An article with an Muslim who has no trouble saying what he thinks. Following is my translation, my comments are in red:
Redouan (24) is steadily getting stronger in his belief, since his brother, Mohammed Fahmi, was arrested a year ago as a terrorism suspect. Because the Hofstad group, against whom the trial begins today, consists of reliable Muslims kids, according to Redouan.
Redouan's cell phone rings. "Later," Redouan stops the conversation. "Really, later." His cousin of 16 is on the line. "That I am trying to also get serious," says Redouan, "He just sits by his computer, listening to rap. It's bullshit, that rapping about sex and money. You must make the most of your time. In Islam you must do nothing that's useless."
"That I looked for Islam, that came because I saw the first generation Moroccans and thought: what are you busy doing? Only earning money."
"That's also why I have such admiration for Nouredine el F." This Moroccan illegal is also suspected justly of being a member in the Hofstad group. “Nouredine went to Europe when he was 15,” knows Redouan, “But he saw that materialism, and he knew that that that won’t make him happy. Therefore I find him very exceptional.”
You yourself have on a shirt of Calvin Klein
“This shirt is old. But you are right.” Pointing to his shoes, “I have Botticellis too. I’m not going to wear that anymore. Only clothing costing 5 euro. It’s better to buy books with that money, or give it to the mosque or orphans. Now I don’t come here to the center any more. Only in my neighborhood. House, work and mosque.”
Redouan speaks on a terrace in Amsterdam. He had already spoken to Trouw once this summer. Then he sat in the gallery in the case against his brother. He says that it’s his duty, and that of every other Muslim to kill Ayaan Hirsi Ali, because she insulted the prophet.
The graduate of vocational training came to the Netherlands seven years ago. From the Morrocan coast city of Al Hoceima. “With the most beautiful beach in the world.” He found the culture shock enormous. In Amsterdam he was struck by the great tolerance for other cultures. [Tolerance that he doesn't possess]
Redouan doesn’t go around much with Moroccans. From television he got the impression that they were all criminals. His father, who was already living here, says that too. Redouan prayed, didn’t drink alcohol and didn’t eat pork meat. But he did go to McDonald’s, smoked a joint sometimes and went out with girls.
“I was altogether not serious in the belief. Yet some Moroccan parents in the mosque told me: we are proud of you, our own kids are lost in this society, addicted to drugs. I say: that is your fault. You must support your kids in school, inform them if there are problems. You catch them just as the police stands in front of the door. What do you do in the mosque? Drink some tea, not more than that.
“My own father also didn’t care if I went to the mosque or to the disco. He only said: you must have money, money decides who you are. But that isn’t so. The prophet Mohammed - peace be upon him – was born and died poor [did he? after all those caravan raids?]. What you know of it, my father said than, we’ve worked in the mines, always had it hard.”
He must laugh hard. “My father always exaggerates.” Redouan laughs much and often.
Why did you seek your refuge in Islam?
“I’ve read a lot. About liberalism, humanism, socialism, Darwinism. I read a quality Saoudi paper. My father finished basic school, my mother is illiterate. But I could already read and write before I went to school. I consider it a gift.”
“My break also had to do with September 11 [Trouw would like to think that it was the Dutch persecution of this brother that caused him to turn to Islam. It fits in with what we hear all the time, the persecution leads to hate. They simply ignore what he tells them]. I still know it precisely: I came home in the afternoon and saw the pictures, that the Americans were attacked. I got goose bumps. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, that is the first thing that you say.”
“I had no time to be happy. I went to reflect. You see people that are highly educated, aren’t poor. They can have what they want and they do something like this. Why? I found it impressive.”
Didn’t you think it was terrible for the people in those buildings?
“No, not at all. After several days I was just happy. I saw how pathetic and weak those people were. Why were they so pathetic? You’re hard put about the dead. If you’re a Muslim, you believe your death is already fixed. God knows it. When, how. Death matters nothing to me.”
“You forget that America was in a war. Also before September 11, 2001. Take the Palestinian issue [America was at war with Palestine?]. And that American presence in Saudi Arabia. Osama Bin Laden stated it clearly, and other great imams too [Bin Laden is a great imam]: the occupying forces must withdraw from Saudi Arabia. We don’t want it, the people.”
