On the evening on July 4, a suicide bomber targeted Masjid-e-Nabwi (the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, killing four security guards and wounding several others. Masjid-e-Nabwi is the second holiest site in Islam after Ka'aba in Mecca.
Several additional terror attacks took place in Saudi Arabia on July 4 as well, with two suicide bombers targeting at a Shia mosque in the city of Qatif, and a fourth suicide bomber blowing himself up outside the U.S. consulate in the city of Jeddah. This year's Ramadan has seen terror attacks strike cities like Orlando, Istanbul, Baghdad, Kabul, and Dhaka, among others.
However, the suicide bombing at the Masjid-e-Nabwi has sent shock waves throughout the Muslim world, due to the sanctity of the location. Pakistan's leading Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Ummat, which is a pro-Islamist and pro-jihadi daily, published an editorial blaming Israel for the attack.
Following are excerpts from the editorial:
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"Damage to lives and property has been caused in nearly four Muslim countries over the past month in suicide attacks carried out by different extremist and terrorist organizations, especially the Islamic State [ISIS]. Now, their Satanic eyes are centered on Harmain Sharifain [the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina].
"The attempt to target Masjid-e-Nabwi can be clearly described as part of the plan on which the Zionist state of Israel has been working in the name of Greater Israel... [Israel plans] to include Medina in this greater State of Israel. It should be borne in mind that during the past few weeks, Turkey was the first target of these terror attacks. After that, attempts were made to spread destruction in Iraq, Dhaka, and Kabul.
"Unfortunately, by using the names like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, people were given the impression that Islam and its followers, Muslims, are the one spreading terrorism across the world. Whereas the veteran Muslim scholars and interpreters say unanimously that no Muslim can be a terrorist; Islam is wholly a religion of peace and unity. [In Islam], the killer of a single human being is guilty of killing the entire human species and is liable to be sent to Hell for eternity. There is no discrimination in it as to whether the victim is a Muslim or non-Muslim. Similarly, if the killer is a Muslim, his permanent abode will be Hell.
"With regard to Muslims, terrorism, which the world currently sees as the responsibility of Muslims, because the non-Muslim world has become bent upon their opposition, has two aspects to present: One, as per his religious education, a Muslim cannot be guilty of killing a human being without reason. He is instructed [by the shari'a] to engage in good conduct, even with animals and plants; two, in almost all terrorist activities, more than anyone, it is primarily Muslims who are being martyred. Therefore, how is it possible that someone killing them is connected to Islam?
"Insofar as the Islamic names and shapes of the killers and terrorists are concerned, these can be acquired by anyone [e.g. non-Muslims]. Therefore, to call someone a Muslim based on this identification is completely wrong. Even if one of them is by birth or by claim a Muslim, then the entire Muslim world, by expressing its feeling of resignation, condemns him and publicly declares him to be Hell-bound. Therefore, the propaganda stating that Muslims are terrorists should end. As long as the non-Muslims' negative propaganda [against Muslims] will continue, there will be reactions among Muslims, leading them to sympathize with terrorists, even reluctantly...
"It is the responsibility of Muslim rulers, intellectuals, religious scholars, mystics and reformers to discover the reality regarding the extremists and terrorists acting in the name of Muslims, and to adopt a unified strategy against them. Those [Muslims] who call only their own doctrinal sect correct, and consider other Muslims to be kafir [infidels] and mushrik [idolaters], are totally unaware of the reality of Islam. No matter how many scholarly titles they carry with their names, they all are enemies of Islam and Muslims.
"A person engaged in the teaching and preaching of hate [on doctrinal grounds] cannot be a Muslim. And there is no benefit to Islam and Muslims by speaking solely against non-Muslims; rather, it will cause reverse damage. Muslims of the world, especially those connected with religious circles, should search the enemies of Islam present among themselves and cut off their forts. If they did not pay attention even now, then note that their motivation has grown to the point that they even target Masjid-e-Nabwi. In our thinking, this is the last warning. We are not worthy of being called Muslims if we cannot save our dear Prophet, his dearest companions, his mosque, and his city from the evil and Satanism of the enemy..."[1]
Endnote:
[1] Roznama Ummat (Pakistan), July 6, 2016.
