This source is found in divine revelation preserved from alteration, and this is found only in Islam, and only in Islam because it is the Faith of all the prophets, and all the divine messages to humanity. In the shade of its law, freedom, justice and equality are achieved according to all their criteria and definitions, and in their most advanced forms and practices. This does not mean to equate the current state of Muslims to the ideal of Islam, we affirm the contrast between the two. Not, by way of the open letter which differentiates between “Muslims” and “Islamicists,” but on the basis that the human soul is bound to the earth until faith raises it to heaven. We are not speaking of nationalism here, as the signatories do, but of an international religion which is more widely spread throughout the world than any other faith. They claim that it is possible for anyone to become an American, however, the reality [of that claim] does not escape anyone. In fact, however, anyone can become a Muslim, and that is the true tie that can bind all of humankind. Islamic values are the common denominator of the positive facets of all civilizations. Not only because of the Islamic influence on most known world cultures, but because no matter how large the circle of Islam grows, it does not claim to encompass within itself all truth and justice, as many in the West may suppose (perhaps due to the errors of some Muslims in their understanding or presentation of Islam). Rather, it understands out of certitude that as one of the principles of Islamic Law states, “Wherever justice lies, there is God’s Law,” and, “Wisdom is the lost property of the Believer, wherever it may be found, he may lay claim it.” The greatest truth of Islam is the exclusive devotion of worship and service to God alone, without taking any partners beside Him. Yet Islamic doctrine clearly and unequivocally states that it is the religion of all prophets, and specifically the religion of Abraham, and that Muhammad –blessing and peace be upon him- is only the reformer and interpreter of the Faith of Abraham.

For this reason, Islamic jurists, and even the Orthodox Caliphs, never ceased to utilize any source no matter what its origin. Moreover, the Prophet himself –blessing and peace be upon him- accepted laws that conflicted with Arab custom derived from the practices of the Romans and Persians, as did the voluminous and detailed books of the Muslim jurists concerning war and its laws based on verses of the Qur’an, hadiths of the Prophet –blessing and peace be upon him, and practical examples from the Prophetic biography and the history of the Orthodox Caliphs whose rule was the most just ever seen in history after the rule of the prophets. The great openness of Islamic civilization went beyond the barriers in whose fetters modern civilization still stumbles. There was no racial discrimination or immigration and travel restrictions to prevent a delegation of pagan Turks from Central Asia from presenting their claim to the Caliph in Damascus against the general of the Muslim army that conquered their land. Even earlier, a Coptic Christian came to Medina to complain to the second Orthodox Caliph about the deeds of his latter’s son. In both cases the judgment was in favor of the plaintiff!

It is not surprising that these and many similar cases occurred, the amazing thing is that people of that era were not surprised by them because what they saw and heard of Islamic justice caused them to be ordinary events. In contrast, we find that the American administration has given a stern warning to the American media not to publish the views of Mullah Muhammad ‘Umar concerning the situation. Justice demands that those who claim to uphold it allow opportunities to hear the other side. Justice is the stronger even if it is weak, and weak is the oppressor even if he is strong. That the huge American media arsenal of Voice of America Radio would be restrict the half-hour broadcast of the opposing side is a decisive proof of the killer’s weakness with which God strikes down tyrants no matter how mighty they may be. Otherwise, why would the mass media fear the effect on an informed public of the statement of a person frequently discredited by the same media as stupid and simple-minded?