Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
On November 15, 2018, the Daily Mail Australia published an article entitled Muslim Imam Discovers Sharia Law Book Preaching Jihad And Hostage Taking In Melbourne Airport Islamic Prayer Room. On November 17, 2018, the same article was highlighted in Jihad Watch, under the title of Sharia Manual Preaching Jihad Warfare And Hostage Taking Found In Airport Prayer Room.
The Daily Mail Australia article provides a cache of
intriguing details about an incident that happened in the Muslim prayer
room at the Melbourne, Australia international airport, which also
happens to be the second busiest airport in the country.
In the article, we find that, shortly before boarding his flight, Imam Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi [= Oneness of Allah],
an Iranian-born Shia scholar who openly campaigns against Islamic
extremism, found an Arabic language Shariah manual entitled Fiqh Us-Sunnah [= The Law and The Way] in the prayer room.
As we also discover, the Adelaide-based leader and author, who is known in Australia as the ‘Imam of Peace,’ made a video of himself flicking through the index of Fiqh Us-Sunnah, while pointing out alarming references to [1] jihad, [2] ‘taking hostages at war’ and [3] taxing ‘infidel’ non-Muslims (see details below).
We also learned that Imam Tawhidi told the Daily Mail Australia reporter that this fundamentalist Sunni Islamic law book had the potential to ‘certainly radicalise someone,’ and that ‘It can turn a regular traveller or a frustrated, vulnerable traveller into an extremist,’ while adding that ‘It goes against national security.’
Furthermore, Sheikh Tawhidi stated that Fiqh Us-Sunnah was possibly planted by an activist, that Melbourne airport authorities needed to ‘take action,’ and that ‘It’s
not a one-off matter. The Muslim community should use the liberties in
Australia, the freedoms here, to side with the police against the
radicals.’
And take action they did! Several hours later, Melbourne Airport officials tweeted Sheikh Tawhidi to confirm that they had removed Fiqh Us-Sunnah, written by the well-known Egyptian Sunni Islamic scholar As-Sayyid Sabiq, while adding ‘Thanks
for your message. We have a publicly accessible multi-faith prayer room
open to travellers of various religions.
The book has been removed for
assessment of its suitability.’ At the close of the article in the Daily Mail Australia, we are also informed by the reporter that Fiqh Us-Sunnah is actually a ‘book about the practices of the Prophet Mohammad‘ [= Sunnah], that ‘was authored by a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood [As-Sayyid Sabiq], a pan Islamist group campaigning for a global Islamic caliphate‘ (see more on this below).
It is also important to note that this incident took place in the immediate aftermath of a November 9, 2018 terrorist attack by Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, a Somali-born,
ISIS-linked Sunni Muslim who was shot dead by police after killing
popular 74-year-old restaurateur Sisto Malaspina, and knifing two others
in downtown Melbourne.
Discussion
This incident is remarkably revealing for several reasons. First: Imam Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi put his own life at risk by informing Melbourne Airport authorities about the copy of Fiqh Us Sunnah that he found in the Muslim prayer room. According the Daily Mail Australia article, he actually ‘asked for his travel plans to be kept secret, following threats to his life from Islamic extremists.’
Imam Tawhidi should certainly be commended for his refreshing courage and honesty (i.e., If You See Something, Say Something),
but it also casts a spotlight on an ominous, unavoidable dilemma for
[1] Muslim leaders like him, as well as for [2] the global Islamic
community, and for [3] Law Enforcement and Counter Terrorism authorities
around the world.
