From BBC

Gunmen have attacked a church in north-east Nigeria killing at least six people, the church's pastor says.

Johnson Jauro said the killings took place when gunmen burst into his Deeper Life Church in Gombe, capital of Gombe state.

He said his wife was among those killed. Ten other people were injured.

Nigeria has recently experienced a surge in ethnic and sectarian violence. The government declared a state of emergency in parts of the country.

“The attackers started shooting sporadically. They shot through the window of the church, and many people were killed including my wife,” Mr Jauro told Reuters news agency.

“Many members who attended the church service were also injured.”

No group said it carried out the attack, but the Islamist group Boko Haram recently carried out a string of bombings on Christmas Day, including against a church in the capital Abuja which killed dozens of people.

Earlier on Thursday, two suspected members of Boko Haram were arrested after a father and son were killed in Maiduguri in neighbouring Borno state.

Escalating violence

Attacks by Boko Haram have become increasingly frequent and are a major problem for the Nigerian authorities.

President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to “crush” the group.

Several northern states surrounding Gombe have had their borders sealed off under the state of emergency declared by Mr Jonathan following the Christmas bombings.

Boko Haram is fighting to create an Islamic state and wants to impose Sharia law across Nigeria.

Followers of Boko Haram believe any political or social activity associated with Western values should be banned.

This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers and receiving a secular education.

Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers and this was the case even when the country had a Muslim president.

In unrelated violence on Sunday, at least 50 people died in the eastern state of Ebony in clashes between two ethnic groups over a land dispute

Attacking children was a real low. However, it was still out in Peshawar. Today, the horror came very close to home as a bomb blast outside the house of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Pakistan, Chaudhry Aslam. Aslam heads the counter-terrorism unit of the CID in Karachi. According to Ali Chisti of The Friday Times, “Chaudry Aslam is the one who killed Rehman Dakait (a notorious gangster in Karachi), captured numerous TTP, alQaeda & Quetta Shura members.”

What makes ones blood boil is that Aslam's house is right next to 3 major schools of Karachi and the area has several more in the vicinity. Thus, the blast which occurred at 7:26 am was at a time when the area was filling up with school going children and their parents. Had the blast occurred 10-15 minutes later the carnage would have been horrible. The initial reported death count is 08 people which includes 06 policemen and a child and her mother. The child went to the school my cousin's wife teaches at and their children study there. They were safe Alhamdulillah but it was terrifyingly very close to home. Not that the death of any in Karachi is superior to that of that the people in Peshawar and other areas. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying Aslam had arrested and killed many of its fighters. “We will attack other police officials as well who are taking action against our people,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speaking to the media right after the blast (partial video above), Aslam remarked:

“I was sleeping when they carried out this cowardly act and rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into my house.”

“I will not be cowed. I will teach a lesson to generations of militants.”

“I did not know that these terrorists were such cowards that they would attack sleeping children.”

Karachi, has not been a stranger to violence and around 10000 civilians have been killed in Karachi since 2002 due to ethnic, political, sectarian violence and incidents of terrorism. In August alone more than a 100 people were killed due to ethnic violence.

Citizen's Reactions

Some of the tweets this morning showed the reaction of citizens:

#karachi blast happened outside our friends house 32nd lane (adjacent to SSP house) house totally damaged kids family safe (via @DrAwab)

Our friends driver was killed he was ringing the house bell to call out the kids and take them to school – family immensely traumatised (via @DrAwab)

Its time to raise ur voice against these brutal inhumane terrorists responsible for slaying our little children daily. #Pakistan #terrorism (via @RiazToori)

“Damn , if I wanted a holiday for my birthday, I would DEFINITELY not want one if it meant a bomb blast wd occur” – schoolgirl #Karachi (via @BeenaSarwar)

“We saw this guy next to our car, his face was filled with blood and he was waiting for the ambulance!” – says my daughter's friend #Karachi (via @BeenaSarwar)

Trying to explain to my 4yr old – who's just woken up – why its not safe to go to school. #hatethis #Karachi (via @SalmaJafri)

“the blast was shit scary!” – friend of my daughter on facebook chat #karachi #blast (via @BeenaSarwar)

Blast was more powerful than needed to target just the SSP's home: 6-10 ft crater, nearby cars and houses damaged, massive sound (via @MadihaSattar)

The school teacher who was killed worked at Washington International School. Always used to reach early. Colleague of my mother's student. (via @Sabeen)

