Islamic Clerics: Islam and Democracy are Absolutely Incompatible

Prior to the administration of Barack Obama, the reasons given for the Islamist hatred of the United States was they were threatened by our values, lifestyle and freedoms.  That's why the United States was called the great Satan. We are leaders in the world of non-believers.  Take for example this from James Taranto's WSJ Column:

Now and then a terrorist actually takes the trouble to explain his motives. London's Daily Telegraph reports on the trial of the man who allegedly (and now confessedly) murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh:

Mohammed Bouyeri, a baby-faced 27-year-old with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, broke his vow not to co-operate with the Amsterdam court by admitting shooting and stabbing his victim last November.

"I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," he told its three-strong panel of judges.
"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do the same, exactly the same." . . .

Bouyeri then turned to the victim's mother, Anneke, in the public gallery, and told her he felt nothing for her. Mrs van Gogh watched as he read out from what appeared to be a statement: "I don't feel your pain. I have to admit that I don't have any sympathy for you. I can't feel for you because you're a non-believer."

This had nothing to do with Israeli "occupation" of "Palestinian lands," America's "unilateral invasion" of Iraq, "torture" of prisoners at Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, the widening "income gap," or any of the other litany of complaints that the terror apologists trot out. Islamist terrorism arises from religious fanaticism and hatred, plain and simple.

The Islamists themselves put "western ways" high up on their reasons for hating the non-Muslim world. They are especially repelled by our democratic systems of government. Their contention is that Islam and Democracy are Absolutely Incompatible:


MEMRI:Jihadist Magazine: 'The Spread of Democracy – A Victory for the U.S. and Israel'


In an anti-democracy article titled "The Spread of Democracy - A Victory for the U.S. and Israel," Abu Taha 'Abdallah Al-Miqdad enumerates democracy's crimes against humanity, and particularly against the Muslims, and warns that support for democracy is apostasy from Islam.

Following are excerpts from the article, which appeared in the Global Islamic Media Front magazine Sada Al-Jihad:

"Human History Has Never Known Villainous Massacres Such As Those of the Era in Which Democrats Emerged"

"…Human history has never known villainous massacres such as those of the era in which democrats emerged. World Wars I and II are evidence of the extent of the democrats' moral deterioration and their failure to take into account the simplest of [moral] principles of life customary among people in past eras. The war being waged today in the Muslim lands adds innumerably more crimes, attesting to the filthiness of their souls and the hardness of their hearts...


"The former U.S. president, George W. Bush the Crusader, said in statements to the press on April 30, 2005: 'In the long run, terrorism will be defeated by the spread of freedom and democracy. This is actually the only way [to defeat it].' In his speech at the Sharm Al-Sheikh summit on February 8, 2005, the former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon the Zionist, addressed [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud 'Abbas, saying: "My congratulations on your wonderful victory in the elections for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, [because] this victory and the way that you want to lead your people has the potential for bringing about a true change of direction and for affecting the entire area. Likewise, I hope that you will succeed in leading your people on the path of democracy and preservation of law and order, to the establishment of an independent democratic state.'"

"Our Clerics [i.e. Salafi Jihadi Clerics] Have Spoken of Democracy and Clarified That It Is an Infidel Regime"

"With regard to [U.S. President Barack] Obama, he [too] is trying to spread democracy, but his view is different in the details, since he has stressed in various places that he will in no way relinquish the spread of democracy in the world during his presidency, and that he intends to [spread it] extensively - but with general diplomatic plans and by greatly increasing U.S. aid to the world in spheres such as fighting poverty, spreading education, and health care, and by encouraging trade and economic partnership with the U.S. [Obama] is likewise calling to link U.S. aid to progress in efforts to [institute] reform and democracy in the countries interested in receiving this aid...

"Democracy is a great tribulation and a huge catastrophe, but it is a proven indicator in winnowing out the ranks of the righteous believers, keeping the good [among them] and ejecting the miscreants whose hearts are sick. [On the one hand] are piled up all the democrats - Christians, Jews, atheists, Hindus, Shi'ites, Zoroastrians, apostates, hypocrites, Murji'ites, and Ash'arites - and [on the other hand are] the ranks of the Muslims clinging to the path of Allah straighten out... and they stand against the entire world, certain of Allah's victory and aid...

"Though our clerics [i.e. salafi jihadi clerics] have spoken of democracy and clarified that it is an infidel regime, I will cite for you Wagdi Ghneim, who is known for his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, who are the greatest proponents of democracy in our time. He stated in his book Divine Shura and Manmade Democracy (Rabaniyyat Al-Shura wa-Wadh'iat Al-Dimuqratiyya): 'Democracy is erroneous from its foundation. Allah's religion [i.e. Islam] considers it wrong, and anyone who believes in it, promotes it, confirms it, accepts it, or acts according to it... is an apostate, even if he has a Muslim name and falsely claims that he is a believing Muslim - because in Allah's religion, Islam and democracy are absolutely incompatible.'

"Democracy Directly Impairs Tawhid"

"The dangers of democracy are clear for all to see, since it directly impairs tawhid [the belief in Allah's unity]. If we consider the opinions of Westerners, in whose lands this ugly germ sprouted and grew, we will find that it is [also] loathsome to some of their researchers, since as one American researcher described it, democracy means preferring the opinion of 11 asses over the opinion of 10 scholars." [1]

The article was accompanied by photos of elections in Israel, Iran, and the U.S.:







[1] Sada Al-Jihad, No. 33, Rabi'I 1430 (February-March 2009), pp. 16-18.