.

Ruling on celebrating the Prophet’s birthday

Celebrating the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is forbidden and is to be rejected for a number of reasons:

1 – it is not part of the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or of the khaleefahs who succeeded him. Since this is the case, then it is a forbidden innovation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs after me; adhere to it and cling to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented things, for every newly-invented thing is an innovation (bid’ah) and every innovation is a going-astray. " (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no. 2676).

Celebrating the Mawlid is an innovation introduced by the Shi’a Faatimids after the three best centuries in order to corrupt the religion of the Muslims. If a person does anything in order to draw closer to Allaah which was not done by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or enjoined by him, and was not done by the khaleefahs who succeeded him, this action implies that he is accusing the Messenger of not explaining the religion to the people, and that he disbelieves in the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

"This day, I have perfected your religion for you"

[al-Maa'idah 5:3]

  because he is adding something extra and claiming that it is a part of the religion, but the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not bring this.

2 – Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is an imitation of the Christians, because they celebrate the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him). Imitating them is extremely haraam. The hadeeth tells us that it is forbidden to imitate the kuffaar, and we are commanded to differ from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them" (narrated by Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4/314). And he said, "Be different from the mushrikeen" (narrated by Muslim, 1/222, no. 259) – especially with regard to things that are the symbols or rituals of their religion.

3 – Besides being bid’ah and an imitation of the Christians, both of which are haraam, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is also a means that leads to exaggeration and excess in venerating him, which even goes as far as calling upon him (making du’aa’ to him) and seeking his help, instead of calling upon Allaah, as happens now among many of those who observe the bid’ah of the Mawlid, when they call upon the Messenger instead of Allaah, and ask him for support, and sing qaseedahs (odes) of shirk praising him, like Qaseedat al-Burdah etc. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade going to extremes in praising him, as he said: "Do not extol as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam. For I am just His slave, so say, the slave of Allaah and His Messenger" (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4/142, no. 3445; al-Fath, 6/551), i.e., do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the Messiah and venerated him until they worshipped him instead of Allaah. Allaah forbade them to do that when he said (interpretation of the meaning):

"O people of the Scripture (Christians) ! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, ("Be!" — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him"

[al-Nisaa' 4:171]

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to exaggerate concerning him lest the same thing happen to us as happened to them, so he said: "Beware of exaggeration, for those who came before you were destroyed because of exaggeration" (narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 5/268; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, no. 2863).

4 – Observing the innovation of the Prophet’s birthday opens the door to other kinds of bid’ah and being distracted by them from the Sunnah. Hence you find that the innovators are very active when it comes to bid’ah and very lazy when it comes to the Sunnah; they hate it and regard those who follow it as enemies, until their entire religion is innovated anniversaries and Mawlids. They have split into various groups, each of which commemorates the anniversary of its imaam’s birth, such as the births of al-Badawi, Ibn ‘Arabi, al-Dasooqi and al-Shaadhili. No sooner do they end the celebration of one birthday but they start the celebration of another. This results in exaggeration concerning these dead people and others, and in calling upon them instead of Allaah, believing that they can bring benefit and cause harm, until they deviate from the religion of Allaah and go back to the religion of the people of the Jaahiliyyah of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And they worship besides Allaah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allaah’"

[Yoonus 10:18]

"And those who take Awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah’"

[al-Zumar 39:3]

Discussing the specious arguments of those who celebrate the Mawlid

Those who think that this bid’ah should be continued produce specious arguments which are flimsier than a spider’s web. These specious arguments may be dealt with as follows:

1 – Their claim that this is veneration of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

The response to that is that the way to venerate him is to obey him, do as he commanded and avoid that which he forbade, and to love him; he is not to be venerated through innovations, myths and sins. Celebrating his birthday is of this blameworthy type because it is a sin. The people who venerated the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the most were the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), as ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ood said to Quraysh: "O people, by Allaah I have visited kings. I went to Caesar, Chosroes and the Negus, but by Allaah I never saw a king whose companions venerated him as much as the companions of Muhammad venerated Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). By Allaah, whenever he spat it never fell on the ground, it fell into into the hand of one his companions, then they wiped their faces and skins with it. If he instructed them to do something, they would hasten to do as he commanded. When he did wudoo’, they would almost fight over his water. When he spoke they would lower their voices in his presence; and they did not stare at him out of respect for him." (al-Bukhaari, 3/178, no. 2731, 2732; al-Fath, 5/388). Yet despite this level of veneration, they never took the day of his birth as an ‘Eid (festival). If that had been prescribed in Islam they would not have neglected to do that.

