The second intifada and the 'day of wrath': Safar al-Hawālī and his anti-semitic reading of biblical prophecy

Welt des Islams

Volumn 46, Issue 3, 2006, Pages 331-351

  Reichmuth, Stefan ^a  

^a NONE

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 61149238029     PISSN: 00432539     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1163/157006006778942026     Document Type: Article

References (62)

1. On the beginnings of the Second Intifada, see Rema Hammami, Salim Tamari, "Anatomy of Another Rebellion", MERIP Report 217, Winter 2000 (http://www.merip. org/mer/mer217/217_hammami-tamari.html (20. 9. 06)
2. also in Joel Beinin, Rebecca L. Stein (eds.), The Struggle for Sovereignty. Palestine and Israel, 1993-2005; Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006, 263-281
3. Ramzy Baroud, The second Palestinian Intifada: a chronicle of a people's struggle, London: Pluto Press, 2006
4. a detailed chronology compiled by the Institute of Palestine Studies can be found under "Killing fields. Day by day chronology of the second Intifada", http://www.leksik.on.org/killingfields/ (20.09.06)
5. www.aijac.org.au/updates/Oct-00/121000.html (03.12.05) describes the beginnings of the Intifādcombining dot belowa from an Israeli point of view
6. Described in an article written from Ramallah by Allan Fariborz, "Die Schlacht um Jerusalem. Eine Einheitsfront aller Islamisten freut sich über das Ende des Friedensprozesses", Jungle World 42, 11 October 2000 (http://www.nadir.org/nadir/ periodika/jungte_world/_2000/42/21.html, 29.11.2005)
7. In the Qur'ān as "God's wrath" (ḡadcombining dot belowaba llāhi, Q 23:9) or "by a wrath from God" (bi-ḡadcombining dot belowabin mini llāhi, Q 2:61, 3: 112, 8:16, and others), or even "My wrath" (gcombining dot aboveadcombining dot belowabī, Q 20:81); for similar references in the Hcombining dot belowad̄ītcombining macron below, see A.J. Wensinck et al., Concordance et indices de la Tradition Musulmane, Leiden: Brill, 1936-1988, IV, 524ff. (gcombining dot aboveadcombining dot belowabun)
8. Psalm 110:5
9. Proverbs 11:4
10. Ezekiel 7:19
11. Zephaniah 1:15
12. Zephaniah 2:3
13. Daniel 8:19, "in the last time of wrath"
14. Revelation 6:17
15. For a general overview of apocalyptic concepts in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, see, e.g., the article "Apokalyptik" in RGG (Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Handwörterbuch für Theologie und Religionswissenschaft), 4th ed., Tübingen: Mohr, 1998, vol. 1, 590-602
16. Frederik Leemhuis, "Apocalypse", in Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān, vol. 1, 111-114, with further references
17. For Palestinian poetry, see notably Stefan Wild, "Judentum, Christentum und Islam in der palästinensischen Poesie", WI, 23-24, 1984, 259-297
18. Arabic version available on the website which contains Safar al-Hcombining dot belowawālī's writings, http://saaid.net/warathah/ safar (last checked 30 August, 2006)
19. Also on al-Hcombining dot belowawālī's Arabic website, (22.9.2006). English version titled The Day of Wrath. Is the Intifadha of Rajab only the Beginning?, first downloaded 13 September, 2001 from a well-known Islamic militant website, www.azzam.com
20. still available, e.g. under http://www.islam. com/books/0_preface.htm, under al-Hcombining dot belowawālī's English web site http://www.alhawali.com/en/ (both last checked 1 September 2006)
21. and also under http://www.as-sahwah.com/viewarticle.php?articleID= 908& (22 September 2006)
22. A printed edition remains to be identified. A first overview of its content was given by Victor and Victoria Trimondi, Krieg der Religionen. Politik, Glaube und Terror im Zeichen der Apokalypse, München: W. Fink, 2006, 393-408
