Al Azhar and Egypt with the right people at the helm. This can be one sure way to blow a death nail to eradicate Wahabism .

7- In the short run, what can the U.S do to resurrect its image in the hostile Arab Muslim streets?

The U.S and the West become victims of the Wahabi culture, by their unflinching support of the dictatorial regimes in spite of their apparent falling out with their home grown neo Wahabists.

The uninterrupted dictatorships have hatched continuous corruption and chaos in creation of terrorists and their organizations in the Middle East. To deviate the masses from the real issues of corrupt governance (education, health, law and order, security ect), these despotic regimes and the Wahabi organizations have used each other in their game for political power. Wahabists tell the masses that the [Infidel West], is the ardent enemy of Islam, and is plotting against Muslims to keep them behind all nations. The dictators on the other hand are able to scare the Western powers from the bogey of Wahabists (their own creation) to keep them in power perpetually.  So the West finds itself in this perplexing dilemma of who to support to guarantee a safe passage for their strategic interest. They have obviously chosen a path of least resistance by sticking with their “trusted allies” the fewer members of the ruling class in favor of the “unknown chaos “ of the masses.

In the meantime, finding it relatively helpless within their own borders, neo Wahabists have refocused their ire at the Western backers of their rulers. Their obsession with the complex of the “Western/Jewish Conspiracy against Islam” was the main motive behind the terrorist attacks of September, 11.

To provide religious sanctity to this radical ideology of declaring war on the so called “enemies of Islam”, these Wahabists have restored the old traditional fanatic Sunni faith of  dividing the world into two camps of the believers (Dar-ul-Islam), and that of the infidels (Dar-ul-Harab). In their twisted way of thinking, it gives them freedom to attack (openly or subversively on unsuspecting civilians) any land where Muslims are not in control. To achieve this aim, they are working relentlessly to take over political power in Egypt, Saudi State and Pakistan to set the stage their ultimate goal for the One Islamic United Nation to finally crush the Christians the Jews and anybody else that comes in their way and against their medieval understanding of their religion.

8- How could this radical religious opposition within Muslim nations carry out this big dream?

Their unified goal is to take over the world and raise the Islamic banner by military means as the sole arbitrator of world affairs.

So far these Wahabists have made substantial progress:

1-They have already controlled most of the mosques and Islamic centers inside, including Al-Azhar and out side the Muslim World, including most of the Western European cities (especially London, Germany and Holland) and the US.

2-They already control the most educational, media and cultural outlets in the Arabic lands and gaining steadily in their control non-Arab Muslim World.

3-They use all these means to make the Wahabi the only representative of Islam, by referring to Muslims as “Al Ommah”, meaning “One Nation”. It sounds that there is one Ommah or one nation in this world, the Muslim Nation, ignoring the other nations.  Hence they assume leadership to represent all Muslims by default!

4-Their absolute control of the Sunni Muslim communities to preach the Wahabi –inspired doctrine in the West and the U.S centers is enough to create a volatile atmosphere against the host nations.  A systematic approach in dealing with this menace is required instead of gut reactions on isolated instances as we have seen since 9/11.

5-Wahabis have been successful in recruiting not only the Muslims who have been brainwashed against the West and the U.S, but using the tactics of the communists during the cold war, manipulating other groups, mostly non-Muslims to do their dirty work to avoid detection. It is very much like the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

6-They use historic references of the grandeur of the original caliphate empire to lure present Muslim generations into an artificial aura of super Islamic Utopic generation on earth.

7- By distracting the U.S and the West by this new kind of war where you could not predict where and when and how the next terrorist attack will happen, their aim is to exhaust the economic resources of the West and to eventually make them weak and winnable.

8-In this new kind of war, they have many different faces and sides. They are masterminding Western technology against the West and its inability to defend itself against this faceless enemy. Use of the internet for recruiting has basically taken care of the need of travel of possible suspects, with chances of being apprehended. They have trained soldiers and made loose secret organizations to commit the terrorist crimes under the various names of jihad. Their secret agents seem to have penetrated many regimes, due to their wide spread support among the mostly uneducated Muslim masses; some of them are even famous writers and (so-called) Islamic scholars to provide religious cover to defend them for their crimes against humanity. Many are constantly collecting money and funds for them, in the guise of Muslim sufferings around the world, while others are trying to recruit young Muslims for brainwashing and preparing them for the terrorist crimes.

