In an announcement for presentation on the U.K. government’s proposed counter-terrorism strategy, the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) has defined the concept of “Jihad” as “armed resistance.” According to the announcement :
According to a report in the Guardian, the government – as part of its Contest 2 counter-terrorism strategy – is considering proposals that would classify British Muslims as being extremists if:
-They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries.
-They promote Sharia law.
-They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military.
-They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.
-They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan
Is this another failed strategy that will further alienate thousands of law abiding Muslims? Or is it about time the government was bold enough to implement such measures to tackle extreme ‘Islamist ideologues’?
As discussed in a previous post, an important part of global Muslim Brotherhood rhetorical strategy is to deceive the public about the nature of Jihad. As that post noted:
2. DECEPTION- In order to defend Islam (Islamism) from charges that it is inherently violent/terroristic, the Brotherhood deceives the public about the nature of Jihad. This is necessary because Jihad plays an important role for Islamism and the Brotherhood and if the connection between Islam and violence is to be denied, Jihad must be explained away. Again, the Brotherhood represents the “Jihadism” of the Islamists as opposed to the “classical Jihad” of Islam but since that distinction is also lost on the public, the Brotherhood defends Jihad. It does so usually in one of two ways, sometimes employing both deceptions. First, the Brotherhood claims that Jihad has little or no connection to violence and warfare (i.e. there is no “Holy War”), and is instead akin to various forms of inner struggle or self-improvement. Second, the Brotherhood suggests that Jihad is a form of “freedom fighting”, even comparing Jihad to the American Revolution. Lately, there has been a suggestion that Jihad should be replaced with the term “Hirabah” which, if successful, would represent a victory for the Brotherhood deception strategy.
What makes this unusual forthright statement defining Jihad as armed conflict relevant is that the scheduled IFE presentation will be given by Dr. Daud Abdullah, deputy director-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), following revelations that he signed a statement of religious scholar, clerics, and senior Hamas leaders that called for a “third Jihadist front” centred on Gaza. Dr. Abdullah subsequently faced calls for his resignation by members of the U.K. government and it would seem that in defense of his participation in the statement calling for Jihad, the IFE has deviated from the usual denials that Jihad does not necessarily mean armed action. Instead, the focus would appear to be on the justification for that action.
Both the MCB and the IFE are tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood.