The Islamic Movement from confrontations to participation

Allah is Great, Allah is Great Allah is Great, Allah is Great, to Him belongs all Praise.

All praise be to Allah who gave us the honor to live the best month of the year. All Muslims are happy they were able to fast and perform night prayers (taraweeh) for a whole complete month.

They are happy they won over their lusts by obeying their God and submitting to Him.

All praise be to Allah who granted us the Eid to release ourselves after hard work.

There is a big difference between such obeying Muslims and those who sold themselves to Satan and were satisfied to be an instrument to destroy their societies for cheap price.

Another party is those who present to us trivial TV programs which focus only on how to invoke lusts and promote immorality.

It is the same atmosphere that they made our nation live in before the defeat of 1967. Egyptians then realized that in order to win, they must cling fast to their religion.

"God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest" is the slogan that granted us the triumph in 1973 war.

What a marvelous cry that announced the first victory of the Arabs over Israel in the twentieth century after a series of bitter defeats.

This great motto tells that our nation will never die. It may sleep for sometime but it will never die.

Al Jamaa al Islamyia of Egypt congratulates all Muslims all over the world on Eid al Fitr al mubarak.

Our country is living a historical milestone. We are facing great internal challenges that threaten our social fabric. Sectarian tensions come first. They are escalating to a degree we never witnessed before.

Some opportunists try to accuse Muslims for this. It is astonishing. The very same faces are those who waged the war between the state and the Islamic movement. Now they are doing the same between Muslims and Christians.

We say it is time to stop such sectarian extremism. This will not happen unless the state hits agitators from both sides with an iron fist.

Some think the death of General Ahmad Raafat will end the Non-Violence Initiative. This will never be for the Initiative was not a tactic for a certain stage. It is a strategic choice the al Jamaa al Islamyia tried to plant inside the Islamic movement to make use of past experiences in order to avoid our mistakes.

Along the last decades, the prevailing idea amongst the Islamic movement was that we are here only to oppose our governments.

It was the ideology of confrontations not coexistence and cooperation to achieve the welfare of our countries and preserve the Islamic identity of our societies.

This led to major troubles. Islamists became permanent guests on prisons and were deprived from preaching in mosques.

Thus, al Jamaa al Islamyia put a new ideology to reroute the Islamic movement and regain its lost role.

Our mission is to call for Allah. Whenever the Islamic movement exceeds this task, it should review its method and redirect its track.

We know our job is not easy but we will continue especially after the good results of our Initiative that we saw in countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya and others.

Such countries were influenced by the ideological revisions of al Jamaa al Islamyia in Egypt. Al Jihad group was also convinced by the revisions, which it rejects at first.

We try not to make the Initiative dependant on certain persons because they will die one day but our ideas must not die. The new trend should shape the relation between the state and the Islamic movement. It should move from generation to generation. It should be written in books and have advocates among Muslim scholars as well as politicians.

We aim to make the state utilize the energy and abilities of young Islamists to help improve our society and preserve our Islamic identity and civilization.

In return, the Islamic movement should renounce violence completely. It should prove to all governments in all countries that it doesn't seek authority. Governments are asked to practice sovereignty over specific matters and leave to moderate Islamists their reforming role.

On the other hand Islamists should abandon hot and cold conflict over power because they will not achieve it and in case they do, they will be put under pressure to leave it, as was done in many countries in the region.

The Non-Violence Initiative reopened the file of the relation between the state and the Islamic movement. It helped in giving this relation a step forward.

Here, we give snapshots on the major principles of the Non-Violence Initiative:

First: whoever judges not by what Allah has revealed is not a disbeliever unless this was accompanied by preferring the judge of humans over that of Allah.

Second: it is necessary to reconcile with the society and forsake conflict with its traditions.

Third: the al Jamaa al Islamyia called for renewing the religious discourse stressing that this doesn't mean our Islam will be changed.

Fourth: the al Jamaa al Islamyia has introduced some prophetic choices to apply Sharia on real life in order to save youth from entering into a conflict.

Fifth: the al Jamaa al Islamyia has produced an ideological project contradicts that of al Qaeda and it was registered in 25 volumes.

Sixth: the al Jamaa al Islamyia redefined the concept of jihad. We said it is the highest peak of Islam but it has certain rules in order not to become a target in itself.

The Initiative taught Muslim youth that random explosions that kill civilians don't serve except the enemies of Islam. Muslims should rather mingle with people conveying the message of Islam by words and deeds.

Seventh: injustice should not be met with injustice. The crimes that the US commits in Iraq and Afghanistan and its blind support to Israel are not justifications to us to kill American civilians for citizens are not responsible for their country's policies.

Eight: al Jamaa al Islamyia stresses that the Islamic movement should not take the role of governments in matters like executing penalties or waging wars.

Ninth: al Jamaa al Islamyia called al Azhar to regain its past role as a minaret of Islamic call and sciences of Sharia. It also welcomed Dr. Ahmad al Taeb as head of the great institution and wished it would be a good opportunity for dialogue between al Azhar and the Islamic movement assuring that it will never replace the position of the ancient mosque but they will rather cooperate to deliver the message of Islam.

Tenth: the Initiative revives the value of being kind to all people; Muslims and non-Muslims, righteous and wrong doers and everyone.

Eleventh: the Initiative teaches new generations to be moderate.

Twelfth: we knew we are not the only party that works for Islam. There are other people who don't belong to a certain group or party, however, they are concerned about Islamic issues supporting them with all their efforts.

Thirteenth: the Initiative focuses the importance of dialogue with the other even if we disagree with him. We learnt that ideas should not be met with violence.

These are the basic principles that we reached after a long hard experience. We know it is a hard task that we assume but we have devoted ourselves to it many years ago.

Today, we call our people to harmony and agreement for disagreements increased our problems. So, will the Islamic movement turn from confrontation to cooperation?

The al Jamaa al Islamyia will always keep and develop its principles. We call our people to come to an agreement to build our country, protect our religion and preserve our unity.

"Say: This is my Way: I call on Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever followeth me Glory be to Allah! And I am not of the idolaters."

Al Jamaa al Islamyia of Egypt

Translated by: Fatima Suleiman

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