Fundamentalism and Terrorism

Fundamentalism and Terrorism

Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Opening and Introduction

Assalaamu alaikum. (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim). Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

Astaghfirullah. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

To you, my beloved Imam, brothers and sisters, our invited guests, I'm always thankful to Allah and never take for granted the fact that He's given us another day, this opportunity to speak with each other. And we never ever want to waste your time. I pray to Allah the Almighty that the message that we will share with you, both Muslims and non-Muslims, will be one that you will take from this auditorium tonight and go to work.

The Commission and Call to Action

Because tonight I'm going to commission every one of you, especially the leaders, to do something. While we sit in this auditorium tonight, the government of the United States of America is planning to build colonies in space. While we watch a baseball game, or basketball game, or football game, there's some very serious thinkers in this country who late at night, while many of us sleep, they plan.

35 million miles from here, the planet Mars. The government of the United States of America has spent untold billions of dollars in space exploration. And you know what? We have no doubt that we can build colonies in space.

That's not what I'm concerned about. I think we can go there and build colonies on Mars and other planets. That's not my concern. My concern is that the problems that we have here on this earth, if we don't settle it here, whatever colonies we build in space, the same problems will be there. So tonight I want to talk about a very crucial topic. This topic, terrorism in Islam, is not just for non-Muslims.

You better know it. Every Muslim in this auditorium tonight, every Muslim in Toronto, and in London, and all over Canada, must know about this topic. So tonight I want to talk about who are the real terrorists.

Personal Experiences with Discrimination

Who are the real terrorists? Brothers and sisters, right now, somebody, real people, are creating an image or an atmosphere so that the masses of the people believe that Muslims are terrorists. Fanatics, bad people, evil people. I want to share an experience with you that happened to me about four weeks ago.

I was on my way from Los Angeles back here to New York City. And when I got on the plane, I sat down in the aisle seat, waiting for the plane to take off. And as I sat down, a European-American woman came with her

luggage, and she excused herself and she sat down next to me on the window seat.

Now from my peripheral vision, I can see on the side as I'm looking forward, this woman is looking around the plane. And I knew she was going to get up from the seat. And she got up and she got her baggage and said, excuse me for a moment.

And I watched her as she went in front of the plane and she crossed over and she sat in another seat. I said, fine, no problem, I've got more space. It's no problem.

So I'm sitting there still waiting, reading, waiting for the plane to take off. And all of a sudden, another woman coming, another younger European-American woman, and she has her luggage and she sits down next to me. And she starts looking around.

Now at that moment, I got a little paranoid and I started checking myself out to make sure that I was okay. Now I knew I was okay, but she got up and said, excuse me, sir, but I'm getting off this plane to take another plane. And by the way, I sat by myself on that flight.

A week later, I was in the city of Winnipeg, Canada. And you know, whenever you go from one country to the other, you have to pass through security, customs, and immigration. And I had just received an award from the Muslims of Winnipeg.

And I went through the security and came to the customs. And the security officer, he said, he looked at my award and he stepped all the way back and said, what's that, a bomb? Now, brothers and sisters, either the man was joking or he was serious. Could you imagine what happened? I went to the airport of Toronto and I go to the customs officer and said, haha, this is a bomb, haha, this is a bomb, haha.

You know what happened to me? They would arrest me because you can't joke like that. Now, brothers and sisters, why would these women move away from me? What was on their mind? I'll tell you why. And I'll tell you why the customs officer said about me, whom he don't know, a bomb.

The Manufactured Image of Muslims

Why would I have anything to do with a bomb? You don't know me. Because I look like a fundamentalist. I look like a terrorist. I have the image of a beard, a kufi, a thobe, or something like that. Because somebody is working, putting in the mind of the average Canadian citizen and American citizen that Muslims are synonymous with terrorists. They know exactly what they're doing.

And tonight, brothers and sisters, I'd like to uncover and ask the question, who are the real terrorists? Somebody is working. Now, brothers and sisters, right now as I'm speaking to you in New York City, there's a trial taking place. Four Muslims are accused of blowing up the World Trade Center on February 26th of this year.

A real tragedy. Six people lost their lives. And we ought not make mockery of that. It could have been any one of us. It could in fact have been a Muslim. Over a thousand people wounded. We don't make mockery of that.

An act of terrorism for sure. But my question to you tonight, to this audience, who blew up the World Trade Center? I don't think that the people who did it is in custody.

The Growing Muslim Presence in New York City

Brothers and sisters, I predicted about two years ago that the government of the United States of America is going to try to discredit Muslims. Especially in New York City. Why New York City? You may not know this, that the Muslims in New York City has grown to such a degree that the mayor of New York City, African American, first African American, has a good rapport with the Muslim community to such a degree that whenever there's a problem in the city, he calls Imam Siraj, Imam Alamin Abdul Latif, and the Muslims to get their input, to get their advice.

And this mayor signed into law that the two days of the Eid is an official holiday in New York City. According to the governmental figures, there are between 800,000 and a million Muslims in New York City. 800,000 Muslims in New York City.

If you understand who the real terrorists are, this is unacceptable. Who are they? Tonight I want to talk about three entities. Number one, the government of the United States of America. Number two, big business, multi-corporations. Number three, the media. Government of the United States of America, big business, and multi-corporations.

Understanding Motive in Human Actions

Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said the pen is lifted in three cases. Meaning that a person doesn't have responsibility for what they do under these circumstances. A person who's madnoon, crazy, insane. And if a person, while they're insane, does something, then he's not held accountable by Allah because he's insane. Even in the courts of America and Canada, if a person commits a crime, when he's insane, he doesn't go to jail. He goes to the hospital because he doesn't have a real motive because he's insane.

Two, a person who sleeps until they wake up. And if a person walks in their sleep and he gets a gun and he shoots someone, then there's no crime on that person because he sleeps. The pen is lifted.

In the third case, a young child until they reach the age of maturity. Young two-year-old baby doesn't understand what he's doing, so the pen is lifted. This teaches us a very crucial factor.

Everything in life that is done, everything, every word, every action that people do, there has to be a motive for it. There's a reason why something that spurs people on make people do things, make people react the way they do. So a detective, whenever a crime is committed, they ask the question, what is the motive? These are by motives.

What is it that makes the man move, the woman move? What is it? What is the motive? Yes, what is the motive? Crucial question. When somebody commits a crime, why did they rob the man? He wanted money. Why did

you hurt the person? I don't like them. They're my enemy. Why? And unless you are insane, there's a reason why that spurs you, that drives you to do the things that you do.

