Theology of Osama bin Laden, The
Exported from Holy-Writings.com on 2026-06-18 - 1 clipping

First off, I want to apologize for being absent from the list during this
 very crucial time. I am apparently the only Middle East Historian teaching
 in the Mississippi State Capital. During the Gulf War I was interviewed
 frequently by newspapers and radio, leading eventually to my being invited
 to speak at the Arnold's Weapon Center in Tennessee. I felt I needed to be
 prepared in case similar inquiries were made in the present situation.

 Elianna has raised a question which is not only on our minds, but in the
 minds of my students, indeed in the minds of all Americans and those
 possessing any kind of humanity the world over--what kind of people would
do
 this kind of thing? As you are all aware the primary suspect currently is
 Osama Bin Laden, and even if he is not directly responsible for this
 horrendous act, it seems apparent that it was committed by those closely
 related to him and his theology. I think I should take sometime therefore,
 and explain precisely what that theology is and where it comes from.

 Among the Sunnis, the more militant forms of Islam are mostly inspired by
 the writings of two men, Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb who are responsible for
 turning the religion of Islam into the political ideology which I would
call
 Islamism.

 Mawdudi was originally an Indian journalist before partition who had
adopted
 a fairly rigid form of Islam. He had initially opposed the formation of
the
 state of Pakistan since he knew its founders intended to make it an
entirely
 secular state, despite the fact it was to be founded on the basis of an
 Islamic identity. However, when partition occurred he did immigrate to
 Pakistan and then devoted his energies to turning it into a truly Islamic
 republic according to his definition.

 I first read a book by Mawdudi years ago entitled *The Finality of
 Prophethood.* It was designed to be a refutation of Ahmadi and Bahá'í
claims
 to having prophets after Muhammad. But beyond that this book was basically
a
 Muslim version of *The Late Great Planet Earth.* The most chilling part of
 it was his description of what would happen when the 'true' Mahdi appeared
 along with Jesus Christ. They would lead Muslims in an apocalyptic battle
 against Jews and Christians at, you guessed it, the Plain of Armageddon.

 The second important thinker, and the one who probably had an even greater
 impact on Osama Bin Laden would be the Sayyid Qutb. Sayyid Qutb was an
 Egyptian who early in his career might have been described as a Muslim
 modernists, one who believed that Islam and Western secular ideals could
be
 reconciled. He discarded that idea after coming to study in this country
 between 1948-50. He was treated in America like any other black man and
that
 treatment completely soured him on the West. He came back to Egypt and
 embraced a much more rigid and militaristic form of Islam.

 The form of Islam promoted by men like Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb, and
embraced
 by the Taliban and the current government in the Sudan differs from other
 forms of Sunni Islam in the following ways:

 1) They believe the gate of ijtihad (interpretation) remains open unlike
 most Sunnis who believe it was closed in the 9th century.

 2) The believe in something called *takfir wa hijr.* This means they hold
it
 impermissible for a Muslim to live in a country not governed by Islamic
law
 without seeking to overthrow and make it Islamic. Otherwise they should
 immigrate to a place which is truly Muslim.

 3) They hold that any nominally Muslim government which does not abide by
 the shariah (Islamic law) is therefore really apostate. Such a government
 should be overthrown and its leaders killed. For this reason, hitherto,
most
 of the violence of Islamist groups was aimed at other Muslims.
 This position, I might add, is basically the same one held by the
Kharijites
 in early Islam. The Kharijites were the faction responsible for
 assassinating the Imam Ali and have been considered dangerous heretics by
 both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims alike.

 4) They insist in regarding Christians and Jews as infidels rather than
 people of the book, and therefore are willing to withdraw their protection
 and even persecute them. This is the reason why there has been so much
 violence against Christians in both the Sudan and in Egypt.

 I hope this information will help you in that worthy goal, Bill mentioned
of
 defending the true tenets of Islam and combating the prejudice against
 Muslims in our country and elsewhere.
-- Theology of Osama bin Laden, The (Used by permission of the curator)