Sheikh Abd Al-Aziz Fawzan Al-Fawzan, a professor of Islamic law at Al-Imam University, who frequently appears on Saudi TV recently made anti-Christian comments on Saudi Al-Majd TV. He told his audience to hate anyone "who worships Christ, son of Mary" and added that "whoever says 'I don't hate him [i.e. a Christian]' is not a Muslim..." He went on to explain that such an attitude "is not racism" since the Christian is not hated "because of his color, gender, blood, country, or because he is American, European, Chinese, or Asian," and stipulated that this hatred should be "positive hatred" that guides and reforms. TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/992.htm .
Following these statements are excerpts from other interviews from the past year, including Al-Fawzan's views on the tsunami which he says was Allah's punishment for homosexuality and fornication at Christmas; a call by Al-Fawzan to Iraqis to do their individual duty and wage Jihad; and his views on a woman's ability to drive and lead prayers:
Muslims Must Hate Christians With "Positive Hatred" - December 16, 2005, Al-Majd TV
Al-Fawzan: "Someone who denies Allah, worships Christ, son of Mary, and claims that God is one third of a trinity - do you like these things he says and does? Don’t you hate the faith of such a polytheist who says God is one third of a trinity, or who worships Christ, son of Mary?
"Someone who permits and commits fornication - as is the case in Western countries, where fornication is permitted and not considered a problem - don't you hate this? Whoever says 'I don't hate him' is not a Muslim, my brother."
[...]
"This is not racism, my brother. We don't hate a polytheist because of his color, gender, blood, country, or because he is American, European, Chinese, or Asian. They are our partners in humanity. An American Muslim may be better in Allah's view than all the Arabs."
[...]
"But if this person is an infidel - even if this person is my mother or father, God forbid, or my son or daughter - I must hate him, his heresy, and his defiance of Allah and His prophet. I must hate his abominable deeds. Moreover, this hatred must be positive hatred. It should make me feel compassion for him, and should make me guide and reform him."
Tsunami is Allah's Punishment for Homosexuality and Fornication at Christmas - December 31, 2004, Al-Majd TV
Al-Fawzan: "These great tragedies and collective punishments that are wiping out villages, towns, cities, and even entire countries, are Allah's punishments of the people of these countries, even if they are Muslims.
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"Some of our forefathers said that if there is usury and fornication in a certain village, Allah permits its destruction. We know that at these resorts, which unfortunately exist in Islamic and other countries in South Asia, and especially at Christmas, fornication and sexual perversion of all kinds are rampant. The fact that it happened at this particular time is a sign from Allah. It happened at Christmas, when fornicators and corrupt people from all over the world come to commit fornication and sexual perversion. That's when this tragedy took place, striking them all and destroyed everything. It turned the land into wasteland, where only the cries of the ravens are heard. I say this is a great sign and punishment on which Muslims should reflect.
"All that's left for us to do is to ask for forgiveness. We must atone for our sins, and for the acts of the stupid people among us and improve our condition. We must fight fornication, homosexuality, usury, fight the corruption on the face of the earth, and the disregard of the lives of protected people."
Reactions to Criticism From Saudi Press on Tsunami Statements: This is Allah's Punishment - January 14, 2005, MBC TV
Al-Fawzan: "I ask Allah to guide these journalists and grant them full repentance. It saddens me that they are so ignorant of the religious law. I don't care what they said about me. Allah be praised, people know my thoughts and opinions, which I present on the TV channels, in my books, letters, articles, lectures, and classes. I'm not bothered by their distortion, accusations, and incitement. It is beneath me.
"Collective punishments, such as earthquakes, devastating volcanoes, torrent floods, rampant plagues, lethal storms and gales according to all scholars, they are divine punishments and divine warnings to all those rebelling against Allah, whether or not they are Muslims.
"But this does not mean we can say that it is a natural phenomenon, caused by the weakness of the earth's crust. Some of them even said this occurs every 200 years. As the infidels said: 'Our fathers, too, were touched by suffering and affluence,' and they ceased praying to Allah. These are punishments and a warning from Allah because of the spreading of obscenities and abomination in this country and others, and we must be God-fearing. Therefore, I advise our brothers, and call upon us to be God-fearing, so that what happened to them won't happen to us."