Analyzing the World Trade Center Bombing

My brother says I've got a confession to make. I used to watch a television program. Used to. See, I have an advantage over you. I used to be a non-Muslim. Most of you were born Muslim. I used to watch a movie, a detective program called Columbo.

I know you didn't see it, but you heard about it, right? But you know something about this detective, I used to like Columbo. You know why? Because he was such a smart detective. You know, he would always throw the people off, you know, he'd start talking to the person, you know, just having a regular conversation, you know, and then he looked like he's going to leave, you know, see, he's about to walk out the door.

And he comes back, he says, you know what? Something is puzzling me. You know, because he sees some glaring contradiction. And that's his trademark, you know, he walks away, he comes back and... Now, my brother says this is his.

February 26th, World Trade Center was bombed. I was in the United Kingdom, so don't blame me. Now, I came back. They have gotten suspects who blew up the building. Muslims, of course, right? Now, remember this. In the United States and in Canada, the presumption of innocence is always there.

A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is a presumption. Everybody has a presumption of innocence. You have to prove that the person did it. The person doesn't have to prove that he didn't do it. You must prove beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt that the person committed the crime. Huh? That's the way it is. That's law. Now, there's a man. They grabbed him. How did they grab him?

Now, my brother says, listen to me. Allah knows that I'm not supposed to teach you anything criminal. But today I'm going to take an exception. I'm going to teach you something about crime. And I'm sorry, please forgive me. Allah, please forgive me. I have to teach them something about crime.

Now, this is very fundamental in crime. Whenever you want to rob a bank, don't rob banks, right? Don't. But whenever you want to rob a bank, never, ever, ever drive your own car to rob the bank. You steal a car. This is fundamental. Everybody knows that, right?

Now, this person who was picked up for blowing up the World Trade Center, he rented a van. No problem. He didn't steal a van. He rented a bus. No problem, right? But he used his right name. Now, why would a person blow up a building, rent a van with his own name and his right address and go back to ask for a refund? Either this is the dumbest criminal ever in the annals of history, or the man was set up. Who set him up and why?

The Suspicious Pattern of Events

Now, Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, on every list of the United States government, don't let the man in the country because he is known as a Muslim fundamentalist. Don't let him in the country, but all of a sudden, Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman is in America. Why? Who let him in? What's the reason? What's the motive? And why New York City?

Then, after that, some people picked up, planning to blow up the United Nations bridges and tunnels. And among those included are five Sudanese. Why Sudanese? Why New York City? What's the connection? Sheikh Abdul Rahman and the so-called plot to build up the tunnels and the bridges and the plot to blow up the World Trade Center. All of them are connected in New York City for a reason. Tonight, I want to ask the question, answer the question, who are the real terrorists?

Understanding the Conspiracy

Now, brothers and sisters, think with me. Some of you sitting here right now, you don't accept conspiracies. A lot of brothers and sisters know there's no conspiracy, no coincidence. I say, no coincidence, conspiracy. Latest Time Magazine, on the trial of terror, a person accused as the ringleader in the plot to blow up all of these buildings in Mahmoud in New York City.

Many, many articles in newspapers and magazines, you read about that. Islamic fundamentalists, terrorists, and things like that. Now, I'm saying conspiracy. And a conspiracy against the Muslims. But the question is, what is the motive? What is the motive? Who and why? Why? Why now?

I was watching a television program about four weeks ago, early in the morning. These programs, by the way, come on early in the morning, like four o'clock, five o'clock in the morning. It's called the America Defense Monitor. The America Defense Monitor. What this program does, it talks, it analyzes about what's happening in America.

In this particular morning, they talked about the number one enemy to the United States of America. This comes from the government to officials of the United States. Who did they say? Who did they say? Huh? No. They didn't say Muslims. They said Muslim fundamentalists. Muslim fundamentalists is a euphemism for Muslims.

They can't say Muslims are the enemy. They'll never do that. They'll say Muslim fundamentalists. But they don't describe or define Muslim fundamentalists to the masses of the people. Therefore, Muslim fundamentalists are synonymous with Muslims. And that's why the ladies in the plane got up.

Because Brother Sarraj looked like a Muslim fundamentalist. Because in the media, you don't get a definition of that or you know it is radical Muslims. It is Muslims.

A Call to Awareness

Brothers and sisters, I really want you to follow me tonight. Okay? Because I intend to give you, share with you some information to wake some of you up. Because brothers and sisters, I'm telling you the truth. Many of us are absolutely dead. No, we're dead. Now, you can sit here like you're alive, but I know dead when I sit there.

I mean really, a lot of us are blind to what's going on. I'm going to show you why you're blind. I'll show you why we're blind. Okay? And I only mean tonight is to be a servant of Allah. I have no other agenda tonight but to be a servant of Allah. And I don't care.

This information that I have for you tonight, brothers and sisters, people don't like me giving it to you. Because I'm not, we didn't call you out tonight to give you a nice little sermon on how to fast, on how to make voodoo. But what we're going to talk about tonight is very critical, very, very, very critical, very serious.

And I intend, inshallah, if Allah blesses me, he helps me, through this lecture, to shake us, to wake us up, open up our eyes, and then put us on a path of what we're going to have to do. Now, brothers and sisters, I'm saying to you, absolutely, without a doubt, that there's conspiracy against Muslims and Islam. There's somebody, government, big business, and media, who do not want the masses of the people to recognize that the Muslims are the very best friends of Canada and America.

Muslims as the Best Friends of Society

You didn't hear what I just done said. I'm saying to you, the American people and the Canadian people have no better friends on the earth than Muslims. And there are people in the government, and big business, and the media, who know it very well. Therefore, they're very skillful in making the masses of the people hate or be afraid of Muslims.

Those who are in the audience who happen to be Jewish or Christian, I want to refer you to your own scripture, the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Quran for Muslims, the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Brothers and sisters, know this, the Quran is not a history book. It contains history, but it's deeper than that. This book, brothers and sisters, is so deep, so profound, I bear witness to the Prophet Muhammad, (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Oh brothers and sisters, would that we would read this Quran every day. It is so deep, it is so penetrating, there's so much light upon light upon light and guidance in the Quran. And if you're wise enough, you read the Quran, what happened thousands of years ago is in light for us, to guide us in this life.

