Translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), an
independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of
the Middle East.
November 22, 2005.
On November 13, 2005, Saudi Al-Majd TV aired an interview with
Jordanian lecturer on religious law Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nawfal. In the interview,
Nawfal discussed Armageddon and quoted Roger Garoudy. Sheikh Dr. Nawfal is
a lecturer at the Shari’a Faculty of the University of Jordan, and was associated
with Sheikh ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam, the spiritual leader of the movement of Arab and
Muslim volunteers for jihad in Afghanistan and the spiritual mentor of Osama
bin Laden. Nawfal has acknowledged collaborating with ‘Azzam in launching
jihad operations against Israel from Jordanian territory.
The following are excerpts from the interview.
Nawfal: “The Jews dug 40 meters into the ground, and found nothing. There is
no indication that a temple existed there. Brothers, they are making fun of you.
Unfortunately, we are unwittingly legitimizing this nonsense of theirs. This is
nonsense. This is heresy and blasphemy against God, history, human beings,
and common sense. We, unfortunately, are being swept along with the tide.
And then we write books that give them legitimacy. This is strange.
“Sir, if David and Solomon were to return to life, these criminals would
fight them and they would fight back. David and Solomon were among our
ranks. If Solomon had a temple, we would be worshipping Allah in it. We would
not be worshipping idols and polytheism in it, like they do.
[…]
“Armageddon is a word in English, and it has become a film of global
proportions. They have inflated it to the point that it has become an actual
belief. There are now dozens of millions of pro-Zionist Americans who believe
that the temple should be founded on the ruins of Al-Aqsa, in order to hasten
the coming of the Messiah – as if Allah accelerates his timetable on the basis of
human deeds. Thus, they want to hasten the coming of the Messiah by
accelerating the destruction of Al-Aqsa and the building of the temple on its
ruins.”
Television host: “How many people in the West are motivated by this belief?”
Nawfal: “Hundreds of millions.”
Television host: “Hundreds of millions.”
Nawfal: “Worse still, decision-makers. Reagan is one of those
who believe in this, and now Bush has passed Reagan by light years in his
belief in this. His campaign against us is not a transient, political issue. This
issue is stuck in his head. It is their faith. Many pro-Zionist Christians are more
extreme than Sharon, much more extreme.
[…]
“They believe that the decisive global war will take place on the Megiddo Plain.
The film gave it all different dimensions – different metaphors and symbols…
They are too sophisticated to say it straightforwardly. No, they hint at it. But
ultimately, they have managed to plant in people’s minds the belief in
Armageddon.”
[…]
Nawfal: “Roger Garoudy said: ‘If we take the number of gas chambers and the
maximal daily capacity of an oven, and multiply them by the period you
Zionists, claim the Holocaust lasted – even if we multiply the number of ovens
by the maximal , the figure is grossly exaggerated. The number of
those burned was 600,000. You added another zero, and turned it into six
million.'”
