James Clapper! Most had never heard his name until recently. James Clapper is President Obama’s Director of National Security (DNI) and has a history of misspeaking. In February 2011 the Senate Intelligence Committee interviewed Mr. Clapper about the administration’s views on the Egyptian situation and the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). In his responses Mr. Clapper stated “It is hard to, at this point, to point to a specific agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood as a group.” (1) In addition, he described the MB “. . . is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam, . . .” (2) Frankly, for me, categorizing Mr. Clapper’s statements is difficult. Are his remarks a form of taqiyya?  Do his statements suggest a new low in intelligence work? Or do they show his incompetence?

There is no shortage of information about the Muslim Brotherhood either on the internet or in book form which Mr. Clapper could have easily accessed before going before the committee. MB even maintains an English-speaking website. (3) Besides, many specialists in the fields of Islam, terrorism and National Security maintain English-speaking websites with extensive information about MB. Again, Mr. Clapper could have scanned these websites. Mr. Clapper’s performance is not merely appalling but borders on incompetence if not seduction.

Imam Hasan Al-Banna and Sayyid Qubt’s writings have been extent for decades. Al-Banna is the father of the Muslim Brotherhood and authored many works covering a large number of subjects including The Message of Teachings. Sayyid Qutb was a member of MB’s   Working Committee and of the Guidance Council and executed by hanging in 1966. His three seminal works are Social Justice, Milestones and In the Shade of the Qur’ an. Qutb’s Milestones (Ma’alim fi al-Tariq) and In the Shade of the Qur’ an (Fi Zilal al-Qur’a)are considered the philosophic foundation for almost every Jihadi group today including Al-Qaeda. (4) And, oh, by the way The Message of Teachings and Milestones can be assessed on the internet or in book form.

Qutb’s Milestones is a great source to learn about the Muslim Brotherhood’s philosophy and goals. Qutb writes that Jahiliyyah and Islam are the two great philosophies adversely confronting each other. (5) Jahiliyyah refers to the time of ignorance that blanketed the Arabic world prior to the advent of Islam. Qutb argues the heart of Jahiliyyah is rebellion to Allah’s sovereignty by submitting to man’s authority. Therefore, any nation-state in which one man is forced to obey another man is in a state of ignorance. Only restoring Allah’s sovereignty and imposing Shari’ ah can lift this ignorance. Today, there is no nation-state over which God is sovereign. MB believes this deplorable situation can be remedied only through thought and action. (6) Thought and action provide us the starting point to understand MB’s goals and philosophy.

MB’s Philosophy

Qutb’s thought centers on preaching or Da’wah. Da’wah confronts the false belief systems such as communism, capitalism and pseudo-Islam. The heart of Da’wah is “La ilaha illa Allah” (There is no deity except Allah). Qutb states;

“The theoretical foundation of Islam in every period of history has been to witness ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ – ‘There is no deity except God’ – which means to bear witness that the only true deity is God, that He is the Sustainer, that He is the Ruler of the universe, and that He is the Real Sovereign; to believe in Him in one’s heart, to worship Him Alone, and to put into practice His laws.” (7)

“La ilaha illa Allah” strikes at the heart of Jahili society. Marxist-Leninism is based on atheism which rejects altogether the existence of Allah. Capitalism or Western-style democracy does not necessarily reject religious belief but separates church and state. This separation means some human is being subjected to another human through human laws. The sin of pseudo-Islam is its hypocrisy as it tries to combine some aspects of Allah’s law (Shari’ ah) with human law. Islamic monotheism is not an option.

“The people ought to know that Islam means to accept the creed, ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ in its deepest sense, which is this: that every aspect of life should be under the sovereignty of God . . .” (8)

The battle between Jahiliyya and Islam concerns the sovereignty of Allah. The Da’wah proclaims Allah’s sovereignty freeing humans from the sovereignty of other humans and human laws through implementing Shar’ ia. (9) Clearly, Qutb believes in the fusion of Islam and state through the implementation of Shar’ ia.

MB’s goals

Da’wah is nonviolently preaching Islamic monotheism. Nevertheless, a Jahili society will resist the message of Islamic monotheism because the message demands that humans give up sovereignty to Allah. Islam cannot remove these obstacles peacefully.