The third Part: Reforms in the Saudi Kingdom

1– Why the efforts to reform the Saudi Kingdom from within have not been successful?

Briefly, the Saudi family has two major problems: its Dictatorship, and its Wahabi bloody culture. The Saudi Royal family represents in our modern time the worst of the Middle Ages culture with a dangerous mix of political ambition and religious hegemony over the entire Muslim population. Thus they have refused any reform in the preaching of the Wahabi faith, even when the demands to change come arise from within the core of Islam.

They rely on the religious Sunni term( Al Hakemeyya) meaning : “The Divine Rights of the King “ which is afforded to the royal family by their Wahabi counterparts- giving the Saudi family the religious justification to monopolize the wealth and the political power for themselves exclusively, as it used to be in the Muslim Empire in the Middle ages.  By giving the kingdom their Saudi family name, it reflects the Middle-Age culture where dynasties were named after their founders e.g. the Abbasid, the Fatemid, the Omawwid,and the Ottoman Empires.

To understand their line of thinking we can show that within  the official Saudi documents, all non-royal family members, including their own citizens, are referred to as [Al Tabe’eyah] which means those that are under their control, and are regarded as an asset or belongings. Saudi family members are only those who are free citizens in their own country and kingdom.

By owning the country, its wealth, and its people, takes the royal Saudis out of any need for accountability to anyone. In their belief system, it is “AL Shoyoukh Abkhas”, meaning that “The king is the only one who knows better” ! Any discussion of such political terms and issues is a crime. Some intellectuals who have questioned this phenomenon are paying the price by being in prison in the Saudi State at this time.

The mention of the key word “slavery” in the CDLR report highlight this brand of thinking by the Saudi Royals, implying that they believe that they own all the people inside the kingdom. By aligning with the street Mutawwis (the Wahabis) the Saudi Royal Family has been given this unlimited power to enslave its population. Although the royal family members seldom show any personal religious piety for themselves by their lavish lifestyles, indulgence in drinking, womanizing and gambling away their millions, they are unlikely to abandon their ties with Wahabism anytime soon.

2 – What about the hopes with the changed Saudi leadership of king: Abdullah? 

The sons of Abdel Aziz generally have belonged to three camps:

1-     The most corrupt to back absolute dictatorship; e.g. their modern patriarch, late king Saud and now late king Fahd and their living brothers Sultan, Nayef, Turkey and Salman.

2-     Few with some good ideas about democracy, like Tallal who revolted against his brother king Saud during the sixties and was excommunicated.

3-     Others are famous for their religious leanings according to the Wahabi culture, like late king Faisal and the current King Abdullah.

When the present king was crown prince, the Saudi opposition in London during the late 1990’s pinned great hope on him due to their opposition to the then king Fahad and his full brothers Nayef, Sultan and Salman. It was said that Abdullah had some secret relationship with some members of this opposition to use them to strengthen his power inside the Saudi Kingdom. The facts however, seem to point out that king Abdullah has more partisans in the Wahabi extremist crowd than his late half brother, king Fahd.

The Wahabists have great hopes in him.

The Fourth Part: The Wahabist war on America

1-  How Is Saudi Arabia spreading Wahabism here in our American mosques and schools?

The Wahabi Muslim Americans are using the Islamic schools and mosques and internet in spreading the Wahabi culture of hatred and terrorism.

According to the Wahabi religious verdicts [Fatwas] and their historical wars, Al Jihad means to hate and to fight the enemy of Islam. The term “enemy”includes all Christians, the Jews, all non Muslims as well as other Muslims who do not follow their Wahabi ideology. They justify waging wars- as military Jihad – to kill not only the army personnel, but also innocent civilians, including elderly, children and women, even their pets. At the same time, the Wahabi Soldier, if he martyrs himself he gains instant access to his final abode in paradise, with the highest rank of being granted the power of intercession before God on the Day of Judgment to intercede for his family and friends. The current wave of suicide bombers are the clear manifestation of this bigoted ideology of their Jihad against the infidels.

