Muslim groups in Mali tackle the really important issues

[F6_Turbo]

Islamist militants, swinging pick-axes and shouting God's praise, have destroyed ancient tombs of Muslim saints in Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu, sparking international condemnation.

The rampage of destruction in the UNESCO designated world-heritage city comes after three months of unrest in Mali's remote desert north, which has raised fears of a new Islamist extremist haven in west Africa.

Ansar Dine and other Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups have imposed strict sharia law since sweeping across northern Mali in the chaotic aftermath of a March 22 coup in the capital, Bamako.
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"They have raped Timbuktu today. It is a crime," said a source close to a local imam in Timbuktu, known as the "City of 333 Saints".

Witnesses said the Islamists, who regard shrines as idolatrous, had destroyed the tombs of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya.

In addition to three historic mosques, Timbuktu is home to 16 cemeteries and mausoleums, according to the UNESCO website.

A spokesman for the group, Sanda Ould Boumama, vowed: "Ansar Dine will today destroy every mausoleum in the city. All of them, without exception."

Alissandra Cummins, the chair of UNESCO's executive committee, said: "This is tragic news for us all.

"I appeal to all those engaged in the conflict in Timbuktu to exercise their responsibility - for the sake of future generations, spare the legacy of their past."

Mali's government in Bamako denounced the "destructive fury", comparing it to war crimes and threatened action on the national and international level.

Former colonial power France condemned "the systematic violation of these places of reverence and prayer" and appealed "for an end to this violence and this intolerance".

A witness said that early Saturday morning, about "30 fighters of Ansar Dine moved towards the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud" in the city's north.

"Some had guns. They did not shoot. Then they started shouting 'Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!' (God is greatest! God is greatest!) And with pick-axes and hoes, they started to break down the mausoleum."

The Ansar Dine spokesman suggested Saturday's action was in retaliation for a UNESCO decision on Thursday to put the World Heritage site, a cradle of Islamic learning founded in the fifth century, on its endangered list.

"God is unique. All of this is haram (forbidden in Islam). We are all Muslims. UNESCO is what?" he said, declaring that Ansar Dine was acting "in the name of God".

UNESCO's general director, Irina Bokova, confirmed that Islamist militants from the Ansar Dine group had destroyed three sacred tombs in Timbuktu, declaring in a statement that "there is no justification for such wanton destruction".

Witnesses in Timbuktu said that the gangs had destroyed the mausoleum of a saint whose 15th century tomb was already desecrated in May by members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, another of the groups in control in the north.

The UN cultural agency said its decision to place both the town and the nearby Tomb of Askia in Gao on its List of World Heritage in Danger "aims to raise cooperation and support for the sites threatened by the armed conflict".

History being destroyed, these were from the 15th century...sort of like the Taliban in Afghanistan destroying the Buddhist statues in Bamiyan. Continuing the good work others are doing all around the world...good work lads, lets make sure we live up to the stereotypes!

Think these extremists groups need to hire a good PR firm.

[Sohel]

I've spent a lot of time in Mali. Islam there has a formidable history of Maliki scholarship and Sufi culture. It is heartbreaking to see Political Salafism creating terror there. They will not succeed IshAllah. After creating much havoc and shedding much blood, these true enemies of the faith will be defeated. GOD does not look kindly to those so called faithful who assume de facto partnership with Him, and try to compel others to follow something which GOD Himself declared free from compulsion.

[Banglatiger84]

I was reading some western Muslims touting Mali as a place to make Hijrah to, as apparently part of Mali is now ruled by true Muslims with Shariah. (Other such ideal places included Afghanistan under taliban and Somalia under Shabaab).
So this news bit is not the least surprising.
And PR firm? They dont care about their image, they actually think they are doing Islam a service and that their critics are against Islam.

[F6_Turbo]

I was joking about the PR firm thing...

I know Muslims get a bad rap in the western media, but sh!t like this, doesn't help.

Remember the pre - 9/11 days, when non muslims used to look at Muslims/Islam as exotic, and all your foreign friends would ask questions wanting to know more...not to mention the phrase"Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world/west" wasn't met with fear?

Seems a lifetime ago now

[Zunaid]

If the good don't speak up against the evil, they are just as guilty. I wonder how many of our brethrens are protesting these vile events instead of debating about how many times to pray.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
If the good don't speak up against the evil, they are just as guilty. I wonder how many of our brethrens are protesting these vile events instead of debating about how many times to pray.

Evil prevails when good men fail to act.

One of my favorite quotes from perhaps the most quotable of Irish Libertarians, Edmund Burke. The link leads to the WikiQuote page.

The Quran on tolerance:

"Invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones." (16:125)

"It was mercy from GOD that you became compassionate towards them. Had you been harsh and mean-hearted, they would have abandoned you. Therefore, you shall pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them. Once you make a decision, carry out your plan, and trust in GOD. GOD loves those who trust in Him." (3:159)

"Who (the righteous) give to charity during the good times, as well as the bad times. They are suppressors of anger, and pardoners of the people. GOD loves the charitable." (3:134)

"Not equal is the good response and the bad response. You shall resort to the nicest possible response. Thus, the one who used to be your enemy, may become your best friend." (41:34)

"They steadfastly persevere in seeking their Lord, observe the Link (Salat), spend from our provisions to them secretly and publicly, and counter evil with good. These have deserved the best abode." (13:22)

"And do not curse those who call on other than GOD, lest they blaspheme and curse GOD, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every group in their eyes. Ultimately, they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done." (6:108)

"O you who believe, no people shall ridicule other people, for they may be better than they. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they. Nor shall you mock one another, or call each other names. Evil indeed is the reversion to wickedness after attaining faith. Anyone who does not repent after this, these are the transgressors." (49:11)

"O you who believe, if a wicked person brings any news to you, you shall first investigate, lest you commit injustice towards some people, out of ignorance, then become sorry and remorseful for what you have done." (49:6)

"O you who believe, you shall avoid any suspicion, for even a little bit of suspicion is sinful. You shall not spy on one another, nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother. You certainly abhor this. You shall observe GOD. GOD is Redeemer, Most Merciful." (49:12)

"O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant." (49:13)

Of course the Quran itself has many more verses on tolerance, but Salafi convolution and obscurantism in the name of Islamic purity predictably perverts our faith. They preach unity yet practice Takfir. They get people to conflate adoration with idol worship and useful innovation with deviance. They are outwardly pious yet arrogant men and women who are shamelessly vain in their use of the appearance of zealous piety. They do such things because they are devoid of real Taqwa. They are experts at guiding the emotionally disturbed, and on occasion just plain old stupid no matter who articulate they seem to be or how well they parrot scripture they don't really get.

It is necessary for Muslims who follow Islam, and not some sort of Islamist Muslimism to expose these deviant transgressors wherever they are, engage them decisively, and then neutralize them without transgressions of our own.

Here's a couple of gems from Burke:

"Nothing is so fatal to religion as indifference."

"I take toleration to be a part of religion. I do not know which I would sacrifice; I would keep them both: it is not necessary that I should sacrifice either."

[Sohel]

Here's my good friend Vieux Farka Toure just jamming in his front yard in Bamako. What he's playing is the directly Islam inspired Malian equivalent of some of the great Lalon/Sufi fusion we used to see in Dhaka with Arnob and Anusheh's band Bangla. Enjoy:

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
If the good don't speak up against the evil, they are just as guilty. I wonder how many of our brethrens are protesting these vile events instead of debating about how many times to pray.

Not many and had this been some radical christian group then they'd all be up in arms by now.