Doubts about the "Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI"

Mosque

Masjid al-Haram in Mecca

A dark image of Islam?

(Image from Wikipedia)

Two days ago, I posted a report on what appeared to be a positive development among peaceful, moderate Muslims responding in an open letter to the Pope's Regensburg lecture and emphasizing Islam as a peaceful religion.

Alas, there are problems with some of the signatories. I had noted in the comments to the blog that:

It would be interesting to check the writings of the signatories to this list to see what their position is on various issues related to Islam.

Erdal, the person who had alerted me to the existence of the open letter, did some checking and quickly found some disturbing information on two of the signatories. First, Erdal cites an article by the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Jumuah, who was signatory number 15:

In an article in the Egyptian government daily Al-Ahram, Egyptian Mufti Sheikh Dr. 'Ali Gum'a (=Ali Jumu'ah of the open letter, only a different transscription) expressed his support of the "jihad" of Lebanon's resistance and stated that the lies of the "Hebrew entity" expose "the true and hideous face of the blood-suckers... who prepare [Passover] matzos from human blood."

Second, Erdal cites a German article about Muhammad Ali Taskhiri, whom the open letter identifies as an Ayatollah whose office is Secretary-General of the World Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thoughts, Iran, and who was signatory number 32:

Mullah Mohammed-Ali Taskhiri (another of the open letter group), head of the "Global Association of Affinity of Islamic Denominations" ..., is currently attending a conference in Egypt (February 2006) and called on all forces loyal to Teheran to organize attacks on foreign embassies and consulates in multiple countries.

Here's the specific paragraph that Erdal cites:

Mullah Mohammed-Ali Taskhiri, Kopf der "Global Association of Affinity of Islamic Denominations" und einer der Verantwortlichen für den Export von Terrorismus und Fundamentalismus Teheraner Regimes, hält zur Zeit eine Konferenz in Ägypten ab und rief alle Kräfte, die loyal zur Teheraner Diktatur stehen, auf, in mehreren Ländern Angriffe auf ausländische Botschaften und Vertretungen zu organisieren.

Translated, it states:

Mullah Mohammed-Ali Taskhiri, head of the "Global Association of Affinity of Islamic Denominations" and one of those responsible for the export of the Teheran regime's terrorism and fundamentalism, is currently attending a conference in Egypt (February 2006) and has called on all forces loyal to the Teheran dictator to organize attacks on foreign embassies and consulates in multiple countries.

This certainly sounds violent. Two caveats, however. First, this report comes to us from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an organization hostile to the Iranian government. Second, the date of this report suggests that the issue exercising Taskhiri was that of the Muhammad caricatures, and the call for "attacks on foreign embassies and consulates in multiple countries" might have been nothing more than a call for protests. I'd need to see his actual words to know for certain.

I haven't yet uncovered those, but here is an interesting passage from an article by Taskhiri, "Towards a Definition of Terrorism," Al-Tawhid, Vol V No. 1 (Muharram 1408 AH/1987 CE):

It is indeed comical that the United States of America, which is the mother of international terrorism, and the author of all the circumstances of oppression and subjection of peoples, by strengthening dictatorial regimes and supporting occupation of territories and savage attacks on civilian areas, etc. should seek to convene symposia on combating "terrorism", i.e. any act that conflicts with its imperialist interests.

So ... Taskhiri doesn't much care for the U.S. or the Muhammad caricatures. That doesn't make him a hypocrite for signing the peaceful, open letter to the Pope, but these plus his position in the Iranian government raise some questions, at least for me.

A collaborative, online effort might uncover disturbing information about other signatories to the open letter, but Erdal and I have already done our part.