And in the end, the hate you make is equal to the hate you take

This really didn't belong in the music blog. In my view (though others may not concur), it doesn't necessarily belong under the religion tag (though I placed it there). It's more a political than a religious issue.

Although not covered at al Jazeera, it is covered at Ynet News (which ran this story in August announcing McCartney's concert in Tel Aviv on September 25). Ynet News ran a follow-up story on September 15:

The extremist Muslim speaker Omar Bakri Muhammad has declared Paul McCartney "the enemy of every Muslim" due to his decision to perform in Israel in honor of the country's 60th anniversary.

In an interview with the British tabloid 'Sunday Express' Bakri said, “If he values his life Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.”...

The Syrian born orator, defined by CNN News as a friend of al-Qaeda, was excommunicated from the UK and now operates out of Lebanon, where he broadcasts hate-filled sermons over the internet....

And Omar Bakri Muhammad isn't the only one.

Attorney Anjem Choudary, who last week chaired a meeting in London at which extremists claimed the next 9/11 would be in Britain, said Sir Paul had allowed himself to become a propaganda tool for Israel.

The anti-McCartney feeling is not universal among Palestinians.

Omar Barghouti, of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, described Bakri's threat as “deplorable”.

McCartney himself, refusing to back down, has also noted that he wasn't always popular in Israel:

Asked about how members of the Beatles, one of the most popular bands in rock history, felt when the Israeli government scrapped their concert in 1965 on the grounds it could corrupt the nation's youth, McCartney said it was "a bit insulting, the thought we could corrupt the youth."

"The Beatles had a pretty positive influence on the world and only regimes that wanted to control their peoples were afraid of us. We mostly laughed at the Israeli government decision," McCartney said in comments translated into Hebrew.

The main FriendFeed discussion on this issue is here.

And there's a discussion of Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad here. I don't think Rodney on the Roq will like this one. Here's an excerpt:

Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad is a prominent scholar in the Muslim world today for his uncompromising stance on the vital issues which affect the Muslim world.

Yup, offing "the cute one" is a vital issue which affects the Muslim world.

He is recognized as one of the leading figures struggling against the British crusade against Islam and Muslims. The attack against Sheikh Omar and those who struggle against manmade laws and struggle to liberate Muslim land, calling for the establishment of the Shari’ah is inherent in British government policy. This has manifested itself in the British government’s hand in the destruction of the Khilafah in 1924, the illegal occupation of Muslim land as in Afghanistan and Iraq, the giving away of Muslim land such as Palestine and Kashmir, the support of tyrant regimes in Muslim countries, the imprisonment of innocent Muslims and the introduction of many draconian laws targeted at Muslims.

And he doesn't only want to kill the non-Muslims. Certain Muslims have been targeted with a fatwa:

Allying with the Disbelievers
Fatwaa issued by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, 20th of March 2004

After the invasion of Iraq the hidden agenda of the American government and its alliance has become clear for all, whether they are near or far from the region. This agenda is the destruction of Islam and re-drawing the map of the region. This is manifest in the speech of many American senators who could not keep it secret and ambiguous.

It is natural to hear that the Kuffaar (non-Muslims) are fighting the believers, because the animosity of the Kuffaar towards Muslims is an almighty tradition which will always remain, as Allah (swt) says in the Qur'aan: “…And they will never cease fighting you until they turn you back from your Deen (Islam) if they can…” [EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 217]

The divine wisdom of Allah (swt) necessitates that the believers will be tested by the disbelievers, and the disbelievers will be tested by the believers, in order for those who will obey him and fight for His sake, to prevail. The one who declines and allies with the disbelievers, following their path, will be doomed in Hellfire, for Allah (swt) says: “If Allah wished, you would be victorious over them, but (he lets you fight) in order to test some of you with others. But those who are killed in the way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.” [EMQ Muhammad, 47: 4]

Therefore we must not be surprised that the disbelievers are planning to destroy Islam and Muslims, because that is one of their main tasks, even though it is impossible for them to achieve, as their plot will always be exposed until the Day of Judgement. Allah (swt) says: “We will test you in order to see who the Mujaahid (warrior) among you is and who are firm…” [EMQ Muhammad, 47: 31]

Nobody can argue about the animosity of the disbelievers towards the believers, and their plot against them, except the ignorant i.e. those whose opinions are meaningless. However, what is surprising is to see Muslims going astray having been misled by those who are impressed with the disbelievers and their plots, and surely nobody is impressed by the disbelievers but the ignorant.

