Responding to expressions of glee heard across the Arab and Muslim world about the fires that ravaged Los Angeles in January and over the extensive devastation they caused,[1] several Arab journalists penned critical articles stating that gloating over America's misfortune is loathsome behavior that contravenes Islam and its values. The claim that the fires are an expression of God's wrath at America, or are a "divine punishment" and "divine retribution" for its support for Israel, they said, is sheer "nonsense" that reflects "ignorance" and "superstition." They added that such thinking paralyzes people's brains and creates fertile ground for the flourishing of extremist ideas. Moreover, attributing actions to Allah without certain knowledge is a grave sin in Islam, they stressed. They noted that this phenomenon often recurs in the Arab and Islamic world when there is a natural disaster, and that, in this case, it reflects the Muslims' feelings of helplessness in the face of America's might. One of the writers concluded by saying that gloating over the misfortune of innocent victims is inhuman, while the world "urgently needs more humaneness, mutual aid, compassion, sympathy, peace and love."
"The fires in California" (Almasryalyoum.com, January 13, 2025)
The following are translated excerpts from some of these articles:
The Claim That The Fires Are Divine Punishment Is Idiotic And Distorted
Emirati analyst Salem Al-Ketbi wrote in an article titled "God's Wrath against the Americans!" in the Saudi daily Makkah: "Social media has been flooded lately with calls, nonsense and commentary about the fires in America's Los Angeles. Some contemporary peddlers of religion and their followers regarded [the fires as a sign of] God's wrath against America. Videos of the fires were circulated and associated with religious texts and beliefs that were deliberately adjusted to these [false] interpretations and distortions, and so [the fires] were marketed as 'a kind of divine wrath that has struck the Americans because of their support for Israel and in retaliation for what is happening to the Palestinians in Gaza'!
"This behavior is nothing new. It is seen after any event of this sort… But what is remarkable this time is how widespread it is…
"These natural phenomena are not a result of [divine] wrath or punishment. They are part of a precise cosmic system created with divine wisdom, which is beyond the grasp of our limited human brains. Associating them with the death of a [certain] figure or with some [recent] catastrophe is [a figment of] misguided human imagination motivated by ignorance and fear, not by a real understanding of God's will and wisdom. Allah created the universe with fixed laws, and the events that occur in it conform to these laws, and not to our limited interpretations or emotions. Therefore, we must trust Allah, understand that everything is decreed by fate and avoid interpretations rooted in superstition, which are not based on knowledge or awareness but only fuel ignorance, paralyze minds [and prevent] healthy thinking…
"The problem with this behavior and these negative ideas, which cut across borders, is that they are no less dangerous than conventional drugs, because they erase the consciousness of nations, spread illusions and embroil Islam in imaginary and harmful conflicts that contravene its humane and noble values. These wild campaigns that are launched from time to time regarding [various] events [only] fuel ignorance and superstition. They are hostile to science and cause many people to fall victim to illusions and false emotional speeches that play on feelings, paralyze minds and create an ideal environment for the ideological infiltration of the extremist religious groups and organizations.
"There is no doubt that natural disasters do not distinguish between Muslims, Christians and Jews. I do not wish to examine religious interpretations and doctrines, but what is certain is that such disasters happen everywhere, and nobody has ever heard of a place on earth that is completely immune to all natural catastrophes!..."[2]
The Glee Over The Fires In Los Angeles Reflects Helplessness In The Face Of America's Might
Egyptian journalist Suleiman Gouda wrote in his column in the daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm: The glee felt by many of us over the fires in the U.S. is not an expression of schadenfreude, as it might seem at first glance. It is primarily an expression of latent helplessness. Every Friday, the preachers continue to recite from their pulpits a prayer that comes closest to exposing the truth about one aspect of these feelings. The prayer says: "O Allah, destroy the oppressors at the hands of [other] oppressors and deliver us safely from them." The only meaning of this prayer is that we are asking Allah to fight our battles... and this will not happen, because there are measures in this world that ensure the victory of those who take them and ensure the defeat of those who do not, and that’s that. This aspect presents the oppressed as ones who ask heaven to fight their battles and to cause one group of oppressors to exterminate the other, while the oppressed themselves do nothing, but [only] take the role of observers who are shielded from all harm and hope that Allah keeps them safe and sound amid the war between the oppressors!