“The establishing of the dominion of God on earth, the abolishing of the dominion of man, the taking away sovereignty from the usurper to revert it to God, and the bringing about of the enforcement of the Divine Law (Shari’ ah) and the abolition of man-made laws cannot be achieved only through preaching.” (10)

The material obstacles need to be removed. What are these material obstacles? Qutb states:

“How could the message of Islam have spread when it faced such material obstacles as the political system of the state, the socio-economic system based on races and classes, and behind all these, the military might of the government?” (11)

Now we are getting close to understanding MB’s goals. The MB is responsible for preaching the Da’wah which is Islamic monotheism but of course, the powers that exist will resist. So, now that we know what the obstacles are the question is, how does MB remove these obstacles? I am sure you guessed it – Jihad! Qutb argues that Islam does not force Islamic beliefs on non-Muslims by violence. (12) Yet, simultaneously Islam does expect to establish a new social, economic and political system based on Allah’s sovereignty through Shari’ ah. Jihad, as action, is designed to remove the political, social, economic and military obstacles which the Jahili society will use to resist.

“…when the above-mentioned obstacles and practical difficulties are put in its way, it has no recourse but to remove them by force to that when it is addressed to peoples’ hearts and minds they are free to accept or reject it with an open mind.” (13)

The purpose of Jihad is to remove the state structure to enable MB to implement “La ilaha illa Alllah” through Shari’ ah. The state-structure of a Jahili society stands between Da’wah and the freedom of choice.

“Islam uses force only to remove these obstacles so that there many not remain any wall between Islam and individual human beings, and so that it may address their hearts and minds after releasing them from these material obstacles, and then leave them free to choose to accept or reject.” (14)

Islam claims that it is a religion for all mankind and no obstacle ought to stand in the way of Da’wah. Qutb states;

“It has the right to destroy all obstacles in the form of institutions and traditions which limit man’s freedom of choice  . . . It is the right or Islam to release mankind from servitude to human beings so that they may serve God alone,  . . . hence it is the duty of Islam to annihilate all such systems, as they are obstacles in the way of universal freedom.” (15)

Therefore “Jihaad in Islam is simply a name for striving to make this system of life dominate in the world.” (16)

A lot more information could be supplied but it would be redundant. Nevertheless, the information in this article provides conclusive evidence that MB is dangerous. The Muslim Brotherhood’s philosophy (thought) is to Da’awh (call people to) the Tawhid or Islamic monotheism. The Muslim Brotherhood’s action is to use all forms of Jihad but especially Jihad bis saif (Jihad of the sword) to remove the economic, political, social and military structures of Jahili society which stands in the way of Da’wah and a person’s freedom to choose or reject the Islamic message.  MB’s goal is to implement Shari’ ah.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a serious threat to any nation-state in which it thrives. America and her elected officials need to wake up to the seriousness of this threat. The Muslim Brotherhood is already operating with America’s borders organizationally and through groups like CAIR, IIIT, ISNA and others. The Muslim Brotherhood is not merely ideological but a fundamentally violent organization whose goal is to overthrow the political, economic, social, constitutional and military structure of America. MB’s goal is to impose Shari’ ah on Americans. The Muslim Brotherhood in America must be stopped.

1) Brad Norington, Muslim Brotherhood Agenda Unclear: Washington, (The Australian dated February 18, 2011 accessed February 17, 2011) available from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/muslim-brotherhood-agenda-unclear-washington/story-e6frg6so-1226007796119
2) Fox News, Obama Administration Corrects Clapper’s Claim That Muslim Brotherhood Is ‘Secular’, (Fox News dated February 10, 2011 accessed February 17, 2011) available from  http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/10/administration-corrects-dni-clapper-claim-muslim-brotherhood-secular/#ixzz1EGmb1yk5
3) http://www.ikhwanweb.com/ (English Site)
4) TripAtlas, Al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad, (Trip Atlas date unknown accessed February 17, 2011) available from http://tripatlas.com/Sayyid_Qutb#Al%20Qaeda%20and%20Islamic%20Jihad
5) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, (Dar Al-ILm: Damacus, Syria, 1964) , 73
6) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 41
7) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 47
Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 35
9) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 34
10) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 58
11) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 63
12) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 61
13) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 63
14) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 72
15) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 75
16) Seyyid Qutb, Milestones, 76