The Modern Magicians: The Media

Now, subhanallah, you ever remember reading, Pharaoh had some people with him to help to deceive the people. Who were they? Huh? The magicians. The magicians. Do you know who the modern magicians are? It's

the media. The media will make your friends look like your enemies, and make your enemies look like your friends. Media.

Magic of media. Image. Yes, image. The media's image, man. And they're using today the media like Pharaoh of Quran used the magicians to deceive the people. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent Moses to eat up the lives of the magicians. Plot. Yes. Think, think, think.

Pharaoh, according to the scripture, was one of the most powerful men of his time. Perhaps the most powerful. Wealth, army, power. And he subjected the children of Israel to slavery, harsh treatment. Now think, did not Pharaoh plot to murder babies? Murder babies. All the male babies. Children. Is that a fact? Is it in Quran? Is it in the Bible? Yes, it is.

Why would this strong, healthy man, why would he murder babies? And why male babies? Because male babies will grow up to be men. Men who fight for justice, and men who will give their lives, and men who will kill. So kill them now while they're young, because if you allow them to grow, you're going to have to deal with them in the future. So deal with them now as babies.

The Lesson of Moses and Pharaoh

And so Pharaoh killed all of the babies, all of the male babies, every one of them. He murdered babies, every one of them, except one. A boy named Moses. Moses, what? And so Allah revealed to the mother of Moses, put the baby in a basket. And so Allah sends the basket where? Right to the home of Pharaoh. To the home of Pharaoh.

One baby. And the one baby that made it wound up becoming Moses, the very one to bring down Pharaoh. Think, think, think. President Pharaoh, I mean President Clinton. He's doing something. You've got to analyze it. You've got to analyze it. You've got to ask yourself the question, why, brothers and sisters? Because so many things happen, we don't ask ourselves why. We allow it to happen.

Questioning Foreign Policy Decisions

Why are the United Troops in Somalia? Why? What's the mission? So he comes on TV and says, we have to stay here until the mission is over. What is the mission in Somalia? Why? Why did the United States of America put Sudan on the list of a terrorist nation? Why? When they know that terrorism doesn't come out of Sudan, why Sudan?

How come the hostility toward Libya? How come the American government can go and destroy Iraq but don't have the guts to go to Bosnia where Muslims are being slaughtered? Why? Why? Because you know why? They've got a plan. And they've got a plot.

And you know what? There's a partnership. American government, big business. And brothers and sisters, if you really want to go to school, I'll tell you a fact. America is big business. Business, man. This is about business.

It's about money. It's about profit. They don't care how many people die.

As long as those in charge, powerful people, can make money, they don't even care if people die. And the media, the co-partner in the conspiracy, the magicians, I'll prove it to you. I'll prove it to you right now. And all you've got to do is think. I'll give you nothing but actual facts.

The World Trade Center Trial Analysis

Brothers and sisters, why the preoccupation with the World Trade Center bombing? I listened to the open arguments yesterday. I'm sorry, Monday. Monday, the trial began with the four people accused of blowing up the World Trade Center. Now, the prosecutors, these are the people that's pushing the case that are charging them, they're telling the jurors, they said, look, in this court proceeding, in this case, you're not going to hear us say somebody saw them drive the van.

You won't hear that. This is what they're saying. This is the prosecutors saying that. And you will not hear anyone say they saw these men blow up a building. You won't hear that. But you hear things like this, that somebody wrote a letter after the bombing claiming responsibility, and we checked the saliva on the envelope, and the saliva matches with one of these guys.

I'm not making this up. This is facts. There was some nitroglycerin on the clothing of one of them. Everything is circumstantial. Now, brothers and sisters, if you make the presumption of innocence, everything that these brothers did makes sense. Certainly, if you're not guilty of anything, you'll call the place, the rental and say, somebody stole your van.

Somebody stole the man's van. He came and said, somebody stole my van. Now, I want my money back. It makes sense. I gave you the right address. I gave you my right name. Because I'm innocent. I didn't do anything. But if you presume that these men are guilty, then everything they did makes no sense at all. Are you with me so far?

The Real Terrorism: Big Business

Now, brothers and sisters, listen to me. You've got to get it. You've got to get it. You've got to get it. You've got to get it. You've got to get it. I have mentioned in this audience before, and I'm going to say it again because it's that important to me. What is terrorism? And why the preoccupation with the American government over the bombing of the World Trade Center? Because six people were murdered, right? That's too many people. We agree.

But brothers and sisters, let me show you how the media is magic. What if I told you, in one year, over 400,000 people were murdered and no front page cover? You know why? Because the government, big business, and the media combined together to keep it quiet. A conspiracy. 400,000 people in America alone died as a result of terrorism. But you don't read about it. But every day, World Trade Center, Muslim fundamentalists.

Why? Because there is a conspiracy. Who are the real terrorists? What if I also told you, around the world, last year, 2.5 million, and every fact I'm giving you can be documented, is documented. You can check it out. I'm not talking from my mind. I'm not throwing out figures. I can back every one of them up.

2.5 million people around the world were murdered in one year by terrorists, but you don't read about it nowhere. Why? Because there is conspiracy and silence by the American government. Brother, don't give out the papers yet. Don't give them out yet. Now, you know why? Let me tell you why. I need all the help I can get. Any kind of competition, I can't do it. I'll give you a chance to do it, inshallah. Those questions later.

The Cigarette Industry: The Hidden Terrorism

Now, brothers and sisters, I admit that what I'm going to say right now is going to blow your mind. I admit it. Really. I'm going to give you something right now. It's so startling. It is so mind boggling. It's going to blow your mind. So you better hold on. Are you ready? You know, a funny thing on my way here from New York.

First thing they gave me when I got on the plane was this thing here. I brought it here just in case you think I'd be making these things up. I brought it with me, and I'm going to show you what it is in a second. This is called Boutique Shop on Board. Now, this is really, the plane ride from New York City to Toronto is only one hour, ten minutes. But you know, they have a shop on the plane.

Yeah, they have a shop. You can go shopping right on the plane. No, you can't. This is my room right here, right? Look, can I tell you what you have? Rum, vodka, gin, scotch whiskey, Canadian whiskey, cigarettes, Marlboro, all kinds of cigarettes. Right on the plane. Convenient for you. And you know, I hope the pilot's not drinking none of this stuff. He'd be in trouble.