2 – Using as evidence the fact that many people in many countries do this.

The response to that is that evidence consists of that which is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and what is proven from the Prophet is that innovations are forbidden in general, and this is an innovation. What people do, if it goes against the evidence (daleel), does not prove anything, even if many of them do it.

"And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allaah’s path"

[al-An'aam 6:116 – interpretation of the meaning]

Nevertheless, in every age, praise be to Allaah, there have always been those who denounce this bid’ah and state clearly that it is false. Those who persist in following it after the truth had been explained to them have no proof.

Among those who denounced the celebration of this occasion was Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, in Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem; Imaam al-Shaatibi in al-’I’tisaam; Ibn al-Haaj in al-Madkhil; Shaykh Taaj al-Deen ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar al-Lakhami who wrote an entire book denouncing it; Shaykh Muhammad Basheer al-Sahsawaani al-Hindi in his book Siyaanah al-Insaan; al-Sayyid Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa wrote a separate essay on this topic; Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem Aal al-Shaykh wrote a separate essay on it; Shaykh ‘Abd al-’Azeez ibn Baaz; and others who are still writing and denouncing this bid’ah every year in the pages of newspapers and magazines, at the time when this bid’ah is being done.

3 – They say that by celebrating the Mawlid they are keeping the memory of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) alive.

The answer to that is that the memory of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is constantly kept alive by the Muslim, such as when his name (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned in the adhaan and iqaamah and in khutbahs, and every time the Muslim recites the Shahaadatayn after doing wudoo’ and in the prayers, and every time he sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his prayers and when he is mentioned, and every time the Muslim does a waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended) action that was prescribed by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). In all of these ways (the Muslim) remembers him and the reward equivalent to the reward of the one who does that action goes back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Thus the Muslim constantly keeps the memory of the Messenger alive and has a connection with him night and day throughout his life through that which Allaah has prescribed, not only on the day of the Mawlid and things which are bid’ah and go against the Sunnah, for that puts one at a distance from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Messenger will disown him because of that.

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has no need of this innovated celebration, because Allaah has already bestowed veneration and respect upon him, as He says:

"and raised high your fame"

[al-Sharh 94:4]

For Allaah is not mentioned in the adhaan, iqaamah or khutbah, but the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned after Him; this is sufficient veneration, love and renewal of his memory, ad sufficient encouragement to follow him.

Allaah did not refer to the birth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the Qur’aan, rather He referred to his Mission, and says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves"

[Aal 'Imraan 3:124]

"He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves"

[al-Jumu'ah 64:2]

4 – They may say that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was introduced by a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allaah.

Our response to that is that bid’ah is not acceptable, no matter who does it. A good intention does not justify a bad deed and even if a person died as a knowledgeable and righteous person, this does not mean that he was infallible.

5 – They say that celebrating the mawlid comes under the heading of bid’ah hasanah ("good innovation") because it is based on giving thanks to Allaah for the Prophet!

Our response to that is that there is nothing good in innovation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355).  And he said, "Every innovation is a going astray" (narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi, no. 2676). The ruling on innovations is that they are all misguidance, but this specious argument suggests that not every bid’ah is a going astray, rather there are good innovations.

Al-Haafiz ibn Rajab said in Sharh al-Arba’een: "The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘every innovation is a going astray’ is a concise but comprehensive comment which includes everything; it is one of the most important principles of religion. It is like his words ‘Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.’ (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3/167, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355). Whoever innovates anything and attributes it to Islam when it has no basis in the religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islam, whether that has to do with matters of belief (’aqeedah) or outward and inward words and deeds."

(Jaami’ al-’Uloom wa’l-Hakam, p. 233)

These people have no proof that there is any such thing as a "good innovation" apart from the words of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) concerning Taraaweeh prayers, "What a good innovation this is." (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 2/252, no. 2010 mu’allaqan; al-Fath 4/294).