23. For information on him and access to many of his works, see especially the Saudi web site already mentioned above, http//saaid.net/waratha/safar, which includes a long personal note by one of his students, Hcombining breve belowadir Sālih Sanad, written after al-Hcombining dot belowawālī was hospitalized because of a stroke in 2005 (http//saaid.net/waratha/safar/02.hlm). For his role in Saudi politics since the 1990's, see the overviews by Guido Steinberg, "Islamistische Opposition in Saudiarabien. Eine Spurensuche im Lande Usama Bin Ladins", ami. Antimilitarismus-Information, 31. Jg., Heft 10, October2001, 94-106 (www. antimilitarismus-information.de/ami_homepage/ami_archiv/2001/10-01/pdf/0-01/8- saudi- neu-10-01.pdf, 29 August, 2006)
24. and more recent but also more sensationalist, by Trimondi, Krieg der Religionen, 393ff
25. A one-page entry on al-Hcombining dot belowawālī even found its way into Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safar_al-Hawali) (29 November 2005, last modified 01:18, 17 November, 2005). He has also roused the interest of American "counterterrorism research"
26. cf. Erick Stakelbeck, "The Saudi Hate Machine", In the National Interest, December 19, 2003 (http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp? ID=11388, 29 November 2005)
27. "Saudi Double Talk", In the National Interest, August 4, 2004 (http://www.inthenationalinterest.com/Articles/Vol3 Issue31/ Vol3Issue31Stakelbeck. html) (29 November 2005). For a list of his publications, see the appendix below
28. "Open Letter to President Bush", first downloaded from http://66.96.205.195/ ∼azzam/afghan/htmfatawaopen letter.htm (7 December 2001), still widely available in the net
29. Arabic version under http://saaid.net/warathah/safar: Bayān li-l-umma 'an al-ahcombining dot belowdātcombining macron below wa-hcombining breve belowitcombining dot belowāb ilā Būš
30. "How we Can Coexist", http://americanvalues.org/html/ saudi_statement. html (12 November 2002)
31. Reuven Paz, "The 'Global Campaign Against Aggression' : The Supreme Council of Global Jihad?", Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S), http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/g_j/ rp_f_11_03.htm.org.il/eng/ g_j/rp_f_11_03.htm (29 November, 2005)
32. The best known example is, of course, Yūsuf al-Qaradcombining dot belowāwī; see Gudrun Krämer, "Drawing Boundaries: Yūsuf al-Qaradcombining dot belowāwī on Apostasy", in Gudrun Krämer and Sabine Schmidtke (eds.), Speaking for Islam. Religious Authorities in Muslim Societies, Leiden: Brill, 2006, 181-217, with further reference
33. See e.g. Allan Mittleman, "Religion, Politik und die Neo-Konservativen. Eine Stellungnahme aus jüdischer Sicht", in Klaus-M. Kodalle (ed.), Gott und Politik in USA. Über den Einflue des Religiösen. Eine Bestandsaufnahme, Frankfurt a.M.: Athenäum, 1988, 126-145
34. For the historical background, and the role played by Christian Zionism in British and American Middle Eastern policy, see Paul C. Merkley, The Politics of Christian Zionism 1891-1948, London: Frank Cass, 1998
35. Irvine H. Anderson, Biblical interpretation and Middle East policy: The promised land, America, and Israel, 1917-2002, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2005
36. See in particular the large number of books offered by Armageddon Books, "World's Largest Bible Prophecy Bookstore", www.armageddonbooks.com (last checked 1 September 2006)
37. Cf. "Internet-Bibelschule", http://www.internet-bibelschule.de/ index.htm (29 November 2005)
38. See, e.g. Hal Lindsey, Late Great Planet Earth, Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1970
39. The rapture: truth or consequences, Toronto, New York: Bantam Books, 1983
40. The Final Battle, Palos Verdes: Western Front Publ., 1996
41. Vanished Into Thin Air: The Hope of Every Believer, Beverly Hills: Western Front, 1999
42. The Everlasting Hatred, Murrieta: Oracle House, 2002, and many others, all available at Armaggeddon Books and often also at Amazon.com