Now, listen to this. And I admit that this is scary. What I'm talking about right now is something that's so dangerous that many people are affected by it. So dangerous that some people in this audience might be the victims of the very terrorism that I'm speaking about tonight. And you know what it is? Cigarettes. Cigarettes. Tobacco.

Cigarettes is the most profitable business on this earth. It costs less than one half penny to produce one pack of cigarettes. Cigarettes. Every year in America, over 400,000 people lose their lives directly as a result of cigarettes. This is not debated. It is an actual fact. Cigarettes. That little thing. So powerful. This little white stick. Over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. One of them a drug called nicotine.

And even though you know that it's no good for your health, it makes your breath horrible. Your teeth yellow and brown. It takes from your life. Yet still, people have to light up. You tell people it's haram. It's makruha. It's this steel that has to light up. Why? Why? Because those in power. Big business.

The Power of Corporate Advertising

And the media makes it look good. Advertisement. One company, Philip Morris, spent over $2 billion in one

year to advertise their product. Bringing in over $48 billion of revenue. More income than Saudi Arabia. $48 billion more than the gross national product of many countries.

But wait. I didn't give you the best news yet. Or the worst. Listen. Listen. Right now, in China, 250 million people smoke 1.5 trillion cigarettes a year. Right now, in China, 50 million Chinese youth alive today will eventually be dead directly as a result of tobacco, cigarette smoke. And check this out. By the year 2040, are you ready? Around the world, 12.5 million people will lose their lives every year as a result of cigarettes.

What's the significance of this? Don't you think that the government should say, wait a minute. People are dying. Let's stop this. This is cruel. People are dying. Let's stop it. Why don't they stop it? You know why? Because the government gets theirs off the top. Billions and billions and billions of dollars they make, and the states get 33 cents, 40 cents a pack of cigarettes. The state local governments get their cut from cigarettes.

War and Profit

What's the real challenge? And you know why nothing is done? Money. Greed. Look. Listen. Do you know, brothers and sisters, every time there's a war, there are people that benefit? Businesses benefit from war. Think. If a military is going to gain billions of dollars of profits if there's a war, so they can sell their weapons and sell their army ammunition. Is there a possibility that wars are starting in order to get money? Self-interest. Interest of the United States.

Canadian interest. What is the interest? Brothers and sisters, you know what? This is too heavy. It's too heavy. You know why? I realize most of us, I mean most of the people around the earth, they can't get it. You know why? They don't see the real connection. Now, why would they try to make it appear as if the Muslims are the terrorists? Motive, I mean. What's the motive?

Muslims: The Only Hope for Peace

I'll tell you what the motive is. In my country, I'm almost finished. I know these things are very, very heavy. But see, I want you to do something, by the way. I'm saying all of this because I want you to do something. I want Sheikh Abdel-Hakim, our imam here, and others, and I always like to sing about our imams and our leaders because they have a tremendous weight on their shoulders.

What is this all about and why do we say this? Brothers and sisters, absolutely. The only ones who can stop this madness around the world, this desire for wealth at all expenses, you may not know this about my country, America. America is one of the greatest terrorists nations on this earth.

But you know what? They hide it with magic and they appear to be so nice. Let's go to Somalia and feed the people. Let's go and we bring the food and look what these savages are doing to us. But they don't show you what the American people are doing to them and why. Why are you in Somalia? Even the American people are saying, bring our troops home. American troops are dying in Somalia, but the American people are saying, bring our troops home.

And the president is saying, no, we must stay there until we finish our objective. What is your objective, Mr. Clinton? Can I tell you what it is? All over the world, stop the rise of these Muslims. Why? Because the only hope for this world, peace on this earth, are Muslims.

Discovering Our True Identity

Why? You know what, brothers and sisters, I don't think we know who we are. Imam, I realized something. Two weeks ago, I had to go to Calgary to give a lecture. A lecture titled, The Role of the Muslim Women in Society. The Role of the Muslim Women in Society. I've given that speech before. Imam, something happened that day. Early in the morning, four o'clock, I'll never forget it. The very same day I was supposed to get on a plane to go to Calgary, it hit me.

I've heard speakers. The Role of the Muslim Women in Society. I've read books. The Role of the Muslim Women in Society. No, man. No. When you give a lecture, The Role of the Muslim Women in Society, when there are non-Muslim women in the audience, you know what they do? They sit back as spectators, judging how a Muslim woman is supposed to act in the Islamic society. No. No good.

You know what I learned, Imam? I understood. I didn't teach that topic that day. The topic that I taught was, The Role of the Women in Society. You know why? I looked in the audience, and I saw all the non-Muslim men there. And I said, sir, I pointed to them. I said, look around.

I said, you see these Muslim women with their long, beautiful scarves and their beautiful dresses? That's the way your wife is supposed to dress. These women are the vanguard. They're the first step. When Allah revealed the Qur'an, who did He reveal to? Where were the Muslims? There were no Muslims. So who is the Qur'an for? Not only for the Muslims, but for society. Hell, I'm telling you, man, we have to stop it.

Being a Mercy for Mankind

Our job is to go to the people. Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad, we have sent you only as a mercy for mankind. And if Prophet Muhammad was a mercy for mankind, we have to be a mercy for mankind. If Prophet Muhammad was a mercy for all of the world, then Muslims must be in Canada, in Toronto. We must be a mercy for the people in this city. We'll never be a mercy until we go to them and give them the guidance, share with them what Allah has for them, not just for the Muslims.

You understand what I'm saying? Because I'm coming home now. Look, who are you? Brothers and sisters, who are you? Don't you know the people here are dependent upon you? You don't even know that they're dependent upon you. We're busy trying to be like them. If they need guidance, you can't be like them, man. You've got to be different from them. You've got to say, here, come, come, madam.

Come follow me. Come, let me show you how to live a life. Come, sir. Come, madam. Come, prime minister. Come, representative. Come, politician. Come, come here. I will be an example for you here. And that's how it's

done.

Being Examples in Society

I read in the newspaper, man, a couple months ago, something really, it really shocked me, it amazed me. There's one of the great baseball players, pitchers right now named Clemens, Roger Clemens, plays for the, see I'm just testing you guys, you've got to know everything. He's a great pitcher. Great pitcher, right? He's driving all the way to the baseball, yeah. And you know what happened? On the way to the stadium, he noticed a wounded dog on the road.

That man, all the millions of dollars he make a year got out of his car to go attend to that dog. And that dog bit him. Yeah. He lost a term, a pitching term. He had to go to the hospital. But I'm saying, I admire that. A man went to a baseball player, a rich baseball player, famous, went to attend to a dog. Now to me, that sounds like what a Muslim would do. But listen to this.

