The following is research published today from the MEMRI Special Dispatch Series and TV Monitor Project. Special Dispatch No. 4538–Lebanon/Hizbullah Following are excerpts from an interview with former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush, which aired on LBC TV on February 16, 2012: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/189/0/3331.htm. Mustafa Alloush: "Hitler also... I have the right to say this. I heard you out." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6136.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4537–Saudi Arabia/Islam and the West/Democratization and Reform in the Arab and Muslim World Following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi scholar 'Aql Al-Bahili, which aired on Daleel TV on February 3, 2012: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3325.htm. 'Aql Al-Bahili: "I know and I acknowledge that there is freedom in the Koran. Many Koranic texts state that people are free. But when the political implementation of a certain ideology has failed to accomplish justice for over 1,400 years, whereas others [i.e. the West] have managed to instate justice by means of a [different] political ideology, I believe that even though [Islamic justice] preceded them, this does not detract from the credit due to those who have reformed the path of human society, infusing it with freedom through an ideological platform other than Islam. Today, all the Islamists acknowledge that the freedom enjoyed in the West is a hundred times better than in the Islamic countries." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6135.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4536–Democratization and Reform in the Arab and Muslim World Following are excerpts from a TV report on former Indonesian Islamist terrorist Nasir Abbas, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on October 28, 2011. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3320.htm. Nasir Abbas: "When I was a member of Al-Jama'a Al-Islamiyya, I got the position of a leader since April 2001, to be chief of region number three (which includes Indonesia and Malaysia). I want to tell the truth. I want to tell them (in this organization) that they are making a mistake. They are not waging Jihad. It does not matter that Abu Bakar Baashir says that the people who carry out the bombings are muhjahideen. I say that they are not muhjahideen, because they are not operating in the venue of Jihad or in the battlefield. They cannot be called muhjahideen, because they kill girls, women, and children, who are unarmed and are not enemies. How can they say they are fighting enemies? This makes no sense." To read the full report, visit www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6134.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4535—South Asia Studies Project The Indian government has recently been urged to recognize the 19th century Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib by posthumously awarding him Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. Ghalib may not be bestowed with the honor, but his supporters hope that such recognition will advance the Sufi thoughts of Ghalib and strengthen moderate Islamic forces. Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) was a cosmopolitan poet of Delhi who wrote mainly in Urdu but also in Persian, and lived during the last decades of the Mughal rule in India. In his poetry, Ghalib is known for walking a fine line between religion and life, thereby challenging the orthodox and leaving them without answers on questions of faith and worldly things. February 15th marks the 142nd anniversary of the death of Ghalib, who is recited popularly for the depth of meaning of simple words he regularly uses in his couplets. The appeal for awarding him the Bharat Ratna was made by Justice Markandey Katju, the chairman of the Press Council of India and a former Supreme Court judge. He has been supported by numerous Ghalib fans, including Asghar Ali Engineer, a renowned Islamic reformist writer in India. Justice Katju was slammed by some critics who argued that such a move could open Pandora's Box and demands could be made to award Bharat Ratna to Hindu gods. Expressing support for Justice Katju's call, Asghar Ali Engineer argued that Ghalib was not only a follower of Wahdat al-Wujud, a liberal school of Sufism (Islamic mysticism), but also represented the ethos of modern India. In another article, Pakistani writer Dr. Mohammad Taqi argued that Ghalib's Sufi ideas need to be studied, adding that he followed a distinct strand of Sufism. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6133.htm.MEMRI Daily-February 29, 2012: Fmr Lebanese MP Compares Nasrallah to Goebbels; Saudi Scholar: Freedom in the West is 'a Hundred Times Better than in Islamic Countries'; Reformed Indonesian Islamist Terrorist Combats Extremism through Comic Book
Former Lebanese MP Mustafa Alloush Compares Hassan Nasrallah to Goebbels and the Ideology of Iran to Hitler's Ideology
Saudi Scholar 'Aql Al-Bahili: 'The Freedom Enjoyed in the West is a Hundred Times Better than in Islamic Countries'
Reformed Indonesian Islamist Terrorist Nasir Abbas Tells His Life Story in Comic Book Designed to Combat Extremism
In India, Call for Recognizing Sufi Ideas of 19th Century Urdu Poet Mirza Ghalib
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
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