Jim Crowe
09-30-2004, 08:58 PM
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-norway-suicide-bomb-debate,0,6061885.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines
OSLO, Norway -- A leader of one of Norway's most respected Islamic groups defended the use of suicide bombings in certain cases and stirred a debate Wednesday in this Nordic country that sees itself as a beacon of peace and nonviolence.
Reaction was so strong that the foreign minister took the rare step of condemning the statement.
On the discussion boards of the Islamic Association of Norway's Web site, a reader asked whether Islam permitted suicide attacks. The answer -- that it sometimes does -- sparked concern and incredulousness.
In his reply, Basim Ghozlan, one of the association's leaders, said that suicide is generally forbidden by Islam, but he added that if it is done during war and is the only option, then it could be done.
"If the war is legal, ... from an Islamic perspective, and if one has no other way of hitting the enemy by other than sacrificing their own life, then it is allowed," he wrote in a Sept. 16 posting, which was first reported by Norwegian media Wednesday.
He also wrote that suicide attacks should not harm innocent bystanders, singling out the deaths in Iraq of civilians there.
But it was his tacit endorsement of the suicide bombings waged by Palestinians against Israeli settlers and soldiers that drew harsh condemnation. Norway, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, has been a key player in trying to bring peace to that region.
"What happens in occupied territories, where suicide bombers attack settlers and soldiers, is another matter. It has to be discussed on a case-by-case basis," he wrote.
When reached by telephone, Ghozlan said he stood by his remarks, but added that the reaction was strong because, in part, his remarks were misinterpreted.
"We all agree that innocent people and children must be protected," he told the AP.
As far as attacks on Israeli settlers, Ghozlan said only that "I am not a leader who gives orders. This is only an opinion."
Norway's small Muslim community -- less than 1 percent of the country's 4.6 million residents -- moved to distance itself from the remarks.
A leading Muslim politician, Ali Khan, said there is no support in Islam's holy book, the Quran, for suicide bombings.
"The Quran, among other things, says that to kill one person is to kill all of humanity," he told the Norwegian news agency NTB.
Foreign Minister Jan Petersen deplored Ghozlan's statement, which he said "portrays suicide bombings as a legitimate means of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue."
He reiterated the Norwegian stance that the conflict, now in its fourth year, can be settled only through diplomacy and through the secretly negotiated Oslo Agreement peace accord in 1993, which is in tatters.
"I presume that the vast majority of Muslims in Norway, even those who are critical of Israel, deplore Mr. Ghozlan's statements," Petersen said.
OSLO, Norway -- A leader of one of Norway's most respected Islamic groups defended the use of suicide bombings in certain cases and stirred a debate Wednesday in this Nordic country that sees itself as a beacon of peace and nonviolence.
Reaction was so strong that the foreign minister took the rare step of condemning the statement.
On the discussion boards of the Islamic Association of Norway's Web site, a reader asked whether Islam permitted suicide attacks. The answer -- that it sometimes does -- sparked concern and incredulousness.
In his reply, Basim Ghozlan, one of the association's leaders, said that suicide is generally forbidden by Islam, but he added that if it is done during war and is the only option, then it could be done.
"If the war is legal, ... from an Islamic perspective, and if one has no other way of hitting the enemy by other than sacrificing their own life, then it is allowed," he wrote in a Sept. 16 posting, which was first reported by Norwegian media Wednesday.
He also wrote that suicide attacks should not harm innocent bystanders, singling out the deaths in Iraq of civilians there.
But it was his tacit endorsement of the suicide bombings waged by Palestinians against Israeli settlers and soldiers that drew harsh condemnation. Norway, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, has been a key player in trying to bring peace to that region.
"What happens in occupied territories, where suicide bombers attack settlers and soldiers, is another matter. It has to be discussed on a case-by-case basis," he wrote.
When reached by telephone, Ghozlan said he stood by his remarks, but added that the reaction was strong because, in part, his remarks were misinterpreted.
"We all agree that innocent people and children must be protected," he told the AP.
As far as attacks on Israeli settlers, Ghozlan said only that "I am not a leader who gives orders. This is only an opinion."
Norway's small Muslim community -- less than 1 percent of the country's 4.6 million residents -- moved to distance itself from the remarks.
A leading Muslim politician, Ali Khan, said there is no support in Islam's holy book, the Quran, for suicide bombings.
"The Quran, among other things, says that to kill one person is to kill all of humanity," he told the Norwegian news agency NTB.
Foreign Minister Jan Petersen deplored Ghozlan's statement, which he said "portrays suicide bombings as a legitimate means of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue."
He reiterated the Norwegian stance that the conflict, now in its fourth year, can be settled only through diplomacy and through the secretly negotiated Oslo Agreement peace accord in 1993, which is in tatters.
"I presume that the vast majority of Muslims in Norway, even those who are critical of Israel, deplore Mr. Ghozlan's statements," Petersen said.