Muzammil Siddiqi at Chapman University

Imam Muzammil Siddiqi


Last night I atttended a panel discussion at Chapman University in Orange, California. The event was hosted by the Dept of Religious Studies at Chapman and featured Rabbi Stuart Altschuler and Imam Muzammil Siddiqi, both of whom are on the staff at Chapman. The moderator was the Department Chair, Marvin Meyer. The topic of discussion was Muslim-Jewish relations. About 30 members of the community attended.

Prior to descibing the event itself, I am cross-posting a summary of Siddiqi which has been published by the Investigative Project with appropriate citations: (I apologize for the disjointed text.)


"Muzammil Siddiqi was born in India in 1943 and studied at Aligarh Muslim
University and Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow. After receiving a
graduate degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of
Medina in Saudi Arabia, he went on to earn an M.A. in Theology from Birmingham University in England and a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion from
Harvard University.[1]


He is the director of the Islamic Society of Orange County

(ISOC)[2]

and was formerly the president of the Islamic Society of North America
(ISNA) from 1997 to 2000.[3]He

> still serves on ISNA's board of directors and is Chairman of the ISNA
> affiliated North American Islamic Trust

> (NAIT).[4]

>
> ISNA's founders had roots in the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, Siddiqi's
> public statements range from endorsing laws in countries where homosexuality
> is punishable by death to wishing for Sharia law to govern America.
>
> ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Hamas-support
> trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). The
> society was listed among entities that were part of the Muslim Brotherhood
> structure in America. In a statement issued during the trial, ISNA said it
> "is not now nor has it ever been subject to the control of any other
> domestic or international organizations including the Muslim Brotherhood."

> [5]

>
> However, ISNA was mentioned repeatedly in internal Brotherhood documents
> from the late 1980s and early 1990s seized by federal law enforcement
> officials and introduced at the HLF trial.
>
> In one introduced at trial, a strategy

> memodated

> May 22, 1991, ISNA is the first listed among 29 groups labeled "our
> organizations and the organizations of our

> friends.[6]"

> The ISNA Fiqh Committee and the ISNA Political Awareness Committee also
appear on the list.[7]

>
> But it is the strategy laid out in the memo that has garnered the most
> attention and concern. Written by Mohamed Akram, AKA Adlouni, the strategy
> memo lays out the role of the Muslim Brothers in North America:
>
> The process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Process" with all the
> word means. The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind
> of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from
> within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of
> the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious
> over all other religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up
> to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a
> Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he
> lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny
> except for those who chose to slack. But, would the slackers and the

> Mujahedeen be equal.[8]

>
> The year after this memo was written, Siddiqi's mosque hosted a lecture by
> Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, according to *The New

> Yorker

> * Sheikh Rahman, longtime spiritual leader of Egypt's largest Islamic
> militant group, al-Gama'a al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) was indicted in 1993
> for conspiring with a group of followers to destroy New York bridges and
> tunnels. He was sentenced to life in prison. Siddiqi translated Rahman's
> lecture in real time. According to the *New Yorker*:
>
> Abdel Rahman dismissed nonviolent definitions of jihad as weak. He stressed
> that a number of unspecified enemies had "united themselves against Muslims"
> and that fighting them was obligatory. "If you are not going to the jihad,
> then you are neglecting the rules of Allah," he said. The opportunities for
> jihad were virtually everywhere, ranging from apostate Middle Eastern
> regimes to "those who are taking the wealth of Muslims from petrol or from
> oil." As he spoke, a red toolbox, with a slit cut into its lid for
> donations, was passed around the room. Videotapes of the lecture were later
> offered for sale at the society's

> bookstore.[9]

>
> Regarding the incident, Siddiqi said Rahman "was touring, and some people
> insisted that he should be

> there."[10]

>
> In addition to his role at ISNA, Siddiqi served as Chairman of the
> Department of Religious Affairs at the Muslim World League (MWL) Office to
> the United Nations from 1976 to

> 1980.[11]The

> Muslim World League (MWL) was set up in 1962 by the royal Saud family,
> to "promote Islamic

> unity"[12]and
to spread the Wahhabi brand of Islam.

