During a recent interview, British imam and political activist Anjem Choudary said the Koran acknowledges terrorism as part of the Islamic faith. On the program titled “Worlds Apart,” “Russia Today” host Oksana Boyko asked Choudary about Islamic State’s beheading of two American journalists, inquiring whether Islamists can hold one person responsible for the actions carried out by a group, to which Choudary gave his controversial response.

“You said just recently on CNN that the decapitation of journalist James Foley was, in fact, an attempt by the Islamic State to terrorize their enemy, which in this case is the United States,” she stated. “I wonder whether something like that could be justified under the Sharia law. Can you really hold an individual responsible for the actions of a collective? Is that legal in Islam?”

“Well, as you know, as a lecturer in Sharia law, I would say to the people in Russia, the Muslims and the non-Muslims, that every action for a Muslim must be based upon the Qur’an, the word of Allah, and the teachings of the messenger Mohammed … who is the final messenger for mankind,” he replied.

Choudary then went on to cite the Koran in an attempt to justify how terrorism is in fact part of the Islamic faith.

“I would first invite the people to think about and embrace Islam, but those who are already Muslim must know that Allah mentions in the Koran—in fact if you look in chapter 8, verse 60, he said, ‘Prepare as much as you can steeds of war to terrorize the enemy,'” Choudary explained. “So terrorizing the enemy is in fact part of Islam. I mean, this is something that we must embrace and understand as far as jurisprudence of Islam is concerned.”

Choudary, who is also an attorney, pointed out that Muslims to not discriminate between military troops and civilians while carrying out attacks because it is the people that elect their leaders.

“Those very civilians are those who put the people in charge, and those people in charge like Obama and others are sending their troops to Muslim countries,” he said, “let alone people like journalists who are considered to be the right hand of the propaganda machine of the Obama administration.”

Choudary earlier headed the radical group Al Muhajiroun, which was eventually blacklisted in the United Kingdom, after two of its former members were linked with the beheading of a British soldier in 2013 – an incident that shocked the nation, as it took place on a London street in broad daylight. Choudary has also been vocal about his support for the 9/11 attacks where he referred to the terrorists responsible as “magnificent martyrs.”

“Quite frankly, I think it’s completely pathetic and absurd for you to ask a Muslim to condemn a killing of one individual when hundreds of thousands of Muslims are being slaughtered, of which you don’t know that name,” he said.

In an interview last month, Choudary also said that the eventual goal of Islam is to set up a global Islamic State.

“You don’t have a choice,” he said. “It’s coming to you in America.”

Photo Credit: The Telegraph

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