An  Islamic  Radical  Forces  Weapon: Muslim  Misinformation  As  Required  By  Islamic  Law

                                Alexandra Paris

                        2 January 2006

            “’When it is possible to achieve…an aim by lying but not telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if the goal is permissible, and it is obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory.

            “’When, for example, one is concealing a Muslim from an oppressor who asks where he is, it is obligatory to lie about him being hidden.”  [see text at note 15, infra]

            “… ‘it is obligatory for a [Muslim] student to give a positive interpretation to every utterance of his [Muslim] brothers that seems to be wrong until he has exhausted seventy excuses.  No one is incapable of this except a failure.’”  [see text at  note  22, infra]

                                                      INTRODUCTION

         Misinformation is information that is untrue and created to mislead.  Islamic Radical Forces are pleased with the lack of critical thinking by enemies.  One exception to IRForces’ pleasure are men and women who work in U.S. counter-intelligence, who are troublesome Americans. troubling for Islamic Radical goals.                 

        Warfare creates peculiar and historical documents.  Some documents provide information of truths which lead toward resolution of conflict.  Consider this book.  Of pivotal importance, earlier accepted in the present world conflict, are such as the war-fatwas of Sheik Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership. 

        Also of unusual importance is below, a U.S. defenders’ briefing paper, made public in 2004 and reproduced here. Under the Freedom of Information Act, certain U.S. government documents are in the public domain. This is among this war’s foremost critical thought.

        Other documents and writings provide information of falsehoods, which do not lead toward resolution of conflict.  Unclassified, and based on Qur’an and other Islamic laws, this U.S. government briefing paper addresses U.S. Department of Defense recognition, and damage-control advice,  as to receipt of misinformation from Muslim scholarship, and Muslim  men and women increasingly engaged, worldwide, in journalism and media. 

        Many Muslim scholars abhor the lethal consequences of the Islamic Radical Forces in dead serious war for Allah.   They are yet subject to the duties and the sanctions for hypocrites and apostates, which Allah has decreed in the Qur’an.  They must understand this.

                                       “[Background Paper]

ISLAMIC SACRED LAW’S IMPACT ON ISLAMIC SCHOLARSHIP  AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS

                                                            “1.  PURPOSE.

        “To describe the influence of Islamic Sacred Law on Islamic scholarship, and its implications for [ U.S. ] Intelligence Analysts.  [Contents of this paper are the following.]

1.  PURPOSE

            2.  BACKGROUND

            3.  DISCUSSION

                        a.  Islamic Law

                        b.  The Koran

                        c.  The Hadiths

                        d.  The Reliance of the Traveler

                                    (1)  Asking about Another’s Mistakes

                                    (2)  Searching out A Person’s Faults

                                    (3)  Secrets

                                    (4)  Slander

                                    (5)  Deception and Lying

                                    (6)  Giving a Misleading Impression

                                    (7)  …Positive Interpretation to…Mistakes

                        e.  Implications for Researchers

            4.  POINT OF CONTACT 

“2.  BACKGROUND

        “A phenomenon confronting [ U.S. ] intelligence analysts is the Teflon effect in Islamic scholarship.  Islamic scholarship appears to employ “positive bias.”  [This is] resulting in a curious lack of critical analysis and objective criticism by mainstream Islamic scholars and authors when addressing Islamic topics.

                        “a.  In those instances where penetrating, objective research is conducted by Islamic authors, the authors have been subjected to threats of violence, disproportionate to the level of their inquiry.  Criticism of Islam and Muslims frequently results in a surprisingly shrill and disproportionate hue and cry, suppressing critical inquiries into Islamic topics.  [see note 1, at end of this briefing paper]

                        “b.  A source for this phenomenon lies in the Islamic Sacred Law.

“3.  DISCUSSION

                        “a.  Islamic Law.

                                    “(1)  Islamic law is comprised of the  Koran [see note 2], the  Hadiths [see note 3], and consensus and reasoning by analogy [see note 4].

                                    “(2)  Within the Sunni tradition, a primary legal reference is Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri’s Reliance of the Traveler:  A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law.  [see note 5]

                                    “(3)  These sources provide general guidelines for representing Islam in public writings.  The provisions cited below exert pressures inducing bias, obstructing objectivity, and creating a Teflon effect which is intolerant of derogatory comments concerning Islam or Muslims. 

                                    “(4)  It is logical to infer that the more learned, the more devout [is an] Islamic writer or his reviewer, the more closely the writer adheres to Islamic precepts.  Conversely, the more secular [is] the Islamic writer, and the reviewer of his works, the less likely he is bound to these religious precepts. 

                                    “(5)  Accredited Islamic scholarship is bound by the strictures of the Koran, the Hadiths and Islamic Law (reflected in said Reliance of the Traveler), and specific guidance is provided concerning the revelation of the “shameful points” of Islam.

                        “b.  The Koran.  A recurring theme in the Koran is the overlooking of the faults, evil deeds or lesser sins of devout Muslims.  [see note  6]

                        “c.  The Hadiths.  There is a similar theme of over-looking the faults of the pious and devout [Muslims] in the Hadiths.  [see note  7]

                        “d.  The Reliance of the Traveler.  The following passage, taken from Reliance of the Traveler, quotes the Koran and the Hadiths, and [such law]

forms a powerful influence over Islamic scholarship.

                                    “(1)  Asking About Another’s Mistakes.  Objective inquiry, and the analysis based on objective inquiry, is restrained in Islam.  Historical research, historical accounts, investigative journalism and other lines of literary inquiry into Islam may be influenced, by authors faithful to the following [Islamic law]:

            “’…It is forbidden to ask about another’s errors and blunders in order to tell them they have made a mistake or to embarrass them, being unlawful because it entails an injury to another and belittling him in front of people.

            “’But when one’s asking about mistakes is to learn or teach, to test or sharpen students’ minds or make them reflect, then it is recommended and desirable, because it facilitates the comprehension of religious knowledge.’  [see note 8]

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