> [13] Since its

> founding the MWL has frequent allegations levied against it for linkage to

> terrorist activity.[14]

>
> The following examples show Siddiqi speaking in his own words:
>
> - At a "Jerusalem Day Rally" in Lafayette Park in Washington, DC on
> October 28, 2000, Muzammil Siddiqi said Jerusalem is land "that belongs to
> Muslims."
>
> …
And al-Aqsa, my brothers and sisters, is our sacred mosque. It belongs to
> Islam. It belongs to all the Muslims of the world, 1.5 billion Muslims of
> the world, it belongs to them. We cannot accept any threat to the al-Aqsa
> mosque. We cannot give up Jerusalem. Jerusalem belongs to Islam.
>
> America has to learn that because if you remain on the side of injustice, the
wrath of God will come .

> Please! Please all Americans, do you remember that, that Allah is watching
> everyone. God is watching everyone. If you continue doing injustice, and
> tolerating injustice, the wrath of God will come.[15]
>
>
> - During a "Live Dialogue," on IslamOnline.net on May 31, 2001, Siddiqi
was asked about implementing *Sharia* (Islamic law) in the U.S. Siddiqi
> answered:
>
> The criminal law of the Sharia is not practiced here [in America] and it is
> not even required for Muslims to practice the criminal law in a non-Islamic
> state. Muslims have to continue living their own lives faithfully and
> presenting the message of Islam to others. Once more people accept Islam,
> insha'allah, this will lead to the implementation of Sharia in all areas.

> [16]

>
> During the same dialogue, Siddiqi was asked about participating in American
> politics and whether Muslims should participate in it or focus on building
> Islamic schools instead:
>
> As an American Muslim do (you) think that by voting we as Muslims can bring
> Sharia in this country or to even think that the Kufar (unbelievers) are
> going to help us establish ourselves in this country when they have been
> supporting countries such as Turkey, Russia, India and China and list goes
> on and on, where every practising Muslim is being oppressed? If they really
> care about our vote they would not have lobbies(legal bribery institutions
> working in this country? I think we should build Islamic schools rather then
> support AMC or any other political unless all of these organizations have an
> agenda to make Muslims

> "Modern."[17]

>
> Siddiqi responded:
>
> We should not lose hope, Islam is a religion of optimism. Prophet Muhammad
> (SAAWS) started his work as a single person in Mecca and by the grace and
> mercy of Allah, he was able to bring a large portion of humanity to the path
> of truth and righteousness. We should also work with sincerity, devotion and
> wisdom. We should work in all fields: social, economic, political,
> spiritual; the Islamic dawa includes

> everything.[18]
>
>
> - In the Oct. 18, 1996 issue of the newspaper, *Pakistan Link*, Siddiqi
> wrote an articlein

> which he responded to reader questions. On the subject of the
> political
> participation of Muslims in a non-Islamic state, he said:
>
> It is true that Islam stands for the sovereignty of Allah subhanahu wa
> ta'ala and Allah's rules are not limited to the acts of worship, they also
> include social, economic and political matters. By participating in a
> non-Islamic system, one cannot rule by that which Allah has commanded. But
> things do not change overnight. Changes come through patience, wisdom and
> hard work.
>
> I believe that as Muslims we should participate in the system to safeguard
> our interest and try to bring gradual change for the right cause, the cause
> of truth and justice. We must not forget that Allah's rules have to be
> established in all lands, and all our efforts should lead to that direction.

> [19]
>
>
> - In a video recording made roughly 15 years ago in California, Siddiqi

> lectured on "jihad," proclaiming:
>
> When people really carry on Jihad, they carry on the Islam in its peak in
> its totality. And that's why in the hadith the Prophet (SAS) said (Arabic),
> 'No people have ever neglected Jihad except they became humiliated.' And
> people leave, renounce Jihad, they became humiliated. That means in order to
> gain the honor, Jihad is the path, Jihad is the way to receive the honor.
>
> …
>
> I can see that there is already some impact after Jihad in Afghanistan in
> the Intifada movement in Palestine. With this, more courage, more strength,
> more confidence and shall I even say that in a few years we will be
> celebrating with each other the victory of Islam in Palestine. Insh'allah,
> we shall be celebrating the coming of the Masjid al-Aqsa under the Islamic
> rule. We shall be celebrating insh'allah the coming of Jerusalem and the
> whole land of Palestine insh'allah and the establishment of the Islamic
> State throughout that area.
>
>
> - The *San Francisco Chronicle* published a story in June 2001 about
> homosexuality among Muslims. Siddiqi was interviewed for the story, as shown
> in the following excerpt:
>
> "I ask those people to repent, turn to God and take Islam seriously," said
> Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America and the
> director of the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove. "Being gay
> and Muslim is a contradiction in terms. Islam is totally against
> homosexuality.
>
> It's clear in the Koran and in the sayings of the prophet Mohammed."
>
> Siddiqi said he did not condone violence against gays, but supported laws in
> countries where homosexuality is punishable by death. As in the Bible,
> Siddiqi said, the Koran includes the story of Lot, in which men who have sex
> with men are punished.
>
> "How can people accept something that is against the Koran, unless Muslims
> stop being Muslims?" Siddiqi said.