Just spoke to wife who's at the scene. The explosion happened right behind X's school. They would've been there at the time of blast if not for the wrongly parked car blocking ours in the apartment. (via @farrukhahmed)

Kid's school closed for next 3 days , all windows blown out (via @schawlaf)

Kids have nerves of steel, if we'd seen this much carnage at our times, many would be needing psychological help #Karachi #ChangingTimes(via @schawlaf)

People plan for next 10 years or even next 10 days, here you can't even plan the next day (via @schawlaf)

#Pakistan – all is well until it doesn't happen to you and when it does you are just news :'(

#Karachi (via @DrAwab)

Related articles

• Pakistan Bomb: Explosion Kills Several Outside Police Officer's Home (huffingtonpost.com)
• Bomber targets top Pakistani policeman; 8 killed(sfgate.com)
• Blast in
  Karachi targets SSP CID, 8 killed (tribune.com.pk)
• CID arrests suspected Hizbullah terrorist (tribune.com.pk)
• Suspected Taliban commander arrested in Karachi: CID (tribune.com.pk)
• Senior al Qaeda leader arrested from Quetta: ISPR (tribune.com.pk)
• Pakistan Navy base in Karachi attacked by terrorists (muslimmatters.org)
• Heavy bomb blast in Karachi (dawn.com)

The TTP has continuously targeted civilians in their ongoing resistance against the Pakistan government. Last month over 50 were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the Friday congregation. This was not the first such attack when innocent worshippers were targeted by the TTP. However, murder of school going children is an act that is a new low.

Taliban attack school bus, kill 4 children

By Ali Hazrat Bacha | DAWN.COM

PESHAWAR, Sept 13: Militants attacked a school bus on the Kohat road in the suburbs of the city on Tuesday. Four children and the driver of the bus were killed and 14 children, two woman teachers and two other people were injured.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack and said it wanted to punish families of the children for organizing anti-Taliban militias.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Abdul Kalam Khan told Dawn the children from Kalakhel village of Khyber Agency were going home from the Khyber Model School at about 1.50pm when they were attacked.

“We had no information about any possibility of such an attack. However, there were reports about security threats and, therefore, police established checkpoints on the roads in the city,” the SP said.

DSP Sahibzada Sajjad said the van was attacked with rocket-launchers, hand-grenades and Kalashnikovs. In about 10 minutes, the assailants vanished from the area which is hardly 500 meters from the tribal region. (More)

Related articles

• Gunmen Kill Children In Pakistan Bus Attack (news.sky.com)
• Pakistan: Taliban kill children in attack on school bus (independent.co.uk)
• Suicide bomber strikes Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers, killing 48 and wounding 85 | AP (muslimmatters.org)
• Yasir Qadhi | Hindsight is 20-20 (muslimmatters.org)
• Losing Battle of Hearts & Minds: The Case of Raymond Allen Davis & Poor American Response (muslimmatters.org)

The United for Change Conference took place on September 10th, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown, Washington, D.C. It brought together a diverse group of speakers, all of whom reflected on the post-9/11 decade and its impact on American Muslims.

The following is Sh. Yasir Qadhi's speech.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The accused has reportedly admitted his involvement in the attack on Utoya Island, where he dressed as a policeman. This attack was preplanned and careful thought out- A person who identified himself as Andrew Berwick also uploaded a video on YouTube calling calls for conservatives to “embrace martyrdom” six hours before the bomb in the center of Oslo went off. Reports suggests that there may have been another gunman involved as eye witnesses report gunshots coming from two different places in the island.

The killer's manifesto “2083: A European Declaration of Independence”: a 1,518-page manifesto and handbook

In it, “Berwick” declares himself a “Justiciar Knight Commander,” a leading member of a “re-founded” Knights Templar group formed at an April 2002 meeting in London. He claims the founding group has 9 members, whom he does not name, and that three other sympathizers were not able to attend the original meeting.

“Our purpose,” the document reads, is to “seize political and military control of Western European countries and implement a cultural conservative political agenda.”

Update 630AM EST July 23

-”Jihad in Norway” headliner Geller may have been one of the “media inspirations” for Oslo Terrorist 'Tied to Right Wing Extremism' . See this link on LGF  (Note: Charles Johnson who runs this site was himself a huge Islamophobe, but has since moderated his views). We caught Pamela updating her site as news of involvement of Islamists started dissipating. 

