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This content has been automatically translated. View original in Arabic
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Buthaina Haddad, a 22-year-old Christian Jordanian engineering student, converted to Islam. Upon learning of her conversion, her father took her outside their home and tortured her brutally, breaking her hands and legs, stabbing her in the stomach with an iron rod, and then killing her by striking her head with a rock, as testified by her cousin who had converted to Islam before her.
This crime is a stab in the dignity and honor of all Muslims, especially in Jordan. This terrorism will make Muslims and Muslim women who hide their Islam think a thousand times before revealing their religion, or they may even display polytheistic rituals out of fear for their lives.
Is this possible in a Muslim country? Is it possible that mosques are filled with millions of worshippers during Friday prayers, while nearby, a girl cannot pray in front of her family or show her love for her religion? Is it possible that tens of thousands in this country are named Muhammad, yet this girl and others like her cannot show their love for Muhammad, peace be upon him?
To block the way for those who want to divert and lose the topic in the midst of the debate, we are not here calling for retaliatory reactions or what they call rioting. Rather, I fear that some may fabricate such acts so that the media focus shifts to them and to the condemnation of what they call sectarian violence, forgetting the blood of our sister Buthaina completely, and instilling fear in the hearts of Christian converts to Islam, making them turn away from it just as they were about to accept it.
We are not inciters of strife, but the strife is in this terrorism that mocks the dignity of Muslims. The strife is what Allah the Almighty has described as: {And fitnah is worse than killing}, meaning the fitnah of people from their religion. The two options available are not chaos or silence about the matter and neglecting it. Rather, the talk now is about what must be done to prevent the repetition of Buthaina's tragedy.
We must pressure for this criminal father and all those who aided him in the crime to receive their legal punishment, otherwise, others will take it lightly and commit their crimes. We must strive to provide clear public protection for new Muslim men and women to prevent the repetition of such a crime. If we are truly Muslims, then the bond of faith is more important to us than the bond of blood and flesh, so we must provide protection for our daughters and sisters.
Where are you, O elders? And what have you done for the nation? What is the use of your influence? Have you not heard the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "A great, fat man will come on the Day of Judgment, not weighing with Allah more than the wing of a mosquito"? And He said: Read if you will: {So We will not give them on the Day of Resurrection any weight}. It is not important to be influential among people; what is important is being influential with Allah the Almighty, who says about Moses, peace be upon him: {And he was with Allah influential}.
Influence is not about being at the forefront of gatherings, speaking in assemblies, or seeking a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate. A truly influential person says: How can this be done to a Muslim woman in my country while I am alive? A truly influential person considers himself a father to every oppressed Muslim woman in his country at least. Every such incident in your country, O influential one, is a slap and a blow to your face, and proof of the falsity of your influence if you fail to try to lift the oppression.
It is required to have an agreement between a group of tribes to protect our sisters from the hands of treachery.
You have no excuse to remain silent about this crime, preserving your position and your preaching. What preaching are we talking about, brothers, while we call people to Islam, then when they convert, they are killed, and those who want to embrace Islam after them are afraid? Did we not, as preachers, criticize preachers in Egypt and say: Where are they from the faithfulness of Constantine and Kamilia Shihata? Shame on the scholars of Egypt! Here, Allah the Almighty has tested us with a Jordanian Kamilia so that we may see if we will support our religion or remain silent.
Our nation is one, and the borders are but dust. And our sisters in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine who are subjected to what Buthaina was subjected to are not less important to us. Is it not enough for you to denounce the evil with your tongues and say to the Muslim women who hide their Islam: Declare your Islam, sister, and practice your religion, and do not be afraid, for around you are six million Muslims who are all your brothers and your supporters. Shame on the manhood of their men if they do not support you. Wretched is life if they do not protect and defend you from those who want to kill you or seduce you from your religion.
O people of Jordan, in Egypt, during Mubarak's days, the church arrested a large number of Christians and Christian women who converted to Islam. The Egyptian revolution came and went, and what was said to be the rule of the Islamists came and went, and these sisters and brothers remained in the church's prisons, no one daring to release them. A state within a state, but some were flattering the high-ranking Christians and standing a minute of silence for the deceased extremist Shenouda who imprisoned our sisters.
Look at the state of Egypt now, and by Allah, we will not count that one of the reasons for what is in Egypt now is the abandonment of its people and preachers, except for those whom my Lord has protected, the abandonment of the people and preachers of their imprisoned sisters. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "There is no man who abandons a Muslim in a place where his honor is diminished and his sanctity is violated, except that Allah will abandon him in a place where he loves his support." The turn may come to us, and we will need Allah's support for us, but He will abandon us by our abandonment of our sisters.
In Egypt, Wafa Constantine was the first victim, she converted and the church imprisoned her. The Muslims were enthusiastic and condemned, then they faded, so Pope Shenouda dared to do the same to others. Then when he was asked to release Kamilia Shihata to avoid the anger of the Muslims, he said: "The people will forget Kamilia just as they forgot Wafa Constantine, and this is the best thing for the Egyptian people." Relying on the short memory of the people and the quick cooling of their enthusiasm. If we forget Buthaina Haddad and our enthusiasm fades, then the daring to do such acts to new Muslim women will increase, and we will reach a situation we cannot imagine. Is it possible that Allah guides anyone to Islam without our effort to protect him?
You speak of social peace and the children of one homeland. Muslims in this country have lived among Christians for centuries and have not harmed them because of their religion, while here is the blind hatred of this father and his likes threatening the social peace among the children of the one homeland you speak of. And this is not the first incident. You say the religion of the state is Islam, here is a girl living in this state who chose Islam, so where is your protection for her and for those on her path?
We have heard your voice often demanding what you considered the right of women to free themselves from the constraints of the Sharia. Does Buthaina Haddad and those on her path who want to declare their Islam not have rights with you? Or is the woman not entitled to anything with you except to disobey Allah the Almighty and not to obey Him? We have heard your wailing about honor crimes, so why do we not see you when the honor of all Muslims and humanity is violated by such an incident?
We demand a clear stance from you, condemning this act and disavowing its doer. General talk about national unity and rejecting strife is not useful in this case. This father's crime is an insult to you, so silence from you is not expected. We have Christian colleagues and acquaintances whom we deal with justly and kindly as Allah has commanded regarding those who do not fight us in our religion, and we expect a stance from you in such a case.
Butul is a sister to all of us, Muslims. We believe that Allah has chosen her and that He will honor her and relieve her of the pains of the moments of torment with a blessing in Paradise. However, her story is a trial for all of us. He is the One who created death and life to test you, to see which of you does good deeds. He looks at who is content with the life of cattle, and in contrast, who responds to His saying: "O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah."
O Allah, forgive Butul, have mercy on her, pardon her, excuse her, honor her reception, and widen her entrance. Wash her with snow, water, and cold.
Peace be upon you all, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.