"If this is the religious aspect [of this prayer]…, then another aspect is purely psychological: the glee over the fires reflects helplessness, because those who feel it have exposed and are [still] exposing their inability to contend with the U.S., let alone defeat it, on the political, diplomatic, economic, scientific or any other level. They are helpless and weaponless, so the fires are a lifeline that saves them from seeing their reflection in the mirror. [The fires] accomplish what they cannot accomplish, or repair their reputation, which they are unable to repair or defend on their own.
"America's might is not divine [in origin]. Allah has not given it anything it has not earned. It worked hard and reaped the fruits of its labors, which has nothing to do with faith or heresy. If other countries are not as strong as the U.S., it is not because heaven has favored the Americans at the expense of others… The Americans [simply] followed the earthly laws of reality and became what they are. As for others, they failed to act, and it bothers them that others do act… It's like two runners on a race track. One of them is strong and takes the lead, and the other cannot match his pace. So if the first one stumbles and falls, the other is happy and feels encouraged."[3]
Gloating At The Misfortune Of Others Is Loathsome And Un-Islamic; Natural Disasters Affect Everyone, Including Muslims
Saudi journalist Najib Yamani wrote in his column in the daily Okaz: "Whenever disaster strikes, shrill voices are heard, emanating from well-known movements[4] whose hearts are blacker than black and fill with hate and vindictiveness [whenever] disaster strikes others on whom they wish more catastrophes, calamities and innocent victims. This flagrant [show of] schadenfreude contravenes Islamic morality and the principles of Islam.
"[These voices] claim in a false and deceitful manner, in the various media, that the fires… in the U.S. are divine retribution for what happened in Gaza and Lebanon… This is a loathsome phenomenon that recurs whenever they see storms, earthquakes, civil strife, famine or wars… that exact a heavy toll in lives and property…
"I don't know who told them this is a punishment from Allah, and how they brought these erroneous interpretations to Allah's doorstep, when no human being should interpret Allah as he wishes and according to his own understanding…
"Attributing things to Allah without certain knowledge is one of the gravest sins, and it is associated with polytheism, for Allah said: '[It is forbidden]… to assign partners to Allah, for which He has given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge' [Quran 7:33]'…
"In the time of the second caliph, Umar bin Al-Khattab, the Muslims were afflicted by drought[5]… and [were forced] to eat leaves and carrion. Also, considering what happened to the Prophet of the [Muslim] nation in the battle of Uhud[6] and in the conquest of Mecca, and the harm inflicted on [the Prophet] and the Muslims by the polytheists who besieged them, and the wars and disasters afflicting the Muslims [today], is it permitted to direct accusations at innocent people and claim that Allah's decree is [the result] of their misdeeds? Earthquakes and disasters strike every country in the world, [affecting] everyone, infidels but also Muslims. So what do these ignorant people say? Is this also a punishment [directed at the Muslims by Allah]? By saying this they negate their own humanity. The world urgently needs more humaneness, mutual aid, compassion, sympathy, peace and love, for we all live on the same planet, and schadenfreude is forbidden."[7]
[1] See MEMRI Reports: Special Dispatch No. 11774 - Article In Qatari Daily: LA Fires Are A 'Divine Punishment' For America's Support For Israel; Journalist In Qatar Wishes Death On All 'Infidels,' January 13, 2025; Special Dispatch No. 11776 - Iranian Regime Mouthpieces Gloat Over LA Wildfires: 'The Angel Has Flown Off, And The Satan [The U.S.] Is Burning,' January 13, 2025; Special Reports - Iran-Backed Iraqi Militias' Outlet: Los Angeles Wildfires Are Divine Punishment For America Because Of Its Support For Israel – January 16, 2025.
[2] Makkah (Saudi Arabia), January 23, 2025.
[3] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), January 14, 2025.
[4] The reference is to the movements of political Islam, such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
[5] In 640, 18 years after the Hijra, Medina suffered a severe drought and famine.
[6] A battle fought between the Muslims and the Quraysh tribe in 625, in which the Muslims did not win, the Prophet was wounded and 70 of his warriors were killed.
[7] Okaz (Saudi Arabia), January 16, 2025.
