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CNN Saturday Morning News

How Can Acts of Terrorism be Reconciled?

Aired September 15, 2001 - 09:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been talking a lot about what would cause folks to intentionally slam jets into buildings and kill innocent people. And joining me right now is a man who knows an awful lot about the myths and misconceptions surrounding Islam.

His name is Muzammil Suddiqi. He joins us from Washington, D.C. He was with the Imam Islamic Society.

Good morning, sir.

Can you hear me? Because I'm not hearing you right now.

MUZAMMIL SUDDIQI, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA: Yes, yes, yes, I hear you...

ZAHN: OK.

SUDDIQI: ... I hear you.

ZAHN: Good morning.

SUDDIQI: Good morning.

ZAHN: In the Islam faith, is it OK to commit suicide?

SUDDIQI: Islam forbids killing any innocent people. Islam forbids doing anything that is immoral. And self-defense is allowed in Islam, but killing the innocent people is not allowed in Islam.

ZAHN: So how do the followers of what is being called the prime suspect, Osama bin Laden, by Secretary of State Colin Powell, how do they reconcile what they say are their beliefs in Islam with perhaps what they will ultimately be found guilty of carrying out?

SUDDIQI: I really do not know much about the inside of -- thing of this group. But if they are using the name of Islam to justify the criminal acts, I mean, I can tell you, from my understanding of Islam, from the Koran, from the sayings of the Prophet, from the works of various scholars of Islam, that Islam does not allow this kind of thing. Islam is the religion of peace, Islam is a religion of harmony, compassion.

And Islam certainly allows self-defense, but if even for self- defense, even in the situation of war, you have to use ethical and moral means. You should not just go on indiscriminate killing the innocent civilians.

People of any faith, and as you know, in the World Trade Center killing, in the Pentagon killing, the hundreds of Muslims also got killed. So it doesn't allow that at all. I mean, the killing Muslim, non-Muslim, anybody, people of in -- people who are innocent, they should not be attacked.

ZAHN: All right, well, you've made it clear the Koran tells Muslims that suicide is a mortal sin. But clearly, the folks that are capable of carrying out these kinds of horrible deeds must be rationalizing it. Is it -- do they think that, you know, dying for the faith in a holy war, then, is a different thing?

SUDDIQI: Any partisan who does something, they always have some justification. But doesn't mean that all justifications are right, or they are from the sources of the religion. People have -- do things for their own nations, for their own group, for their own races, they do all kind of thing. But that doesn't mean that those are right justifications.

From my point of view, from the point of view of all the Islamic scholars throughout the Muslim world, in America, they all have condemned this kind of act.

ZAHN: You've made a serious charge here, and I know you believe it profoundly, that folks like Osama bin Laden are misusing religion. What do you want to tell Americans today, particularly now that many of you -- your followers are feeling a backlash against them in this country?

SUDDIQI: I want to say to the Americans that, look, there are 7 million Muslims living in America. They are Americans, they love this country. And we are together in this vein. So do not isolate one group against the other. Let us be together in America, let us work together. And at the same time I would say to Mr. Bush, the president, to everyone who is responsible, that please use proper ways. Fear God. Do not, in your anger, in our anger, we should not do anything that is improper, because God is watching everything. And we should not inflict suffering on the innocent people.

We certainly should punish the criminals and those who conspired with them. But be very careful, because innocent people, men, women, and children, God does not allow that. Christianity doesn't allow that, Judaism doesn't allow that, Islam does not allow that. No people of faith is allowed this thing. And so we should all fear God. And God is over and over everyone, and we pray to God to give comfort to the people who lost their dear ones, and this, of course, this will go throughout their life, they will go with this trauma. We pray that God make it easy for them.

But it is not -- this is not the crime of the whole community of Muslims. Let us understand that. Even if those people are proved -- we don't know yet -- even if it is proved beyond any reasonable doubt that these are the people who perpetrated this crime, it is not the crime of Islam, it is not the crime of 7 million Muslims, and 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. It is those individuals who committed that crime. It just happen in Judaism if people do something, it is not a crime of all Jews. If in Christianity people do that, it is not the crime of all Christians. Timothy McVeigh, when he was found, it was not the crime of all his neighbors, all his family members, all the people of his religion or his race. It was he and those who had conspired with him.

So we have to very carefully see that who are the people who committed that crime? And they should be punished. They should be brought to justice. But do not misrepresent or have prejudice against a faith, against a community of faith.

ZAHN: Mr. Suddiqi, I know you're urging the president to do nothing improper, those were your words, but as you know, President Clinton attempted to attack Osama bin Laden and his followers, and innocent people did end up dying as a result of those attacks. Do you think it is the reality, if and when the U.S. government can prove that Osama bin Laden or another group had something to do with this, that innocent people will die?

SUDDIQI: I think you will find full support in the Muslim world, full support, if it is proved that he is the one who was involved behind that, and he was the one who was behind these other things, and his group was behind that. But it has to be proved by United States, and seek the help of other countries also in that.

I mean, you -- we cannot be defendant and the jury and the judges at the same time. We have to involve other people as well in this matter. And let this be proved to the world that these are the people, and you'll find full support for that. If these people are proved to be guilty, you will find full support in punishing them.

ZAHN: All right, Muzammil Suddiqi, thank you very much for your time today. We very much appreciate it.

SUDDIQI: Thank you.

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