2- More details about their influence in the American mosques and Islamic schools.

According to one recent survey, there are 1,209 mosques in America; most of them were founded during the last 20 years, making the Wahabi Islam one of the fastest growing religions in the United States. By 2010 it is expected to become the second largest faith practiced in the country. There are about 200 fulltime Muslim schools, about 500 Sunday Islamic schools, and six schools of Islamic higher learning in America.

The fanatics Wahabi Imams are now in charge of most of these mosques and schools in countering the Western ideas of liberty, justice and peace and fighting the U.S. system from within its home territory.

Ironically, many of these Sheikhs and Imams claim Al Azhar and Saudi backgrounds, giving them a religious hierarchical position difficult to challenge by ordinary Muslims. They can be more dangerous than the open foes like the Ben Laden.

A cursory look at the official Saudi translation in the holy Quran of Al Fateha (the opening chapter) can highlight this point. [Al Fateha]- is recited  at least 17 times through the daily Muslim prayers- they on purpose have mistranslated the last two verses in [Al Fateha]. It should say:" Guide us to the straight path. The path of those on whom you have bestowed your blessing, not of those who earned your anger, nor of those who went astray”

The official Saudi translation comments on these verses to describe the Jews as those who earned the anger of God, and the Christians as those who went astray 

There are hundreds of other examples in this Saudi Wahabi Translation. Thousands of copies of such translations are regularly distributed in the Islamic centers and schools and mosques in the U.S  to make Muslims believe that all the Christians and Jews are infidels, enemies of Islam and according to the Wahabi faith, they should be fought and killed. This translation is also available on line on this official Saudi web site:

http://www.qurancomplex.org/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?TabID=4&SubItemID=1&l=arb&t=eng&SecOrder=5&SubSecOrder=1

Are we now to believe in their assurance to the US government and its people that they are with us in their fight against war on terror with the likes of Ben Laden? I do not think so and the evidence suggest otherwise.

The hypocrite scholars are worse than the frank extremists like Ben Laden, who speak their discourse and apply it openly as they can. Those hypocrites are more dangerous because they keep the religious culture of terrorism untouchable, which provides a rich breeding ground ready to produce thousands of Bin Laden.

The only way to expose them is to face them from inside their culture, proving their enmity towards Islam, and the big contradiction between their tradition and real Islam (evident fro the Quran), and to discuss and criticize their tradition in the light of Quranic discourse.

3- What about the Freedom House Report “SAUDI PUBLICATIONS ON HATE IDEOLOGY FILL AMERICAN MOSQUES.”?

Yes, I believe that the report is fair in its overall assessment of the problem. Actually, it provides a wakeup call which comes a little late. Such a report should have been generated twenty years ago. But while hind sight is 20/20, it is still a good first step. But continued scrutiny of Wahabi lobby activities including their centers, fund raising and money transfers, their Arabic newsletters, Arabic sermons and conferences are warranted.

4-What about the Arabic online war against America?

By the help of the American counterparts, the fanatics Arab Bedouin Wahabists are controlling most of the Arabic websites. Muslim Brothers were the first people in Egypt in using computers for their political cause, so are the Saudis fanatics and others. It is their best way to reach all their secret organizations and cells and individuals in the entire world. They use it within the U.S soil by hijacking Islam and the American value of freedom of belief and speech, while benefiting personally from these value systems to escape scrutiny. While the American agencies may have the most sophisticated internet security tools, they are not qualified in facing them in the Arabic websites because they use their confidential terminology and codes.

For example; there are websites which seemingly focus on religious issues only and in general way. For the ordinary Muslim, they seem just religious websites, so they may have a large following and supporters. Under deeper scrutiny by expert scholars, however, one may find that the so-called moderate traditional web sites are the proving to be more dangerous in propagating fanatic Wahabist views to ordinary Muslims.