They also said that things were innovated which were not denounced by the salaf, such as compiling the Qur’aan into one volume and writing and compiling the hadeeth.

The response to that is that these matters had a basis in Islam, so they were not newly-invented.

‘Umar said: "What a good bid’ah" meaning innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar’i sense. Whatever has a basis in Islam, if it is described as an innovation, is an innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar’i sense, because innovation in the shar’i sense means that which has no basis in Islam.

Compiling the Qur’aan into one book has a basis in Islam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had commanded that the Qur’aan be written down, but it was scattered, so the Sahaabah compiled it in one volume so as so protect and preserve it.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in praying Taraaweeh for a while, then he stopped doing that, lest that become obligatory on them. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) continued to pray it separately during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and after his death, until ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with them) gathered them behind one imaam as they used to pray behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This was not an innovation introduced into the religion.

Writing down the hadeeth also has a basis in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered that some ahaadeeth should be written down for some of his companions when they asked him for that. In general terms writing it down during his lifetime was not allowed, for fear that the Qur’aan might be mixed with things that were not part of it. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this fear was no longer a factor, because the Qur’aan had been completed and arranged in order before he died. The Muslims compiled the Sunnah after that in order to preserve it and keep it from being lost. May Allaah reward them with good on behalf of Islam and the Muslims, because they preserved the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from being lost or being tampered with.

We may also say to them: why was this act of thanksgiving, as they call it, not done by the best generations, the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and followers of the Taabi’een, who loved the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) most and who were most keen to do good and give thanks? Are those who introduced the innovation of the Mawlid more rightly-guided than them? Do they give more thanks to Allaah? Definitely not!

6 – They may say that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is indicative of their love for him; this is one way of showing that, and showing love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is prescribed in Islam!

The answer to that is that undoubtedly loving the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is obligatory for every Muslim; he should love him more than he loves himself, his child, his father and all the people – may my father and mother be sacrificed for him – but that does not mean that we should introduce innovations for doing so that have not been prescribed for us. Loving him dictates that we should obey him and follow him, for that is one of the greatest manifestations of love, as it is said:

"If your love is sincere then obey him; for the lover obeys the one whom he loves."

Loving the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) implies keeping his Sunnah alive, adhering firmly to it, and avoiding words and deeds that go against it. Undoubtedly everything that goes against his Sunnah is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) and a manifest act of disobedience. That includes celebrating his birthday and other kinds of bid’ah. A good intention does not mean that it is permissible to introduce innovations into the religion. Islam is based on two things, purity of intention and following [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)]. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (a doer of good)  then his reward is with his Lord (Allaah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve"

[al-Baqarah 2:112]

Submitting one’s face to Allaah means being sincere towards Allaah, and doing good means following the Messenger and implementing the Sunnah.

7 – Another of their specious arguments is when they say that by celebrating the Mawlid and reading the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on this occasion, they are encouraging people to follow his example!

We say to them that reading the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and following his example are required of the Muslim all the time, all year long and throughout his life. Singling out a specific day for that with no evidence for doing so is an innovation, and every innovation is a going astray." (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/164; al-Tirmidhi, 2676). Bid’ah does not bear any fruit but evil and it leads to a person distancing himself from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

In conclusion, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whatever form it takes, is a reprehensible innovation. The Muslims should put a stop to this and other kinds of bid’ah, and occupy themselves with reviving and adhering to the Sunnah.  They should not be deceived by those who promote and defend this bid’ah, for these types of people are more interested in keeping innovations alive than in reviving the Sunnah; they may not even care about the Sunnah at all. Whoever is like this, it is not permissible to imitate him or follow his example, even if the majority of people are like this. Rather we should follow the example of those who follow the path of the Sunnah, among the righteous salaf and their followers, even if they are few. Truth is not measured by the men who speak it, rather men are measured by the truth.                                                                        

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever among you lives (for a long time) will see many differences. I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs who come after me. Hold on to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every innovation is a going astray." (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no. 2676). So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained to us in this hadeeth what we should do when there are differences of opinion, just as he explained that everything that goes against his Sunnah, be it words or deeds, is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going astray.

