It’s funny how the Amman Message posts are consistently turning into discussions about the politics of the Middle East, Jordan in particular (and to disclose: I live in Jordan and am a Jordanian citizen), yet we are ignoring the meat of the message. It is the content that matters here. Perhaps it is easier to be distant from the point of the message when you are living in the US or the UK.

After all, you don’t have relatives and neighbors (next door neighbors, downstairs neighbors, and many others just in my own building in my case) who have had to flee Iraq so that they might simply be allowed to live because of the takfir epidemic there. Perhaps because you do not spend any time on the phone with a mother and father who are afraid they will be killed next if they don’t leave, and afraid that they will lose everything they’ve worked for their whole lives and end up paupers if they do — as one of our cousins does. Perhaps because most people do not have relatives who were takfired and executed on the streets of Iraq, as we do, for being from the wrong sect. Perhaps because you are not dealing first hand with the effects of the takfiri gang war that is going on next door and threatens to spread across the Middle East. The declaration was issued in an attempt to stop this madness in its tracks.

We can dither now and talk about ME politics — a worthy discussion, I’m sure, even though it’s been talked and talked and talked and still things are the same here — or we can hold our noses over some of the signatories and sign on to show these people we do not accept what they do in our name and to remind the rest of the people in the Ummah, esp. here in the Arab world, that we will not tolerate this phenomena becoming widespread and acceptable. We are at a critical point, not only in the Middle East, but in the Ummah as well. Yes, Arabs are a minority of Muslims, but what’s going on here can have Ummah-wide reverberations. Right now, I’m sorry to tell you, there are things that are more important than who signed a treaty to who or how much “American ancestry” one king has (he’s half British, btw, not American). That is not to say that these issues aren’t more important, but it’s rather like picking at the scab while the amputated leg gushes blood.

Just my two cents — or two qirsh, should I say?

Let’s be clear on something. The man who is pushing for this is a “king” who holds authority over muslim lands and implements non-islamic laws that were designed by colonizers, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The jordanian “royalty” obeys the bidding of the west (recognizing israel, changing sharia-rooted family laws, etc.) and ignores the fardiyya of establishing islamic law.

My point is that, like all the leaders of muslim countries today, “King” Abdullah is a non-scholar who holds power over the appointment of the country’s religious scholars. Of course such leaders love the idea of muslims only taking fataawa from those who are endowed with religious authority – because they _decide_ who takes that authority. No scholars who disagree with the governments in muslim lands stay in positions of authority for long, whether or not they hold a high status amongst other scholars.

Nothing in the 3 points of the declaration is inherently wrong. But muslims need to be aware of how governments can use such a declaration against them. We have no reason to think the best of rulers who implement systems of disbelief over the muslims.

Ahmad on March 26, 2007 at 3:38 pm said:

True. Jordan simply will not get involved with Middle Eastern affairs, especially after the Israel Jordan peace was made.

I would see Jordan between the Coalition including Israel and other Arab nations involved with the Middle Eastern conflicts.
The USA is pushing Jordan about it’s border issues but it is observed that Jordan supports resistant entities such as Hezbollah and Iran although silent on those issues.

mirajmom( mehnaz miraj gibson) on March 26, 2007 at 2:23 pm said:

Salam,

My question is this: Is this a way to be more moderate. Jordan has been very pro- American/Isareli. Is the king not half-American? Amazing, Jordon is very quiet on many issues. Ahmad , does that answer your question?
Forgive me, but I belive judgement belongs to Allah, I do not know the contents of the hearts of others, I will not practice condeming Muslims…
I welcome responses please…if I am wrong let me know…Thank -you.

Well this proves you guys wrong:
http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=163&a=1481

Jordan’s Prince seesm very involved. He raises some good points.

mirajmom( mehnaz miraj gibson) on March 26, 2007 at 2:23 pm said:

Salam,

My question is this: Is this a way to be more moderate. Jordan has been very pro- American/Isareli. Is the king not half-American? Amazing, Jordon is very quiet on many issues. Ahmad , does that answer your question?
Forgive me, but I belive judgement belongs to Allah, I do not know the contents of the hearts of others, I will not practice condeming Muslims…
I welcome responses please…if I am wrong let me know…Thank -you.

I dont see anything wrong with Americans/israelis supporting this. If they want to end the sectarian killings in Iraq, then thats good for them.
I think this is a good cause to support no matter what angle you look at it from.

Plus, for you to be correct, everyone else who signed it has to be wrong (or at the very least, uninformed). I sincerely hope that this is not the case, becuase some of those people are scholars I really respect and look up to. People like Mufti Taqi Usmani, Mufti Abdullah bin Bayyah, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf etc etc etc are a priceless benefit to this Ummah.

Allahu-Alam
M’Salama

I dunno, i feel like all of this seems like common sense to me. The Qur’an has already defined what Islam is, and who the muslims are. We have One Rabb, One Final Messenger, One Qiblah, One Deen….now, let’s move on…it’s time our Ummah concentrated on other things. If you sincerely work in the path of Allah, you will soon begin to realize who the true muslims are. A true Muslim is the one who helps you in your work to please Allah and does not work to destroy it or destroy the Ummah of Muhammad (SAAW). May Allah (swt) give us all Tawfeeq to work towards spreading His deen and, if we must, engage in the healthy ikhtilaf that is encouraged in Islam, not the kind of ikhtilaf that divides and destroys Islam. May Allah (swt) also give Tawfeeq and bless these wonderful scholars with a high rank in Jannah, what they are doing is definitely a step in the right direction…these scholars are surely of those ‘Ulema who are on Haqq and Huda, and they are truly those who are “the inheritors of the prophets” (hadeeth – Rasulullah, SAW)

-salam

I would see Jordan between the Coalition including Israel and other Arab nations involved with the Middle Eastern conflicts.
The USA is pushing Jordan about it’s border issues but it is observed that Jordan supports resistant entities such as Hezbollah and Iran although silent on those issues.

My question is this: Is this a way to be more moderate. Jordan has been very pro- American/Isareli. Is the king not half-American? Amazing, Jordon is very quiet on many issues. Ahmad , does that answer your question?
Forgive me, but I belive judgement belongs to Allah, I do not know the contents of the hearts of others, I will not practice condeming Muslims…
I welcome responses please…if I am wrong let me know…Thank -you.