Say now that America wanted a war against Islam, wouldn’t it have gone about it on a large scale?
“No, because the Americans have too much to lose. Muslims see the struggle as a blessing from God. Everyone would like to die as a Mujahid. For that men leave behind them their wife, children, job and house. There are seven paradises. In the first are the prophets. Mohammed, Jesus, Abraham. In the second paradise, a level under it, are the Mujahids.”
"You don’t have to blow up. You can also go there with your Kalashnikov and do your best. If you die than, you come too into the second paradise. You do need your parents consent. In the beginning they say maybe: no, don’t do it. But after a bit of time they say: go try it. They think though that you won’t really do it.”
“The Netherlands is also at war, for that matter. You are searching for Bin Laden in Afghanistan, between the rocks, by orders from America. That Afghanistan is now safer, that girls and women go to school and want to work, is just propaganda. I hear that in the Islamic media. And Muslims don’t perpetrate propaganda. [of course not]”
“Why don’t the Dutch demonstrate against the military operations? Yes, several of the young idealists with painted hair. Most Dutch support it. Also attacks on Dutch citizens can happen by it." [if the Dutch don't dispose of their gov't, they are liable to be punished for it. They are no different than the soliders]
Wouldn’t the Jihad get nowhere if you kill me?
“That can be an option If you’re a Muslim you must in principle do dawah (send invitations) [AKA proselytizing]. But if a land is at war with Islam, there’s no point in it. Some people will never convert [and therefore must be killed]. That’s mentioned already in the Koran.”
How did you come by your ideas?
“I’ve been several times in the Arrahmane Mosque in the Amsterdam neighborhood de Pijp.” That mosque appeared in the news several years ago because suicide attacks were cheered there. “The way of preaching pleased me terribly. I also came once in such usual mosques with Moroccans, but mostly only the last ten minutes. I have no interest in this nonsense. The imam there says literally what happened hundreds of years ago. I live now, I have other problems. I also got books from my brother.”
“That Hofstad group, it is simply friends that visit each other. I’ve spoken to them several times and they are truly very good. They are stronger in the belief than I am. They don’t follow an imam for no reason, they base themselves only on the Koran and the Sunnah, the prophet’s path in life. I always ask them questions. For example, why are women stoned. And they tell me: it happens only with adulterous women. And four witness must determine the adultery. I find that convincing answers.”
“Before my brother was a typical Moroccan from Oost. Playing football, fighting, jeering at people in Berbers, running away without paying. It was truly a mess. But he got other friends. The brothers are truly reformed. They are relatively very relaxed, truly terrific.
“Listen, when Mohammed Bouyeri killed Theo van Gogh, he had the chance to crash down all Amsterdamers. He didn’t do that. While one of those people yet spared him too.”
Where must the struggle lead to?
“The goal is the growth in the total number of true Muslims. Nowhere in the world can we enforce all Islamic rules. Sadly there are yet not many true Muslims. [That is, the goal is clear, once there will be enough Muslims, Islamic law will prevail]
Thus it doesn’t go so well with this project? [Project??]
“You can also say that the true Islam never truly died out. If God wants it, everybody will become Muslim. But he doesn’t want it yet.
Why wouldn’t Allah want that everybody become Muslims immediately?
Laughing, he says something about the eye-eyed devil that will come, after which everybody will resort to Allah [Trouw thinks it's a joke].
Sometimes it seems as if you don’t take this belief wholly seriously.
With a sincere look: “Oh yes, I’m perfectly ok. People think that a Muslim is always miserable, but that is not so. These people of the Hofstad Group say it too: you are even more terrible then your brother, who also laughs so much. But that’s how we are.”
Redouan thinks it’s a good idea to speak more often with the paper, he says: “But,” he asks himself half-jokingly, “where would that end? If just now I will come with several bombs to Amsterdam Central Station [again, Trouw thinks he's joking, enabling him to actually say what he's planning]. You’re come then to stand next to me to ask: How do you feel now?”
Source: De Trouw (Dutch)
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