If we see that there is no basis for celebrating the birthday of the Prophet, whether in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or in the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs, then it is one of the newly-invented matters, one of the bid’ahs which lead people astray. This principle is what is implied by this hadeeth and is what is indicated by the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination"

[al-Nisaa' 4:59]

Referring to Allaah means referring to His Book, and referring to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) means referring to his Sunnah after he has passed away. The Qur’aan and Sunnah are the reference point in cases of dispute. Where in the Qur’aan or Sunnah does it indicate that it is prescribed in Islam to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday? Whoever does that or thinks that it is good must repent to Allaah from this and from other kinds of bid’ah. This is the attitude of the Muslim who is seeking the truth. But whoever is too stubborn and arrogant after proof has been established, then his reckoning will be with his Lord.

We ask Allaah to help us adhere to His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger until the Day when we will meet Him. May Allaah grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Huqooq al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bayna al-Ijlaal wa’l-Ikhlaal, p. 139

Shaykh Dr. Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

Member of the Committee of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia.

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Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)

 

                     
                     

                     

Hamas logo. Image: Wikipedia

                     

The term "Hamas" is an acronym for the Arabic phrase: Harakat al-Muqawima al-Islamiyya
(Islamic Resistance Movement) and means "enthusiasm, fire, ardor,
fervor, zeal or fanaticism." The group known by this acronym was formed
in December 1987 or early 1988 – accounts differ – as the Gaza wing of
the Ikhwan al-Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood) in the Gaza Strip.

                     

This
dossier provides an overview of the history, organization and
activities of Hamas, including its social programs, funding and
relations with Fatah and Israel. The dossier also includes profiles of
the major leaders of Hamas, full-text versions of the Hamas Covenant
and the Prisoner’s Document, as well as additional reading and
resources on the subject area.

                     

Hamas favors the formation of a state governed by a strict interpretation of Shariah (Islamic law) and asserts that the struggle
to win control of all of historical Palestine (Israel, the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank) is a religious duty attendant on all Palestinian
Muslims. Hundreds of Israelis have died in attacks conducted by Hamas,
which has been declared a terrorist entity by the European Union, the
United States, Australia, Canada and others.

                     

The
Hamas electoral victories in 2005 and 2006 brought the movement to the
fore of the government in Palestine and international isolation
(Israel, the US and EU suspended ties with the Palestinian Authority
(PA) and instituted an aid and tax payment boycott). Though
ideologically committed to the replacement of the secular PA with a
fully Islamic state, the government under Hamas has not moved to
forcefully impose Shariah law; most cultural struggles have been
relegated to the local level.

                     

On
27 June 2006, Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement that included the
forming of a national unity government. On 8 February 2007, Hamas and
Fatah signed a deal to end factional warfare that had killed nearly 200
Palestinians and to form a coalition, hoping this would lead Western
powers to lift the crippling sanctions imposed on the Hamas-led
government. (Source: Wikipedia)

                     

Some
observers have pointed to signs of a developing power struggle between
Hamas’ Damascus-based political bureau and the administration of Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh over control of the movement’s agenda. Attacks
by Hamas’ military wing (Izzedin al-Qassam) and negotiations between
the Hamas-led government and Fatah-held presidency were the most
obvious indicators of this power struggle.

                     

The
situation peaked with Hamas’ seizure of control of the Gaza Strip in
June 2007. The Palestinian government (led by Prime Minister Haniyah)
was subsequently dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah who
established an emergency (Fatah-led) government, which has been deemed
illegitimate by Hamas and its supporters.

                     

By Dominic Moran
                      ISN Security Watch

MANY NASHEED 2 DOWNLOAD

By
            Abdus Sattar Ghazali

         

07 March,
            2008
            Countercurrents.org

         

"The
            issue of oil in Darfur isn’t very different from the issue of oil
            anywhere else," says Mike Aaronson, director general of British
            NGO Save the Children. "It’s potentially a tremendous blessing,
            and potentially a tremendous handicap. It’s not without reason that
            people talk about the oil curse. The reality is that many countries
            that have the greatest mineral wealth are also the ones with the conflicts."
            
            Oil Discovery Adds New Twist to Darfur Tragedy By Ruth Gidley
            - June 15, 2005

         

The
            forgotten oil war in Sudan is again in news. Fresh clashes between
            Sudan People’s Liberation Movement units and fighters from the Misseriya
            community in the oil-rich Abyei region have left scores dead and the
            two sides trading blame over who was responsible for the latest skirmishes.
            

