Musa Cerantonio, an Australian Catholic convert to Islam who currently lives in Egypt, hosts the live English-language TV show "Ask the Sheikh," on which he answers viewers' questions about Islam. The program, aired on the Saudi satellite network Iqraa, is shown daily in Europe, the U.S., Australia, Africa, and Asia. Cerantonio also voices his opinions and responds to readers' questions and comments on his Facebook page, which currently has close to 6,000 followers.[1] His Facebook page indicates that, in addition to English, he speaks Italian, and that he travels extensively to give talks in many parts of the world, including Germany, Italy and, Egypt. In addition to "Ask the Sheikh," he has presented another series titled "Our Legacy," on Muslims in world history.
In his shows and Facebook page, Cerantonio promotes an extremist brand of Islam, praising jihad and jihad organizations, such as Al-Qaeda and the Somali Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen. He supports the cause of implementing shari'a law in various countries and ultimately establishing a global Islamic caliphate, encourages Western Muslims to join the fighting on the jihad fronts, condones intolerance towards non-Muslims, and denounces democracy and the West. He also expresses objectionable views on women, saying, for example, that women who do not follow the strictest Islamic dress code are asking to be abused.
This report gives some biographical information on Cerantonio, and reviews some of the radical statements he has made on his TV show and Facebook page.
Biographical Details
Born in Australia to an Irish mother and Italian father, Musa Cerantonio attended a Catholic primary school and what he calls a "socialist or communist" high school. According to information he gave about himself in one of his speeches,[2] in high school, he was sexually active and took drugs, though he was a moderate drug user compared to his friends. During this period, he was also exposed to socialist beliefs and to the teachings of Marx and Nietzsche on religion. Their claims "enraged" him and prompted him to read the Bible, which led him to start following some of the Biblical laws, such as growing a beard and avoiding pork and alcohol. However, reading the Bible also caused him to question Christianity, since this religion does not follow all the laws in the Old Testament. His dissatisfaction grew after he visited the Vatican and witnessed "grave worshipping and idolatry."
Disenchanted with Christianity, he began to read about other religions, including a book on Islam that a Muslim friend gave him. He was pleased to discover that Muslims revered Jesus and were strictly monotheistic. After reading some more and seeing a video about radical British Muslim 'Abdur Raheem Green, he finally decided to convert to Islam. He currently resides in Cairo. In 2011, he made pilgrimage to Mecca and covered the trip for CNN iReport.[3]
Praise For Jihad Organizations, Implementation Of Shari'a Law Around The World
Cerantonio lavishly praises jihad and the jihad organizations fighting in various parts of the world, and supports the cause of enforcing shari'a law in Muslim lands. In an episode of "Ask the Sheikh,"[4] he praised the Taliban and the mujahideen of Khorasan in Afghanistan, and rebuked the Muslims for calling them terrorists while failing to speak against the tyrants who, he says, devastate Muslim lands:
"...If we look at Afghanistan today, it is probably the poorest place in the entire ummah, yet from here you find men. This is why one of the leaders of the area said, 'The disbelievers, they have weapons, they have bombs, they have an arsenal, but they don't have men; as for us, we have men'... You see, this is what the ummah needs... These brave mujahideen fought against the communists of the Soviet Union and defeated them, they sent them back to Russia with their tails between their legs, and then, the Soviet communist empire fell apart...
"I don't doubt for a moment that the Imam Al-Mahdi [a Muslim messiah figure] is going to be called a terrorist [when he comes]. It is going to be said that he is an extremist; it is going to be said that his army is fighting against legitimacy, and that they are spreading hatred and evil. That is why [the mujahideen are always] few in number. That is why the mujahideen who fight for the truth today are few in number and why the army of Imam Mahdi are going to be few in number. Because we as Muslims have fallen bait to the tricks and lies of the disbelievers and hypocrites, to the point that we accuse the mujahideen fighting in the path of Allah as being terrorists... We speak against the ones who are here to defend the ummah, we speak against the imams of our community, we speak against the sheikhs.
"We find it so easy to criticize Muslims, yet we are not strong, we are not tough against the same kufar [infidels] who devastate us... What is it that you are protecting? Is it your house? Is it your money? Is it your wealth? Is it your life?... Why is it that we are so afraid to speak a word of truth? As the Prophet said, the greatest of jihad is to speak a word of truth against a tyrant. Yet, here we are kissing their hands, kissing their feet, and whatever else they ask us to kiss, bowing down to them and looking up at them, granting them a position of honor whilst they humiliate our land... Oh dear Muslims, where is our understanding? Are we on the side of the tyrants or are we on the side of Imam Mahdi?..."
