Grand Mufti Hasan Afzal Issues Fatwa Against Muslim Youth Group

NOVANEWS

by Laura Stuart

Islam is a religion for whom those who claim even a little Islamic knowledge have studied the classic texts under the guidance of scholars for many years. Even after years and years of studies they will claim to be just students who know only very little. Therefore the title of this piece is entirely sarcastic and merely to highlight the fact that Hasan Afzal is a complete ignoramus from an Islamic point of view who has zero authority to make any of the pronouncements that he makes. Hasan Afzal’s existence was no doubt totally mundane until as a Muslim he decided to make a career out of being an Israeli flag waver and set up the blog “British Muslims for Israel“. You can watch his speech at a Stand for Israel rally in Trafalgar Square here.

Since the “War on Islam” there have been rich pickings for some self proclaimed instant experts on Islam who unabashedly interpret our religion to suit their own (probably lucrative) agendas and who are willing to make outrageous claims about Muslims being extremists. Hasan Afzal is so unlearned about Islam that he misrepresents authentic Islamic texts to suit his self proclaimed expertise and credentials on extremism.

Having explained who Afzal is and what he definitely is not, we now need to look at just who gives him a platform to trot out his lame and inarticulate words on extremism.  Who else would give him so much air space and column inches other than the Pro Israel media such asSky News, the Jewish Chronicle and our own favourite Islamophobia award winning blog Harry’s Place. Pro Israel campaigners are always happy to accommodate and promote anyone who can bandy the words “extremist” and “Al Qaida” around and who can portray Muslims as an evil threat constantly plotting to destroy Israel. To have found a Muslim who will do their dirty work for them they may consider a bonus yet one which might yet backfire on them as when people watch Afzal on the T.V. and ask the inevitable question “are all Muslims so banal”? and if so “why were we so worried”?

Of course promoting the notion that Israel is under constant threat from bloodthirsty Muslims is what brings in the millions of hard earned American tax dollars on the pretext of defense. But not content with besieging, occupying and ethnically cleansing the citizens of Palestine, pro Israel Jews want to control Muslims in the U.K. too. Let us investigate just how they set about doing that.

“The War On Islam“

Muslim parents must be delighted when their young ones go to attend talks on religion. Religious moral guidance is sorely needed to keep our youngsters on the straight and narrow. Most teenagers in the U.K. would rather be in the pub or hanging around aimlessly on the streets, but some insightful Muslims have set up groups where Islamic guidance is given to the youth – by the youth. One such project is called “Ministry of Dawwah”. In Arabic Dawwah means to invite. I took the following from their facebook group so we can see what  they stand for.
Mission

To become like those mentioned in this beautiful ayah: In truth, they were YOUTHS who believed in their Lord and We increased them in guidance. We gave strength to their hearts. Behold, they stood up and said: ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we call upon any god other than Him, if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity.’ [Al- Quran 18: 13]

Description
Ministry of Dawah is run by youth in the central London area, providing activities and Islamic circles for youth, dealing with our issues, on the level, in a way we can understand. We hope to engage, entertain and excite InshaAllah!

General information
MOD is a non partisan organisation based on Islam, which seeks to provide a platform that enables Muslims and non Muslims the chance to discuss contemporary issues that are facing the youth and their vision. MOD hopes to achieve this in a way that they can understand and relate to in their daily lives. MOD aims to present islamic issues whether they are political or spiritual so it’s members can discuss or debate them in an islamic manner abiding by ettiquettes.

A beautiful project ! Clearly a youth organisation aiming to reach out to the youth both Muslim and non Muslim,  in a way that youth can relate to. The group has been meeting for over two years in a building run by a King’s Cross Neighbourhood Association. All Ministry of Dawwah talks are available to listen to on their youtube channel and on their facebook page “Ministry of Dawwah”. Nothing hidden at all, it is all out in the public domain  because they have nothing to hide.