         

The deadly
            clashes in the volatile Abyei region provoke fears of renewed conflict
            as tension between the north and south as vicious tug-of-war continues
            over rights to the Abyei region.

         

Fighting
            in the north-south border region of Abyei stopped following the signing
            of the January 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended 21
            years of war that reportedly claimed the lives of an estimated two
            million people and displaced some four million.

         

The relative
            quiet has facilitated the exploitation of oil reserves in the region.
            U.S. oil companies have known about Sudan’s oil wealth since the 1970s
            when Chevron discovered big oil reserves in the south. The corporation
            estimated that "Sudan had more oil than Iran and Saudi Arabia
            together."

         

Tellingly,
            just as the long war in southern Sudan drew to an uneasy close, rebels
            in the western region of Darfur, organized in the Sudan Liberation
            Movement/Army (SLM/SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), rose
            up against Khartoum, in 2003. The rebel groups have ties with pro-west
            former rebels in southern Sudan who fought a decades-long civil war
            against the central government. The war in Darfur did not come out
            of the blue, of course. It is known to have major yet untapped substantial
            oil reserves. Sudan announced in April 2005 that its ABCO corporation
            – which is 37 percent owned by Swiss company Clivenden –
            had begun drilling for oil in Darfur.

         

The mass
            media in the Britain and France and US writes a great deal about the
            suffering in the Darfur region. But it writes very little about the
            economic interests these three countries have in the oil recently
            discovered in this part of Africa.

         

The corporate
            oil companies and the Pentagon cannot justify an intervention against
            Sudan based on wanting to dominate the country’s natural resources.
            They must resort to humanitarian slogans. "Stop Genocide"
            or "Protect the Rights of Ethnic Minorities" has a better
            ring.

         

 

         

People
            in the United States and the West have been bombarded regularly with
            the alleged crimes committed by the Sudanese government. By most media
            accounts, at least 200,000 people have died in Sudan’s Darfur region
            since the conflict began in 2003.

         

 

         

Whatever
            the real numbers are, no doubt there is a humanitarian crisis. Lack
            of food, water and arable land in the region has contributed to the
            situation. But even the United Nations acknowledges that the conflict
            is not "genocide." A five-man panel UN mission led by Italian
            Judge Antonio Cassese reported in 2004 that genocide had not been
            committed in Darfur, rather grave human rights abuses were committed.
            It is a war stemming from the economic realities of Sudan.

         

The Bush
            administration, insisting that genocide has been going on in Darfur
            since 2003, has sought deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in
            Darfur to replace an ineffective African Union force. Sudan resisted
            the U.N. troops until President Bush announced on May 29, 2007, that
            he was imposing new unilateral economic sanctions against Sudan for
            failing to allow the deployment and end its support for the janjaweed
            militia. Three weeks later, Sudan announced it had reached a deal
            with the United Nations to allow an international force of 20,000
            troops to shore up a struggling 7,000-member African Union force.
            

         

The United
            States has maintained a trade embargo against Sudan since 1997, so
            there is no legal U.S. investment in the country. Cliveden, the biggest
            stakeholder in ABCO corporation (exploring oil in Darfur), is a Swiss
            company, but an investigation for British television Channel 4 revealed
            that Cliveden’s chief executive, Friedholm Eronat, swapped his U.S.
            passport for a British one shortly before signing an oil deal with
            the Khartoum government in October 2003.

         

Chinese
            connection

         

China’s
            oil-related diplomacy is another major factor in the US-Sudan relations.
            China is Sudan’s largest investor and buys 80 percent of its oil output.
            Washington accuses Beijing of trying to "secure oil at the sources,"
            something Washington foreign policy has itself been preoccupied with
            for at least a Century.

         

The US
            sees China as their growing competitor for Sudan’s oil. China has
            helped Sudan build up its oil exporting industry independently of
            the US. Not surprisingly, allowing a rival world power such as China
            to influence an African country with major oil supplies flies in the
            face of the U.S. goal of outright control of the world’s major oil
            resources.

