Grand Mufti Distorts Word ‘Infidel’ to Dupe Infidels
Soon after reporting that Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, had pronounced all Christians “infidels,” I received several emails forwarding what looked like a response from Gomaa. Some websites — such as the ever-hysterical “American Muslim” — published it, providing the following additional information:
Prof. Faroque Ahmad Khan took it on himself to investigate [the claims of my article]. Dr. Khan requested Dr Ibrahim Negm — a senior advisor to the Grand Mufti [and an Al Azhar professor] to provide a clarification of the remarks attributed to Sheikh Ali Gomaa. Here is the response that was received [followed by the same text others had emailed me].
Though he makes several points, including the need for “dialogue” and “mutual respect,” Gomaa’s grand point, the crux of the issue — what kafir which I routinely translate as “infidel” means — unfortunately exposes dishonesty on his part (the other option, ignorance, being inapplicable). He writes:
Mr. Ibrahim’s choice of wording is regrettable. The English word “infidel” carries with it strong connotations of exclusion and violence, inherited from the European experience of Christianity during the wars of religion which devastated that continent for decades.
In fact, from its inception, Islam has been the quintessential religion — historically and doctrinally — to enforce and institutionalize “exclusion and violence” for the “other,” to the point of influencing medieval Christianity. Gomaa therefore takes the standard way out — blame Christianity and its “wars of religion” (code for “Crusades”) — without alluding to what prompted these wars in the first place: five centuries of unprovoked Islamic aggression, land-grabbing, subjugation and persecution of Christians, which continues to this very day.
Gomaa’s sophistry continues:
The Arabic “kafir” is a legal term which denotes very precisely and simply those outside the Muslim community, those who do not believe in the particular message and worldview of Islam. The much less charged translation “non-believer” is appropriate here.
Yes, the word kafir is a “legal term” denoting non-Muslims; and yes, most modern English Qurans translate it as “non-believer.” However, and as Gomaa knows full well, the word kafir (plural, kafirin) is heavy laden with negative associations, or, as I originally wrote, it “connotes ‘enemies,’ ‘evil-doers,’ and every bad thing to Muslim ears.”
Accordingly, Sharia mandates hostility for kafirin — war and subjugation when they are weak, deception and smooth-talk when they are strong. After all, Quran 2: 98 simply declares that “Allah is the enemy of kafirin” — regardless of whether we translate that word as “infidels” or “non-believers.”
Indeed, doctrine aside, consider how the Quran alone portrays “non-believers”: they are “guilty” and “unjust” (10:17, 45:31, 68:35); terror is to be cast in their hearts for their injustice (3:151); they are “disliked” and “accursed” by Allah (2:89, 3:3233:64); they are the “vilest of beasts” (8:55, 98:6), like “cattle,” “devoid of understanding” (47:12, 8:65), and “enemies” to Muslims (4:101).
And why are “non-believers” described thus? Simply because they are non-believers — because they are infidels.
So much for the Grand Mufti’s assertion that the “much less charged translation ‘non-believer’ is appropriate” for the word kafir. Perhaps he is operating under Quran 3:28: “Let believers not take kafirin [infidels, non-believers, whatever] for friends and allies … unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions.” Not only is this yet another verse depicting non-Muslims as enemies, but, according to Muslim jurisprudence, it justifies deceiving them.
There is also much peripheral evidence that “non-believers” are always seen negatively: when Gomaa’s colleagues, the Muslim Brotherhood, recently declared that only “drunks, druggies, and adulterers” reject Sharia — and considering that non-Muslims naturally reject Sharia — were they not in essence asserting that all non-believers are junkies and faithless perverts?
Aside from distorting the word kafir, Gomaa made the following points which require remark:
Raymond Ibrahim absurdly tries to link my commentary on Muslim theological doctrine, delivered within the context of a mosque study circle, to the regrettable Maspero events in Cairo last month. My comments at the mosque that day were intended exclusively as a pedagogical explanation of the Qur’anic view on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity….