The most famous moderate web site is “Islam Online”, owned and controlled by Sheikh Al Qaradawy, the spiritual leader of Muslim Brothers. This so – called Moderate Sheikh has issued his famous bloody fatwa calling to kill all the American civilians in Iraq. In addition, the Saudis have the most number of the fanatic web sites. It is easy to say the Saudi Arabic web sites have many different fanatic kinds of discourse. There are these official sheikhs who attack Ben Laden and defend the Saudi Kingdom while they are upholding the same faith and beliefs as Ben Laden himself. There are the sites of other Sheikhs like Salman Al Ouda and Safar Al Hawaly who were against the Saudi regime initially and were put in prison. After some compromise – they were released on one condition: not to attack the Saudi State. Accordingly, they have learned to ignore the Saudi repressive regime and have instead focused their attacks on the West and U.S interest to encourage the terrorists every where else.

Al Mas’ary and Al Fakeeh are other example for this category of websites operated by Saudi dissidents in London where they attack the Saudi family and the U.S together and encouraging the war against the West in general. Other London websites attack the Arabic regimes and the U.S and the West: Yaser Al serry and Hany Al seba’ey from Egypt as example. Some websites provide portals for Ben Laden and Al Zarqawy to propagate their messages. But generally, all of these fanatic web sites share common preaching of hatred and a bloody religious culture inspired by Ben Laden but with different tunes and different accents.

The Fifth Part: American Mission: How to defeat terrorism in this intellectual war?

1- How to respond to this intellectual war?

This war against terrorism should be 90% ideological and intellectual peaceful war. It is very easy and cheap war if it is handled by the right people. Unfortunately America is using its military in 99% of this war.

This is dangerous since it will have serious implications of draining its economy, the eventual aim of its enemy.

2- What are some other details of this intellectual war which must be fought to defeat Wahabism?

This is a new kind of war. We can summarize its new aspects with one concrete example: the suicide bomber. He is eager to blow himself up in order to kill as many innocent people as possible from among Christians, Jews and other Muslims. Young men are usually inspired by their dreams of the future and of enjoying their lives, but the suicide bomber is motivated only by the thought of being a martyr and he is convinced that virgins are waiting for him in paradise to reward him for blowing himself up amongst “infidels”.

The suicide bomber is a human ticking bomb walking the streets ready to destroy other people, any time and any place. It is very difficult to recognize him and to predict where and when he will strike.

With this new weapon -- the human bomb – the Wahabi  terrorist enemy has neutralized the most horrifying weapon of all times, the nuclear bomb.

This War’s chief Ingredients:

1-The most lethal weapon is the suicide bomber.

2-The ammunition is the Muslim medieval tradition and religion.

3-The factories of ammunitions are the mosques, the Islamic centers in the West and in the U.S, the Muslim system of educations and the Arabic web sites.

4-The battle field is the mentality and attitude of all Muslims.

5-The soldiers and the generals of war are fanatic extreme Muslim scholars and the Sheikhs.

6- The very nature of this war is 100% intellectual-ideological religious war.

7-Who will win this kind of war?  The terrorists, unless challenged by the Islamic scholars.

8-Why: Because so far only the U.S army is waging about 90% of this war.

The Crucial Reassessment:

1-How can the U.S win this war and save thousands of lives and billions of money? 

 By using the same tactic of the intellectual-ideological religious war.

2-How could the U.S use this tactic?

By responding to every enemy weapon to neutralize it:

The weapon [suicide bomber] must be convinced that if he kills innocent people or himself he will be the enemy of Islam.

The ammunitions [Muslim tradition and religion] must be used against the terrorist themselves.

The factories of ammunitions: [Mosques, Islamic centers in the West and the U. S and the educational system in Muslim World] are under the control of U.S. allies. These factories of ammunitions in the Muslim World must be reformed in the name of Islam by the pressure of the U.S, and the U.N. -- along with real political reform. The mosques and the so-called Islamic schools in the U.S must be reformed, and the Arabic fanatic web sites must be faced.