Part of the ignorance and apostasy we see is that Muslims ally with the disbelievers and join their forces, and then call themselves "British Muslim" as members of the British army. They travel long distances, not to liberate places like Jerusalem, but rather in order to stand with the disbelievers and harm Muslims in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Palestine etc.

Dear Muslims, it has come to our attention that some Muslims have been misled by other defeated, deviant Muslims who request, on behalf of the British government, for Muslims to join the British army in their onslaught and crusade against Islam and Muslims. And a similar example can be found for some Muslims in America, who have also started to join the US army. Allah (swt) forbids this explicitly in the Qur'aan: “O Believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as an alliance, they are only allies to each other, and whosoever allies with them, he is one of them, and Allah does not guide the oppressors.” [EMQ al-Maa-idah, 5: 51-52]

And: “You will never find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger (i.e. the Kuffaar and apostates), even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred (people).” (EMQ al-Mujaadalah, 58: 22)

This alliance with the Kuffaar (disbelievers) can be one of two; either they will be sinful if they stand with the Kuffaar or they will become apostates (kaafir murtad) if they engage in fighting against Muslims. Some Muslims in the British and US armies have started to participate with them in fighting against their Muslim brothers in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is clear naked aggression against all Muslims, and Muslims are obliged to reject it, resist it and fight them as a matter of obligation, Eemaan, al-Walaa’ wal-Baraa’ and Tawheed.

As for those British Muslims that join the army, they will thereby be sinful, and if any one of them goes to Muslim countries to fight side-by-side with the British and US forces against Muslims will become apostates, being at war with Islam and Muslims, and their life and wealth will have no sanctity. They will be treated like the disbelievers as clear enemies to Islam and Muslims and consequently, become legitimate targets for the Mujaahideen. Moreover if they die they will die outside of the fold of Islam, and they will never be dignified in their death nor buried with the Muslims.

This can be seen in the present example of Pakistan, where the kaafir murtad harbi Musharraf is explicitly and eagerly supporting the kuffaar by killing and arresting Muslims. Anybody who is on his side, supporting him to kill Muslims and obeying his commands, he/she is outside the fold of Islam.

Indeed the ruler or president is the representative of his people, hence those who participate in elections, appointing a ruler that has a policy of supporting the disbelievers and killing Muslims, they have joint liability with the ruler (the citizens and its ruler are one entity).

Therefore we warn the Muslims wherever they are, particularly those Muslims in Iraq and Pakistan, not to offer any moral, financial, military or physical support in the onslaught against Islam and Muslims in the region, though the enemies may attempt to take Muslims onto their side. Allah (swt) designated people in this Ummah that will direct others that go astray, May Allah protect us all.

As for those who are allied with the Kuffaar and work for them as spies, whether through the MI5, Metropolitan Police or as soldiers in their army; we ask them to give up their apostasy immediately, for Allah (swt) says: “And from mankind there are some who say: 'We believe in Allah and the Last day' while in fact they do not believe. They think to deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, but they perceive not.” [EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 8-9]

One of their deceptions is that they claim to be believers, yet they spy on Muslims or they go abroad to fight them, or they report them to the Kuffaar. If they claim to do so as no more than a job, we remind them of the saying of the Messenger Muhammad (saw), who said: “Whoever earns a bite of food by reporting or spying on Muslims, Allah will feed him the equivalent in the Hellfire, and whoever wears clothes earned from spying against Muslims, Allah will clothe him with Hellfire.” [Narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, in Kitaab ul-Adab]

And for those who go to fight, remember that the Prophet (saw) forbade Muslims from pointing even a small knife at another Muslim, even as a joke, when he (saw) said: “Whoever points a small knife or piece of metal jokingly towards his Muslim brother, the angels will curse him and he will never smell paradise.” If this is the case for a person who only points a weapon towards a Muslim, what about if he was involved in carrying machine guns, driving tanks, arresting and imprisoning Muslims or fighting and killing them? The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “A Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue his Muslim brother is secure.”

So fear Allah Oh Muslims, bring an end to working as spies, police, soldiers, ministers and politicians for the Taaghout and re-take your shahaadah.

Oh Allah, be the witness that we have conveyed the message

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