We are all aware of the barbaric acts of ISIS, al Qaeda and the others flying the Black Flag. Sadly their violence continues to kill innocents around the world and here at home. They fight in the cause of Jihad to impose their totalitarian religion on all people. But they are not the only ones working toward that goal. There are other Islamist groups who seem much less dangerous on the surface, but actually represent an even more insidious threat to free western society. They seek to use our very freedoms as weapons against us.
Saying that you would enforce the law even on the Prophet Muhammad is apparently a firing offense for powerful ministers in Egypt. In a purely rhetorical comment — presumably even the most devout Muslims do not believe that the Prophet Muhammad would return to Earth for the purpose of breaking Egyptian laws — Justice Minister Ahmed el-Zend remarked that he would arrest even “a prophet” if his duty required it. He apologized immediately for the comment, but was fired anyway.
Mr Zend sparked outrage on social media over the weekend and a warning from Cairo-based Sunni Islam learning centre Al-Azhar after an interview he gave to private satellite channel Sada al-Balad on Friday.
Asked about a case involving journalists accused of defaming him and whether he would jail them, Mr Zind said he would imprison anyone.
“Even if it’s a prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him,” said Mr Zend, using the Islamic saying of reverence spoken by Muslims only when referring to the Prophet Mohammed.
Upon realising what he had said, he immediately stopped and said: “I ask for forgiveness from God.”
The Muslim Brotherhood seized upon the remarks, according to Zend, and used their influence to have him removed from his post.
This intense punishment of even absurd standards of “blasphemy” is a standard part of Muslim Brotherhood practice, although it is alarming that they retain the influence in Egypt to have so high an official removed so quickly. Egyptian officials currently serving have lived through an attempted Muslim Brotherhood coup in 2013. In that year Mohamed Morsi, the President of Egypt who was also a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, attempted to unilaterally seize power and rewrite the constitution in accord with his ideas about sharia law. Dozens died and hundreds were injured in the resulting violence. The military had to step in and remove Morsi from power.
The Al Azar Islamic center, which issued what is described as a warning against Zend for his blasphemy, was on the side of the Egyptian military in its moves against the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb, the leader of the mosque and a former president of the associated university, personally backed the move against the Brotherhood. The Grand Imam of Al Azar is the highest Islamic authority in Egypt.
One would think that the Egyptian people, so soon after a Brotherhood coup attempt, would appreciate the sentiment that the law will be applied even to an Islamic prophet. Such a statement should be welcomed as a symbol of the rule of democratically-enacted law over radial Islamic forces. That the remark instead instantly brought down the nation’s Justice Minister should be cause for deep concern.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Obama administration have joined in endorsing a heckler’s veto on freedom of speech in violation of America’s most deeply-held political principles.
In sharia, the word translated as “slander” is the Arabic word ghiba. It means to say anything about someone that they do not like, even though it is true.
Ambassador Ron Dermer said that the Southern Poverty Law Center claims to defend tolerance for those who "look different," but works to suppress those who "think different."