The battle field of this war will be the mentality of all Muslims.

The soldiers and the generals of this war against terrorists are the free Muslim scholars and sheikhs. We are willing to fight but need the support of the West and the U.S.

The very nature of this war against terrorists: A large percentage of it can be – and must be -- intellectual war.

Who will win this kind of war?

The civilized world including the West and the U.S. will win it.

Why?

Because the fanatic terrorist Wahabists have their power by using the name of Islam. We must explain from within Islam the contradiction between Islam and the bloody culture of Wahabism.

It is not hard to have the silent Muslim majority on our side if we can reach them. It is not hard also to convince some of the fanatics by using the fanatic tradition against them. Also, it is very easy to recruit the open-minded Muslims and organize them in this peaceful war against terrorism. Actually, they are eager to be organized and supported by the U.S to get their freedom and to get rid of the terrorist danger.

3- Does America have the Ability to win this war of Ideas?

America has not used its unique abilities to win this intellectual war. America has the most powerful media productions in the world and the great number of the Islamic departments within its Universities. Moreover, there are the Quranic groups in Egypt and the entire Muslim world, who are manifestly pro democracy and anti Wahabism. They can easily defeat the Wahabists if they have the American support and protection.

I have a painful experience in this regard. After 25 years of struggle against the Wahabism as a Muslim scholars and freedom fighter, I came to the U.S eager to serve this great country which gives me a shelter after the Egyptian fanatics have rooted me out from my home, family and career.  Since October 2001 until now (October 2005) I worked only 15 months. 3 months in the National endowment For Democracy, and one year at Harvard Law School. Because of the Saudi Wahabi fund no Islamic Department in the American Universities responded to my application to teach in my Islamic field, in spite of my knowledge and expertise. This explains why these Islamic Departments in the American Universities ignore Wahabism and how to counter it.

During my 3 months at N.E.D, I wrote my first book in English”: The root of democracy in Islam” in 2002. I called in this book to establish many T.V Arabic free channels to defend America and its democratic values. After establishing the Arabic American T.V channel, Al Horra, I contacted them several times to work with them, but they ignore me totally. Some months ago, Magdi Khalil who worked at Al Horra hosted me to talk about Islam and the contradiction between Islam and Wahabism. I also talked about the American role in establishing democracy in Iraq, saying it is a real Islamic Jihad which must be supported by All Muslims. Because of this Magdi Khalil was fired from Al Horra. This proves that Al Horra is controlled by the wrong people.

I sent many proposals to many American agencies and figures in the fields of reforming the Islamic mosques and schools and recruiting the free minded Muslims to activate and win the silent Muslim majority to our side, and how to handle this war of ideas. The response so far is zero and very frustrating.

I stand alone with my Quranic people facing the fanatic Wahabists on line in the Arabic internet. In my weekly article on line, I usually attack the Wahabism and the dictatorships, giving my Quranic people a hope that one day they will have the American support.

4- What is the practical step in handling this war?

This new war against terrorism will save billions of money and thousands of lives, although it may last for some decades in this century. It is impossible to change people mentality in some years. America must have its own powerful agency to win this war peacefully and intellectually and perfectly. This will confirm America as the only super power in this century.

This American agency will be specialized in Islamic cultural fields to produce and publish and broadcast books, drama and television programs in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and English languages throughout the Muslim World and the Muslim communities in the U.S and the West.

Its production must reach all Muslims in every street, every mosque, on line, and in theaters and homes.

5- In some details: What is the mission of this proposed American agency? And how it will handle its mission?

Briefly, this agency has two new expressions in handling its mission: Amricanizing Islam and Islamizing this war. Amricanizing Islam means to preach the core of Islam among Muslims. When you read the Arabic Quran according to its terminology you will find Islam has the same American values. Islamizing this war means to recruit the intellectual Muslims to handle it by the support and the control of this American agency.

The proposed agency needs the following departments:

A) Department of International Affairs, to organize the Quranic Muslim groups in the entire World, to give them assignments, and to recruit other intellectual Muslims. This department will hold regular conferences to help the agency in handling its mission overseas. 

