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International Community Horrified by Destruction of Shrines
by Laura Stuart
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
The International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor has said that the destruction of tombs in Mali is a war crime. Checking out the many media articles about what is happening in Northern Mali I found that every article written about the destruction of tombs shows a picture of one of the very distinct mosques of that region, but which do not show the location of any tomb, like this one in the Telegraph. Islam makes a distinction between tombs or shrines and religious places of worship but the media does not.
The hardline Islamists who seized control of Timbuktu along with the rest of northern Mali three months ago, consider the shrines to be idolatrous and have wrecked seven tombs in two days.
No doubt the International community is outraged by such reports of “war crimes” against shrines of people long dead yet to put it in perspective what happened about the war crimes committed in Gaza during “Cast Lead” ? A report from April 2012 in Al Jazeera tells us
International Criminal Court says it cannot investigate alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza because Palestine is not a state.
It appears you may have to be dead for a few hundred years to expect some kind of justice from the I.C.C.
Another news item involving tombs is the annual pilgrimage of Jews to the tomb of a “Holy man” in the Nile Delta in Egypt.
Born as Yaccov Aharon in Morocco in 1807, the legend has it that on a trip from his homeland to the Holy Land, Abuhatzeira crossed the Mediterranean riding on a hassira (mat) until he reached Alexandria.
The Egyptian government said that they cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish people this year.
“Normalization (of relations) with Israel is forced on the people, and the visits too come against the will of people and despite popular rejection,” said Heshmat, who recently won a seat in parliament in the country’s first elections following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
The Egyptian people clearly do not want any normalisation with Israelis, the pilgrimage was no doubt forced on them in the past and went ahead with Mubarak’s police making sure that security was not breached. Here is the reaction from an Israeli newspaper and a blog which posted this picture
Of course Israel has been preventing and hindering the entry of Palestinians and activists for Palestine for years on the grounds of security.
There is both a political reason and a religious one for not wanting the pilgrimage. In Islam going to the graves in the belief that prayers are more likely to be answered because of the piety of the person buried there is forbidden, so the more Islamic Muslim Brotherhood is unlikely to be sympathetic towards such a pilgrimage.
The building of structures over graves was forbidden by the Prophet Mohammed s.a.w. and there are many recorded narrations which have been authenticated by scholars saying
Jundub reported: I heard from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) five days before his death and he said: I stand acquitted before Allah that I took any one of you as friend, for Allah has taken me as His friend, as he took Ibrahim as His friend. Had I taken any one of my Ummah as a friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a friend. Beware of those who preceded you and used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of worship, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that.
Similar narrations by Aisha r.a. the wife of the Prophet s.a.w. and by his companions such as
‘A’isha and Abdullah reported: As the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was about to breathe his last, he drew his sheet upon his face and when he felt uneasy, he uncovered his face and said in that very state: Let there be curse upon the Jews and the Christians that they have taken the graves of their apostles as places of worship. He in fact warned (his men) against what they (the Jews and the Christians) did.
Some sects of Islam do not accept these narrations.
Whilst I do understand the value of historic buildings, I very much feel that human lives are worth so much more than buildings, yet there is evidently much more consternation about the destruction of tombs than of humans. We still have to live in the hope of seeing Bush, Blair, Cheney, Obama and others being convicted for their war crimes against innocent human beings – during our life time.
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14 – If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters].
Posted by Laura Stuart
on July 2, 2012. Filed under Religion.
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18 Responses to International Community Horrified by Destruction of Shrines
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who_me
July 2, 2012 at 3:57 pm
when the reports first started coming out, i noticed the headlines in western stories about this vandalism were worded such to leave the headline reader thinking muslims were attacking christian shrines. that was probably intentional, given past attempts by the jewish run western media to stir up anti muslim hatred any way they can.
the destruction of these sites is probably another mossad/cia engineered psychwar provacation designed to split people in the muslim world and further isreali-american interests in the continenet, which have skyrocketed the last couple of years. the empire wants its control and are behind most of the current fighting in africa.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Whilst it would be so much easier to pin all the blame on a Zionists attacking Muslims both dead and alive ………..
It is innevitable anyway that U.S. or N.A.T.O. forces attack Northern Mali, I guess highlighting what the west sees as Muslim barbaric behaviour is part of preparing the publics mind for them waging yet another war.