Cerantonio also expresses support for the Somali jihad group Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen, and for its goal of imposing shari'a rule in Somalia. In response to a reader's question about this group, he wrote: "...What is it about Al-Shabab that you want me to comment on? If it is ruling by shari'a, of course I am with them. If it is fighting the invaders, then I am with them. If it is banning smoking, then I am with them. I may disagree with them on some matters, however, it would not be befitting for me to list their mistakes and attack them while remaining silent about the apostate TFG [Transitional Federal Government] or the foreign invaders whose crimes are too long to list."
On the same day, he posted a photo of a young boy who was killed in Somalia, accompanied by the words: "May Allah grant victory to the Islamic mujahideen in Somalia against the terrorist invaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, and the other disbelieving nations."
Responding to a reader who objected that Al-Shabab kills innocent people, Cerantonio replied angrily that the reader had no evidence for his claims.[5]
In the same spirit, Cerantonio praises the extremist jihad group Ansar Al-Din, which operates in Mali, as well as the Al-Qaeda militants fighting in Yemen. In early March 2012, he celebrated the success of an attack by these militants on a Yemeni army base in which dozens of soldiers were killed, and added: "The [establishment of an] Islamic State of Yemen is near, inshallah. May Allah grant victory to those trying to establish shari'a [law] in Yemen and in all lands."[6]
Cerantonio encourages Muslims from the West to join jihad in various parts of the word. Replying to a reader who expressed skepticism regarding this possibility, he wrote: "What is the problem that people come from Canada or America to help fight? I really do not understand why you mentioned this... Some of my best friend went to fight in Somalia against the Ethiopian invaders, and two of them attained martyrdom fighting on the frontlines. Is this a problem for you, that these brothers went to defend Islam from the disbelievers?"[7]
On Al-Qaeda
Cerantonio has posted material by 'Abdallah 'Azzam, a prominent jihadi scholar and the mentor of Osama bin Laden, and also recommended Michael Scheuer's book about bin Laden, saying it is "a must read for anyone wanting an informed and honest view about our brother Osama's life."[8]
On Establishing The Caliphate And On Religious Tolerance: "We Do Not Believe In Religious Equality"; "We Will Smash Their Crosses, And Islam Will Rule"
Cerantonio hopes that all lands that were formerly conquered by Islam will be restored to Muslim rule. He also advocates the abolishment of nation-states and the ultimate establishment of the global Caliphate. On an October 31, 2012 Facebook posting, he urged the Muslims to put aside all national sentiment and "hold high the banner of tawhid [monotheism]": "The army who will march forth from Khorasan unto Al-Quds [Jerusalem] will not be carrying flags of any nation; they will carry black flags, and they will give support to Imam Mahdi.
"It is hard for some Muslims to get over the nationalism placed in their minds by their nations and societies, however, this is a matter of our religion. Put away ALL the flags of nationalism, especially those that contain anti-Islamic or nationalist symbols, and hold high the banner of tawhid, the banner of Islam."[9]
Another post featured the photo below, which shows Cerantonio standing in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, holding a flag associated with radical Sunni Islam.[10]
Referring to this photo, Musa clarifies that Muslims "do not defend or respect" other religions, and do not believe that Christians deserve to have churches just as the Muslims have mosques, for Islam, he says, is the truth and other religions false. He adds that Islam will ultimately conquer Rome: "Question: How would the Christians like it if we conquered Rome and established Islam? They probably wouldn't, but it will happen, just as our Prophet said it would. Whoever compares raising the flag of tawhid [monotheism] with a Christian holding a cross has to learn more about their religion.
"We do not believe in religious equality; Islam is the haqq [truth], and other religions are false. We are not ashamed of our Islam, and we want to establish Islam and defeat falsehood. Never do we say that if we have a masjid [mosque], they must have a church – this is not our religion. Take pride [in] your Islam and fly the flag of Islam with pride, in the Vatican or wherever you may be, for it contains the words of haqq, the key to jannah [Paradise] – and all the disbelievers have is falsehood. When Jesus returns, he will smash their crosses, and Islam with rule. Anyone got a problem with that?
"We will conquer Rome, exactly as the Prophet of Allah said. If our religion was based upon how the kuffar [infidels] feel, then surely we would not be allowed to conquer it. But the reality is otherwise; we raise the banner of Islam high, and we smash falsehood. It[']s amazing that I prayed dhuhr and 'asr [midday and afternoon prayers, respectively] in the Vatican, as well as taking this photo, and not one Christian cared or complained. Yet a handful of Muslims are so concerned about how they might feel, even asking about crosses in Makkah [Mecca] or in a masjid.