B) –Department of Islamic Reform:

1. For the Islamic mosques in the U.S. to defend democratic values in the name of Islam)

This will enable the U.S. to drive extremists out of the American mosques, making them advocate American patriotism as part of core Islamic values of faith.

2. For the Islamic Schools in the U.S.

It’s useless to reform their religious curriculum; the only way is to present to them alternative Islamic subjects, to preach the Islamic values of Peace, tolerance, justice, freedom and democracy.

This department will provide these subjects as available materials for these schools, calling on the schools to reconsider this in their teaching. It will also publish these subjects calling on the American Muslim community to discuss them and to be an active part in pressing the Islamic schools to uphold them instead of the fanatic teachings. 

If they refuse, then it will be a unique opportunity to discuss this issue in the public eye of the media.  A public debate may disclose some absent facts concerning the secret relationship between some Islamic schools and other fanatic organizations in the Muslim World.

In such a debate, they will be faced with these important questions: If you really believe that Islam is the religion of great values, why do you ignore this in your courses? If you claim you did not have the ability to write it in your courses, and information to this end has now become available, why do you continue to refuse to uphold it in your courses? If you are against the fanatic culture, why do you keep it in your courses?

The final goal is to make these Islamic schools serving Islam compatible with the United States nation in its war against terrorism.

C: Department of Publishing

It should publish books and newsletters in Arabic and English languages and to distribute them in all the American Muslim mosques, schools and stores and communities and publishing it also online.

Publishing these books and newsletter aims to:

1- Expose and disclose the dark side of the fanatic tradition and the big contradiction between it and the real teachings of Islam.

2- Recruit open minded Muslim Americans to work against the fanatics inside and outside the U.S.

3- Through the discussions and the reactions of those who control the Muslim communities and schools and mosques, it will be easy to define the terrorist Imams and their followers in order to free the American mosques from their control.

D Higher Institute for Islamic Research and Reform in which open-minded Muslims will be trained to be Imams, not only in the mosques but also in the Islamic schools and to work as Imams for Muslims in prisons and army instead of these Wahabi fanatic Imams. It is also necessary to train some other brilliant free minded Muslims to infiltrate the fanatic groups inside the mosques to pave the way for taking over them in the right time.

This high Islamic institute will be also a think tank specialized in the Islamic fields and the other secret sacred sides of the Wahabism. It will tackle researches and assignments for the American agencies.

F- Arabic Library specialized in the secret sacred scriptures and texts and the hidden manuscripts of the Sunni Wahabi cult. It is said that the Saudi agents in Egypt have stolen many of these unpublished manuscripts from the very Old Al Azhar library and the official Egyptian Library. We need copies in our proposed library to serve us in this intellectual war. Using these sacred secret books will be an atomic intellectual bomb against them.

G- Department of Online War

It is painful to say, that the greatest super power in the human history has not single Arabic web site to defend itself and to clear its image, while it is usually insulted and attacked severely every day in the Arabic on line web sites. The Wahabists have a jungle of these Arabic websites. Their sole mission is to brainwash Muslims against America. This department will be supervised by Arabic experts who will maintain this online war and has a team work inside and out side of America to keep commenting on all the articles and the books that insulting America on line and in the local media overseas.

It also will hold many conferences to :1- Explore this new kind of war.2-Analyze the fanatic websites, and how they brainwash the young Muslims and prepare them to be suicide bombers, how they recruit them , and how they raise fund.3- How to face them. 4- How to deal with “Al Fatwa”- the verdict or the rule given by the Sheikh – as the most dangerous weapon against them. 5- Translating and presenting this unknown field - the Arabic fanatic web sites - to the Americans. 6-Expose the so – called moderate Muslims and sheikhs who have two discourses, deceiving the West and the U.S. while they are working for the terrorism.7-Establish many web sites to serve in this war.9- Organize the secular and other open minded Arab scholars and their web sites to be in our side against the terrorism. 10- Establishing new Muslim generation specialized in this online war.

