Iraqis Condemn Beheading
by pessimist
There will be a lot of talk over the next several weeks over the topic of denunciation of the beheading of Nick Berg by jihadis. It will be claimed that only outrageous acts committed against Muslims will be protested while outrageous acts BY Muslims will be ignored. This will not be so, as I show here.
I just want to demonstrate that there are Muslims who deplore this sort of barbarity by Muslims against others just as much as they deplore the torture of Iraqi prisoners by Americans in Abu Ghraib.
Iraqis Condemn Beheading Of American Civilian
BAGHDAD, May 12 (IslamOnline.net) – Iraqis strongly condemned Wednesday, May 13, the beheading of an American citizen in Iraq by unknown people, saying it is against the true essence of Islam.Dr Muthana Harith al-Dhari, Secretary General of Muslim Scholars Association, strongly denounced the killing, saying it runs counter to the teachings of Islam and "does disservice to our religion and our cause."
The Sunni scholar stressed this is a condemned operation whether carried out by Iraqis or non-Iraqis and whether the slain was a civilian or a military personnel.
"Even if he was a military personnel he should be treated as a prisoner who, according to Shari'ah, must not be killed."
More have spoken out in objection to Berg's geopolitical murder.
Deputy Head of the Islamic Party Iyaad Samarrai said the abhorrent treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers should never give an excuse for treating U.S. prisoners the same way."This is absolutely wrong," he told IOL, asserting that "Islam does prohibit the killing or the maltreatment of prisoners."
Samarrai said such acts harm the interest of the Iraqi people and their cause to end the U.S.-led occupation. "Non-Iraqis are also required not to act on their own, as their practices worsen matters," he added.
Against Islam
Al-Dawa Party, led by Shiite Interim Governing Council member Ibrahim Al-Jafari, also condemned the decapitation of the American citizen in the strongest possible terms."Undoubtedly, we reject these acts, which run counter to the true essence of Islam and are totally unjustified," said Jawad Al-Malki, a member of the party’s politburo. He said such acts tarnish the image of Islam and play into the hands of subjective media.
"The beheading of Berg is shocking, grisly, unjustified violence and an act of terrorism," he told IOL. "By the same token, we condemn the barbaric and terrorist practices of U.S. soldiers against Iraqi prisoners, but as we don’t want this to befall our people, we don’t want it to befall others as well."
These people want "Do unto others" instead of "An eye for an eye".
Out Of Control
Mohammad Bashar Al-Faidi, professor of Islamic studies in Al-Imam Al-Azam University, said the tit-for-tat reprisals have slipped out of control. He said the days to come will witness more violence as repercussions for the maltreatment of Iraqi prisoners "which tattered the Iraqi dignity and honor".William Warda, an Iraqi rights activist, criticized the beheading as "imprudent". He said the Iraqi Human Rights Organization denounces the killing of any foreigner in such a gruesome way as it has condemned the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by occupation forces. The activist said the Iraqi people have behind them a time-honored civilization and reject such unwise practices.
"We place all human beings on an equal footing irrespective of their race, religion and color."
Even with all of the death and destruction, there are people on both sides who seek to end the fighting and get back to some kind on normality. To blindly point to Muslims and stating that they are all against us is absurd.
There will be more statements of outrage at this barbaric act from the Muslim world. I will post them as I find them. I don't want anyone to be able to say no Muslim condemned this barbaric act.
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