43. On Hal Lindsey and other Christian Zionists, see especially Stephen Sizer, Christian Zionism. Road map to Armageddon? Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 2004
44. Hammami, Tamari, "Anatomy of Another Rebellion", 4. Al-Hcombining dot belowawālī even mentions the aerial space above the Haram as a third area of remaining Israeli sovereignty as provided by the proposal
45. See e.g. Gilles Kepel, Die Rache Gottes. Radikale Moslems, Christen und Juden auf dem Vormarsch, Munich: Piper, 1991, 245f
46. See e.g. Kepel, Rache Gottes, 203-243
47. nd ed., Munich: C. H. Beck, 2002, 34ff., 380 n. 12
48. Theodor A. Busink, Der Tempel von Jerusalem von Salomo bis Herodes, 1, Leiden: Brill, 1970
49. 2 II, 298f
50. H. Busse, Jerusalemer Heiligtumstraditionen in altkirchlicher und frühislamischer Zeit, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 17ff.; 22-25
51. The "Fifth Monarchy Men", for example, were a powerful group within the antiroyalist party during the English Revolution of the seventeenth century, who were convinced that the British Protestant nation with its Parliament was the rightful heir to that prophecy; see, e.g., B. Capp, The Fifth Monarchy Men: a study in seventeenth-century English Miltenarianism, London: Faber and Faber, 1972
52. Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down, London: Penguin, 1991 [1975]
53. Dan. 8:14. In Christian exegesis of the Book of Daniel this vision is generally regarded as referring to the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV (d. 163 BCE), which sparked the Maccabean revolt. On the historical background of the Book of Daniel and its role in Jewish and Christian tradition, see e.g. Jean Daniélou, "Daniel", Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, Stuttgart: A. Hiersemann, 1957, 3, 575-585
54. On the beginnings of this process, see already Naseer Aruri, "Nationalism and Religion in the Arab World: Allies or Enemies", Muslim World, 67, 1977, 266-279
55. Kepel,Prophet and Pharaoh, 154f
56. To present al-Hcombining dot belowawālī as a "doomsday prophet", as done by V. & V. Trimondi, Krieg der Religionen, 393ff., is thus misleading, especially when read together with his other much more positive views of the Americans and their political and religious culture, which they also mention in their overview (see also below). His posture as "one of the heirs of the prophets" in his Open Letter to President Bush is equally misunderstood by them (p. 396) as they take this reference to a famous Hcombining dot belowad̄ītcombining macron below about the scholars as heirs of the prophets as indicating a claim of prophetical status for himself
57. See Sabine Damir-Geilsdorf, "Das Ende - eine politische Wende? Gegenwärtige muslimische Erinnerungen an die Zukunft", Orient, 44, 2003, 257-279
58. Al-Hcombining dot belowawālī, "al-Muwahcombining dot belowhcombining dot belowidūn min al-Nascombining dot belowārā ", al-Bayān, no. 204, Ša'bān 1425/ September 2004, http://al-bayan-magazine.com/bayan-204/bayan-19.htm (20 November, 2005)
59. Engl. Transl. "The Monotheists Among the Christians", http://www.islamscience. com/monotheistsEA2.html (29 November, 2005)
60. Al-Hcombining dot belowawālī, "Nascombining dot belowīhcombining dot belowa wa-dcombining macron belowikrā", 14.4.1424, http://saaid.net/warathah/safar/5.htm
61. "al-Scombining dot belowahcombining dot belowwa wa-l-muwājaha wa-azmat al-tahcombining breve belowtcombining dot belowītcombining dot below", http://saaid.net/warathah/safar/14.htm (n. d.) both last checked 30 August, 2006)
62. The biographical account of his student, Hcombining breve belowadcombining dot belowir Scombining dot belowālihcombining dot below Sanad (http//saaid.net/ waratha/safar/02.htm, see above n. 12), mentions a ban from teaching which was imposed on him in recent years