A statement by Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and important leader of the European Muslim Brotherhood, appears to place place the blame for global terrorism entirely on the West. In his comments on the recent interfaith conference held in Spain under the auspices of the Muslim World League, Ceric also appeared to suggest that the West was responsible for “moral degeneration” being imported into the Islamic world. An Arab English newspaper carried his remarks:
Mustafa Ceric, the mufti of Bosnia, has said that the Madrid Interfaith Conference, which was organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) following a call by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, was aimed at saving mankind from total destruction. “The conference called by King Abdullah aims to save the human race — irrespective of religion, race or nationality — from moral degeneration,” he said, speaking to Arab News. “The prophets and religions appeared in the East and the West learned from them. But, in the modern times the East has been learning from the West,” he said. The mufti said over the past 200 years, Muslims have been living in a state of anguish. “About 70 percent of the refugees of the world are Muslims. Most of the wars are being fought in Muslim lands though they do not initiate any attack on others. On top of the injustice and humiliation meted out to Muslims, Westerners link Muslims with terrorism. This contradiction creates a sense of insecurity and discontentment among Muslims,” he said. Commenting on the importance of the dialogue, the mufti said, “King Abdullah’s initiative has brought back peace of mind and self-confidence to Muslims. There is no need to fear dialogue with other religions and cultures when we are confident about our religion and culture. Therefore, we welcome dialogue. We should display to the world the shining features of Islam and its noble values. When we interact with others, our positive qualities should make an impact on them, while we in turn should be influenced by those features of theirs which are acceptable to Islam.”
Dr. Ceric is tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood through his membership in the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), headed by Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and by his participation in the U.K.-based “Radical Middle Way” consisting of a wide range of associated scholars representing the global Muslim Brotherhood. Several earlier posts have discussed Dr. Ceric’s increasing visibility and importance within the global Muslim Brotherhood.