> [20]
>
>
> - In a September 2002 speech at an ISNA convention, Siddiqi stated of

> 9/11, well after Osama Bin Laden took credit for the attacks:
>
> It is, the point is that we said, whosoever did it, we condemn it. We did
> not say it is Muslims who did it. We did not say this and that. But the
> point is that whosoever did it, it was wrong. And this is a basic point … We
> cannot say in surety whoever did it or not. But the point is that if the
> name of Islam is taken, we have to clarify the name of

> Islam.[21]
>
>
> - During a 2006 sermon, Siddiqi offered mixed messages about the

> controversy surrounding Danish political cartoons that mocked the Prophet
> Muhammad. He said he did "not condone any violence and strongly reject those
> who misbehaved in expressing their disapproval," but then advocated limits
> on free speech when it offends religious

> sensibilities.[22]

>
> "Religion and religious figures are dear to people's hearts. Their emotions
> are attached to them. Even if one does not believe in a religious figure,
> one should express one's criticism in a responsible and respectful manner."

> [23]

>
> He added: "We do not force others to believe in Prophet Muhammad the way we
> believe in him; but they should not insult us and humiliate us by abusing
> his name, his personality and character in

> public."[24]
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> [1] "Dr. Muzammil

> H. Siddiqi," Pakistan Link,
> http://www.pakistanlink.com/religion/siddiqi.html (Accessed December 14,
> 2007).; "Islamic Director's Biography," Website of Islamic Society of Orange
> County (ISOC), http://www.isocmasjid.com/Administration/dbio.htm (Accessed
> December 14, 2007).
>

> [2] "Islamic

> Director's Biography," Website of Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC),
> http://www.isocmasjid.com/Administration/dbio.htm
>

> [3] "Muzammil

> Siddiqi, Past President," ISNA Website,
> http://www.isna.net/about/profiles/Muzammil_Siddiqi.html (Accessed December
> 18, 2007).
>

> [4] "Board of

> Directors (Majlis Ash-Shura)," ISNA Website,
> http://www.isna.net/about/board.html (Accessed December 18, 2007).
>

> [5] ISNA

> Statement of Position: Who We Are and What We Believe," ISNA website,
> September 12, 2007.
>
> http://www.isna.com/articles/Press-Releases/ISNA-STATEMENT-OF-POSITION-Who-we-are-and-what-we-believe.aspx
>

> [6] *US. v, Holy

> Land Foundation*, (TXND 3:04cr240) Government Exhibit 003-0085; "An
> Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North
> America."
>

> [7] Ibid.
>
> [8] *US. v, Holy

> Land Foundation*, (TXND 3:04cr240) Government Exhibit 003-0085; "An
> Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North
> America."
>

> [9] "Azzam the

> American: The Making of an Al Qaeda Homegrown," *The New Yorker*, Raffi
> Khatchadourian, January 15, 2007
>

> [10] Ibid.
>
> [11] Dr.

> Muzammil Siddiqi," http://www.pakistanlink.com/religion/siddiqi.html .
>

> [12] "Muslim

> World League," Saudi Arabia Information Website,
> http://www.saudinf.com/main/k312.htm (Accessed December 21, 2007).
>

> [13] Evgenii

> Novikov, "The World Muslim League: Agent of Wahhabi Propagation in Europe,"
> Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor, Volume 3, Issue 9, May 6, 2005,
> http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369686(Accessed
> December 21, 2007); Dore Gold,
> *Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global
> Terrorism*(Washington, DC: Regnery Publising, 2003), p. 76.
>

> [14] Susan

> Schmidt, "Spreading Saudi Fundamentalism in U.S.," *Washington Post*,
> October 2, 2003.
>

> [15] Muzammil

> Siddiqi, Jerusalem Day Rally, Washington, DC, October 28, 2000.
>

> [16] Dr.

