Surprise, surprise, the media has left truth out of war coverage. The truth the media has failed to report is not necessarily a truth of facts, rather it is a truth of words. Osama bin Laden and fascist-thug Saddam Hussein use words such as “jihad,” (so-called holy war) and “mujaheddin,” (so-called holy warriors) that imply the acts associated with these words are in accordance with Islamic law.
In fact the acts of bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and fascist-thug Hussein’s evil regime absolutely are contrary to Islamic law, and when the media use these words they subtly legitimize the acts, especially to Islamic audiences. The press has a responsibility to use the proper Islamic words to describe the terrorists and their actions, or at a minimum to use qualifiers before certain words (example: “so-called jihad.”)
Little has been said or published in the war of words, but one Fulbright Scholar has been working to influence government officials and the media to properly wage the propaganda war against terrorism. Jim Guirard, president of the Washington, D.C.-based TrueSpeak Institute and former chief-of-staff to United States Senators Allen Ellender and Russell Long, has written several memoranda and articles on the subject. TrueSpeak Institute advocates truth-in-history and truth-in-language in public discourse.
The following words and their definitions are taken from Guirard’s articles and can be found in the text of the Qur’an, and I suggest that Americans, especially the press, get to know them:
Hirabah (hee-RAH-bah)- Islam’s word for the forbidden wanton killing of innocents, non-combatants and even contrary Muslims; a terroristic “war against society,” or loosely speaking, an “unholy war.”
Mufsidoon (moof-see-DOON)- Islam’s word for those evildoers (President Bush’s favorite word for these criminals) who engage in such forbidden, terroristic warfare; roughly speaking, “unholy warriors.”
It is especially important for the press to begin calling bin Laden’s unholy war and those who wage it what they are, a hirabah (unholy war) fought by mufsidoon (unholy warriors).
Several Islamic scholars support Guirard’s position, including distinguished professor Khaled Abou el Fadl of UCLA, who defines Hirabah as “killing by stealth and targeting a defenseless victim in a way intended to cause terror in society.”
Jehad Mahmoud, president of the Baton Rouge Islamic Council, said Osama bin Laden uses the word “jihad” to advance his cause, but it does not mean “holy war” as bin Laden claims. Mahmoud said “jihad” really means “to strive to correct oneself, to be the best worshipper of the lord.”
“Hirabah represents an Unholy War against innocent civilians. The truth stands clear from falsehood. Hirabah can never be confused as ‘Jihad’ (holy war), as much as Al Qaeda would like to label their heinous acts against humanity as Jihad … Hirabah is forbidden and sanctioned not only by the teachings of Qur’an but also by the Bible and Torah — all three Abrahamic faiths,” said Dr. Akhtar Emon, president of the Arabic Language Institute Foundation.
The press also should stop using the word “infidel” when reporting fascist-thug Hussein’s opinion of anyone who disagrees with him. The Qur’an specifically states that Christians and Jews are not infidels but are worshipers of the same God as Muslims. The press should not inadvertently support use of the word infidels by blasphemers.
Fighting terrorist ideology and countering terrorist propaganda with the truth about Islam and Islamic law is vital to crushing terrorism. By using words such as jihad, the press is in fact affirming and legitimizing Al Qaeda terror and the evil of its leader, Osama bin Laden. The press and all Muslims must condemn the evil Hirabah fought by bin Laden’s mufsidoon, and in the process help defeat blaspheming Osama bin Laden’s terror and fascist Hussein and his band of blasphemer-thugs.