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November 8, 2002 Special Dispatch No. 438

Ramadan Sermon From Iraq

November 8, 2002
Iraq | Special Dispatch No. 438

The following Friday sermon was delivered in 'The Mother of All Battles' mosque in Baghdad and was broadcasted on Iraqi television. While the preacher, Dr. Sheikh Bakr Abed Al-Razzaq Al-Samaraai, focused on religious edicts relevant to the month of Ramadan, a significant portion of his sermon also dealt with Iraq's political situation.[1] The following are excerpts from the sermon:

Who Does Bush, the Little Dwarf, Think He is to Threaten the Descendants of Muhammad?
"…Brothers, today more than ever before, we need the grace of Jihad of the soul… particularly in this difficult hour in which the Islamic nation [is] experiencing, an hour in which it faces the challenge of [forces] of disbelief of infidels, Jews, crusaders, Americans and Britons. They challenge Allah, His Book, His Prophet, they challenge you the believers. They believe that their castles will protect them from Allah. They think that with their bombs, planes, missiles and advanced [weapons] they will scare us. By Allah, no!!! You [the West] are the real terrorists. We will scare you with the help of Allah. We stand strong; Allah will not allow the infidels to overcome the believers. Who are you, Oh foreigners. Who are you, Oh descendents of pigs and apes, to scare Muhammad, who is supported by Allah, as well as by Gabriel and the [other] Angels…??? Who are you, anyway, Bush [you] little dwarf to threaten Muhammad and his descendents!!?? We challenge you with our words, before challenging you with our weapons. Who are you to threaten us, our feelings and our holy places??!!."

Jihad is Now a Personal Obligation of Every Muslim (Fardh 'Ayn)
"We know and believe, Oh Allah, that these hardships are a test for us and for our patience. We tell you, Oh Allah, that we are patient… and we will fight them with all kinds of weapons. Jihad, Jihad, Jihad, Jihad. Oh nation of the Koran, the nation of Muhammad, Oh Muslims: Jihad for the cause of Allah, and for defending Muhammad's holiness [sic]. Whoever does not defend Muhammad and the Koran, will not smell the aroma of paradise forever. What is the meaning of this peaceful slumber? What is the meaning of this numbness? What is the meaning of these hollow statements that do not rise to the level of the needed responsibility? Today, after the capture of Jerusalem, and after the infidels defiled the Arabian Peninsula and are threatening Arabs and Muslims, the holy places, and especially Iraq - Jihad has become an obligation of every individual Muslim [Fardh 'Ayn]. Anyone who does not comply, will find himself lost in [hell], side by side with Haman, Pharaoh and their soldiers. These are not just words of a sermon delivered from the pulpit of a mosque with enthusiasm, they are religious law. Ask the jurisprudents, if you don't know that."

Welcome Death, Welcome Martyrdom
"[The Americans] do not scare even one baby in the nation of Muhammad… We challenge the infidels with [our] faith… Who are you, Oh criminal [i.e. President Bush]? Who are you, Oh infidels, to threaten us? We are the believers; we are the believers in the power of Allah. Allah is truth, The Prophet is truth, and Islam is truth. I confess that there no G-d but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Prophet… Welcome death, welcome martyrdom for the cause for Allah…"

The Month of Ramadan - The Month of Victory
"You the patient, Oh [sons] of the Iraqi people, you the patient, Oh [sons] of the Iraqi people; you are the warriors of Jihad, you are Allah's chosen… I pray to Allah at this blessed hour and in this blessed day that He turns the month of Ramadan into a month of victory… We call upon You in the name of Your Beloved, the Prophet Muhammad, to make this land secure… and a trap for the enemies…"

Bush! Allah Will Settle His Account With You
"Oh Allah, let the infidels fight each other, and dry their blood in their veins. Send Your soldiers against them; Allah, shake the ground under their feet; Allah, destroy their fleet and their weapons; fight their soldiers; Allah, and plant fear in them; Oh Allah, confuse their words; Allah, make them prey to the Muslims; Allah avenge Muslims' blood from them… Oh Allah, reduce the word of the infidels, and heighten the word of the believers. Oh Allah, raise the banner of monotheism, raise the slogan of monotheism… 'Allah Akbar' to the criminals; 'Allah Akbar' to America, 'Allah Akbar' to Britain… Oh Allah do not let the Jews or the crusaders overcome the Muslims… Allah, help the Jihad warriors everywhere… Oh Allah, for Thee we fight, we kill and are killed. Allah will settle His account with you, Bush! Allah will settle His account with you, Ariel Sharon; Allah will settle His account with you, Britons! Allah will settle His account with you, enemies of Allah… Our dead for the cause of Allah are Shuhada [martyrs] in paradise, while their dead are in hell…"

"Allah, support the leader of the monotheists, the President, the Jihad warrior in the victorious- with the help of Allah- Saddam Hussein… [Allah] hold his hand towards a crushing victory, that will realize the Muslims' might; Oh Allah, protect him on his left and his right, from above and bellow, from behind him and at his front."


[1] Iraqi TV, November 8, 2002.

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