H: New Arabic Satellite Channels for multi media productions of Movies, T.V serials and other programs

Only intellectual Muslims have access to internet and read books and newspapers. Most of Muslims get their education and knowledge from T.V channels and its drama which 90% of them are owned and controlled by Wahabists and dictators. To defeat them , the magic word here is “ Hollywood”. By drama and few T.V satellites the U.S can win 90% of this war.

Proponents of extremism and terrorism are not just clerks or imams. The most dangerous are script writers who compose historical, Islamic, and ordinary dramas. In their movie and soap-opera scripts, they usually  promote terrorism through subtle ideas which they convey indirectly and effectively to the conscious and subconscious of viewers, shaping their ideas and outlook while enjoying the show without any discussion or protest.

Most Arab countries monopolize the media, including local and satellite TV channels, to serve a ruling dictator and the Wahabism.  Egypt and Saudi Arabia are working together in promoting the Wahabism.

When small Qatar set up its anti American Al jazeera channel with a reasonable margin of freedom and independence, the satellite channel has become famous in Arab countries and the whole world.

The success of Al Aljazeera motivated the USA to set up Al-Hurra (the Free) Arabic channel. When the United States thought about establishing Al-Hurra Channel, Arab regimes and advocates of terrorism were caught by horror. Yet despite all the facilities and financial assistance given to Al -Hurra, the American channel turned into something similar to a local Lebanese channel, without any impact. Al-Hurra was born dead, when it ought to have been born a giant to confront the intense hatred for the United States in the Arab region, spread a culture of democracy in the Middle East, and uproot the Wahabi culture.

It has become imperative to establish more free and independent TV channels to address the Islamic world preaching the American Islam against the Wahabism. The address must be well-studied and void of any direct preaching or demagogue presentation. Ideas must be presented with such ease and subtlety as to persuade viewers.

Establishing TV and drama production companies

If the proposed channels have a unique message to convey, then they require specific drama and cultural program production companies which will be unique in their production in drama and T.V programs.

Drama has the most effective impact on Arab and Muslim viewers. All kinds of drama – social, political, and even thrillers – can easily serve our cause, either in the main plot, or in deliberate comments said by the characters. Historical drama teems with thousands of issues which a writer can use to highlight virtuous values and raise the awareness of viewers. In all kinds of drama, different themes can be incorporated in natural conversations that are both congruous with the context, and void of direct preaching. 

TV programs are generally popular and effective. We have our issues that have not been presented or discussed yet by other channels, because they are not bold enough to raise them. Even if they do, they are not qualified to run the talk.

Human rights in Islam have not been frankly and objectively discussed. They cannot discuss questions like these: if Islam is really a religion of peace, why has terrorism been cultivated among Muslims? How has terrorism come to be inextricably associated with Islam? If Islam is valid for all times and places, why have Muslims lagged behind other nations? And why is there a call for ancestral fundamentalism? If Islam is a religion of freedom, tolerance, democracy, and compassion, why do Muslims have despotic regimes? Why do they reject democracy and advocate radicalism and fanaticism? Hundreds of questions like these need to be answered in free and objective arguments in talk shows run by real thinkers, and not by people who promote superstition, ignorance, fanaticism and backwardness.

In short, it is necessary to raise the issues that have remained undisclosed in the Islamic literature for ages, including edicts, rulings, legislations, and interpretations that contradict the core of Islam and all its values and virtues.  A daring and scientific discussion of these issues will ensure prompt success for such programs, especially when discussions are based on freedom of opinion, thinking, and belief, tolerance, and respecting the right of others to differ and disagree, without holding them infidels, traitors, or contemptible. There are other taboo issues which the Arabic TV satellite channels usually neglect in order to avoid collision with Arab old despotism. Among these issues are the corruption, the real history of the Saudis and their fanatic Wahabism, and torture in the Arab Muslim World.

Finally

This proposed agency by these departments will defeat terrorists and their Wahabi culture at a very cheap cost and giving the world more safety.

Ahmed Subhy Mansour