Jihad in Iraq is an Individual Duty Incumbent Upon Iraqis - November 21, 2004, Al-Majd TV
Al-Fawzan: "Defensive Jihad must be authorized by the leader, if the Muslims have a legal leader. It is possible that the leader, along with the leading jurisprudents and the nation's leaders, will think that the Jihad should be postponed due to certain interests. But if they don't have a leader, as is the case unfortunately, in some Muslim countries, should the Muslims surrender to the occupying enemy? No cleric would allow such a thing. The clerics have all agreed that if an enemy invades a Muslim country, Jihad against this enemy becomes an individual duty applying to anyone who can wage Jihad.
"But I'd like to highlight a very important issue, about which, in my opinion, even some clerics make mistakes. They read in the religious law books that Jihad becomes an individual duty when an enemy invades a Muslim country. But they say it applies to all Muslims worldwide - while no cleric says this.
"Jihad is an individual duty applying to the people of that country. If they cannot defend themselves against this enemy then it applies to the next in line, to the next in line after them, and so on, and it is possible that it will eventually apply to all the countries of Islam. But this does not mean that if an enemy enters Iraq, for instance, then all the Muslims in all the countries of the world need to come to Iraq to fight. No one has said so. Only an ignoramus would say so.
"Jihad is an individual duty applying to the Iraqi people. They need to wage this Jihad against this enemy until it leaves their country, especially as this enemy hurts their honor, blood, and property. Is it conceivable that we will let it be? Never. Jihad in this case is an individual duty applying to anyone capable of waging it in this country."
Why Women Cannot Drive - June 17, 2005, Al-Majd TV
Al-Fawzan: "In conservative countries like Saudi Arabia - this blessed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - which, Allah be praised, is the most conservative in the Muslim world, in which a woman maintains her honor, decency, and modesty - and she does not reveal anything - not her hands, her face, or anything - how can she drive a car?
"Those who call to allow women to drive - according to what has been written - can be divided into two groups. The first group includes Westernized people who, to tell the truth, want to Westernize the society. They want to destroy society, corrupt it, and drag it down into the depths of decay and permissiveness, like in Western societies. These people have been blinded by what they saw there when they studied or visited there, and they want our society to be like other societies. They want it to be devoid of all values, morals, and modesty. They want women to go out on the streets all made up, like a harlot, with her face uncovered, like they see in the West. They think that the shortest and best way to reach this goal is to allow women to drive, because if a woman drives, she will reveal her face, drive without a male chaperone, will have an easy opportunity to meet all kinds of young men and women, and she will get all made up, will mix with men, and so on.
"I don't think that any woman, throughout human history, has been as oppressed as the Western woman today - and they still claim that they have given her freedom. They took her out (of the home) in order to exploit her, to exploit her honor and dignity. Furthermore, in many countries, her salary is lower than the man's, but she works more than him. She does not get what she wants unless she sacrifices her honor, to her bosses or co-workers. How strange! Even though they have permissiveness there, and any man can satisfy his desires outside of marriage… he's not satisfied with 10 or 20. Any girl he sees, who has certain features, he wants. If she consents - fine. If not - he rapes her."
"How Can a Woman Be Permitted to Become a Preacher?" - March 28, 2005, Al-Majd TV
Al Fawzan: "Even if the imam makes a mistake during prayers, the Prophet banned women from saying 'subhan allah' ['God forbid'] like the men say in such a case… Women must clap their hands [instead]. Why? Because the voice of women is tender by nature, and arouses [urges], and it is improper for men to engage in thoughts about women during prayer…
"Thus, how can a woman be permitted to become a preacher? Undoubtedly, this is unacceptable, and must be condemned…
"I know of no clerics who permit men to be led in prayer by a woman, not even in the five [required daily] prayers - and all the more so in a sermon… The controversy amongst the clerics concerns women leading women in prayer… [and whether] this is lawful or merely permissible… [Even in this case,] the clerics have determined that a female imam must stand amongst the women, not in front of them, so as not to be like the men [where the imam stands in front of them]. This being the case, how is it conceivable that she deliver a sermon? This is a strange thing… that emanates from lack of faith, from religious weakness, and from laxity in religious knowledge, and also from behaving in accordance with the will of the enemies of the [Muslim] nation - the Jews and the Christians…"