Listen. Don't give them out yet, brother. I'll give you the signal. They're anxious to give these cards out. Almost, we almost finished. Brothers and sisters, do you have just a couple more minutes? Hours? Don't you tell me that. I'm almost finished. I'm beginning to wind up.

Now brothers and sisters, listen. That reminded me, Roger Clemens reminded me of our work here. Because you know why? Because while we're trying to help non-Muslims to see the light, to share with them the guidance that Allah has given to us, they're going to continue to attack us. I say this to you. Let them continue to write bad things about us, bad editorials. Let them curse us. Let them laugh at us.

Let them slander us. Still, let us go there and give them the guidance. Let them say all kinds of mean and vicious things about us. Even though they say mean, vicious, evil things about us, still give them the guidance. Because that's the way our prophet Muhammad was. Why the Muslims? Because really, there's no more power on this earth that can bring justice on this earth than Muslims.

There's no power on earth. And if there's no good people that's going to check evil people, mischief will spread through this earth.

Government Surveillance and Infiltration

Now brothers and sisters, I close with this. You may not know this, but in governments, especially that are repressive, they always have a lot of spies to check the people, to make sure the people will never rebel against them. This is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam talks about in Qur'an sallallahu alaihi wa sallam about dhunna. Stay away from most cases of suspicion, for suspicion in some cases is a sin.

You ever notice this? Listen. By the way, and you got to remember this now. I'm not talking about this audience. I'm serious, I'm not talking about this audience. If a man is committing adultery, he begins to suspect his wife is

committing adultery. Because when the person themselves, that's psychology, they themselves are doing it and therefore they put it on other people.

Other people must be doing it. What are you doing? Where are you going? What time you be back? Where were you? They put it on somebody else. When people are unjust, leadership is unjust. Always there's going to be a paranoia of unjust leadership. So therefore you have to spy, check what the man is doing, check the phones, check the cars.

Now listen, you may not know this, Toronto is an important city. It is, Islamically. And brothers and sisters, what governments do, because they see Muslims as a threat, they send in your masjids, your mosque, agents from the government. I'm going to spend two moments telling you the two kind of agents they send, and they send it here in Toronto also.

Two Types of Government Agents

The first agent comes to the masjid. All he does is observe. He don't say anything. Just watch. Watch who's against the imam. Who would be the imam? Watch who are naturalistic. Watch the brother or sister who has a weakness for drugs. Watch the man who's weak for women. Just watch.

Because if you look and observe, you will see things. And you look and observe, and they take notes. And they go back and they get all the intelligence. And what they sit down and they compare all of the notes. Because the next man they're going to send in is not a man to watch and observe, but he's going to send what they call an agent provocateur.

What is an agent provocateur? We're going to try to provoke these people to do something for our agenda. Now, we talk about unity. Let's get the community together. Get all the communities in Toronto together for the sake of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Somebody come. We don't want to get together. Because the agent provocateur must not allow the Muslims to come together.

International and Local Division Tactics

And the same way they do it locally, they do it internationally. So-called peace accord in the Middle East, in Palestine, was a brilliant move by the Jews. Good move on their part. Why? Give the parents of peace-loving people. And at the same time, create a buffer between us and the Muslims so that if the Muslims attack us, we don't have to fight them. We got our boy to do our fighting for us.

Why you think the United States government pledging a PLO $2 billion? This is the beginning. Give them money. Because if I give you money, you have to do my bidding. And my plan is stop the rise of the Muslims. I have it documented. The FBI, the United States of America, instituted a plan years ago, COINTELPRO, COINTELPRO, counterintelligence program, I quote, to stop the rise of a messiah.

To stop the rise of a messiah. Like Moses. Like Mohammed. Like somebody that can unite. So now they send the agent provocateurs. They go next to the brother, who's very radical. Brother, look what these enemies are doing to us. We ought to blow up one of those buildings and bridges. Yeah, you right, brother.

They got you for conspiracy. That easy. They whisper, they talk. Involve you. Push you. Move you. Because they know. They've studied. They know your profile. They know your weakness. They know how to get to you. And they use everything.

Don't you see that Shaitan watches us, him and his force, from a place we can't see them. But they see, they watch, they manipulate, they move. Why you? Because you are the one that can change it.

The Growth of Islam in America

Brother and sister, don't you know by the year 2050, in America, white people, European Americans, will be a minority? And do you know Islam has grown so fast? Six million, eight million Muslims in America. Two years ago, I read the Almanac. They said the population of Muslims in America is six million.

In this year, I looked. They said the population of Muslims in America, two million. Now wait a minute, where the other four million go? You know what's happening? Islam has grown at a rapid pace. Everywhere you look, new schools, new masjids, and they don't want to tell the people what's happening. Muslims are growing, don't you see it? They're growing. And if they're ever united, man, what a powerful group we would be.

I gave a lecture at the University of Michigan, and when the lecture was over, in the back, there was a woman, a Jewish woman, a professor in the university. She says, Imam Wahaj, tell me, if the Muslims ever became a majority of the people in America, would they then vote to implement the Sharia? Would they then vote to implement the Qur'an and the Sunnah as the guiding principle in Islam? You know what? These people always thinking ahead. Thinking ahead.

The Demographics of Islamic Growth

Brothers and sisters, study the demographics of the earth and the world. You will see Islam rising everywhere. The numbers are phenomenal. But there's a problem. The problem is we can't seem to get them together. Because somebody is working to keep us apart. Somebody is active.

How to stop it? We must be as active as they are, trying to work for unity. I'll come here, spit on my face if you like, I'm still going to try to work on unity. Everywhere we go, trying to get the Muslims to go together, to work together. Why New York City? Because in New York City, one of the greatest unifying acts is happening right now. Forty-one different Muslim communities working together, consistently growing.

The majesty of Shura is growing. Fifteen communities ready to join it now. Soon, all 100 of the Muslim communities in New York City, Inshallah, will be working together. Why? Because with willpower, we desire it. We must be willing to exist with bismillah. I'll let nothing stop us to help us work together.

And if we can do it in New York City, we can do it in any city. But somebody, somebody has to say, man, despite what you're saying, despite what you're doing, we still won't bring it together. We're going to work together, bismillah. This is the attitude that we have to have. And all the little differences, don't let the shaitan come, don't let the enemies come to divide us.

