Concerning the Murder of the Palestinian Journalist Shireen Abou Akleh

Published in May 11 & 14, 2022
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Article I:
We write the following statement in the name of our VA-based IQC about the murder of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abou Akleh:
1- May the Lord God have mercy on her soul.
2- It is quite shocking that the press in the West has published the news without a single word of condemnation despite the fact that the late journalist was their colleague within the same field of work.
3- We condemn and deplore this brutal murder of an innocent female journalist. We, as a Quranist thinker, are against killing any innocent persons anywhere and in all eras, especially in this case; the late Shireen Abou Akleh was doing her job and wore a tag indicating she was a journalist. This should have prevented her being harmed in any possible way. This means her murder was premeditated and planned.
4- Accusations for this crime have been exchanged between the Israeli government and the Palestinian resistance. Some writers in the West say that Israel is the biggest loser because of such a heinous murder. We assert here that a neutral body must undertake an international investigation in order to locate the murderer who must be punished justly and swiftly. For more details about this crime, we urge readers to read the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shireen_Abu_Akleh
Article II:
The debate concerning praying to the Lord God for the sake of the soul of the late Shireen Abou Akleh, may the Lord God receive her soul in His mercy:
Firstly:
Our International Quranic Center (IQC) in VA, USA, has issued on the 11th of May, 2020, a statement about the brutal murder of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abou Akleh. We repeat it here followed by comments we have received, within our Facebook account, and our replies to them.
(We write the following statement in the name of our VA-based IQC about the murder of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abou Akleh:
1- May the Lord God have mercy on her soul.
2- It is quite shocking that the press in the West has published the news without a single word of condemnation despite the fact that the late journalist was their colleague within the same field of work.
3- We condemn and deplore this brutal murder of an innocent female journalist. We, as a Quranist thinker, are against killing any innocent persons anywhere and in all eras, especially in this case; the late Shireen Abou Akleh was doing her job and wore a tag indicating she was a journalist. This should have prevented her being harmed in any possible way. This means her murder was premeditated and planned.
4- Accusations for this crime have been exchanged between the Israeli government and the Palestinian resistance. Some writers in the West say that Israel is the biggest loser because of such a heinous murder. We assert here that a neutral body must undertake an international investigation in order to locate the murderer who must be punished justly and swiftly.).
The first comment:
(It is ridiculous that you mention justice and neutrality in your statement! The USA is the leading sponsor of terrorism worldwide! Washington supports terrorists every single day, especially inside Palestine. There is no justice even inside the USA to be enjoyed at all by American citizens themselves. As for outside the USA, Washington supports many unjust wars of aggression, terrorists (Wahabi and otherwise), and many grave injustices worldwide. Hence, how will the murderer/sniper who murdered Shireen Abou Akleh be arrested and punished justly? Who will arrest and punish this murderer? The Arab League, the EU, the ICC, the UN, or Amnesty International?!).
Our reply:
(As a Quranist thinker, we have nothing but our pen to write and express our fury and our sentiments. Do you think that we are the ruler of the world?! We are nothing but an angry writer with no weapon but his pen; we wish every furious person would write and express themselves like our person; this may help establish a public opinion which will have considerable influence. Peace be with you.).
The following comment is also by the same writer of the first one who wrote it in reply to our comment to him:
(I am mad at you! Do not defend the USA & Israel! Stop defending criminals!).
The second comment:
(How come, Dr. Mansour, that you write "May the Lord have mercy on her soul" despite the fact that the murdered journalist was a Christian woman? Part of your Quranist belief system includes that non-monotheists or non-Muslims will never enter into Paradise. What do you think? Thank you.).
Our reply:
(Firstly: The Lord God has said the following to Muhammad and to all pious monotheists: "Tell those who believe to forgive those who do not hope for the Days of God. He will fully recompense people for whatever they have earned. Whoever does a good deed, it is for his soul; and whoever commits evil, it is against it; then to your Lord you will be returned." (45:14-15); "We did not create the heavens and the earth, and what lies between them, except with the Truth. The Hour is coming, so forgive with gracious forgiveness." (15:85); "As for his statement: “My Lord, these are a people who do not believe.â€‌ Pardon them, and say, “Peace.â€‌ They will come to know." (43:88-89). Secondly, according to our understanding to the verses we've quoted, we pray to the Lord God all the time to have mercy on souls of anyone who died recently regardless of their religions, doctrines, or lack thereof. When we write/say: (may the Lord God have mercy on his/her soul), we are rewarded by the Lord God for the mentioning/remembrance of His Holy Name. It is enough that a person is peaceful to be a Muslim in terms of behavior regardless of their beliefs; all peaceful human beings are brethren to our person. The differences in faiths and religions will be settled only by the Lord God on the Last Day. Thirdly, as per the Holy Quran, Paradise is only for the pious monotheists; i.e., those who've performed many good deeds within piety and while adhering to monotheism. Of course, monotheism means to believe only in Allah without partners/associates; i.e., without deifying mortals, while submitting one's heart/soul to Allah and His Word: the Holy Quran. As a Quranist thinker, this is our faith which we preach through our website and YouTube videos, while we respect the absolute religious freedom of all people. Every single person has the right to believe in whatever one chooses in any manner; all of the human race will be judged on the Last Day when Allah will settle our religious differences.).
The third comment:
(I've read the Salafist fatwa about not to ask God's forgiveness for the soul of the Christian journalist who got killed in Palestine; yet, what about Abraham's imploring Allah to forgive his disbelieving father as per 9:114? Abraham stopped this supplication when he realized that his father was an enemy of Allah and he disowned his father. I disagree then with the Salafist fatwa since we never know if the late journalist, as well as all Christians in general, is an enemy of Allah or not. Thank you.).
