WASHINGTON, 11 August — A US congressman has apologized to American Muslims for characterizing actions taken by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as “treacherous.” The apology came after heavy prodding from Muslim-American organizations.
Rep. Tom Lantos, D-California, has apologized for remarks he made in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbing group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he described a treaty signed by Prophet Muhammad as “treacherous.” He said: “So let me sketch for a moment how we in Congress see the last few months: Arafat walked away from a dream deal. Apparently, his approach to the peace process was based on the Treaty of 628 at Hudaibiyah, which was a treacherous treaty. Islamic forces made a truce with non-Islamic elements, and they had no intention of keeping that agreement. They went on to attack, and destroyed those with whom they had made the treaty.” (For a transcript, see: http://www.aipac.org/result.cfm?id+1120)
Outraged, CAIR, the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations, asked the American Muslim community to contact Rep. Lantos’ office and respectfully voice their displeasure. Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, said Lantos responded after hundreds of Muslims called, faxed and e-mailed his office to express outrage over his remarks.
Lantos response to CAIR, in part, said: “... Let me make very clear that I intended no offense to Muslim believers nor any defamation of the Prophet Muhammad... and I regret any pain caused, however inadvertently.
“I fully respect Islam as one of the world’s great religions and civilizations and as a faith that provides spiritual comfort and uplift to hundreds of millions... Making a historical judgment on the events of 628-630 AD is well beyond my Congressional responsibilities. I had no desire to do so, and, to the extent that I allowed for such an understanding of my intent, I regret it.”
Awad, and his colleagues, are not completely satisfied with the Lantos response.
“Lantos apologized for hurting the feelings of Muslims. This is good, but not sufficient. He has to retract his false statement against the prophet. This is what prompted us to contact him, not because he hurt our feelings, but because he made a bold lie about the prophet. Even though he admits that he is not a historian, he still judges history,” Awad told Arab News.
“While Lantos says he had no intent to defame the Prophet Muhammad, he does not clearly retract his false allegation that the Prophet’s actions were ‘treacherous,’” said Awad.
Awad also criticized “representatives of the pro-Israel lobby” for continuing to promote “this slur against the Prophet Muhammad as an anti-Muslim ‘talking point.’” CAIR has requested a meeting with Rep. Lentos to discuss a full retraction of his allegations.
“It is known in history, even by Western historians, is that the prophet never broke any treaty, but that the other side broke the treaty. And once any treaty is broken, it is null and void,” said Awad.
