Tuesday, August 30, 2011

'Exterminate Christians, close pyramids, Sphinx'

TRAIL OF TERROR

'Exterminate Christians, close pyramids, Sphinx'

Rising leader in Egypt has astonishing plans

Posted: August 29, 2011
8:43 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2011 WND

U.S. jets over pyramids

A rising leader in the radical Islamic movement in Egypt that has become a major political player since the demise of Hosni Mubarak's regime says Christian churches may need to be blown up and Christians exterminated to allow the advance of Islamic law, or Shariah.

The comments come from Sheik 'Adel Shehato, a senior leader with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. The sheik was jailed in 1991 because of his positions but was released earlier this year in the revolution that removed Mubarak from power.

His interview with the Egyptian daily Roz Al-Yousef wastranslated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

What's up with Islam? Read "Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad" and find out

The sheik, a senior jihadist leader, responded to a question about using violence against Christians, who make up a substantial minority in Egypt.

"Are you against blowing up churches?" the newspaper interviewer asked Shehato.

"Yes and no," he replied. "The Christian is free to worship his God in his church, but if the Christians make problems for the Muslims, I will exterminate them. I am guided by the Shariah, and it stipulates that they must pay the jizya tax while in a state of humiliation."

"These positions of yours frighten us, as Egyptians," the interviewer said.

"I will not act [in ways] that contradict my faith just in order to please the people. ... We say to the Christians, convert to Islam or pay the jizya, otherwise we will fight you. The Shariah is not based on logic but on divine law. That is why we oppose universal, manmade constitutions."

MEMRI, which was founded in 1998 to monitor Middle East media,is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit group that has offices in Washington, London, Rome, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Advisers include winners of Nobels, the President Medal of Freedom and the U.S. Congress Gold Medal, such as Elie Wiesel, James Woolsey, John Bolton, John Ashcroft, William Bennett, Paul Bremer, Alan Dershowitz and Edgar Bronfman.

Among the many assertions made by the senior Islamic leader was that the Egyptian pyramids need to be closed down to tourists.