Our reply:
(Imploring Allah to forgive the living/dead ones differs from praying to Him to have mercy on the souls of dead ones. It is forbidden in the Quranic text to implore Allah to forgive sinners/disbelievers who are alive and arrogantly refuse that someone would pray for them. The following is about hypocrites: "And when it is said to them, “Come, the messenger of God will ask forgiveness for you,â€‌ they bend their heads, and you see them turning away arrogantly. It is the same for them, whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them; God will not forgive them. God does not guide the sinful people." (63:5-6). Muhammad used to supplicate to the Lord God to forgive hypocrites and disbelievers, but Allah has commanded him to stop that: "Those who criticize the believers who give charity voluntarily, and ridicule those who find nothing to give except their own efforts - God ridicules them. They will have a painful torment. Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger. God does not guide the sinful people." (9:79-80); "It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are people of Hell-Fire. Abraham asked forgiveness for his father only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he disowned him. Abraham was kind and clement. God would never lead a people astray, after He had guided them, until He makes clear to them what they should guard against. God has knowledge of all things." (9:113-115). These verses are among the ones revealed to Muhammad shortly before his death. As for praying for living/dead ones, it is OK within Islam/Quranism. For instance, Allah commands us to pray to Him for one's parents even if they are/were disbelievers: "Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be good to your parents. If either of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, nor scold them, but say to them kind words. And lower to them the wing of humility, out of mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was a child.â€‌" (17:23-24); "We have entrusted the human being with the care of his parents. His mother carried him through hardship upon hardship, weaning him in two years. So give thanks to Me, and to your parents. To Me is the destination. But if they strive to have you associate with Me, within polytheism, something of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. But keep them company in this life, in kindness, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then to Me is your return; and I will inform you of what you used to do." (31:14-15).).
The fourth comment:
(I've read in a local Egyptian opposition newspaper that the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II of Egypt is said to have said that he feels sad about the murder of Shireen Abou Akleh but he will never meet her in the Kingdom of Heaven since she will not enter it for her being a non-Orthodox! It's as if he were promised Paradise or that Paradise is exclusively reserved for Christian Copts! … This is the same attitude of the Salafist Wahabi clergymen of Satan! It's as if the late journalist does not deserve God's mercy! … What do you think? Thank you.).
Our reply:
(We stand against the big criminals who are enthroned tyrants and all clergymen of all types; they have their religion/path and we have ours.).
The fifth comment:
(Your attitude towards the late Christian journalist indicates that you ally yourself to the polytheistic Christians and that you disregard the Quranic verse 5:51 though you claim to be a Quranist thinker! …).
Our reply:
(Differences in religion among human beings will be settled only by the Lord God on the Last Day as per the Holy Quran. This is part and parcel of our Quranist belief. The Lord God has commanded Muhammad to declare the following: "Say, “Our God, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of all secrets and declarations. You will judge among your servants regarding what they had differed about.â€‌" (39:46). It is an undeniable Quranic fact that in all eras, the vast majority of human beings are disbelieving polytheists who deify things/items, tombs, and mortals alongside with the Lord God. Most polytheists are peaceful ones and the Lord God commands us to deal with them peacefully and justly: "As for those who have not fought against you for your religion, nor expelled you from your homes, God does not prohibit you from dealing with them kindly and equitably. God loves the equitable. But God prohibits you from allying those who fought against you over your religion, and expelled you from your homes, and aided in your expulsion. Whoever takes them for allies - these are the unjust ones." (60:8-9). This does not mean allying oneself to polytheism or to polytheistic aggressors. The Quranic verse 5:51 is about the grave sin of allying oneself to military aggressors such as Christians and Jews in Arabia who attacked the peaceful believers in the Yathreb city-state led by Muhammad: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies; some of them are allies of one another. Whoever of you allies himself with them is one of them. God does not guide the wrongdoing people." (5:51). The context of 5:51 is self-defense military endeavors in Arabia when the People of the Book attacked Yathreb: "You will see those in whose hearts is sickness racing towards them. They say, “We fear the wheel of fate may turn against us.â€‌ But perhaps God will bring about victory, or some event of His making; thereupon they will regret what they concealed within themselves." (5:52). Sadly, Wahabi clergymen of Satan deliberately misuse 5:51 and distort its meaning; they assume that 5:51 is about urging 'Muslims' to disown, persecute, & despise/hate peaceful Christians in all eras indiscriminately. Of course, Wahabi Sunnite religion of Satan divides the world into two categories: 'believers'/Wahabis who must fight and conquer all 'disbelievers'/non-Wahabis as per false hadiths about Muhammad supposedly sent by Allah to fight all human beings to force them to believe! Such silly hadiths were invented decades after Muhammad's death when Arabs conquered many regions to establish an Arab empire and desired to justify their aggression by ascribing it forcibly and falsely to the name of Islam. Likewise, Shiites in their religion of Satan hate, disown, and persecute non-Shiites (or infidels!) who never deify Ali and his two sons and prohibit allying oneself to non-Shiites; the same false doctrine is applied by the Sunnite terrorist MB organization members who despise non-MB people and ally themselves only to their terrorist organization as if the MB members are the only 'true' Muslims!).
Lastly:
May the Lord God have mercy on the soul of the late Shireen Abou Akleh and grant her family members and loved ones patience and comfort.