         

Beijing’s
            China National Petroleum Company, CNPC, is Sudan’s largest foreign
            investor, with some $5 billion in oil field development. Since 1999
            China has invested at least $15 billion in Sudan. It owns 50% of an
            oil refinery near Khartoum with the Sudan government.

         

China plays
            a different role in Sudan and other African countries. China has actually
            helped Sudan’s economic development while serving its own needs for
            oil. With its more than $1.3 trillion in mainly US dollar reserves,
            China has been generous in dispensing its soft loans, with no interest
            or outright grants to some of the poorest debtor states of Africa.
            The loans have gone to infrastructure including highways, hospitals,
            and schools, a stark contrast to the brutal austerity demands of the
            IMF and World Bank. In 2006 China committed more than $8 billion to
            Nigeria, Angola and Mozambique, versus $2.3 billion to all sub-Saharan
            Africa from the World Bank. Unlike the World Bank, a de facto arm
            of US foreign economic policy, China attaches no strings to its loans.
            

         

Tellingly,
            African countries have now begun to argue that the World Bank and
            the IMF have become irrelevant to them because they can get aid packages
            and investment from China without the strings that are attached to
            money from the US-backed international financial organizations.

         

US Covert
            Operations

         

The war
            in Sudan involves both US covert operations and US trained "rebel"
            factions coming in from South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Uganda. F.
            William Engdahl, author of the book, ‘A Century of War: Anglo-American
            Oil Politics and the New World Order,’ provides an insight into the
            covert US operations in southern Sudan and Darfur:

         

"The
            United States, acting through surrogate allies in Chad and neighboring
            states has trained and armed the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army, headed
            until his death in July 2005, by John Garang, trained at US Special
            Forces school at Fort Benning, Georgia.

         

"By
            pouring arms into first southern Sudan in the eastern part and since
            discovery of oil in Darfur, to that region as well, Washington fuelled
            the conflict that led to tens of thousands dying and several million
            driven to flee their homes. Eritrea hosts and supports the SPLA, the
            umbrella NDA opposition group, and the Eastern Front and Darfur rebels.
            

         

"The
            Pentagon has been busy training African military officers in the US,
            much as it has for Latin American officers for decades. Its International
            Military Education and Training (IMET) program has provided training
            to military officers from Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Cameroon and the
            Central African Republic, in effect every country on Sudan’s border.
            Much of the arms that have fuelled the killing in Darfur and the south
            have been brought in via murky, protected private "merchants
            of death" such as the notorious former KGB operative, now with
            offices in the US, Victor Bout. Bout has been cited repeatedly in
            recent years for selling weapons across Africa. US Government officials
            strangely leave his operations in Texas and Florida untouched despite
            the fact he is on the Interpol wanted list for money laundering.

         

"US
            development aid for all Sub-Sahara Africa including Chad, has been
            cut sharply in recent years while its military aid has risen. Oil
            and the scramble for strategic raw materials is the clear reason.
            The region of southern Sudan from the Upper Nile to the borders of
            Chad is rich in oil. Washington knew that long before the Sudanese
            government."

         

It is known
            that Ethiopia is one of the most active countries in the 21-year long
            north-south war.
            Eritrea is suspected of having supported the Beja separatist movements
            in the northeastern part of Sudan. Uganda, which claims that Khartoum
            supports the God’s Resistance Army that fights against the Ugandan
            administration, is reportedly among the countries that help the opposition
            groups in Sudan.

         

            There are more than 80 ethnic/religious groups among the 7 million
            inhabitants of Darfur. Some groups have kin relationships with neighboring
            country, Chad. Chad President Idris Deby is a member of the Zaghawa
            tribe in Darfur. It is stated that three presidents, who held power
            in Chad, directed their fights from Darfur.

         

According
            to Engdahl, the present concern of the current Washington Administration
            over Darfur in southern Sudan is not, if we were to look closely,
            genuine concern over genocide against the peoples in that poorest
            of poor part of a forsaken section of Africa. No. "It’s the oil,
            stupid."

         

Sudan is
            Africa’s largest geographical state, nearly a third the size of the
            United States, with a small population of only 30 million.

         

 

         

Abdus
            Sattar Ghazali
            is the Executive Editor of the online magazine American Muslim Perspective:
             www.amperspective.com
            E-Mail: asghazali@gmail.com

         
         

 

         

 

       

         

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