Now we read in the Jewish Chronicle that  Afzal managed to close the venue down that has hosted Ministry of Dawwah for over two years.  I notice that the Ministry of Dawwah state that some of their discussions will be political and exactly which political issue is in the heart of every Muslim on the planet other than The issue of the occupation of Palestine. But is the subject of the illegal occupation of Palestine a subject which is about to become illegal for discussion in the U.K.? We have seen in the past how both pro Zionists and proclaimed anti Zionist groups work in packs to harass and intimidate venue providers by bombarding them with defamatory e.mails and phone calls claiming that they are hosting anti Semites or extremists. Only this week deLiberation published a campaign of defamation and harassment of the organisers and speakers at theOne State conference in Germany read about it here, this is but one example of what is an unrelenting and ongoing battle to control the discourse on Israel/Palestine in the West.

Here is an extract from  Grand Mufti Afzal’s fatwa

Hasan Afzal, director of the anti-extremism group Stand for Peace, contacted the council earlier this month to warn that the Ministry of Dawah was using the centre to “whitewash the terrorist convictions of a number of Islamists”.

I think it is only fair to point out from the start here that Stand for Peace far from being a group comprises at most two members.  I can only imagine Afzal suffered some emotionally traumatic life changing experience at University which led to him dropping out of his studies and  on to a dangerous trajectory and  into the arms of the Zionists. Hasan Afzal is now to the Pro Israel Jews what Abdul Sallam  is to the E.D.L. (English Defence League).

So let us examine these outrageously damning and downright scary accusations that Afzal and the Jewish Chronicle make about Ministry of Dawwah with my comments in italics.

1. promotion of extreme Islamist organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, and support for bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders . . .Many Muslims support much of what Bin Laden said, whilst not supporting the killing of innocent civilians. Hizb ut Tahrir is an international organisation which is running openly and legally in the U.K. so what is wrong with showing support for it?
2. Events held by the group at the venue have included a “Maidens of Paradise” discussion about women, and “Deeds after Death” in which participants were told: “Did you know you can still get rewards even after your soul has departed from your body?”  . . . The Maidens of Paradise are the beautiful houries in heaven the place that every Muslim man and women strives to achieve. No angels sitting on fluffy clouds playing harps of uncertain gender for Muslim men! What can Muslim women hope for in Paradise? The answer is anything we want! So hard to see what is offensive about this talk but it is there for all listen to if you want to follow the link. Deeds after Death is Islamic teaching that whilst we can strive to earn good deeds in this life after we die there are certain deeds that keep on giving us reward this is called sadaqah jariah, like building a mosque or a legacy of Islamic scholarship etc  an alms giving which by the merciful nature of Allah keeps on earning rewards even after death. Again I posted the link. There is nothing whatsoever extreme about either talk merely very mainstream talks based on widely used Islamic texts.
3. A “Free Palestine” discussion asked participants to consider how “the Zionist Israeli state [is] using illegal weaponry such as white phosphorous to kill and murder innocent human beings including children”. . . No one has a problem with that statement including the Goldstone report. It is indeed illegal to use white phosporus in heavily populated areas. I think that Jon Snow says it so much better than I can so here the video “Inside the mind of Mark Regev” always worth revisiting!
4. At another lecture the speaker tells the audience: “You are in a battle of ideas, a battle for hearts and minds, and it’s a battle that’s clearly about the West versus Islam. . . For sure – the War on Islam is now official
5. One lecturer claimed Israeli snipers were used to kill Palestinian children in Gaza and talked about his hope that Muslims would be able to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with “no Israel, no occupation at all . . .Nothing unfactual about that  children sitting in classrooms being killed as it is well documented and on the second point one and a half billion Muslims and the United Nations would agree that Israel should get out of occupied East Jerusalem.
   
6. There is a further discussion on how Israel will be “wiped off the earth” by Allah . . . Right so   they are saying Allah s.w.t. will do that so hardly a battle cry for Muslims to take up jihad then.

I could go on but as we can clearly see the claims of Hasan Afzal are very weak and flimsy they could easily be put into context by your average practising Muslim aged about 10. So does anybody really think that Pro Israel Jews or a lone not very bright or articulate Muslim for Israel should control who speaks about Islam to the youth? We know that there is a war against Islam where Zio/NeoCons want to take Muslims away from the classic teachings of Islam. We have to be strong and stand up to these bullies who seek to confuse and liberalise Muslims. We have to provide more Islamic teachings for the youth to try to counter the effects of the West’s liberal values which bring with it the erosion of morals and family values.

No man and least of all Hasan Afzal can change the dictates or ideals set forth by Allah s.w.t.

Surah as Saff 61-8

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ

They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.