Here is an interesting view in Pravda
http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/06-02-2012/120424-algeria_nato-0/
However, having US troops on Algerian soil is not something we didn’t already know about, in fact US troops have been all over different African countries training local forces and generally trying to make sure that Islam in a pure form does not take hold
https://algerianreview.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/american-bases-on-algerian-soil-really-why-now/
Ariadna Theokopoulos
July 2, 2012 at 4:39 pm
“in fact US troops have been all over different African countries training local forces and generally trying to make sure that Islam in a pure form does not take hold”
Now you’re telling us! Is THAT why the US troops are killing people all over the ME and Africa?!?
You coulda dropped me with a … a… pure feather! So it is true that it is indeed a clash between civilizations, and a religious war after all, which we stupidly refused to believe.
All this time, not realizing that to ” pin all the blame on Zionists” was to be fooled about the true deep theological war going on in the war.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Right so sarcasm aside you get the idea that there is a war on Islam, or more specifically a war on orthodox Islam.
Yet you also believe that NATO want Assad out even though he is a Baathist disinterested in establishing Shariah law and you also believe that NATO supports Al Qaida in Libya and Syria although they evidently don’t support them in Yemen Somalia Afghanistan or Iraq.
You seem confused.
Ariadna Theokopoulos
July 2, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Sarcasm aside I am not far from giving up on trying to get through to you.
It is NOT a “war on Islam” except incidentally and by ‘necessity: they have to
–present Islam as a danger to ‘civilized democracies’ to their domestic audiences;
–they use it to convince some (the likes of you) that there are serious problems INSIDE Islam, sectarian hatred, ‘deviationism,’ among others.
It is a war on
–countries of strategic and national resource interests to USrael and its acolytes, in Aisa and Africa, which happen to be islamic just as there is on
– countries on strategic/resource interest that happen to be christian/catholic — see Latin America
Keep nattering on about shias and purity of Islam and you are left beating your gums about Kosovo, Syria (secular), etc. to say nothing about Latin America.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 5:47 pm
We will have to agree to disagree on this.
Ariadna Theokopoulos
July 2, 2012 at 5:58 pm
“We will have to agree to disagree on this.”
That’s perfectly acceptabe. You keep it up and I will satirize that pov as time permits
You may wish to wait until the end of the month when I go on vacation. That’s a trade: you give me a vacation now, I’ll give you one in August — unless I get wifi where I’m going, in which case all bets are off and we continue to agree to disagree
Ariadna Theokopoulos
July 2, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Might also be a good idea for you to read this link provided by who_me:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=30514
“Supported by the Western media, a generalized atmosphere of racism and xenophobia directed against Muslims has unfolded, particularly in the US and Western Europe, which provides a fake legitimacy to the U.S. war agenda,” Chossudovsky contends.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 6:04 pm
For sure, but they invade where what they term to be extremist Muslims are. Example Morocco which has a terrible human rights record but has a very moderate Muslim ruler ditto Jordon, Algeria are left alone as long as their leaders are willing to oppress “Islamists”.
They leave Algeria alone although it has a lot of gas they only use it for a staging post to target more “extremist” Muslims.
Iraq was different with Saddam he lobbed some scuds into Israel so he had to die.
pgg804
July 2, 2012 at 8:36 pm
“Yet you also believe that NATO want Assad out even though he is a Baathist disinterested in establishing Shariah law and you also believe that NATO supports Al Qaida in Libya and Syria although they evidently don’t support them in Yemen Somalia Afghanistan or Iraq.”
The USA wanted Saddam Hussein out and he had no interest in establishing Shariah law. I believe NATO supported everybody opposed to Gaddafi in Libya, including Al Qaida. The USA opposes Al Qaida in Iraq, Afghanistan and the countries they occupy. In ten years when the USA is presumably out of Afghanistan and Iraq they may support Al Qaida there if they feel that’s beneficial.
The USA supported the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union only later to fight these same people, some of whom became part of Al Qaida.
The USA under Zionist leadership supports upheaval, disorder, violence and revolution in all countries the Zionists consider Israel’s enemies. NATO no longer operates to defend Europe and the USA against an attack by the Soviet Union. That threat disappeared years ago. NATO is still lead by the USA, but Zionists set policy.