"During the Crusades, the Christians forced Muslims to put crosses on top of the masajid [mosques], and so the mujahideen fought them. That is our view of their cross and false religion. We fight it and smash it. We don't defen[d] it or respect it. As for the flag of tawhid, we raise it and we conquer with it. That is our deen [religion], and yes, one day we will conquer Rome and it will fly high, regardless of [how] the kuffar feel about it. I sure hope no 'Muslim' has a problem with that."[11]
In a talk that was posted on YouTube on November 30, 2012,[12] Cerantonio said: "Reestablishing the Islamic state is eventually going to be a military matter, and it is a matter that concerns a large part of the Islamic nation. So how do we go about doing this?... The advent of Imam Mahdi and the return of the Caliphate is going to be a time of great warfare and tribulation. Every single prophet, from Adam until Muhammad, warned their nation about this time. The greatest strife is going to be at the time that the Antichrist appears on the Earth. This is when Imam Mahdi comes. This is going to be when the Caliphate is going to be established. There are going to be caliphs who are going to exist before him, then he will also rule over the Muslims, and Jesus will come. This strife is going to be massive. These are, no doubt, times that are coming upon us. We have to be prepared for this. We have to see what the reality is – that we are going to be fought...
"The answer to Palestine is not by holding hands with the infidels. It's not by pleading to the U.N. to accept Palestine as a nation. The answer is, as the Prophet said, to fight the infidels until the religion belongs to Allah.
"The primary goal or strength that we are going to have is in physical warfare. For me and you today, this is not our utmost concern, being in Australia, but no doubt, as a nation, this is what we have to focus on. This is what we have to focus on... This isn't going to come cheap. It's not going to come easy. It is going to come with our effort, our life, our sweat, and our blood. I ask Allah to grant victory to all of those mujahideen who fight for His cause, to uphold the banner of "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger..."[13]
On Suicide Bombings And Spreading Islam By The Sword
Cerantonio emphasizes that Islam should be spread by the sword, referring his readers to a fatwa posted on the Islamist website Islam-qa.com, which states, inter alia: "Undoubtedly, taking the initiative in fighting has a great effect in spreading Islam and bringing people into the religion of Allah in crowds."[14] Cerantonio says that this fatwa "should be eye-opening for some Muslims who have become so downtrodden that they insist on defending the idea that Islam is weak and Muslims are pacifists."[15]
As for suicide bombings, he states that he himself does not believe in them, but that many Muslim scholars have allowed them, and that he therefore cannot condemn those who perpete them: "Regarding suicide bombings, I agree with you that I do not believe it to be correct, however, I do acknowledge that some of the greatest scholars of our times have allowed it. So, whilst I disagree with it, I cannot rush to condemn anyone who holds an opposing view, as they are not without evidences in [support of] their opinions."[16] Elsewhere, Cerantonio chastises one of his readers for suggesting that suicide bombers are apostates.
On The U.S. And Democracy
In a November 7, 2012 posting, Cerantonio emphasized that the Muslims' salvation would not come from democracy and the U.S., but only from Allah and Allah's law: "Muslims, wake up already. Our solution is not in using democracy. Obama or Romney are not our sources of hope; it is Allah alone. America will never be our protector; it is all Allah alone. Democracy is not our system; it is Allah's law, the shari'a alone.
"If you want to see change, then turn yourself back to Islam in all its aspects. Change yourself, and then your families and friends, then your city, then the world. If you cannot do all of this, then at least change yourself and pledge your support to Islam and the Muslims, [and] do not ever speak against our great warriors and defenders. The Messenger of Allah said: 'When you deal with prohibited transactions and you hold onto the tails of cows and you are content with agriculture and you abandon jihad, Allah will inflict humiliation upon you and will not remove it until you return back to your religion.'"[17]
In a July 4, 2012 posting, Cerantonio attacked U.S. President Barack Obama, calling him a "war criminal" and a "sell-out kafir [infidel] son of a murtad [apostate]": "Are there any foolish Muslims who still have hope in this war criminal? He fooled so many gullible folk, offering a 'hope,' but all he has given is slaughter and [the] oppression of Muslims. Guantanamo remains open despite his promises; he has increased bombings in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan; and has even ordered the killing of American Muslim citizens without trial.
"At least Bush or Romney are open with their hatred. This coward extends his hand to the hypocrites of our ummah, and then betrays and spills unprecedented amounts of Muslim blood. Hopeless indeed... The believers have hope in their Lord the most Powerful, not in this sell-out kafir son of a murtad."[18]
On September 21, 2012, after Egyptians enraged by the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims held violent protests outside the U.S. embassy, Cerantonio expressed support for these protests and entered a heated argument with one of his readers, 'Abdul Adheem, on the legitimacy of targeting U.S. diplomats. Citing Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh 'Abd Al-'Aziz bin 'Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh, 'Abdul Adheem argued that it is forbidden to target innocent people, and that Muslims should not go to the extreme of killing individuals and destroying their property. Cerantonio implied that he disagreed, as shown by the following exchange between the two:
'Abdul Adheem: "It is forbidden to punish the innocent for the wicked crimes of the guilty, or to attack those who have been granted protection of their lives and property, or to expose public buildings to fire or destruction (Sheikh 'Abd Al-'Aziz bin 'Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh)."
