Special Dispatch - No. 2636

On October 26, 2009, former dean of Islamic law at the University of Qatar and prominent liberal intellectual Dr. 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari published an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida calling to condemn the October 18, 2009 suicide terrorist attack in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, which was carried out by the Iranian Sunni-Baluchi opposition organization Jundallah; in it, several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials were killed. In his article, titled "We Must Condemn the Bombings in Iran," Al-Ansari states that despite Iran's domestic and foreign policy, terrorist acts against it are not justified and must be condemned by all Arab and Muslim countries.(1)

Following are excerpts from the article: 

"We Empathize with the Iranian People, Its Government, and Its Leadership"

"We criticize Iran for certain actions [motivated by its] policy vis-à-vis the Iranian people and the countries in the region, yet we must support it in the face of the deadly bombings that cost the lives of dozens of innocent citizens, mostly leaders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. We must condemn this terrorist attack just as we condemn all terror in all countries, and we must not heed any justifications for it, since the victims of terror are always innocent people.
  
"[Jundallah] claims that it is fighting the Iranian government to protect the rights of the Sunnis and of the Baluchi people... to end the discrimination of the Sunni minority [in Iran], [to ensure] fair distribution of national resources, and to enable the Sunnis to establish mosques and schools [there]. Jundallah accuses the Iranian government of persecuting the Sunnis, murdering their clerics, destroying their mosques, and closing down their schools. [However,] no matter what [Jundallah's] justifications, objectives, and motives, none is acceptable and none justifies bloodshed.
  
"Terrorism is [always] terrorism; it is indefensible, whether from the political, social, economic, or theological [perspective]. A political or religious group that strives to achieve legitimate objectives must employ legitimate means - otherwise it forfeits its lawfulness. Everything that is true for extremist groups that follow the principles of Al-Qaeda, which has been wreaking havoc in the world, is also true for Jundallah. All of us, and especially clerics and preachers in mosques... and on websites, must unequivocally condemn this criminal [terrorist] attack...
  
"We empathize with the Iranian people, its government, and its leadership, as well as with the victims' families; we empathize with their grief and pray to Allah for their murdered and wounded relatives..."

Terrorism Must Be Stripped of All Its Political, Social, and Economic Coverings

"There is no political justification for a terrorist act. We have argued this with those who vaunt political problems [to defend terrorism], e.g., the Palestinian issue, or the discrimination against Arabs and Muslims or their organizations in the West and in America. We have argued [this] with those who use the deteriorating economic situation and social problems as a political [excuse] for terrorism.
  
"Terrorism must be stripped of all its political, social, and economic coverings. It cannot be justified, except by 'the culture of hatred' that has been inculcated for many years now in the hearts and minds of [our youth] - delivered from [mosque] pulpits, in schools, and via [other] religious and cultural channels of incitement, which have transformed some of the zealous young people into living bombs that believe [suicide attacks] to be the shortest way to Paradise..."
 
Koran Contest Winners Received Explosives, Anti-Tank Shells, Hand Grenades, and Other Weapons as Prizes

"Have you heard about the prizes awarded to the winners of the Koran and Islamic studies contest [held] in the Somali city of Kismayo, south of Mogadishu, which is controlled by Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen? During the month of Ramadhan, the city hosted a competition in studies and in Koran memorization, in which a large number of students participated. The winners were announced at a big ceremony, and were awarded as prizes explosives, anti-tank shells, hand grenades, and [other] weapons.
  
"This is how extremist organizations educate the younger generation and entrench in their hearts violence, hatred of the other, and disrespect for human life. The deadly explosion in Iran is [only an example of] what is happening in all Arab and Islamic countries. Terrorist acts are used [to achieve] political goals, and religion is used as a cover for terrorist attacks.
  
"It must be clarified that it is not in the interest of the Arabs or the Sunnis to keep harping on the ethnic issue, or to foment a rift in the Iranian ranks, by carrying out a terrorist attack under the banner of the Sunna. This would be a game too dangerous for any Arab country to accept or condone." 
 
Jundallah Opposes Any Rapprochement or Cooperation between Sunnis and Shi'ites

"Nor must [we] accept the claim that Iran has finally been given a taste of its own medicine - implying that Iran is providing cover to several Al-Qaeda leaders. Jundallah's excuses are no more valid than Al-Qaeda's excuse that it is defending the Sunnis. The [recent] suicide attack [in Iran] was carried out in order to [eliminate] any common ground between the Sunnis and Shi'ites, for Jundallah opposes any rapprochement or cooperation between them. This refutes [Jundallah's] claims that it [only] seeks to end discrimination against the Sunnis.
  
"Our political and sectarian disagreements with Iran must not [stop us from] condemning terrorist bombings there. The Security Council has already condemned these bombings, and the U.S. has added Jundallah to the list of terrorist organizations. It is our duty to condemn this criminal act and to offer our condolences to the Iranian people and government. This is the minimum that we can do [to uphold] the rights of the Iranian people." 
  
Endnote:  
(1) Al-Jarida (Kuwait), October 26, 2009.

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