-CNN is “finally” reporting the guy's religion, saying that Norwegian police is calling him a “Christian fundamentalist”  (if he were a Muslim, that would be the first point).

-Examples of media outlets, one directly and another indirectly, reporting “confirmed” involvement of Islamists.

• Rubin at Washington Post goes further. She assumes the “AlQaeda case”, then goes into a jibberish about how American shouldn't make defense cuts! DEMAND WaPo retract the article and apologize!
• An “expert” on AlJazeera has no doubts about the “Islamist connection”. We expected better from AJE!
• The Sun newspaper blames al-Qaeda

-Juan Cole: White Christian Fundamentalist Terrorism in Norway

-Electronic Intifada: How a clueless “terrorism expert” set media suspicion on Muslims after Oslo horror

-Richard Silverstein: Suspected Oslo killer a fan of Israel: 'Defeating Eurabia;' hated feminism; loved Israel

-Norwegian terror suspect looked to the English Defence League as 'an example'

-MediaMatters: Fox Juxtaposes Norwegian Terrorist Attack, NYC Islamic Center

-Tweets:

#Oslo is a textbook case in recency bias. Crazy didn't start with Bin Laden. It has a long history & Muslims play a comparatively tiny role. [TheAlexandrian Youssef Chouhoud]

The #Oslo suspect's one and only tweet: “@AndersBBreivik One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests.” [TheAlexandrian Youssef Chouhoud]

No mention of “lone-ranger”, “mentally unstable” white guy's religion. Like AZ shooter, case of cognitive dissonance? http://t.co/qnExC5j [MuslimMatters Muslim Matters]

Keep an eye on @teymoornabili on @AJEnglish going to revisit “experts” that kept claiming AQ in #Oslo [MuslimMatters Muslim Matters]

Islamophobia breeds terrorism. #OSLO [khan_zubair Zubair Ahmed Khan]

Praying for Norway. Hope this helps put right wing anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim hate rhetoric in proper light. #Oslo [lsarsour Linda Sarsour]

Anders Behring Breivik is a supporter of hate groups SIOE and EDL:http://bit.ly/n2Istr #Islamophobia #Oslo #Islam [loonwatchers LoonWatch]

—————-

Background

Serenity. Neutrality. On any other day, these are the terms that most readily come to mind when one thinks of Scandinavia.

Chaos. Terror. Today, these descriptions are sadly much more apt.

The Facts:

While the story is still developing, this is what we know for sure:

• At 3:30pm on Friday afternoon, powerful explosions rocked downtown Oslo, Norway in an area home to several government buildings, including the office of the Norwegian prime minister.
• The blasts blew out windows and caused other structural damage although, perhaps owing to the timing of the attacks, casualties were limited with reportedly 7 dead and 15 wounded.
• Nearly two hours after the bombings, a separate shooting incident occurred at a youth camp for the governing Labor Party when an individual dressed as a police officer opened fire on a crowd of mostly 15 and 16 year old campers, reportedly killing ten people.
• Norwegian authorities subsequently arrested a suspect – a native Norwegian – and withheld any information on him.
• Sources now confirm that this 32-year old Norwegian man “does not appear to be linked to Islamist terrorism.”

Affirming all those who cautioned against prejudgement, the official went on to say:

“[T]he attacks probably have more in common with the 1995 attack on a U.S. federal building in Olkahoma City than the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.”

The Background:

Some may think that Norway is the prototypical neutral Scandinavian enclave. The reality is a bit different, however:

• Norway is a member of NATO and as such is bound by NATO's collective defense pact.
• As a result of their membership in NATO, Norway has had a sustained military presence in Afghanistan – albeit with more of a token role.
• Norwegian fighter jets are also participating in operations over Libya that have been ongoing for four months.
• In addition to these military engagements, Norway has also garnered extremist ire by republishing the infamous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in 2010.

The Speculation:

As one would expect, most initial theories regarding the “who” and “why” of these incidents center around Muslim extremists:

• Several jihadist groups claimed responsibility for today's events, but none of the confessions were ever regarded as credible.
• One year ago, Norway was the target of a foiled Al-Qaeda plot likely motivated by the points mentioned above.
• Yet, given the time lapse between the bombings and the shooting, police, to their great credit, never ruled out that this was the work of a lone individual.

