Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2144-1001043938-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.1.0) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Thu, 20 Sep 2001 20:47:11 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 11098 invoked by uid 510); 21 Sep 2001 03:46:00 -0000 Received: from n31.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.81) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 21 Sep 2001 03:46:00 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2144-1001043938-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.4.56] by hp.egroups.com with NNFMP; 21 Sep 2001 03:45:38 -0000 X-Sender: fc@big.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2_2); 21 Sep 2001 03:45:38 -0000 Received: (qmail 99710 invoked from network); 21 Sep 2001 03:45:38 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.26) by l10.egroups.com with QMQP; 21 Sep 2001 03:45:38 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO big.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta1 with SMTP; 21 Sep 2001 03:45:37 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by big.all.net (8.9.3/8.7.3) id UAA06643 for iwar@onelist.com; Thu, 20 Sep 2001 20:45:37 -0700 Message-Id: <200109210345.UAA06643@big.all.net> To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List) Organization: I'm not allowed to say X-Mailer: don't even ask X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL1] From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net> Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 20:45:37 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:The.Islamic.Justification.for.Killing.Non-Combatants.in.War] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The Islamic Justification for Killing Non-Combatants in War Commentary Yael Shahar ICT Internet Site Director Earlier this week, in the Kuwaiti paper, Al-Watan an article appeared that explained the "justification" in the eyes of "Orthodox" Islam for the killing of innocent non-combatants in time of war. In the briefest possible terms, the justification hinges on the fact that -- at least in the case of Israel -- all non-combatants are either "potential fighters" or "are involved in complementary activities." The following translation of this article, published in the September 9 edition of the Jerusalem Post, is now more relevant than any could have foreseen two days ago. The article opens a window into the thinking of those behind yesterday's murderous terrorist acts in New York and in Washington DC. The questions: "how could it happen? Who would do such a thing?" seem to come up again and again whenever people try to encompass the enormity of what has happened in the United States. This article, if read with attention, may provide at least part of the answer: there are cultures and religious streams that place no limits on what they consider "justified in time of war." As the finger of suspicion swings more and more surely to point at Ossama bin Ladin's "International Front for Jihad against the Crusaders and the Jews," it would seem more than likely that those behind yesterday's attacks subscribe to just such a school of thought as that represented by this article, published only days before in a mainstream Kuwaiti newspaper. This article presents the justification, from the standpoint of "Orthodox" Islam, for the killing of Jewish non-combatants in war. Although these justifications directly refer to "Jewish women and children," the arguments presented could just as easily apply to all non-combatants living in democracies. The justification, indeed, hinges on the fact that citizens in democracies are to be held responsible for the actions of their government. After all, they vote for the government of their choice, and pay taxes to support this government's policies. In fact all citizens of a democracy are potential soldiers. What's more, all citizens can be seen as "involved in complimentary activities": operating computer systems, running the telephone systems, the electric power grids, and indeed the entire economic foundation on which the military might of the "enemy" is based. The casual reader could be forgiven for believing that this article reflects the opinions of a radical minority in the Arab World. However, to see the full extent to which such a reading would be mistaken, one need only recall the scenes of people dancing in the streets in countries all over the Muslim World, at word of the death of more than 10,000 innocent Americans -- all non-combatants, and all, according to the article quoted below, valid targets for murder. There should be no mistake: the events of yesterday, may be the work of a small minority of extremists, but they were met with acclaim by many who, though not directly involved, openly proclaimed their wish that it had been their fingers on the trigger. These views do not reflect the views of a "radical minority;" they reflect a military doctrine for war -- a war which must be seen for what it is, a war of civilization against civilization. Is killing Jewish women and children forbidden? Translated From The Arabic By Shira Gutgold Reprinted with permission from the Jerusalem Post <http://www.jpost.com Column, "What the Papers Say." (September 9) (Al-Watan, Kuwait, August 31) Religious scholars do not dispute that Islamic law fundamentally forbids the killing of women and children in Jihad [holy war], and the evidence for it is in the Hadith [prophetic tradition] of Ibn-Umar [Vol. 4, Book 52, No. 257]: "A slain woman was found during one of the Prophet's military campaigns, and following this the prophet forbade the killing of women and children." The scholars have also found evidence for the prohibition of killing those who are not involved in warfare in the Prophet's message to Khaled Ben-Al-Walid telling him that they shall not kill a woman or a non-fighting laborer. There are also other sources for the prohibition of killing civilians. The scholars have excluded two cases in which the killing of civilians and women is permitted. The first one is when they take part in the fighting, or if they witness it or are involved in complementary activities such as giving council or propagandizing. The scholars base their decision on the words of the Prophet who, when seeing the slain woman said: "She was not capable of fighting," meaning that had she been fighting, it would have been permitted to kill her. It should be noted that in the modern age, when an army is engaged in war, non-fighters join it who are involved in complementary activities and, at times, the course of war depends mainly on them. These are, for example, activators of the army's computer systems that direct military activities, such as civilian-manufactured computer systems for directing missiles or sophisticated bombs. They also include those who work for agencies that carry out military projects; the reserve forces responsible for summoning soldiers and preparing them for fighting, even administratively; intelligence people, and so forth. All those mentioned fall under the category of those who fight the Muslims and therefore can be targeted and killed in war, especially on occupied Muslim lands such as Palestine. It also ought to be noted that all Jewish women in the Zionist entity are fighters, since they are also required to serve in the army. It is common knowledge that the Zionist society is a military society, and every one of them takes part in warfare, whether as a soldier in the army, as a reservist, by paying taxes to the Jewish state and its army which kills Muslims, or by voting to put [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon in a position to give the orders to kill [Mohammed] Al-Dura [the child killed in his father's arms in Gaza last September] and other Palestinian children. The second case when the killing of civilians and women is permitted is when Muslims must launch a comprehensive attack against their enemies or shoot them from afar. If civilians, women or children are to be killed in such attacks - although they must not be deliberately targeted - there is no blame on those who kill them, as these things happen in wars when bombs are fired at military posts situated between residential buildings, especially when these are the posts of the occupying army situated on Muslim lands. In such incidents civilians, women, and children are unintentionally killed, but Muslims get killed as well. Among these attacks are the martyrdom attacks that aim to kill the occupiers in order to strike terror in their hearts and force them to end their occupation and withdraw from the country of the Muslims. In these attacks some women and children are unintentionally killed, of course, but this is with full right. Places that are designated for children and frequented only by them are not to be targeted. The prophet has shot at the people of Taif with a catapult during his siege to their town when there were women and children inside. Had he forbidden his warriors to attack them or shoot at any place where there were people who were not fighters, it would have led to the paralyzing of Jihad for the sake of Allah. It is impossible to avoid killing civilians in a war, especially in the kind of fighting taking place in Palestine where settlements and occupied lands are side by side with Muslim areas, and therefore it suffices that they should not be intentionally targeted. The views expressed here reflect the opinions of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Pinpoint the right security solution for your company- Learn how to add 128- bit encryption and to authenticate your web site with VeriSign's FREE guide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/JNm9_D/33_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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