JEDDAH, 21 August 2006 — Shoura Council Chairman Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid yesterday called for a public apology from US President George W. Bush for linking Islam and Muslims with fascism and terrorism.
The chairman was referring to a recent statement by Bush branding Muslim extremists “Islamic fascists.” He also warned against deliberate smear campaigns targeting Islam, saying they would have dangerous consequences.
Bin-Humaid denounced attempts by some political and religious leaders, as well as certain sections of the media, to defame Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“We demand a public apology for this falsification as it came from an influential political figure and received wide publicity,” Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted Bin-Humaid, who is also imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as saying. Bush’s statement provoked worldwide Muslim protests.
The Saudi Cabinet last week warned against linking Islam with terrorism and fascism without considering the history of Islamic civilization. “Fascism is a product of Western culture,” a Cabinet statement said.
Bush’s use of the term “Islamic fascists” was also criticized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim advocacy group. “We believe that this is an ill-advised term and we believe that it is counterproductive to associate Islamic Muslims with fascism,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“The problem with the phrase is that it attaches the religion of Islam to tyranny and fascism, rather than isolating the threat to a specific group of individuals,” said Edina Lekovic, spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. She said the terms cast aspersions on all Muslims, even the vast majority who want to live in safety like other Americans.
Mohamed Elibiary, a Texas-based Muslim activist, said he was upset by the president’s comment. “We’ve got Osama Bin Laden hijacking the religion in order to define it one way. We feel the president and anyone who’s using these kinds of terminologies is hijacking it too from a different side.”
In his statement, Bin-Humaid said the attack on Islam and the Prophet would only strengthen Muslims’ faith in their religion. He urged Muslim governments and organizations to take effective steps to prevent attempts to spread hatred of Islam and Muslims.
Bin-Humaid said it was the growing popularity of Islam that had provoked enemies to launch smear campaigns.
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