***

From the prime minister to the police commissioner, Norwegian officials never capitulated to all the talking heads assuring them that this was the work of Islamists. Truly, they deserve to be commended for standing up in the face of xenophobic pressure.

Much remains unanswered, however, and on the whole there are few elements to this story that are either neat or tidy.

Stay tuned to MuslimMatters for continuing coverage of this story.

Posted by Hena Zuberi

We are following and sharing tweets about this incident and the irresponsible coverage that forces all Muslims to live guilty until proven innocent. We demand better journalism by all mainstream news media. Real lives are affected by these events, the victims first and foremost and others as well, as there were immediate reports of Muslims being targeted in Norway after initial coverage. Groups like Helpers of the Global Jihad who claim responsibility and later withdraw their claim do nothing but fan the flames of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Any keyboard jihadist on an obscure website can claim responsibility for an attack but repercussions are far-reaching.

macleanbrendan Brendan Maclean Of course The Sun hasn't stopped itself from jumping to any conclusions with it's headline: NORWAY'S 9/11 http://twitpic.com/5u6n2l #oslo

MuslimCouncil MCBby MuslimMatters Irrespective of who was responsible, tonight our thoughts are with the families and friends of those killed and injured in senseless attack.

@milanaknez Milana Knezevic Reports of muslims of all ages being harassed in oslo already (via @hwangberg ). Lets not let this happen! We are all Norwegians! #oslo

@HistoryNeedsYou Sir James Pennyman Police believe that the culprit was behind both attacks. They believe it's a local political attack not international terrorism… #Utoya

At 10:00 am the number of explosions had increased to 13 and the terrorists were still present on the base. As people headed to work, Sami Shah (@samishah) a stand-up comedian, tweeted something serious and thought provoking:

Went to sleep to my city under siege. Woke up to it under siege. Weirdest part is the rest of us just go to office and keep working.

Indeed, what was the biggest ever attack on a military installation during the War on Terror, did not stop the city from its functioning. As Khaver Siddiqi (@thekarachikid) tweeted very aptly:

There's a 9/11, 26/11 and 7/7. Then there's everyday in Pakistan. #prayforpakistan

Indeed, we as citizens of the country that is really fighting the Global War on Terror, have become so desensitized to violence, mayhem, and carnage that not only did we sleep soundly last night, we got up and went about our business.

The gun battle lasted nearly 17 hours and around 4:30 pm we got an update from the Interior Minister Rehman Malik (equivalent of the National Security Adviser) that the battle was over and all terrorists (whom the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed as their members) had been killed.

He (Rehman Malik – the Interior Minister) said that among the six terrorists present at the site, one suicide bomber's head had been recovered, while four bodies were also found. He added, however, that two individuals were seen running off the base.

Malik said the terrorists were wearing “western clothes, had small beards and three of them had sharp features”.

He said two of the attackers look to be around 22 years of age and one of the suicide bombers was around 25 years of age. He said they were dressed in black clothes “like they do in movies”.

“They were dressed like Star Wars characters,” said Malik. (Express Tribune)

OK that last statement didn't really make sense. However, neither did the fact that four or six 20 somethings managed to invade a highly secure Navy facility, blow up 3 aircraft (including 2 P-3C Orion planes costing around USD 36 million each), and martyr 10 people. Too many things don't add up and I am afraid we just might have to wait for another batch of Wikileaks cables to get the real story. In the meantime an inquiry commission has been constituted to determine how the terrorists managed to enter the base and cause so much damage. 20 explosions, regular gunfire throughout the night and day, and 10 returning to their Lord after laying down their lives for their country, it certainly demands an inquiry. However, the sentiments of many are echoed in the following tweet by Kashif Aziz (@kashaziz);

So 6 terrorists kept 1500+ security men engaged for 11 hours, and 2 were able to escape alive. Pak Fauj ko Salam! (Salute to the Pakistan Armed Forces)

Some More Reading

Time: Pakistan Extremists Embarrass Military by Invading a Navy Base

DAWN: Timeline of recent attacks targeting Pakistan Navy

Express Tribune: Timeline: Major attacks on the armed forces in Pakistan

Wired: “Star Wars” Terrorists Storm Pakistani Naval Base

The Lede: Before Attack, Pakistan's Navy Boasted of Role in Fight Against Taliban

Interestingly, Sr. Hebah was EVERY BIT there. She was part of the conversation. She did not disappear, otherwise Mona would be engaging a ghost. I hope with every interaction such as this, our very eloquent sister Mona, comes to terms with her differences with other Muslims on a variety of topics, starting with the niqab. It's okay to agree to disagree.