These actions would be quite normal if the USA was at war with these countries. The question is why is the USA and NATO involved in the middle east and occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. But we know the answer to that too – its Israel and their supporters again.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Saddam obviously had to go since he sent scuds into Israel and previously had a large army that is clear but if a army takes up arms and established Shariah in Somalia or in Northern Mali it is less clear why Israel feels threatened by it, unless you accept that Islam is the only real enemy to Israel and it’s aspirations.
pgg804
July 2, 2012 at 9:40 pm
I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic when you say Saddam had to go or not. Its obvious the USA under Zionists thought he had to go.
Saddam launched Scuds on Israel because he knew already back then that their agents in AIPAC called the shots in Washington. Israel considered Iraq an enemy, bombing Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1984. Why shouldn’t Saddam launch Scuds into Israel. They attacked first.
It may have taken Mearsheimer and Walt until 2006 to write “The Israel Lobby”, but I was discussing with others way back in 1991 our suspicions the attack on Iraq was done for Israel.
Ariadna Theokopoulos
July 2, 2012 at 10:33 pm
Israel doesn’t give a fig about the sharia law in Somalia. Read up:
“On May 15th, 2012, EU naval forces and helicopters ruthlessly shelled the village of Handulle, ridiculously dubbing it a “pirate haven” and vowing to continue facsimile attacks in the future (80). No evidence was (or has been) presented to confirm the “pirate” allegations and no casualty count was issued either although it wouldn’t be farfetched by any means to assume many civilians were murdered by this cruel, criminal and colonial attack. It is imperative to note that the Somali pirates are by no means “robbers” or, as Zionist ideologues tend to describe them, “terrorists,” they are defenders of their homeland, putting their lives on the line to stop Western (read: Jewish) imperial encroachment and corporations from dumping toxic waste in Somali waters (81).
It is now known that the Zionist-occupied United States government has been using F-15s to bomb Somalia, as well as its naval destroyers (82). The US has also pieced together a mercenary army from forces of the Zionist entity’s proxies in Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya, aggressively pushing them in conjunction with Predator and Reaper drone strikes against Al-Shabab, the Somali Islamic Resistance (83). “Israeli” intelligence has of course played a vital role in supporting these proxy efforts to crush Al-Shabab (84), and the Zionist entity, through its shipping mega-firm ZIM, has even clashed with Somali pirates before, shooting them for attempting to stop a Jewish occupation ship from contaminating their waters with harsh chemicals (85). On April 27th, 2012, a US terror drone hammered Somalia’s southwestern region of Gedo, leaving at least 22 people murdered and dozens of others injured (86). Just two weeks later on May 11th, America’s remote-controlled death machines hit Somalia again, this time murdering more than 38 people in the southwestern district of Badade (87). It is utterly miraculous that Bab-el-Mandeb, the strategic waterway between Somalia and Yemen, hasn’t changed colors from blue to red from all of the innocent Somalia blood spilled”
Mask of Zion
Laura Stuart
July 3, 2012 at 8:51 am
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/42567/somalia-continues-to-hold-maritime-industry-hostage-say-state-leaders
Well, I suppose the Israelis themselves would use the defenders of their homeland story too and they did because as you know I was a victim of Israeli piracy.
I read something about how they are worried that Boko Haram, Al Shabbab and other likeminded groups might join forces.
Anyway Somali pirates have taken ships and people for ransom which is pretty amazing with the lack of weapons they have. What a mess Somalia is and you know they had peace under the Union of Islamic Courts but the USA could not allow that to continue.
happeh
July 2, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Bait and Switch article. Headline says:
“International Community Horrified by Destruction of Shrines ”
Then the article discusses Israelis going to Egypt.
Laura Stuart
July 2, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Happeh the connection is clear between the two – tombs and worshipping at them.
who_me
July 2, 2012 at 4:12 pm
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=30514
“Supported by the Western media, a generalized atmosphere of racism and xenophobia directed against Muslims has unfolded, particularly in the US and Western Europe, which provides a fake legitimacy to the U.S. war agenda,” Chossudovsky contends. “The latter is upheld as a ‘Just War’. The ‘Just War’ theory serves to camouflage the nature of US. war plans, while providing a human face to the invaders.”
searching
July 2, 2012 at 4:23 pm
but Laura very easily falls for “the human face of the invaders” .
She thinks they defend “human rights and justice”.
That’s why she did not mind them in LIbya ,
and she does not mind them in Syria.