As for his words being “delivered within the context of a mosque study circle,” that is no excuse: as Grand Mufti of a nation of some 70 million Muslims, Gomaa is responsible for every doctrine-related utterance he makes — whether he knows he is being videotaped or not. Likewise, even if his comments “were intended exclusively as a pedagogical explanation of the Qur’anic view on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity,” they still culminated in categorizing all Christians as infidels, which is the point here.
Therefore, his comments are, in fact, related to the Maspero massacre. Consider: when the Grand Mufti of Egypt himself categorizes Christians as “infidels” — a word that, as we have seen, conveys to the Muslim mind images of guilty, oppressive, accursed, bestial-like enemies — is it surprising when Muslims, including the Egyptian military, attack and kill Christians — all while calling them “infidels”?
A personal note to Sheikh Gomaa: the time for sophistry, apologetics, euphemisms, and projections is past. We live in an age where the historic, doctrinal, and contemporary facts of Islam are increasingly exposed for the world to see, in part thanks to the Internet and satellite, which defy censorship. Operating according to this fact — that is, respecting people’s intelligence — is the first step to meaningful dialogue.
Is it ok to name your dog Mohammad?
Is it ok to name your dog Jesus? (Especially if he or she is very Christ-line).
Discuss
Sanctity, “the quality or condition of being sacred” presumes there are things that are sacred. Sacred things are not made so by government or political movements, sentimental notions or cults. Government, political movements sentimental notions, and cults may only “sanction” a behavior, that is, provide authoritative permission or approval.
Secondly, people may do all sorts of things to sacred institutions and writings. They may mock them, pick and choose among the things to hold sacred and disavow others, ignore them completely or simply not take them seriously. However, that doesn’t make that which is “sacred” any less so. To declare that something is sacred does not fall to the lot of humans but to Him who makes things Holy.Neither mufti or theologian rules in this domain.
Therefore, whether you name your dog ‘Jesus’ or ‘Muhammad’ matters not. However you may want to choose ‘Jesus’ rather then ‘Muhammad’ as the consequences may be more painful choosing the later!
There are plenty of modern-day people named Jesus. Why not a dog, since dogs often receive human names?
Of course, no one ever got beheaded for naming their kid or their dog Jesus.
No you should not call your dog Mohammed as it is disrespectful.
Would you call your dog “poop”? No, don’t show disrespect by calling your dog “Mohammed”, but if you want you can call his poops “Mohammeds”
Even dogs deserve respect, you know.
I would never insult my dog by naming it mohammad, that name is reserved for the targets I use for Pistol and Rifle shooting practice and the image I put in the bottom of the hole I s*#t in when I’m camping in the wilderness.
Because the Koran requires a Muslim to murder a “kafir” if he or she has the ability to do so and can get away with it, an Imam smearing others with the label of “kafir” to his Muslim followers is equivalent to smearing blood on a group of people and throwing them into a shark tank.
For inciting the Maspero massacre, Sheikh Gomaa should be prosecuted for committing a crime against humanity.
“A personal note to Sheikh Gomaa: the time for sophistry, apologetics, euphemisms, and projections is past. We live in an age where the historic, doctrinal, and contemporary facts of Islam are increasingly exposed for the world to see, in part thanks to the Internet and satellite, which defy censorship. Operating according to this fact — that is, respecting people’s intelligence — is the first step to meaningful dialogue.”
The Grand Muppet and Shaky Gomer may not live to see it; nor will they believe it, but “operating from this fact” and as the peoples of the world are awakened by the sounds of the footsteps of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Allah will be found wanting, and as impotent as his Grand Muppets of violence; as millions abandon Islam; mainly ‘cos it sucks.
Special message to Grand Muppet and Shaky Gomer:
There’s a big semi-truck parked outside your door (no it’s not full of exploives); it’s your monthly shipment of Viagra specially formulated for each of you, since you are as impotent as your message.
I can refer the Grand Mufti’s assertion to this Cold Mountain movie dialogue
Every piece of this is man’s bullshit. They call this war a cloud over the land, but they made the weather and then they stand in the rain and say, “Shit! Its rainin’!”