Comments are open, but all comments will go through moderation. Only those get through that pass a very stringent test:

• No praise of OBL or any terrorist for that matter
• No external links
• Stay on the topic of the debate (like content, style, etc.)
• No discussion of other MM posts on the topic (like your thoughts on YQ's post)
• No wild conspiracy theories (it's okay to be speculative, but not to be nutty)
• No personal attacks or drive-by “shootings”
• No condescending remarks

Osama bin Laden is dead.

And once again, in this Manichean good-versus-evil, us-versus-them, black-versus-white, world that we are told we live in, we are expected to take ‘sides’, and either jump for jingoistic joy as we thump our chests screaming, ‘USA! USA!’, or else mourn the death of a ‘martyr’.

And once again, many people, myself included, will have to take a deep sigh and wonder whether we can ever successfully explain, to an increasingly polarized world, the complexity of our stances and the nuances of our positions.

The fact of the matter is, contrary to what both bin Laden and his one-time nemesis Bush propagated, we don’t live in a stark black-and-white world. We live in a very colorful, very multi-faceted world. Because I refuse to see everything in black-and-white, my position is neither one of sorrow nor one of elation.

It is not one of sorrow because I never viewed bin Laden as someone worthy of my reverence. He was a reactionary who lacked wisdom and who had no long-term vision. His response to Western imperialism was a visceral rage expressed in the language of a false pseudo-jihad – an understanding of ‘jihad’ that he himself invented, and not one that the trained scholars of our glorious religion shared with him. He helped formulate and propagate ideas that caused more bloodshed in Muslim lands, and more civil war, than any non-Muslim invasion in the last decade. Suicide bombers claiming allegiance to him cheerfully bombed men, women and children in bazaars in Baghdad, in shrines in Karachi, in sky-scrapers in New York, and in markets in Kabul.

Through his rhetoric of takfir, hundreds of people who were deemed ‘co-operating’ with the enemy were considered permissible to slaughter, and if a few thousand innocent bystanders needed to be killed in order to get to those handful, so be it. This was to be a permissible form of ‘collateral damage’ – one that seems to provoke only a fraction of the ire from those who harp on and on about Western collateral damage. (For the record, both are evil, and both need to be condemned; and again for the record, the ‘collateral damage’ of Muslim extremists groups is far more severe than the ‘collateral damage’ caused by Western drone attacks). His death was expected, for his own words and deeds called for action against him from a powerful military and a mighty country.

So I feel no personal grief at his death. After all, he was already largely irrelevant in the Arab and Muslim world. What good did all of his fiery rhetoric ever do for the Palestinians he claimed to have been fighting for? And what impact did he have amongst the Arab masses as they all rallied together (and continue to do so) against their brutal dictators? From the alleyways of Benghazi to the maydans of Cairo, and from the mosques of Damascus to the streets of Sana, not one protestor waved the flag of Osama or chanted slogans of al-Qaeda. It was the people who brought about real change, not Osama with his anti-American rage and calls for violence.

Yet, I cannot cheer his death either. Why?

Firstly, because the intentional taking of another human life is not a cause for cheering. Even if a murderer is legitimately executed (qisas) by the State for his crimes, it is not in our religion to rejoice at such a death; therefore how much more so when the death was caused in this fashion? (By this I mean that I would have preferred a live capture and public trial – but then again, at this stage we do not know the circumstances of his death).

Secondly, those who looked up to bin Laden for inspiration were not motivated to become suicide bombers and radical terrorists because bin Laden managed to brainwash them. The grievances that all such radicals recite are political and social (I have discussed these in other articles at length). Bin Laden was but a figurehead, and his death will actually feed into the whole martyrdom mythology that these movements weave around themselves. As Jeremy F. Walton, professor of Religious Studies at NYU, wrote on his blog today,

“I do not mean to denigrate the persistent grief of the families of 9/11 victims, or, for that matter, the pain that countless Americans continue to experience when they recall or witness the indelible images of that infamous Tuesday morning. But make no mistake: last night’s celebrators, and all those whom they represent, have no comprehension of the political history, quotidian violence, and post-colonial frustration over increasing global inequities—to gesture to but a few factors—that made Osama bin Laden and his network possible. Political theorist Mahmood Mamdani, for one, has vigorously argued that a reckoning of the American role in the creation of jihadist violence during the Cold War is indispensable to understanding al-Qaeda itself. Acknowledgement of this neglected political history is even more crucial in the wake of bin Laden’s death.”

