ISIL Formed to Spread a False Image of Islam
Dr. Abdel Rahman Mihalffy, translator of the Holy Quran and president of the European Fatwa Council for Halal Transaction in Vienna, Austria made the remark in an interview with IQNA about the status of Islam and Muslims in European countries.
Here is the interview in full:
Q: How many Muslims are there in Europe?
A: In Hungary the estimated number of Muslims is only 15,000 while in Austria half a million. In Europe we have 45 million Muslims. 30 million are living in Western Europe and the rest in Russia.
Q: There are some reports about the rising presence of Takfiri groups in European countries. How do you analyze that?
A: This is a very sensitive issue. In the 1960’s, millions of Muslims arrived in Europe after the liberation of the colonies. These Muslims were mainly active workers who were employed by the big European multinational companies. These Muslims were not practicing their faith so much at that time. They were working and transferring money to their families. In the 1980’s, the European parliaments passed acts on family unification and within ten years the number of Muslims increased 3-4 times. The new immigrants were not active laborers but family members who practiced their religion. That time different missions of clergies arrived from the mother countries in order to strengthen the faith of the new immigrants. Mosques and communities were established where the finance was not controlled. So Muslims didn’t integrate into the European society and even the EU countries were not taking care so much to integrate them. As a result of the different Islamic teachings of the different Muslim populations, sects and schools of Islam met in EU as they had never met before in history. These different teachings were sometime tolerating each other and sometimes not.
When the multinational companies transferred their activities to Asia and the Far East where the labor was cheaper, the immigrants lost their job. Millions have lost their job. Among these millions there were European Muslims, too. In these circumstances the racial, ethnical and religious problems could come out and start to dominate. At the same time a new wave of immigrants arrived in large numbers in the EU. Among these refugees some Takfiris came too and identifying them is very difficult.
Europe is in a crisis. This crisis is economical-financial and moral. In this crisis nobody is satisfied and people are seeking (source of) the problems in someone else. The politicians are also running away from the responsibility and are choosing the easiest way. They speak about the preservation of European values and welfare where the immigrants have to take part of the responsibility. In this chaotic situation, Takfiri groups can offer solution to youth who are deviant and who live at the poor side of the society. They can easily recruit Muslims who are humiliated or jobless and even non-Muslims who are criminals or psychopathic. Due to (financial aid from) Saudi Arabia and Qatar, these Takfiri groups have their finance so they can make that hob easily.
Q: Acts of terrorist groups like ISIL (ISIS, IS) have had many negative consequences on Muslims’ lives in the Middle East and around the world. Have they caused special problems for European Muslims?
A: The main problem is that people in Europe think what ISIS does is Islam! They wear Islamic dress, have long beard and shout Allahu Akbar while they follow Satan. They are not against Israel, not against the USA, but they are against other Muslims! What kind of Islam is that which is against Sunnis, Shiites, and Sufis? Their tradition is closer to kabbalistic Judaism than anything else. Of course we know that this is their mission:
- to create a false image of Islam for the world
- to create fear. Fear is a product which can be sold by the new world order
- to establish destabilization
- to destroy culture, human achievements and break down anything that is connected with thinking and science.
If the European societies identify Islam like that, then we Muslims will have no place in those societies.
Q: They have been misusing the verses of the Holy Quran for justifying their atrocities. Has this brought about a negative view towards the Holy Book and its followers?
A: Where is Islam if thought is forbidden, opinions are forbidden? Islam is based on forbearance, mercy, tolerance, peace and thinking. A thinking man is always asking questions in order to discover the world and the creation. What can they discover like that? Islam is the religion of peace but they say Islam is the religion of war…It is Satanic. Every religion that was sent down by God is based on love and tolerance. If a faith is based on hate and detestation we cannot consider it Islam or any other religion.
Q: What is the general perception of Islam in Europe?
A: In Europe there is not one united Islamic perception. People have come from different places so they differ in thinking and in clergy. The devotion to Islam also differs. Life is secular in Europe and so the majority are busy with their livelihood and not for everybody Islam or religion has the priority.
In Austria and Germany the majority of Muslims are of Turkish descent. They represent the 3rd or 4th generation of the first Turkish immigrants. Only the last generation gets German citizenship. Their fathers and grandfathers stayed a lifetime in Germany with Turkish citizenship. This fact affects their relation to the local society. Today some of them are rich businessman having factories and shopping centers. The Islamic concepts of these businessmen also affect the Islamic perception of mosques which are built there. Beside the different Sufi Islamic sects, we can see the representations of the official Turkish Islamic schools supported by the Turkish government, and on the other hand there are movements, foundations financed by Fathullah Gülen from the US. We cannot forget Millet Gürüs and other organizations which are very active.
In France and Belgium immigrants from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco determine the Islamic directions while in Britain there are mainly Indians and Pakistanis. Scandinavian countries were always accepting refugees who suffered from religious and political persecution so they have Muslims almost from everywhere, mainly from Iraq.