> Muzammil Siddiqi, "The Future of the Muslim Community in America," Live
> Dialogue, IslamOnline.net, May 31, 2000.
> http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=04wWNv(Accessed
> December 14, 2007).
>

> [17] Ibid.
>
> [18] Ibid.
>
> [19] Dr.

> Muzammil H. Siddiqi, "Issues and Questions," Pakistan Link, October 18,
> 1996.
>

> [20] Christopher

> Heredia, "Gay Muslims battle oppression," *San Francisco Chronicle*, June
> 21, 2001.
>

> [21] Muzammil

> Siddiqi, ISNA Convention, September 2002.
>

> [22] Khutbah

> (sermon) by Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, "Freedom of Expression or Freedom to
> Abuse," Islamic Society of Orange County, February 3, 2006.
>

> [23] Ibid.
>
> [24] Ibid."



If I could characterize the tone of the three speakers, I would say that it was all about brotherhood and fighting both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Dr Meyer reminded us that we are all people of the Book and sons of Abraham. Rabbi Altschuler spoke of the centuries-old relationships between Muslims and Jews in the Holy Land. Siddiqi echoed Altschuler's remarks stressing the need to come together to solve the World's problems.

After both Altschuler and Siddiq had spoken for abut 10 minutes each, the floor was opened for questions. I asked the first question. Without going into detail, I directed Siddiqi's attention to the on-going problems at UC-Irvine regarding hate speech by MSU-sponsored speakers. I specifically recited statements made at UCI by Amir Adbel Malik Ali and Mohammed al-Asi, statements which were clearly anti-Semitic and asked him if he would condemn such statements. (Siddiqi is well aware of the situation at UCI since he has served as the head of the Islamic Society of Orange County.)

Siddiqi's answer was a long, indirect reference to "outside" speakers who were not from Irvine. He then started talking about speeches made at UCI by Daniel Pipes. Somewhere along the way, he made a general condemnation of hate speech-including the speech of which I was referring.

A couple of minutes later, Ted Bleiweis, the head of the Independent Orange County Task Force on Anti-Semitism, asked Siddiqi to comment on certain specific acts of anti-Semitism that had occurred at UCI perpetrated by members of the MSU. Again, Siddiqi (who speaks heavily accented English), gave a long winding answer that danced all around the issue.

Another member of the audience, a middle-aged Jewish man, asked Siddiqi what the attiude of most of his congregation was toward Israel. Did they want Israel extinguished? Siddiqi answered that attitudes were mixed on that question, but used the question to launch into a recital of the Palestinians and their plight of being treated unequally and removed from their homes and homeland. He asked the questioner how he would feel if his people experienced something like that.

Comment: Is Dr Siddiqi even aware of something called the Holocaust?

He was also asked about passages in the Qu'ran that spoke of killing Jews. The convoluted answer was that one had to consider context and what the state of conditions were at that time. The other speakers also pointed out questionable passages in the Old Testiment.

In fairness, Siddiqi used the opportunity near the end of the discussion to say that he has condemned suicide bombings. That was by far his most positive comment.

I think it is fair to say that the audience (mostly Jews) had a strong desire to connect with Muslims and create mutual understanding. The stated goal of Rabbi Altschuler and Dr Meyer are obvious-to come together with Muslims. This is an admirable goal. Dr Siddiqi also spoke in moderate terms. After the event ended, many of us lingered to chat. Dr Siddiqi came over to me and we shook hands and exchanged small talk. Mr Bleiweis and I spoke extensively with Altschuler and Meyer about the situation at UCI. (Siddiqi had already left).

So what is my impression of Siddiqi? After reading the above report from the Investigative Project, I was-and am-leary of him. He is soft-spoken and comes across as a true gentleman. Though he has been in the US for many years, his English (while fluent) is often a little hard to follow due to his soft voice and heavy accent. Obviously, I think he sort of danced around his answers to my question and that of Mr Bleiweis. (I should also add that our questions seemed to cause Dr Meyer some discomfort since they broke the atmosphere of love and brotherhood that was the intended message-although we were always polite and professional.)

In summary, I wish Rabbi Altschuler all the success in the world in what he is trying to do. Unfortunately, I cannot share his optimism.





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