Economic and Political Power

Now, brothers and sisters, you know what this thing is all about? This thing is all about markets. Markets. If in a few years, one year 2050, Pakistan, it will be India, the most populated nation on earth, China, Nigeria, and Pakistan. If the trend continues, dominated by Muslims, economic power, political power, how do you feed all these people? Economic, political power. And that's the bottom line, brothers and sisters.

People in power don't want to see the Muslims develop economic power. It's not just praying. They don't mind. Go pray. Go pray. Stay in the masjid and pray. Please. And you know what? These women here, these Muslim women, who are the vanguard, who dare to be the first to step out to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, can have an impact on the Canadian people and the American people.

And you will see, these sisters will bring a transformation in the rest of the world. If they stand up and be what they're supposed to be, it will be a transformation. Now look, I close with this. Brothers and sisters, you and junior high school, stay there for now. Until you get your full-time school. Work to get your full-time school. But while you're there, you'll be an impact. You'll be an impact. You can't, sisters, sisters, you can't be like everybody else.

Being Special and Having Purpose

Sisters, you've got to listen to me. I'm talking to you. I'm talking to you because if you miss it now, you're going to miss something. You are special. And you've got to feel like it. So when you're special, you go to school every day with a purpose. I'm special. I'm a Muslim. I want to do the will of Allah. Yes. I'm special. I have a mission. I want to do the will of Allah. That's the way we have to be. Because you know, brothers and sisters, let's face it.

Consider, we terrorists? No. Don't you know that we as Muslims don't even hurt animals? Much less human beings. Listen to the Prophet. They're not supposed to run from us. They're not supposed to change seats on the plane. They're supposed to run to sit next to us. They shouldn't run when we buy a house in their neighborhood. They should run to be next to a Muslim. Because if he's a true Muslim, his neighbor is safe and secure.

His neighbor is protected if he's a true Muslim. If he's a true Muslim, I don't care who your neighbor is. A Jew, a Christian, a male, a female, a black, a white, Canadian, American, a pagan, whoever your neighbor is. Give them a gift. And treat them with kindness. And the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that Angel Jibril kept telling him to be kind to your neighbor so much he thought that Allah was going to make them inherit from us.

Being Examples in All Areas of Life

That's how kind we're supposed to be to our neighbors. And so are our classmates. You be an example in your school. You don't backbite. You don't swear at nobody. You go to school. You do your work. And you let the non-Muslim look at you as an example. When they look at the Muslim sister, they say, oh, that sister Fatima, she's so nice. I wish I could be like her. I wish I could be like Ahmed.

On your job, brother. On your job, you be the best. You be the hardest worker. You don't try to get by, sneak, and sit down, rob your employer for hours of work, and you sit down and don't want to go to work. No, you Muslim, you go to work, and you work harder than anybody else because you're Muslim, and you're an example for the people of Canada. You are mercy for them. And they need to see something.

And you know what? A book is not enough. Because Allah didn't send a book alone. Allah sent a man, Muhammad, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam), as an example of the book. So now people can see, they can relate, and say, yeah, this is the one I want to follow. In the same way, Muhammad, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam), is not here, but you are here. And you must be a mercy now.

Everywhere. Everywhere you go. Let the people of Canada, let them see us. Don't hide. Don't hide. Get out. Get out. And be proud of your deen. If we do this, brothers and sisters, watch. You will see hundreds of thousands and millions of Canadians, A, either accepting Islam or B, at least becoming friends with Muslims. How to do it? Our behavior. And let's get to the media and show the real picture of Islam.

Closing Prayer and Call to Action

I say this to you. They plan and plot. And Allah plans. And Allah is the best of plans. Allah help us. Help this ummah. Help this jamaat here. Help the jamaats to get together, inshallah, and show the world that we are not terrorists. Not by saying we are not terrorists, but by getting out there and showing our good works everywhere.

I pray for the continued success of Toronto. I pray to Allah subhana wa ta'ala that if Toronto can get together, then Vancouver, and Saskatoon, and Regina, and Winnipeg, and Montreal, and London, and all of the cities in Canada, inshallah, will get together, inshallah, when that happens, we will show the people, no, we are not terrorists, but we will expose the terrorists and bring the people to guidance, inshallah. Allah bless us. Ameen.

Question and Answer Session

Gaining Knowledge

Question: My brother, the speech you delivered had a big impact on me. How is it possible for others to gain this valuable knowledge?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum. One of the things that I really try to stress and push, you have a lot of great scholars in this area. I was speaking to some brothers this morning. You don't lack knowledge in the area of Toronto at all. You have a lot of brothers right here in the audience right now, and sisters, you know, who are very, very knowledgeable. And I would say this, stay with the community, don't isolate yourself, stay with the Jama'at. And again, I pray that the Jama'at would work together.

Also, this is a perfect opportunity for us to mention the tapes. I want to say this, I've learned over the years, you know, years ago, there was a brother in our community, he used to make copies of my tapes, and he used to distribute them. And it never bothered me, as long as people were getting the information.

But I found out that we had a way that we could spread this message in a greater way. So we started making videos and audios of many of the speeches that we've given. One of the things that I realized over the years, subhanAllah, is the impact of some of these speeches on people.

I was in London, England, and after I'd given a talk, I noticed on the side there was a young lady, about 18 years old. She was very shy, as if she wanted to say something to me. So I excused myself and I went to her and said, can I help you? And she said, yes. I just want to tell you, brother Imam, that I have never really practiced Islam. Allah bless me, I attended one of your lectures, I got some of your tapes. Alhamdulillah, now I'm a full-fledged practicing Muslim.

Not only that, she said, she invited her friends, this is the United Kingdom, she invited her friends to listen to the tapes, she said 15 of them took shahada. Just by the tapes. SubhanAllah, I know that I made dua to Allah that these tapes would be an asset to people, that you would listen to them, people would listen to them and get something from it.

There is audio tapes there for a donation of $15, and video tapes, video for $15 and audio for $5. I would suggest to you that if anyone here wants to buy a complete set, that we would give it to them for a 50% discount. And so think about that, some of you may want to get it for a library, even to bring your friends over to listen to it.

So we have some new cassettes there also. There's a cassette and video that I recommend to you that we did recently called Hurricanes and Earthquakes. How to stop hurricanes and earthquakes. You might want to look at that. How to stop hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. And there's a lot of them happening right now, inshallah. So please on the way out, stop there, any other books or tapes or something, please get it.