These Islamic schools are innocent even if sometime they are opposing each other. However the wahabi-salafi activity started to strengthen in the 1980’s and they were undermining the traditional Islamic teachings. With the help of their petrodollars they could press their fanatic thoughts to some communities and destruct their Islamic cohesion. The same case I have to mention with the Muslim Brotherhood who are also very active. They appear almost everywhere and claim right to manage the Islamic activity of the particular region.
And today ISIS and Takfiris… Sometimes ordinary Muslims leave their religion in order not to be involved in their activities.
Q: Is it true that there has been an increase in the number of Islamophobic attacks in Europe?
A: Sure. The Islamophobia is there in Europe. However everything has reasons. Even Islamophobia has reasons. I have described above the situation of Muslims and their relation among each other and with the local societies. Even facts like joblessness and humiliated situations, crisis, etc, can be considered as the reasons.
However, how can we analyze Islamophobia in EU from the view of the US and Israel?
The US is going to establish its world government but there are several other superpowers emerging like China and Russia. Also the dollar is in crisis and can collapse. The covering value of the dollar is only lies, wars and manipulations. The BRICS countries can speed up the collapse of the dollar. In order to maintain its hegemony, the US has only one way: to destabilize the world and create more conflicts like in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa, etc. In these circumstances, the US as an empire doesn’t want allies because the allies have equal rights. The US wants vassals and slaves. The US doesn’t want anyone who is disputing and having opinions. The US doesn’t want rebels, either. So with Islamophobia the US can also destabilize Europe and with the Takfiriya as an instrument in the hand of the US, it can punish any state at any time. I think that Islamophobia is an artificially grown product in order to regulate processes inside Europe for the sake of USA.
Israel also wants to prove that its fights with Muslims are legitimate. With Islamophobia, Israel also can manipulate the European parliaments not to recognize the state of Palestine and they can also get support from the EU to strengthen their Zionist positions.
If we put these links together, we can logically see that Islamophobia and the attacks related to it will increase in Europe. The masses of refugees arriving in Europe these days are also the part of that plan.
Q: What is the role of Muslims- whether in the Muslim World or in Western countries- in correcting the image of Islam?
A: The Muslims and the Muslim World can do a lot. The practical Islam like prayer, reciting Quran, fasting and teachings are very nice but not enough. I can see that in some societies, the youth leave Islam and join the western culture because Islam is not giving an answer for their questions while the answers are there. Where is the practical Islam? Where is our communication? Where is Islamic economy? Where is Islamic banking which can avoid crises? Why are Islamic states not applying these methods? Why do Islamic countries use Conventional Jewish regulations in their economy and always fail? Why don’t Islamic countries have their Islamic Jurisdiction? If there is no Islamic Jurisdiction we are always in a trap. Today the Zionist laws and regulations declare who is a terrorist, who is a thief, who is stealing or committing a crime. According to these laws, we Muslims always remain criminal because we defend our land and property which is considered a crime. According to their law our land, our oil, our property all belong to them so we are thieves. They can say it because their jurisdiction works and our jurisdiction doesn’t exist. According to this logic, at the moment it is not we, Muslims, who declare what is HALAL and HARAM. It is a shame! And they are right!! We cut the neck of an animal and we say HALAL while the meat is full of hormones, antibiotics and poisons. This is the dimension that we can see even in big issues of the world! Where is science? Are we against progress? If Ibn Sina, Al-Battani, Ibn Heitham and other Muslim scientists lived today, they all would be embarrassed.
The purpose of establishing the European Fatwa Council for Halal Transaction in Vienna, Austria, was to have an Islamic Jurisdiction which works together with local authorities and with other Islamic authorities in a coordinated way. This serves Islam and integration of Muslims.
Q: Given the current chaos, how do you see the future of this situation and the future of Muslims?
A: The answer is very simple. If we Muslims do not change, we shall disappear from this world. Today there is no Rahma that can save us. The Rahma from Allah will come if we act for it. It is time to wake up and change our mind. We have to come out from the historical ages. Give up segregation, give up the divisions, give up sectarian problems. The solution is unity and true practical Islam which is strengthened by science and “Aql” (wisdom).
The Holy Quran (Chapter 13 : Verse 12) says: For him (the Messenger) is a succession of angels before him and behind him; they guard him by the command of Allah. Surely, Allah changes not the condition of a people until they change that which is in their hearts. And when Allah wishes to punish a people, there is no repelling it, nor have they any helper beside Him.
Dr. Abdel Rahman Mihalffy, 60, is a Hungarian citizen. He finished the University of Agriculture in Hungary in 1979, has got PhD in genetics and studied Islamic Shariya at Al-Azhar University, Cairo in 1982-86.
He translated the Holy Quran (1992) and Nahjul-Balagha (1995) to the Hungarian language. He established the Hungarian Islamic Community (1988) and was its first sheik-president till 1996.
Currently, he is the president of the European Fatwa Council for Halal Transaction in Vienna, Austria. This institute is working on a comprehensive Halal standard which includes Halal as quality and also as Shariya compliant finance.
