Did You Know

Under Islamic law (shariah), the definition of “slander” is very different than in the U.S. legal system. The Islamic book of law, The Reliance of the Traveller (or ‘Umdat al-Salik') says that “Slander   (ghiba) means to mention anything concerning a person [a Muslim] that he would dislike.”  Likewise, the hadiths (or recounted sayings and deeds of Muhammad) contain the following account :

“Do you know what slander is?” They answered, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It is to mention of your brother that which he would dislike.” Someone asked, “What if he is as I say?” And he replied, “If he is as you say, you have slandered him, and if not, you have calumniated* him.”  -- Sunan Abu Dawud

For a totalitarian system of societal control like shariah, information dominance is very important. Controlling the message, in other words, is critical. Within the Muslim community, fostering close bonds of loyalty is well-served by a policy like this one on slander. Its real impact for non-Muslims, though, is a little different. The prohibition on telling harbi (non-Muslim residents of Dar al-Harb, the lands where inhabitants do not live under shariah) anything negative about Islam is meant to keep infidels unaware of the true character and intentions of shariah-promoting Muslims. In fact, telling the actual truth about Islam to non-believers is considered so detrimental to the prospects for shariah Islam to achieve its global domination objectives that Muslims can be subject to punishment if they disclose such things.

This explains why smiling imams in Armani suits with nicely-trimmed beards can be heard speaking in soothing tones to gullible non-Muslims about how shariah is just like the U.S. Constitution, and shariah-adherent Muslims are just like any other citizens of liberal democracies, or Islam really means “peace” – while in Arabic, to Muslim audiences, they don’t hesitate to talk about jihad, suicide bombing, and killing Jews. This is the legally-sanctioned code of silence that is imposed and enforced within Islam and goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of taqiyya (which means deceit or dissimulation). Lying outright is but another degree of deceit beyond taqiyya and is also legally sanctioned under Islamic law in certain circumstances. Although Muslims usually are not supposed to lie to one another (except to smooth over differences between friends, when talking to one’s wife, or in war), they are positively encouraged to lie to infidels if it helps defend Islam or themselves personally, as Muslims.   

Taken together, these concepts of slander, taqiyya, and lying are intended to form an impenetrable shield for the defense and spread of shariah Islam. Behind the shield, Muslims stick together and cling to Islamic doctrine and laws. As Sayyed Qutb  (the Muslim Brotherhood ideologue) said, between Muslims and non-Muslims, lies a chasm that no bridge may span that would merely allow the two sides to mingle together in unregulated exchange. Only messages that put Islam and Muslims in a positive, non-threatening light may be sent across the void to encourage non-Muslims to come over to the Muslim side. This point is especially important for faith-based communities and national security and law enforcement professionals to understand because of its implications for favorite programs like “outreach” and “interfaith dialogue.”

There is one more aspect to these laws that needs to be explained, especially regarding slander. It is not only forbidden for Muslims to tell anything unflattering about Islam and other Muslims, but it is also obligatory for Muslims to try to get non-Muslims (infidels) to refrain from saying anything about Islam that would deter potential converts or alert others to shariah Islam’s predatory intentions. Taqiyya and lying are such integral tools for shariah-adherent Muslims to use in dealing with non-believers who do not understand such things because once members of the clergy, or police officers, or government officials are won over, they often become penetrations of their own worship communities, departments, and agencies to help spread duplicitous messages about shariah Islam inside non-Muslim society.   

Such “useful fools” are, in fact, acting as agents of influence and force multipliers for shariah Islam. When properly conditioned, these rabbis, priests, ministers, police chiefs, and national security advisors will even act as “enforcers” inside their own communities. This takes the form of imposing restrictions on those under their supervision to prevent them from speaking (or hearing) truth about shariah Islam, jihad, and doctrinally-inspired Islamic terrorism. What they do, in fact, is enforce shariah laws on slander among non-Muslims and even within national security and policymaking arenas….with catastrophic results for any society that wants to remain shariah-free.  

Truth and transparency are not only the hallmarks of a free society: they are its armor and shield. Free speech, free expression, and freedom of thought are the precious rights of a free people—but they must be defended to remain ours—and above all, they must be used and exercised on a regular basis. 

Clare M. Lopez, a senior fellow at the Clarion Fund , is a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, national defense, and counterterrorism issues.

 *Calumniate – to charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone