Saudi Sheikh, Said Al-Qahtani: We did not Occupy the US, With 8 Million Muslims, Using Bombings

The Saudi-based religious channel, Iqra TV, interviewed Sheikh Said Al-Qahtani, who discussed Jihad and the terror attacks around the world. Following are excerpts from his comments:

Sheikh Al-Qahtani: We did not occupy the US, with 8 million Muslims, using bombings. Had we been patient, and let time take its course, instead of the 8 million, there could have been 80 million and 50 years later perhaps all the US would have become Muslim.

What should a Muslim do if he is attacked in his country, on his land? Should he wait for a balance of power? No! In this case, there is no choice besides defense, self-sacrifice, and what religious scholars call Defensive Jihad. For instance, if someone would enter your house, now, wouldn't you tell him? No, I must defend myself by any means, even if I die. Whoever is killed defending his property or honor or religion is a martyr.

Where does the infidels' classification (of Muslims as terrorists) come from? It is a response to the way we treated the infidels. Before 9/11, such behavior and treatment were not demonstrated by the infidel countries. I have visited the US and spent 10 days in a course in LA. After watching the people who came to the classes and lectures, I said to the brothers, If Islam will have a victory, it will come from these countries. Thousands of people participate in these classes, in complete freedom, entirely out of their own free will. However, after being attacked in their own home - and, of course, in origin, they are hostile - in origin, they are our enemies. But, a clever man, who works for his religion, avoids turning his enemy against him when he is not able to confront it.

We attacked their country, and this caused them to wake the dormant enmity in their hearts and reawake the hatred and their past and think and plan? Especially since there is global Zionism, the enemy of Islam, and Judaism, and fundamentalist crusaders. They interpret this whole incident as only the beginning and thus there is no choice but a preemptive strike. The truth is that we are the reason for that.

Could the US have erased Afghanistan if not for the events of 9/11!? It could not. We must be realistic. Even if it wanted to, the whole world would have stopped it. However, once it had been attacked, it used the attack as an authorization to attack anywhere, because of what happened to it.