Bilal Abdul Kareem Journalist
Islam’s new “spokesperson” took center stage in the form of Rania Al Abdullah, also known as Queen Rania of Jordan, a few days ago. Below are a few quotes from her speech nearly seven minute speech which aired at the Government Summit in Dubai a few days ago with a few notes to go along with it.
Rana said:
“Islam is our responsibility. Our identity is our responsibility,”
Note:
I assume when you said “our” you were including yourself as well. Rania, you are the Queen of a country and not a lay person. How much good could you do by presenting yourself physically as a Muslim woman who adhere’s to the commandments of your Lord? Would it not teach the world what joy it would bring to a Muslim woman’s life to cover herself as is mentioned in the Quran? I am not talking about the veil over your face because there is a difference of opinion in the that regard but I’m talking about the other aspects of hijab. Why have you abandoned it? Yet you talk about Islam as if you love it. I’m not saying you don’t love Islam as only Allaah knows what is in your heart, but shouldn’t you show your love by practicing the aspects of the faith? Wouldn’t that say much more to the world than a carefully worded speech about a religion you don’t appear to follow yourself?
Rana said:
“Sorrow drapes our skies and homes across our nation are united in condolence for our martyred Captain Muath Al-Kassasbeh, God rest his soul in peace.”
Note:
The Jordanian pilot Muath Kassasbeh who was brutally killed by way of immolation by the group ISIS was not a hero. I will say this again for clarity: Muath Kassasbeh was not a hero. It is extremely unfortunate what ISIS did to him. Their act of burning him alive goes against a direct order from the Messenger Muhammad in that burning is strictly for Allaah. However it is important that we stay focused. The coalition Kassasbeh has been fighting for, has not only been bombing ISIS positions but other Islamic groups’ positions that have worked hard and shed much blood to safeguard the Syrian people. Those other Islamic groups are full of Syrian’s, and not just foreigners as TV would have you believe, who want peace and stability for their homeland. 75% of the resistance in Syria is Islamic in one form or another. Kassasbeh was contributing to attacks upon all of them unfortunately. This coalition could not come together to fight Bashar Assad the butcher of 300,000 people and his army yet they were sincere in attacking ISIS only? So let us not believe that Kassesbeh was a hero because he certainly was not even if the news media is trying to force it down our throats.
As for Kassasbeh I hope that he was misled by his government and he had a sincere intention to fight for Islam and Allaah forgives him. That is between him and his Lord. I cannot speak for his intentions, as for his actions and his participation in the coalition then they were despicable. Again, I do not by any stretch of the imagination condone his awful immolation, but I didn’t lose sight of the fact that he was aiding and abetting known criminals.
Rania said:
“My country, Jordan, is facing crisis and tragedy with patience, faith, and determination to fight terrorism and hold accountable those who are committing the most heinous and brutal atrocities of our time,”
and in another place she said:
Referring to ISIS she said “…those who malign Islam with their violence, bloodshed, and slaughter”
Note:
Jordan may be defending herself from the likes of ISIS however if your country is serious about fighting terrorism then, as the saying goes, “charity begins at home”. Rania, would you consider torture to be terrorism? I do. I think most people do as well. Foreign Policy Journal mentioned:
“…a 2006 report by Amnesty International reported that the GID (Jordan’s equivalent of the KGB) was the primary instrument of abuse of political prisoners and for the obtaining of forced “confessions”. The same report cited methods of torture and ill-treatment suffered by detainees in Jordanian places of detention and included “falaqa” —whereby the soles of the victims feet are repeatedly beaten with a stick; beatings with sticks, cables, plastic pipes, ropes or whips; and “shabeh” (“the phantom”), whereby the victim is suspended for up to several hours by his handcuffed wrists, and then beaten.”
Additionally it states:
“In 2011, Amnesty International reported that political prisoners were still sometimes subjected to torture and ill-treatment by security forces without impunity, detention without trial was widespread, and it also highlighted long-standing concerns that the Jordanian authorities failed to investigate or prosecute the perpetrators of this torture.”
I myself wrote in an article recently: “Amongst practicing Muslims Jordan is known as one of the “Torture Capitals” of the Islamic world. The Jordanian authorities have sounded the screams of many bearded men in their prisons over the course of this regime and the previous one. Human Rights Watch posted on their website the following statement:
“The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) transferred at least 14 terrorist suspects to Jordanian custody for interrogation and torture since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
The 36-page report, “Double Jeopardy: CIA Renditions to Jordan,” documents how Jordan’s General Intelligence Department (GID) served as a proxy jailer and interrogator for the CIA from 2001 until at least 2004.”
So I ask you Rania, how can you be so vocal about fighting terrorism when this is happening in your own country? Jordan is a very small place. Can you not hear their screams? Unless you don’t count the torture of suspects as terrorism, then I guess I can see your point.
Rania said:
“Islam is innocent of their crimes, their laws, and their Takfir dogma,” she continued.
Note:
In all honesty, the only difference of what I see from ISIS and the torture that Jordan has meted out over the years are two things:
1. ISIS was not as clever as your government is in that they broadcast their atrocities. You at least had the decency to try to cover it up. You are appearing to the people as if barbarity and oppression are owned by ISIS exclusively.
2. ISIS will declare someone to be a non Muslim before they start their cruelty and torture.
Rana said:
“He stepped into his plane knowing all too well that he was sacrificing that which is dear, for that which is dearest, his life for his country.”
While in another place she said:
“We need to change education policies in the Arab world to ones that ensure quality learning for our children and that instill in them the true values of religion, patriotism…”
While in another place she said:
“Let us shield future generations and arm them with the values of religion, patriotism, and…”
Note:
As you have mentioned Rania it is upon us to preserve Islam. Did you not know that the Messenger Muhammad said: “Verily actions are but by intentions and for every person is what he intended”. This means that one who has the intention to risk himself for his country or homeland is not a martyr. A martyr in this regard can only be one who risks himself for Allaah. There is a huge difference.
Twice in your short speech you mentioned the word “patriotism”. This leads me to believe that you are trying to push a certain point. Patriotism has no place in Islam. Why? What is one to do when he is asked by the Jordanian government, US government, or any other government for that matter, to do something which is contrary to Islam? Is he still a patriot as you mentioned? If he is asked to lie, cheat, torture, and other than that to protect the state, and everyone knows this happens around the world in secret government meetings, then this means that he is sacrificing himself for his homeland and he indeed is a patriot. However where does this behavior fit in line with his sincerity to Allaah and his Messenger?
I blame ISIS followers severely as I believe they are patriotic to the false version Islamic State they have created. Kassasbeh was patriotic to Jordan, Baghdadi’s followers are patriotic to their falsehood. Two warring sides will always charge the other with aggression. Where are the people who are patriotic only to Allaah?
Conclusion
I’m not saying Rania that due to your appearance and strangely worded statements that you are not Muslim. I would say that you are indeed a Muslim as I am not one for takfir. Placing others outside the fold of Islam is for the scholars to decide and I am not scholar. However I will say that you are not a good representative of Islam and neither is your husband Abdullah. You may be a very sweet lady with a warm personality (or maybe not), however you should not present yourself as one who speaks about Islam, fighting terrorism, and the like.
