Radical Cleric: It’s OK to Blow Yourself Up ‘For Allah’

December 20, 2013 — Israel National News reports: “‘Blowing oneself up for the sake of Allah is acceptable,’ according to a radical Muslim cleric who recently spoke to a Lebanese television network.

The comments by Syrian-born Islamist cleric Omar Bakri were made in an interview which aired on the Lebanese Al-Jadid/New TV on November 26. They were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

In the interview, Bakri was justifying the recent bombings of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

‘When a [martyrdom-seeker] wishes to please Allah, the pinnacle of what he can do is to die for His sake, in a justified battle or confrontation with the enemies of Allah – in order to elevate the word of Allah – and attains either victory for the religion of Allah or martyrdom,’ he explained.

‘Who is a martyr is known to Allah alone. When somebody dies on the battlefield, we say that we consider him a martyr but that he will be judged by Allah, because the Prophet Muhammad forbade us from declaring anyone a martyr ourselves,’ said Bakri.

He stressed, ‘Blowing oneself up as part of fighting for the sake of Allah is considered to be in keeping with Islamic law, within certain constraints. The proof is that if someone blew himself up in an Israeli embassy, he would be praised by all. This is evident in history. Many groups – even non-Muslim groups – praise those who die for their ideology.’

Bakri went on to say that ‘blowing oneself up for the sake of Allah is acceptable, so long as the target is legitimate,’ meaning that even Muslims are legitimate targets of suicide bombings…” (This headline is sad. Muslims are taught that the only ones who can be certain of eternal life are those who follow the above instructions. They not only are rewarded with 72 virgins for all eternity but also are rewarded with choosing 70 relatives or friends to enjoy heaven with them.)

Iraq Changes Prayer Direction: Karbala, Not Mecca

December 27, 2013 — Israel National News reports: “Iraq’s rising violence and concerns of an all-out sectarian war appears set to flare up even further, as Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki recently ordered Muslim prayers to be directed to the Shi’ite holy city Karbala, instead of Mecca.

Karabala is where Imam Al-Hussein, a Shi’ite ‘martyr’ who refused to surrender the Islamic Caliphate to Sunni leaders, was killed in 680 CE. The city houses his mausoleum, and Al-Maliki’s statements came at a memorial to Hussein, who was also Muslim prophet Mohammed’s grandson.

‘We need to develop the city of Karbala, and it needs to be the place the Muslim world prays to because there lies Hussein,’ declared Al-Maliki, emphasizing that Muslims need to pray 5 times a day facing the city.

In making the announcement Al-Maliki, himself a Shi’ite Muslim, poured oil on the blazing sectarian violence between Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims currently engulfing his country and the Muslim world. Karbala itself has been the target of Sunni terrorism, as a Shi’ite pilgrimage holiday was bombed in November.

Saudi religious authorities called Al-Maliki’s words religious extremism deepening the centuries old sectarian Muslim divide…” (If the above event occurs this Shia and Sunni change to Karbala from Mecca will bring Islamic bloodshed that will make the Syrian death toll of 120,000 pale by comparison.)