That’s right, The Muslim was pissing at the back of the Christians and they have the nerve to call it rain.
If it walks like a duck: The hierarchy of Islam is structured eerily similar to a mafia or under world organization. These mufti’s are like regional bosses surrounded by their lieutenants and then armed muscle.
Around the world mosques are weapons depots filled with their soldiers.
Sounds like fun ,where do I sign?
The more I observe the actions and words of so called Muslim leaders, the more I know that we are not dealing with a religion of peace. Taqqiya is the order of the day, and the caliphate and Sharia are the holy grail. Once these concepts are fully understood one can develope an appreciation for how Islam works.
What will happen in Egypt should be a lesson to all the fools who think that Islam can be accomodated in the west. Multiculturism and rejection of faith has rotted out western mans ability to reason and make distinctions about ones culture. Europe is about to pay the price for its foolish misunderstanding of history.
The only question remaining; are US citizens so blinded and intellectually compromised as to be unable to see the intolerance and darkness Islam brings?
….Samizdat….please see my #7 nearby.
Raymond Ibrahim here is superbly qualified to pierce for us the taqiyya-word-game-efforts of the professional Muslims/Islamists. However, unless these Muslim imams are, in turn, as fluent in English as Ibrahim here is in Arabic, their very own gaming-efforts will reveal their Muslim/Islamist-induced hypocrises….will trip them up….they will not survive accurate sensitive translation, as pointed out right here by Raymond Ibrahim.
We Americans then must be especially vigilant about native English speaking Muslims/Islamists preachiing their Koran here inside American mosques as they are effortlessly experienced in our local idioms and slang contexts as they can and will be applied via Muslim/Islamist doctrinal filtration.
This extremely skillful “taqiyya concept” is not sufficiently recognized here in our America as the subversive threat that it is. We think we can read between the lines in our liberal media, but we non-Muslim/non-Islamic kaffir-naifs have no experience in applying between-the-line-reading to Muslim/Islamic theological nuances as they are indeed skillfully applied against us Americans.
We Americans must be jolted into recognizing that all attacks upon America by Muslim/Islamists are not necessarily violent and as dramatic as 9/11. Subversion and subterfuge are equally dangerous.
Wake up, all you scoffers…….
Charlie,
Very solid analysis. I agree, especially regarding your points about subterfuge and subversion.
The state and US Constitutions are incompatable with Sharia entirely. There can be no coexistance. Islam brooks no compromise with secular documents such as constitutions, either state or federal. Hence your excellent reminder that subversion and subterfuge are needed if Islam is to succeed in America.
I don’t see a way for coexistance to occur given the rigidity of Muslim interpretation of the Quran.
Islam is not a religion, it is a totalitarian form of government that hides behind a lie as a religion. GOD gave us all freewill to think for ourselves. So why do we let another man no better than you or me tell us the way to go and live. This sheikh gomaa is like our president obama, thinking he is the smartest one in the room. In reality GOD puts no man over another man as any better than his brother. How can islam even think of calling it`s self a religion when they follow a pervert and teach it is okay to lie. We all know who the father of lies is, need anymore be said?
The best why to know the meaning of the word kafir in Islam is to understand that kafir is worst than the word n-gg-r.
Infidel- noun, from the Latin “in-,” meaning “not,” and “fidelis,” meaning “faithful.” Therefore, an infidel is someone who is not faithful; in other words, a non-believer.
Since they seem to show no hesitation at calling us infidels, is it OK for us to call them heathens?
Truthfully, I thought it funnier to call them infidels. A couple of years ago, I suggested calling them mohos, but that sounds a bit unbecoming of us.
Dear ignoramus (not the only one): The question is not what infidel means but rather what does kafir mean. Kafir means “Denier”.
Very interesting whitewashing. My uncle served as a missionary to northern Africa since the 50′s. Of course he reads and writes in Arabic and Berber. They do admit the truth about death to infidels when speaking Arabic.
