Juristic Reviews

I've been following the Egyptian media's wide coverage of the recently released "Juristic Review" by leaders of the Jihad movement. Experts on Islamic militant groups, are divided between supporters and skeptics.

My own take on the subject is that since similar reviews by Al Jamaa Al Islamiya ten years ago, did help curb the wave of violence that swept through Egypt since the late seventies, I do welcome this new review and hope that it will spread to and influence Islamic militant groups in Arab and Islamic countries.

Yet, and assuming that the reviews are genuine, the fact that the Islamic jurisprudence could be interpreted by some so-called devoted Muslims to promote and justify violence, and then years later, this same group declares that it now has a better understanding of its religion and renounces its violent ideologies is disturbing and should not pass without examination.

Is the Islamic faith so complicated and hard to understand that these devoted followers, who are also college graduates, endorsed violence and spilled the blood of hundreds of innocent victims thinking that they were following the teachings of Islam? Did they have to spend over twenty years in hidings or in prison for them to finally get it? Definitely not. The essence of Islam and its basic teachings are extremely simple to grasp and are in perfect sync with common sense and the pure innate character of mankind.

Then why did this group and others like it have such difficulties? I believe that the main problem is that those Islamic groups adopted twisted interpretations of Islam without any questioning merely because those interpretations are part of the diverse and huge volumes of Islamic literature written over a thousand years ago. Moreover, those interpretations agreed with and justified the group's Machiavellian road to power.

With all due respect to the efforts of Islamic scholars of the past and present, every Muslim has the required duty of weighing and closely questioning any interpretation or Fatwa before accepting & adopting it. My personal guide in this evaluation process is simple. I cannot and will not accept any interpretation unless it agrees with, and does not contradict, the traits and characteristics of the Creator and source of all religions. Those traits and characteristics are collectively described by the Beautiful Names of God, and are repeated in the Quran.

Thus:
I reject any interpretation promoting violence, since Allah is The Peace.
I reject any interpretation promoting despotism, since Allah is The Just.
I reject any interpretation promoting cruelty, since Allah is The Merciful.
I reject any interpretation promoting hate, since Allah is The Most Compassionate.

You get my drift.
Assallam Alaikom (Peace be upon you).