Musa Cerantonio: "'Abdul Adheem, are you suggesting that America is innocent? If so, that will be truly amazing."
'Abdul Adheem: "Are you suggesting that every American in a U.S. embassy is deserving of death without trial? If so, that will be truly amazing. To answer your statement/question, I do not believe America is innocent, [because] the governments of the U.S.A. are/have been guilty of many crimes against the world. However, this does not mean going to the extreme and killing individuals, destroying their property, etc. We have laws, treaties, and diplomacy in Islam that should be followed. There is not a single scholar who condones the actions that took place in Libya or Egypt."
Musa Cerantonio: "So you have spoken to all of the scholars? From this statement alone, I know you are lying, because there are many who have not said this at all. Perhaps you just aren't listening. If the U.S.A. is guilty, and they are at war with Muslims, and their embassies belong to them, then why are you lamenting seeing their flag taken down and the flag of tawhid being raised?... Are you aware of the rulings on those who have pacts with the Muslims and when/how [these treaties] can be broken, or are you just repeating what the scholars of the [Saudi] Kingdom are telling you?"[19]
On September 26, 2012, Cerantonio posted a link (http://islam-qa.com/en/ref/22809/) to a fatwa which says that anyone who insults the prophet should be executed.[20] Cerantonio has also called to pray for the detainees in Guantanamo Prison, so that they "return to their lands and escape the oppression they are facing."
On Women
Another topic Cerantonio has addressed on his Facebook page is the way some Muslim women dress. In a November 2, 2012 posting, he says he experienced violent feelings upon seeing a non-Muslim man ogling a Muslim woman, and wanted to "put the kufar to the ground." However, he adds that he soon realized that the one at fault was really the woman herself, because of the way she was dressed.
He also recounts a story about a Meccan Jew in the time of the Prophet who was slain by the believers for mistreating a Muslim woman: "Today, in Rome, I was walking towards the station, and I saw in front of me three Muslims, two of them men and one [a] woman. The woman, as I saw instantly, was dressed in one of those tight 'abayas [a robe worn by Muslim women] that seem to be made out of silk or some shiny material, with a scarf loosely wrapped around her head. This type of dress is not appropriate at all for a mu'minah [believing Muslim woman]; it exposes the body even though the person wearing it might be 'covered.' One of the misconceptions that some Muslims have is that Islam commands the believing women to simply 'cover' or to wear an 'abaya regardless of how it looks...
"A moment later, an Italian kafir was walking past her and was staring at her body and smiling to himself, and as he passed her, he turned his body to look at her from behind. He said out loud in Italian something which I will not repeat, commenting on the shape of her body. Instantly, I was filled with rage because of the gheerah (jealousy) that we have towards our sisters, and I was a moment away from putting that kafir to the ground. However, I could not help but realize that, in reality, she was the one at fault, as she was the one exposing herself in public by wearing this dress that goes against the meaning of hijab. I stopped and withheld myself from doing anything to the kafir, and refrained from what I wanted to do...
"A story came to mind after this incident, from the days of the Prophet, in which a Muslim woman was dressed in her jilbab [cloak]. And she went into a store of a Jewish man, and one of the Jews wanted to make fun of her (as they are people without honor, and they aim to degrade anyone who has honor and obeys Allah) by tying a part of her jilbab to another part of her clothing, so that when she left, her body became exposed. When they did this, she screamed out of modesty at what had happened, and some of the believing men of the Sahaba came, and they killed that kafir Jew for what he had done. Look at the honor of the believers! How they protect one another from the shayatin [satans] of society, and how those with honor by instinct protect honorable women against dishonorable folk!
"The shame that we have today is that the believing men want to protect the believing women, however, when the women themselves remove their honor by disobeying Allah and lowering themselves to being slaves of fashion or their own desires, then there is nothing left to protect!
"Dear sisters, Allah told you to be honorable and to wear your modest jilbabs so that you may be known and not abused. It becomes your symbol that you are a believing woman, and it becomes your protection. Throw away those clothes which display your 'awrah [nakedness] and attract men who have no respect or honor. If you do so, I and my brothers will be there to protect your honor... But we cannot, at the same time, blame others or punish them for treating you as you present yourself to them. Be known as a muslimah, a true mu'minah in what you wear..."[21]
Endnotes:
[20] http://islam-qa.com/en/ref/22809/
