Note from Rafik Beekun: Muslims reject terrorism of any kind, and take particular offense to al-Zawahri’s use of the offensive term “house Negro” in reference to President-elect Barack Obama. Islam abhors racism and emphasizes universal peace and brotherhood. We reject any and all use of racial slurs or insults.
Al-Qaida’s second in command releases new tape warning Obama against Bush policies
James Sturcke, The Guardian
[…]Al-Zawahiri […] said in [a recent message], which appeared on militant websites, that Obama was “the direct opposite of honourable black Americans” like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.
The al-Qaida leader called Obama, along with the secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, “house negroes”.
Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, used the term “abeed al-beit,” which literally translates as “house slaves.” But English subtitles of his speech included in the message translate it as “house negroes.”
The message also included old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters’ house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticise black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites. [more]
Answering Hate and Extremism with Peace and Mutual Understanding
1. A Message of Peace from Muslim Scholars to the Pope.
2. Please click here to download the whole 29-page letter entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You.”
3. Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism: Muslim Position and Responsibilities. An extremely helpful and clearly written handout by the Islamic Society of North America addressed to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
4. Brochure Anti-Terrorisme et Anti-extrémisme en langue française. Une brochure extrêmement utile et clairement écrite par la Société Islamique de l’Amérique du Nord (ISNA) adressée aux Musulmans et aux non-Musulmans francophones du monde entier.
5. Full text of fatwa by Islamic Commission of Spain against Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida (in English, French and the original Spanish).
6. Complete text of the British Muslim Clerics’ Fatwa against terrorism.
7. Complete text of fatwa of U.S. Muslim Scholars against religious extremism.
The Islamic Workplace 
Posted on November 19, 2008
0