Therefore, the real question for me is not whether we should rejoice or not. The real questions are far more profound and difficult to answer.

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will his death extinguish his ideas and truly make the world a safer place?

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will the anger that millions of people around the world feel towards our foreign policy simply dissipate into thin air?

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will that justify the trillions of dollars that we have spent on our two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the hundreds of thousands of dead since 9/11?

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will our infamous ‘War on Terror’ finally come to an end, and will we discontinue drone attacks in far-away lands and draconian policies back home? (And on that note: can we finally travel with our toothpaste and without having to be sexually assaulted by TSA officials?!)

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will the hysteria being propagated by the Right and the Islamophobia that is rampant across Europe and America subside?

Now that we have killed bin Laden, will we start concentrating on far more important domestic and international issues?

I guess the bottom line is: now that we have killed bin Laden, has status quo really changed all that much?

I don’t have answers to all of these questions, but these are the questions that need to be asked before we rush to celebrate his death or, as some overzealous Muslims are doing, label him a shahid. (And on a theological note, I remind our readers that only Allāh assigns Heaven and Hell to anyone, so let us not challenge this right of Allāh by proclaiming anything about any individual’s fate in the Hereafter).

It took America – the most powerful and technologically advanced country on earth – a full ten years to find this one man. How great it would have been if we had managed to capture the perpetrators of 9/11 back then! But our own reactions to 9/11 created a whole list of new issues, both domestic and international, that the killing of bin Laden will not solve. And to make matters even worse, in that decade a new generation, a young generation, has come of age – a generation for whom 9/11 evokes barely a memory. For this young generation, the death of bin Laden does little to solve its own problems.

If we have learned anything from the Arab protestors across the Middle East, it is that change has to begin from within, and the best way to fight for the change that you believe in –  even if that fight be against powerful regimes – is through nonviolent means.  Killing your enemies doesn’t solve problems; working proactively and productively to gain the world’s sympathy when clear injustices have been committed does.

A blogger friend of mine wrote that it is as if America is playing a game of chess with a small group of radical Muslims. We are not playing this game ourselves, for we are spectators. We understand both players very well, and both have made ridiculous moves in the past that have caused many unnecessary pieces to be lost.

America has just made its latest move.

‘Check!’

Note: MuslimMatters has decided to keep comments closed for this article. However, Sh. Yasir welcomes your comments on Facebook.

Yasir Qadhi statement (separate post <– click)

Yahya Ibrahim (tweets/statement):

Tweet: Surprised by some Muslims praising Osama bin Ladin? The ideology espoused by him is not the Sunnah or Truth. Allāh protect us and balance us.

Statement:

BISMILLAH

Islam is a faith built on pillars that call to connecting to the Creator, the Al- Mighty Allāh. It is built on experiencing the pangs of hunger that many feel while we lavish in what they would perceive as unfettered luxury. Islam is established firmly in altruism and sharing the bounty provided by the Most Gracious Maker.  The pilgrimage reminds us of our humanity and equality and that the mark of distinction is piety.

The spirit of Islam is identified in the personality and bequeathed modality of Muhammed sala allahu alihi wasSalam. The sunnah has always be the middle path. The beacon of moderation and universal morality. Islam is immortal and no fear for it should be acknowledged. Fear for us, its adherents, however, is another matter.

With the killing of Osama bin Ladin comes a great challenge for the Islamic community. His life is between him and His Judge, the Most Aware and Wise.

The Islam we know is under siege from within. The weapon is a blunted instrument of deviant  ideology calling to rebellion, anarchy, hatred of all that is not “us,” and a disdain for anything that is “American” or ” Western.” It is a call that is simplistic and bewilderingly callous – kill them, because they killed us.

That is not the way of Muhammed sala Allahu 'alihi wasSallam and it will never represent the Ummah.

That ideology sadly survives the death of many. Its Janazah will only be performed when the pen will be mightier than the sword. Intellectual combat must become the weapon of choice and fear must be overcome.

Youssef Chouhoud (tweets):

If I had to guess, I'd say that Osama's death is going to be met on the streets of Egypt with indifference far more than indignation.

The reality is that OBL was a perceived super-villain in the West far more than he was a perceived super-hero in the East.

