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“…(6)  anything that is a means to create doubt (n:  in eternal truths).  Such things vary in their degree of unlawfulness.”

 

                                    “(2)  Searching Out A Person’s Faults.  [The treatise] Reliance of the Traveler addresses critical inquiry [about]…persons.

 

            Asking about and searching out the faults of others is spying, which Allah Most High has forbidden by saying:  ‘Do not spy’ (Sura 49:12 [being Qur’an, ch. 2, verse-law 12]), meaning to look for the shameful points of Muslims.  The Prophet said:

            “(1)  ‘If you search for people’s shameful points, you corrupt them.’

            “(2)  ‘O, you who have entered Islam with your tongues but whose hearts faith has not entered:  do not slander people, and do not ferret out people’s shameful points.  Whoever searches out the shameful points of his brother, Allah will search out his own shameful points;  be sure that He will disgrace him even if he should remain in the middle of his house.’”  [see note  9]

 

                                    “(a)  Within this provision is a clear warning.  Those who

impugn Islam will be subjected to retribution.

                                    “(b)  …Throughout the Koran exist references to actions

to be taken by God [Allah] in addressing wrongs visited upon Islam.

                                    “(c)  Similarly, provisions exist within the Koran for [Muslim] believers to take action on behalf of [Allah] God for addressing these wrongs.  This interpretation of the [Qur’an]…gives rise to a wide range of autonomous, decentralized, asymmetrical operations by individuals and small groups against those conducting penetrating inquiries [about Islam].

 

                                    “(3)  Secrets.  The very object of analytical works, focusing on Islamic subjects, involves searching out the truth.  For the Muslim, [however,] this may be a struggle to preserve secrets.  In an all-Muslim setting, it is preferable to keep secrets, unless the rights of a fellow Muslim are being violated.  In that case, it is recommended to reveal the secret.

 

            “’…(Muhammad) said:  ‘When a man says something.  Then glances left or right, his words are a confidence to be kept.’  [see note  10]

            “’Telling a secret means to inform others of a remark, action, or state which one learns of from someone who wants to remain hidden, whether it be good or bad.  This is hurting him, and hurting others is unlawful.’ 

            “’When two people meet, it is obligatory to keep secret any act that occurs, any word spoken, or any state attributable to someone, when these concern something one would normally wish to remain confidential, while not being unlawful.’

            “’If it is against Allah Most High alone, and does not involve legal measures such as prescribed legal penalties or disciplinary action, then it must be kept secret.’

            “’If it involves legal measure, as do fornication and drinking, then one has a choice between revealing [the secret]…or not, though it is superior to conceal it.’

            “’If it involves another person’s rights, then if concealing it entails harm to anyone, or if [the secret]…concerns prescribed legal measures such as retaliation for an injury or death…then if the person whose rights have been infringed is ignorant of …[the secret], one is obliged to make the matter known, and must testify to it if asked to.’

            “’If it involves another’s rights, but concealing it does not entail harm to anyone and it does not concern prescribed legal measures, …but the person concerned already knows of it through another and one has not been asked to testify about…[the secret], then one is obliged to conceal the matter.’”  [see note  11]

 

                                                “(a)  This [above] provision has applicability when trying to ascertain the inner workings of Islamic institutions and processes, [and] the differences in Muslim-supplied English translation of texts being at variance with (and less militant than) their Arabic counterparts, and the glossing-over of sensitive issues in Islamic history.

                                                “(b)  For example, Muhammad, the Prophet, was personally responsible for several murders and actively consipired to commit murders of his detractors.  This topic, along with a wide range of other issues, is never addressed in the straightforward manner associated with Western standards of scholarship.

                                                “(c)  [Intelligence] analysts dependent solely on Muslim sources risks inducing bias in their finished products.”

 

“(4)  Slander.   Slander, in the Western context, is the utterance

of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s representations.  Within the Sunni Islam tradition, ‘[s]lander means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike.’  The truth, then, becomes slanderous when an author or source mentions ‘anything concerning a person that he would dislike.’

                                                “(a)  The Koran provides specific guidance on slander.

 

“Sura 49:11 [being Qur’an, ch. 49, verse-law 11] -- Oh, you who believe!  Let not a group scoff at one of another group, for it may be that the latter are better than the former.  Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, for it may be that the latter are better than the former.  Nor defame another, nor insult one another by nicknames.  How bad it is to insult one’s brother after having Faith (i.e., to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as:  ‘Oh, Sinner’ or ‘O, wicked’).  And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zalimun (wrongdoers).

 

“Sura 49:12 [being Qur’an,  ch. 49, verse-law 12] -- Oh, you who believe!  Avoid much suspicion;  indeed, some suspicions are sins.  And spy not, neither back-bite one another.  Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?  Would you hate it (so hate back-biting)?  And fear Allah.  Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.’

 

                                    “(b)  [The  aforesaid Islamic legal treatise] Reliance of the Traveler also provides specific discussions on slander.

 

“’…Slander means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissolution, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything connected with him.’  [note  12]

 

“’…Do you know what slander is?’  They answered, ‘Allah and His Messenger [Muhammad] know best.’  He said, ‘It is to mention of your brother that which he would dislike.’  Someone asked, ‘What if he is as I say?’  And he replied, ‘If he is as you say, you have slandered him, and if not, you have calumniated him.’  [see note  13]

 

’…The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He does not betray him, lie to him, or hang back from coming to his aid.  All of the Muslim is inviolable to his fellow Muslim:  his reputation, his property, his blood.  Godfearingness is here (the heart).  It is sufficiently wicked for someone to belittle his fellow Muslim.’”  [see note  14]

 

                                    “(c)  An in-depth, truthful and factual analysis of Muhammad’s murders, and his participation in conspiracy to commit murder, then, becomes slanderous and inappropriate for detailed pursuit.  So then are the misdeeds of modern day activists pursuing their agenda against U.S. interests.

                                    “(d)  Criticism of Islam is slander, critics of Islam are slanderers, and Muslim scholarship cannot risk inquiry characterized as slander.

                                    “(e)  [ U.S. intelligence] analysts may not be able to rely on sole-sourced Islamic scholarship, for discerning the whole truth of matters under investigation.”

 

“(5)  Deception and Lying.  In specific situations, a Muslim

has a positive duty to lie.  As described in Reliance of the Traveler, lying is permitted in ‘war, settling disagreements, and a man talking with his wife or she with him.’ [see note  15]

 

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