Some people ask why you lament for Iraq and the Iraqi people, given that statistics say 60 percent of them are Shi'ah and the Sunnis among them are either...

The questioner : Some people ask why you lament for Iraq and the Iraqi people, given that the ratios and statistics say that sixty percent of them are Shi'ah and the Sunnis among them are either abandoning prayer, grave-worshippers, or Ba'athists. But America is better if it wins, because America has Saudi Arabia with it, and Kuwait with it, meaning it also has Islamic countries with it. What is your opinion of this statement?

The Shaykh : In any case, I believe this is the statement of a Muslim with limited understanding. I believe the Shi'ah Muslim is better than all those European and American pigs, and I do not think any Muslim would dispute me on this. How can such words come from them?

The questioner : ... Something even more severe has been said.

The Shaykh : But the problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that we are ignorant of Islam. When we say "Shi'ah," does that equal "Communist"? The answer is no. The Shi'ah testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they pray, fast, and perform Hajj, and so on. I know people by the beliefs found in their books, which are not only misleading but also declare others disbelievers. However, I believe that the majority of Shi'ah are not like that. The majority of Shi'ah have not been taught the details of the Shi'ah madhhab found in the books of the great Shi'ah scholars, such as al-Kafi by al-Kulayni and the like. When Khomeini compiled his treatise on Islamic Government, he mentioned in his treatise, in my belief, that ninety-nine percent of the general Shi'ah have no knowledge of the belief he mentioned, which is that the Imams of the People of the Household hold a station with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) that is above the station of the angels, messengers, and prophets. The general Shi'ah do not have this belief. This belief is one of disbelief for whoever adopts it, but the Shi'ah as a general public have no knowledge of this major misguidance. Therefore, we cannot place them in the same category as the Communist Shi'ah. The name "Shi'ah" instills fear in us, and we are afraid of it. But the Muslim is raised by the saying of Allah the Exalted: I believe it is a grave error to say that the occupation of Muslim lands by the Christians is less evil than the occupation by Shi'ah Muslims. This is clear misguidance. If we look at the previous jurisprudential principle, "Some evil is less than some evil," then the one who says this statement I quoted earlier is subject to the old Arabic proverb, "So-and-so does not look beyond the tip of his nose." From one evil to another, and that is all. He does not look beyond that. If the Shi'ah were to control the Islamic lands, they would not be able to make all Muslims Shi'ah, but they are disbelievers, and their colonization of Africa and their conversion of thousands upon thousands to Christianity, and so on, is a reality, unfortunately. But we do not accept this, nor do we accept that.