“Non-believer” really doesn’t give the imam much cover, either. All of us believe in something, so we are believers, only perhaps not in Islam. “Non-Muslim” is the only thing that works in the context that the imam is trying to say he means, but that would be too clear-cut and honest, and would undermine his argument. He said “infidel”, and he means “infidel”, and he means nothing good by it.
Unfortunately in the West, this argument risks descending into semantic gibberish as all that is needed is enough confusion thrown into the pot to make it stop boiling.
I myself am confused since the link on “reporting” what Gomaa said doesn’t mention Gomaa and the youtube video is down. In addition, a Christian in Egypt just this minute told me that Gomaa would not have said such a thing as “kafir” as it is, as you say, trouble. He said the gov’t wouldn’t allow it because of the trouble it would stir up.
I’m not saying you’re not entirely correct, but that this is not the most profitable line of inquiry. As I write Christians are protesting in Cairo and others heading for Tahrir Square to once again insist the head of the military, Tantawi, step down and that civilians be brought in. What will happen tomorrow is anyone’s guess. The army isn’t “playing” any more when it comes to such things.
More profitable is your pointing out the eternal revisionist refrain from Islam about “Crusaders.” One can simply and easily show a map that shows the territories conquered and held to this day by Islam and contrast that with the transitory and relatively miniscule lands held by the Crusaders; there is literally one magnitude of difference which shows Islamic views of history in this regard to be a straight up distortion and lie.
Crusader conquests, tiny islands of territory, lasted at most around a hundred years. Calling the West “Crusaders” is the the black kettle in spades.
As Christians learn early in the teachings, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 KJV). Mohammad was just that, a false prophet, a blind raving lunitic in the wilderness hearing voices. Not the voice of God but the voice of the great deceiver, and with the power of evil is still attempting deceive and to subjugate man on earth. 2 great faiths came from the God of Adam, both advocate peace, but allow for the defence of self. Islam is a false faith advocating killing thos of not islamic faith the “Infidel”. Muslims is the US need to understand that any attempt to subjugate us inder this false faith and it’s sharia law will be met with a defence that is like none ever seen.
This is one reason why I spend lots of time at the gun range! I am perfecting my skills with each weapon that I own and am quite accurate but will never get rusty!
The truth always has a very distinct ring to it in our inner being. This article has that ring, thanks Ray.
Muslims are quintessential liars, deceivers, and hypocrites and as such they will always lie and deny all the truths about Islam and themselves. When Mo/allah himself says he is the greatest deceiver, would you xpect any less from it’s followers? Nah!! If only the stupid West will understand this, they can defend themselves otherwise they will die just defending Muslims’ rights to spout this garbage in the West!!
Stupid…………..
What I have learned about Islam? You can do is be able to generalize.
It examined all the Middle East, read the Quran, Islam did research on. Raymond Ibrahim thinks he knows very thing they knew, rather than over here to tell the objective of the Koran that we select as our only guide …….. He would always talk like this I wonder.
I suppose that the Grand Mufti forgets that another Grand Mufti broadcast hate speech from Berlin during WW2 and then delivered his hate to Egypt directly where he set up the Muslim Brotherhood that begot Arafat and Saddam. No, such historical context is long forgotten by the new Grand Mufti.
Good response to a liar that calls himself the Grand Mufti. We should never have let Hitler’s Mufti escape a French jail and spread the Nazi pathology across the ME.
I just took a big moon god worshiping Muhammad.
All the directives to “kill the unbeliever” in the Koran is the way you know that it came out of the mind of a human man attempting to protect his own personal fiefdom.
Naturally, in order to maintain position, protect wealth, a stable of women and lifestyle, that man would advise his adherents to slay any who opposed him.
In fact, Allah is so concerned with Mohammed’s happiness, that in one of the Sura, he gives permission for Mohammed to have sex with his adopted (sometimes referred to as foster) son’s wife. In another, Allah allows sex during the holy month of Ramadan.
kafir, infidel, unbeliever, dhimmi, it’s all rock and roll.