Just Another Day at the Islamic Center of DHS

As I was in DC today for a protest for political prisoners, I attended the juma'ah prayer inside the Islamic Center of Washington, DC, on Embassy Row. The Islamic Center is heavily attended by diplomats. Sitting in the room allocated to female congregants in its basement, viewing the sermon on a television, I couldn’t definitively identify the evidently Arab imam in red-checkered kaffiyah and white thobe. But at this Center, every imam is typically approved by the Saudi monarchy, if not actually handpicked by them. Evidently the khutbah was the third in a series he was doing on "sharia."



To me, he sounded like the Muslim equivalent of a New Ager. Or maybe a flower child. “Love everybody,” “turn the other cheek,” “fighting is bad, so eschew all fighting” were among the themes of his feel good khutbah which completely ignored the realities of imperialist war and the balance of power it imposed across the Muslim world.



As Dr. Siddique, who was with me, pointed out, “It’s extremely strange that he would be telling an audience of [U.S.] Muslims who aren’t killing anyone, to stop fighting and killing.”



I was particularly puzzled by the following statements the imam made:



"In Islam the emphasis is on the human being. The human must live a comfortable life."



But what of struggle, which is emphasized through a variety of different constructs throughout the Qur’an, I thought.



"The one who kills, as well as the one who is killed, will both be in the Hellfire.” (The imam attributed this to Sahih Muslim.)



I have a feeling this Hadith, which I am not familiar with, is only valid in a limited context, which he did not explain. It seems to equate the oppressed with the oppressor—something wholly contrary to Islamic teachings (or my understanding of them).



"Islam is a religion which is being accused of permitting killing. The only killing permitted in Islam is that done in retribution. If somebody kills, only then can he be put to death, and then only by the government. It is not up to the individual.”



What? But what if the government is run by occupiers or is a U.S. proxy government (running a Muslim country to the tune of the imperialists!), as is the case in Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. How then, would justice ever be attained?



"Even in the Battlefield of Islam, if someone says ‘as-salaam alaikom’ to you, you must stop fighting him. But look at what is happening in the Muslim countries.”



Although he did not spell it out, he seemed to be regurgitating the corporate media line that the Muslims fighting occupation in various countries are all a bunch of crazies bent on killing each other for no particular reason.



“In Islam there are strict rules of war. Allah tells us not to kill non-combatants, not to kill women, children, etc., and not to attack synagogues.”



I was filled with wonderment as to whom the khutbah was written to appease.



Then, finally toward the end, he churned out a statement which made sense: “Allah, in general, has prohibited killing without a purpose, even of animals. You may only kill an animal if you are going to eat it.”



As it seemed the khutbah was being recorded, the only conclusion this writer could reach was that it was meant for a larger audience. Hopefully his masters were pleased, and their budget justified.