Muslim Intellectuals and Liberals put the United Nations on the Hot Seat

Thanks to Iraq the Model in providing a link of a letter written up by three well known Arab and Muslim intellectuals. The letter calls upon the United Nations Security Council to proceed with the establishment of the International Tribunal to prosecute Muslim clerics, groups or individual terrorist who issue religious “fatwas” with the only intention to incite terrorist acts.

The three intellectuals are Dr. Jawad Hashim, former Iraqi Minister of Planning who had to flee from the Saddam regime in 1983; Dr. Shakir Al-Nabulsi, an author of 40 books on Arab society and culture, Middle East, and Japan; and Mr. Lafif Lakhdar, author and political commentator for the media of U.K. and the Arab world. They took a needful step in making the U.N. accountable of their own voted-upon resolutions.

What’s interesting is their approach and logic on condemning terrorist threats and how the United Nations Security Council too, also condemns all terrorist acts (see Resolution 1566 (Oct 2004), 1373 (Sept 2001), and 1267 (Oct 1999) as well as threats to international peace and security Resolution #1540 (April 2004) ).

These guys are not alone where thousands of others do share their viewpoints as well. And in doing so, they reminded the U.N. recent resolution 1566 in their letter that the U.N must somehow put a stop to these terrorist activities by freezing of financial assets, preventing terrorist movements between Arab states, and the prevention of arms supplies and such. Clearly, this letter is meant to put the U.N. on the hot seat to get them to prosecute terrorists, including Muslim Clerics. Strong words were used such as “ticking-bomb (Arab) population,” “illiteracy,” “poverty,” “backwardness in education,” “reactionary religious teaching” and the absence of a democratic government in which almost all Arab countries are managed under a dictatorial system.

The second strong condemnation was on the use of “fatwas” as a legitimate means of inciting terrorist acts that are tied with “religious duties.” They listed in their letter examples with one that of a Muslim cleric who permitted the killings of all Israelis because the Israeli citizens are to become nothing more that future “army of reserve soldiers” of Israel. And in doing so these “fatwas” are nothing but a “false umbrella of Islam” according to the three intellectuals who penned their name to the letter. And in closing, the three intellectuals also urged the U.N. to prosecute all terrorists, including Muslim clerics who incite these terrorist acts in the name of religion reminding them that the U.N. has a duty to see that these terrorists are to be prosecuted.

I don’t know about you but I think the U.N. will pass on this and weasel out of their duty, as always, to prosecute terrorists given the nature of their body being made up of countries that are deemed as “terrorist countries” when compared to the U.N. list of members that have countries supporting dictators and despots. If the U.N wants to run the world, then they had better show some backbone. But then again, I don’t think we’ll ever see a fast-track prosecution case involving hundreds of terrorists by the U.N. alone. We’ve already saw what the “The Hague” has done with Milosevic’ prosecution and after several years of playing musical chairs with the judges, legal gaffes, and lack of insight. The case is still on-going. Who says this will be any different in prosecuting terrorists and Muslim clerics who issue "fatwas" ?

Either the U.N. does something about their voted upon Resolutions or else the U.N. becomes a joke with absolutely no will of their own to keep except seeing that the U.N. members and staff keep mum on the oil-for-food program on-going investigation. Oh yeah, the U.N. is a joke. My bad.

These three Muslim liberals are breath of fresh air in a world filled with fetid terrorists' and inhumane thinkings.