A leading Shiite cleric issued a religious edict Tuesday forbidding Muslims from joining the United States in its battle against “terrorism” following last week’s attacks on New York and Washington. Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah issued a fatwa saying that “it is not permissible for any Islamic state, ruler or political organization to extend any assistance to the United States in its war against a Muslim country or group.”
Fadlallah deplored the attacks on innocent civilians but pointed out that American judgment was based on suspicion rather than concrete evidence. The cleric also accused the United States of wielding its military weight against the weak. The fatwa came as Arab and Islamic countries pledged to aid the US in its efforts to crush terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, local Druze spiritual leaders expressed hope that US President George W. Bush would “behave wisely and prudently” in the wake of Tuesday’s attacks, and offered condolences to the American people. “The painful events have aroused feelings of sorrow and denunciation for the loss of innocent lives,” they said in a statement. They also expressed hope that President Bush remain strong and calm to not fall prey to the “gravity of the event.”
They urged him to work for the establishment of a comprehensive peace, which would ensure all people in the region, especially the Palestinians, the right to “live freely.” For its part, Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc said it sympathized with the families of all innocent people killed or wounded wherever they may be. But it warned against “indiscriminate actions that could inflame sanguinary struggles between regimes and people.” The bloc said Lebanon, like Palestine, was still suffering from “Zionist aggression and terrorist practices” and called on the United States to “behave with responsibility free from arrogance.” Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss strongly condemned the attacks but cautioned against embarking on blind retaliation. “Counter-terrorism is first and foremost terrorism,” he said. “Be fair in your understanding of terrorism and the world will stand by you in your battle,” he said, addressing US leaders.
He said the America’s understanding of terrorism was biased because it upheld a policy of favoring “the mightiest terrorist nation in the world, namely Israel,” and called on US foreign policy to be “fair and just” in the Arab world. Hoss criticized the US for regarding resistance against Israeli occupation as terrorism, while “those who occupied our land for more than 20 years, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, are rewarded with money, arms and ammunition for their terrorism.” He also referred to the Qana massacre, where the Jewish state bombed a UNIFIL shelter in 1996, claiming over 100 innocent lives. The disbanded Lebanese Forces also expressed sympathy for dead and wounded resulting from last week’s terrorist attacks. In a statement received by the US state of Maryland, the LF politburo said it shared the grief and prayed for the dead. Sinan Barraj, a human rights lawyer, warned the US of resorting to “any foolish action” that would increase hostility toward it. In a statement, he said such hatred was due to the US “repressing the (Arab) people.” “Irrespective of the crime committed in America and our denunciation of it, any sound person wonders about the reasons for searching for an Arab or Muslim to point accusations at,” he added. The Central Coordination Council, representing the Free Patriotic Movement, the LF and the National Liberal Party, denounced “the terrible, criminal action which placed the world on the brink of a destructive war.” In a statement, the parties said they supported uprooting terrorism but noted the Lebanese people’s “sufferings from terrorism for a quarter of a century ­ not to mention the impact on the country.”