Age and Conversion

Question: Brother Siraj, how have you been a Muslim? And how old are you?

Answer: Siraj, may Allah bless you. I wish I was your brother. 13 years old. Thank you very much, you are my brother. And because Allah says, and whoever you are, you're 13 years old, I want to see you. And I want to talk to you after we did inshallah. But I'm 75. And I was a fake Muslim in 1969.

Question: Is it true that two or three years ago that the Jews were put in charge of the security of the World Trade Center, and when they had all the layouts and plans of the World Trade Center, they signed out?

Answer: I don't know that to be a fact, but I tell you this, and in fact most people don't know, that the World Trade Center is a very highly, has always been a highly secured area. And anybody can't get in there, you have to declare security.

And again, I think that it's very strange that a very sophisticated bomb was made to blow up that building, and yet the ones accused of doing it were such, really displayed themselves to be such fools, if in fact they were the ones that were responsible. So I have a lot of questions in my mind about who was responsible for that.

The Toronto Five Case

Question: There is a trial of Muslims in Toronto, it's called the Toronto Five, that involves five Muslim brothers held for the conspiracy to bomb a Hindu temple and movie house. The brothers have been held now for two years without bail. Could you comment?

Answer: I would say, brothers and sisters, that remember the general rule, that everybody is considered innocent until proven guilty. Even if a Muslim is charged with a crime, I think it's upon us to go there to find out, to ascertain the facts.

This is what the Qur'an teaches us, and this is what our Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, that we should help our Muslim brother whether he's oppressed or oppressing. And if we find that our Muslim brothers and sisters are wrong, then we stop them from the oppression, and this way we help them. So I think we cannot abandon anyone, but rather we should go and find out all the information that we can.

And we also should push, I'm not so certain about the Constitution of Canada, but the United States government, it guarantees a speedy trial within reason. So two years seems to be very excessive, and especially without bail. So everyone has a right to, because again, the assumption is that they're innocent. And if they're innocent, can you imagine being in jail for two years, even before the trial comes out? That seems to be very unjust to me. So I would recommend whoever's here, we're taking responsibility to find out, inshallah.

Understanding Jihad in Somalia

Question: There is a question here concerning the situation in Somalia. Can the fighting occurring in Somalia be considered jihad in any way? I am confused, as there are Muslims on both sides, Somalis and in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force as well.

Answer: Now this question actually does require a very deep analysis. What I can say is that the concept of jihad in Islam, from a literal point of view, the word jihad really means a struggle against evil. So any time a Muslim is repelling evil, even if it be within himself or herself, that is a form of jihad.

So that if the people in Somalia who are being oppressed, who are being attacked at any point, actually are fighting against evil, defending a masjid, defending their homes against troops, they are unjustly being attacked, then it could be a form of jihad.

But the formal jihad which is called by an imam, or called by an emir, a leader of a Muslim community that is under attack, from my understanding, there is a confusion going on there in Mogadishu because not only are there Muslim brothers and sisters, but there are also other gangs of Somalis there who do not represent Islam.

There are areas in Somalia, alhamdulillah, where there are strong Muslim groups. And it is my understanding, and Allah knows best, that it is coming close to the point where an actual jihad would be called, where we would hear openly that there is Muslim leadership based upon Quran and Sunnah that is making a stand to defend the word of Allah and to defend Islamic lands.

But as of yet, there hasn't been, from what I understand, a call made by any jama'a openly that is strongly and clearly defending the Quran and the Sunnah. So in general, it is a repulsion from evil, but the actual formal jihad which could be called by a jama'a hasn't been called as yet.

Media Bias in Somalia Coverage

Additional Comment by Brother Jamal: I was saying before this past Sunday's carnage in Mogadishu, which involved the Somalis in a black hot US military helicopter which was shot down by the Somalis in the capital. Okay, the pilot died. However, the co-pilot and another crewman were injured.

Two Somalis in Mogadishu took these wounded men to the UN safe place. Unfortunately, the Toronto Star has carried on its front page a Somali who was holding a piece of a dead pilot's body. While they are completely suppressed in the same day, two Somalis saved his wounded colleagues and did not want to be known after taking them to safety. This could be one of the many ways of painting Muslims as terrorists, cannibals, etc.

Response: I would agree with this because the bombs that were thrown on the people there in the city, actually there were hundreds of people killed and wounded in the city. And that is actually a savage act. Of course, Islam does not condone the disfacing, disfiguring, mutilation of any human body.

And the Prophet, peace be upon him, when a Jewish person was being buried, the janazah of a Jewish person passed him, he stood up and he recognized this janazah. And they said to him, how can you stand up? This is a Jewish person. And he said, is this not a soul? In other words, this is a human being who is passing away. So therefore, Muslims have great respect and hold sacred life in any form. So Islam does not condone this.

But of course, you would have to look at the whole situation to be able to understand why a people who normally would not do this are reacting in such a way. You have to look at the whole situation. And what was happening in Vietnam, unfortunately, mass murders and rapings and the poisons being dropped and the bombs created a reaction in the Vietnamese people, which was depicted as being a savage thing as well.

But it came up later on, what the American troops were doing, who were involved in the fighting in Vietnam. So I would agree that this is, again, part of the magic which is being used to make a round picture of Islam.

Defining Terrorism in Islam

Question: How is terrorism defined in Islam? What is terrorism in Islam?

Answer: I think the general principle Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us in the Qur'an, He explains it very beautifully. وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَعْتَدُوهَا "And these are the boundaries of Allah, don't go past them." (Quran 2:229)

In Islam, we have a right to defend ourselves. We don't have a right to attack innocent people. Even, Alhamdulillah, the Islamic system is so perfect. I gave a talk in the University of Ottawa just last week. You would never believe this question.

A person wrote the question down and said I'm going to become a non-Muslim. And the thing that I don't like about Islam is that every question you have an answer. And it says, you know, the Qur'an has the answer for everything. You can't have your own opinion. And I said, absolutely. This is the beautiful thing about Islam.

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ "It is not right, it's not befitting or proper for a believer, male or female, to have an opinion or option after Allah and His Messenger has decided the thing." (Quran 33:36)

So in Islam even war is not left to our discretion. And if you study that classical generation that follows the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) they were so brave that they didn't even fight back until Allah revealed in the Qur'an that permission was given to fight back.