In truth, he wasnt that super in either direction. OBL ceased to matter in a real way long ago – his death, as his latter life, is symbolic

That said, I'm sure the victims of 9/11 are feeling a very REAL sense of relief, joy and, perhaps, closure from Osama's death.

To those affected by 9/11 OBL's death is meaningful in every way. Here's hoping, too, that his death brings some peace to the AfPak region.

Amad (tweeting for MM):

OBL's legacy: directly responsible for killing of many innocents, and indirectly an excuse for the killing of many-fold more.

“If anyone killed 1 person unjustly…it would be as if he killed entire humanity” (Al-Qur'an 5:32) Osama leaves behind evil legacy

With Osama's death, we hope that USA starts focusing on what inspires & breeds terrorists. For starters, Israel's brutal occupation

If plan is 2 give Osama an Islamic funeral, “burial at sea” appears impermissible. Sh. Ash-Sharabasi, Professor at Al-Azhar (LINK: Islamonline cache)

Hena Zuberi (tweets):

Wonder how Osama is answering munkir and nakir right about now?

Aly Balagamwala (tweets / Thoughts):

Pakistan needs to brace for backlash of BinLaden death. :(

“The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam” – President Obama « Actions speak louder than words Bin Laden

THOUGHTS:

As a Pakistani, the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death brought a mixture of emotions:

Relief – Well that’s one less “problem” to worry about.

Skepticism – Yeah right, he was in Abbottabad! Just how in the whole world was he a stone’s throw from the Military training academy in Kakul and no one knew about it?

Dismay – The claim that he was in Pakistan all these years was true!

Fear – May Allāh protect us (the citizens of Pakistan) from the backlash that is surely going to stem from this.

Cynicism – So what if he’s dead? There are many more such monsters out there that will continue to haunt us.

Anger – Why is the Pakistani government / military not issuing any statements about an event in which they obviously participated.

Mistrust – Was Osama Bin Laden really alive all these years? Or was he part of some grand conspiracy? Why did they do a sea burial without showing the body to anyone?

Sadness – A misguided individual died without being able to see the light.

Iesa Galloway (Statement)

I feel both hopeful and somewhat liberated by the news of Osama bin Laden's demise.

Hopeful because justice always finds those who mass-murder innocent men, women and children.

Osama bin Laden was a symbol of terrorism. His death marks a pivotal moment, a moment in which Islam and Muslims can be liberated from association with the cancerous ideology that he and other hate-filled liars falsely preach in the name of a faith and a people who reject their toxic call.

As Muslims, we must remain vigilant against all forms of terrorism. We also must reach out to our neighbors, our fellow countrymen and invite them to stand against fear and suspicion. Only people of goodwill acting together can create a safer, brighter future based on mutual respect and freedom.

As always, our actions or lack thereof will define us.

Tariq Nisar Ahmed (Facebook)

They can only kill anybody once. Real justice will be when a person answers to Allāh for what he did and did not do. That Day there will be no injustice to anyone and no respite from repeated and endless torture in hell except for those upon whom is Allāh's Mercy. So be the person to turn to Allāh in repentance for the deeds no one else knows of but Him.

Other Islamic Organizations speak up:

• Islamic Society of North America Welcomes Justice For 9/11 Victims (ISNA Press-Release)
• CAIR Welcomes Elimination of Osama bin Laden (CAIR-LA Press-Release)
• Federation of Muslim Organizations UK -FMO (Press Release-PDF)
• Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Press-Release)
• Muslim Council of Britain- MCB (MCB Press-Release)
• Muslim American Society- MAS Press Release
• The leaders of Washington-area Muslim groups say Osama bin Laden’s death has left their community feeling a sense of relief.  Speaking at a news conference, Monday, the director of the Washington office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Haris Tarin, said he hoped Bin Laden’s death would begin a new chapter in the United States’ relationship with Muslim countries.  The president of the Islamic Society of North America, Imam Mohamed Magid, said he, too, was feeling hopeful and relieved that an icon of terrorism is gone. Press Conference video

See Also:

• Al-Jazeera live blog
• In response to bin Laden death, Vatican says Christians 'do not rejoice' over a death (Reuters)
• Bin Laden's Death: Triumph or Tumult Ahead? (Alternet)
• Detailed write up of the meetings/planning/ strategy that went into the killing of Bin Laden (Huffington Post)

Click here to view the embedded video.