And even the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) gave us the protocols of war. You don't kill women, you don't kill old people, you don't chop down the trees and those kinds of things. So the terrorism, my good brother, would be against that, would go beyond that, the goal to kill innocent people.

And to me, to blow up a building of innocent people is absolutely a terrorist act. Now, you gotta also remember is that the people, the innocent people I'm saying who were blown up in that building, they could have been Muslims. But the thing that I'm concerned about is that this selective terrorism by the media, that whenever it appears as if some Muslim has committed some crime, it's an act of terrorism.

Go right now and look what's happening in Moscow. Could you imagine if there were Muslims in that building who took over the building with weapons? It would be over the whole world, Muslim terrorists. But they don't use that word terrorist.

So the media is very carefully selecting the word terrorism to somehow connect with Muslims and Muslim activists, even for Muslims defending themselves. They call other people freedom fighters or even rebels, but they call them Muslims. So my point is, so for us, it's to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah to the degree that we have to defend ourselves in a jihad, fighting against those who fight against us.

Dealing with Unjust Rulers

Question: What if the ruler of the country is ruling against Islam, 9% Muslim, as in the case of the Ulema? What would your point be?

Answer by Sheikh Abdullah Hakeem: I think it's very important for us to distinguish ourselves from revolutionaries. There's a concept in the 20th century of worldwide revolution, leftists. There's a concept of coup d'etat. There's a concept of a group who conspires to take over power. They see themselves as a power group.

And so they will use any means, by any means necessary. The ends justifies the means. And they'll use any means to overthrow the government, to institute themselves in power. This is not the Islamic system. Our system comes from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And it is clear that in the first 13 years, the Meccan period, that during that time, not until the end, were they even able to think about defending themselves.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala first built in them character. They had to go through a period of tarbiyah, education, where they were trained and where they came to the consciousness of Islam, the fear of Allah, before they were even allowed to defend themselves. So therefore you will find the methodology of most of the well-learned Islamic scholars, is that we first build up the consciousness of the people in the country itself.

We first educate the people as to what is Islam. We first lay the groundwork. And then when the response comes from the government, if the government is corrupt at that point, and then if it moves on you, it is a response that comes from the masses of the people, not just from individuals, it comes from the masses of the people, a natural response that continues on for a total change of the society.

So we are not pacifists. We have to get that straight. We are not pacifists. But we do not use violence except for the extreme position. In other words, we believe in self-defense and we believe in opposing evil. And so it is not an extreme who uses violence and you say terrorism as a means of gaining the end.

You kill innocent people, no. The ends do not justify the means. We are not supposed to intend to kill innocent people. We prefer to wait for the will of Allah to come about and have patience, as opposed to trying to create confusion in the society. So that there is a big difference between them.

But I want to make it clear from my understanding of Sheikh Omar Abdurrahman and many other scholars of Islam. When they are asked the question, they give you the hukum, they give you the judgment based upon the

fiqh, the Qur'an and the sunnah. And so just by giving a judgment based on Qur'an and sunnah, they are now put into a conspiracy.

So any imam who stands up and quotes from surah Tawbah, who talks about Muslims fighting and opposing evil, standing against evil now, or who talks about the three levels of changing evil, one with changing with your hands, they can also now be put into a conspiracy because they are quoting from the Qur'an.

So what has happened with him and with other people is that they are only merely showing what Islam is really about. And then they are being put into a conspiracy as a means of trying to chop the head off the body. Trying to take away those people who are not afraid to speak out about what Islam really is.

Community Announcements

There is a dawah table booth operating every Saturday between the hours of 12 and 5pm in front of the Eden Center. And some brothers are getting together and handing out dawahs about Islam. So please contact brother Iqbal Ahmed, that's Iq for those of you who know him well.

Who Bombed the World Trade Center?

Multiple Related Questions: I understand that those from you accused Muslims are the ones who bombed the World Trade Center. But I'm guessing what they're saying is that perhaps it was done by the Hassan, which is the Jewish secret agency. Please clear this up to me. You still did not mention who bombed the World Trade Center and why.

It should come to no surprise that Israel may be linked to the World Trade bombing. In 1954, Egypt, Israel agents bombed American and Arab targets in Egypt to create hatred and tension between Arabs and Americans.

Answer: Now all of these speculations are a possibility. And brother says, I'd like to be honest. If I don't have evidence, I'm not going to say there's a strong possibility, certainly, that they could have done it. It's to the interest of some, especially at that time, Israeli government, that Muslims be looked upon in a very negative way.

And these things are not, there's nothing new that's done in history. Definitely, the major question, I don't know who bombed the World Trade Center, but the major question is what's the objective? What are we trying to do? What was trying to be accomplished? The thing that I do know that was accomplished is that Muslims were accused of doing it. And it given Muslims a bad eye, the eyesight of the major media.

Whose interest is it to have Muslims looked down upon? Again, it's the government, big business, and the media. When you talk about media, media is never some nebulous, strange, mysterious force. Media are people. Media is business. And the media business is connected with the other businesses of the world, big businesses.

So, again, can I say the Mossad did it? No.

But I say one thing, it has the fingerprints of agencies like the Mossad. You know, the intrigue, things like that.

Why Americans Are Still in Somalia

Question: Why are the American troops still in Somalia today?

Answer by Sheikh Abdullah Hakeem: It's very important when we look at situations, especially when you see the United Nations going in an area and either supporting people or not supporting people, that there are issues that are placed in front of your face, but then there are other issues that are below the surface. Now, most people think about Somalia as a big desert, and all the people are starving, and it's a terrible place, and everybody's trying to run away.

But when you study the history of Somalia, what you will realize, number one, is that even from the time of ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptians living in the northern part of Egypt now, lower Egypt, they recognized Somalia as a place of great mineral wealth. There was frankincense and myrrh and minerals, and it was one of the rich areas that the Egyptians used to go to in order to mine wealth, in order to gain riches and then come back into the other part of the Nile region. So, recently, oil has been discovered in Somalia.

So there is great potential in Somalia and the Sudan of a huge oil reservoir. So, one of the reasons why the Americans are still there, and other people are still interested in that place, number one, is the oil. Two, the coastline of Somalia is rich with fish, and undersea, in terms of one of the next exploitations for the future, in terms of feeding the growing world population, will be to exploit the sea.

And so the coastlines of Somalia also are very rich with sea life. Also, it is a strategic position at the bottom of the Red Sea that opens up into East Africa, that opens to the Arabian Sea, which goes to the Indian Ocean