LIFE AS AN EGYPTIAN TERRORIST, DR HAMID

Aish.com: Let’s go back to the beginning. How did you – who grew up in a liberal household, the son of an orthopedic surgeon – become a member of a radical Islamic group?

Dr. Hamid: I was a normal kid occupied with school and hobbies such as sports, stamp collecting, chess and music. Although my parents were secular, I had a desire to find God. I always believed that God and the world are aligned, but I never connected my heart to my mind. Then I took a biology class where I learned about the molecular structure of DNA. I felt that I’d discovered an expression of God in the world. This was the beginning of my spiritual journey. Unfortunately my zealousness for God led me to the darker side of Islam.

Aish.com: You joined Gamaat Islamiya, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization dedicated to the violent imposition of Sharia law. How did that come about?

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Dr. Hamid: I was at medical school in Cairo. Studying anatomy and physiology increased my belief in God and made me more enthusiastic about Islam. The radicals were on the lookout for people like me. I was recruited and indoctrinated in three psychological stages: 1) hatred of non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims, and 2) suppression of my conscience. At that point I was open to accepting the third psychological stage: violence in the service of Allah without guilt.

Aish.com: What specific goal did they have for you?

Dr. Hamid: I met Ayman al-Zawahiri, now the leader of al-Qaeda, who was one of the top postgraduate students in the medical school. He dreamed of forcing the West to conform to a Taliban-style system where women are obligated to wear the hijab, are legally beaten by men to discipline them, and are stoned to death for extramarital sex.

I was groomed to go to Afghanistan to join other young Muslims in training for jihad, to perform crimes in the name of God. My sponsors pledged to make all the logistical and financial arrangements. I was excited to go because my personal dream was to be an Islamic warrior, in accordance with the verse: “When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks” (Koran 47:4). This seemed the easiest way to attain my purpose in life and to guarantee my salvation in the afterlife.

Aish.com: What changes did you undergo upon joining Gamaat Islamiya?

Dr. Hamid: My personality was utterly transformed. After a relatively short time I started to feel that my personality – open, tolerant, peaceful – was changing gradually into an evil personality. I stopped smiling and telling jokes. I became very judgmental toward others. My goal of being a physician and healing the sick grew tainted.

I was not allowed to question any established teaching of Salafi ideology, including the enslavement of war prisoners, the beating of women to discipline them, polygamy and pedophilia. My hatred toward non-Muslims increased dramatically, and I wished to subjugate them – especially the Jews, who we referred to as “pigs and monkeys” and were exhorted to kill before the end of days.

Aish.com: What caused you to reverse this path toward jihad?

Dr. Hamid: I was invited by a leader of Gamaat Islamiya for a specific mission to kidnap a police officer and bury him alive. This was the beginning of the end of my connection with Islamic terror, because my human conscience reasserted itself. My critical thinking kicked in and I underwent an intense inner struggle. I knew I would become a satanic beast if I continued, so I started to withdraw.

Aish.com: When you broke away from the radicals, did you do so quietly or publicly?

Dr. Hamid: I became a very vocal critic, speaking in the local mosques, promoting love, care, and compassion to all humans. As a former jihadist I knew how to influence others to become more moderate.

The Salafists consider any criticism of Islamic texts as apostasy punishable by death and eternal damnation. So I became a target of threats and intimidation by these same extremists who had been my friends. One day they surrounded me and said, “If you come here again, we’ll kill you.” Then they started to stone me.

Aish.com: Where did you go?

Dr. Hamid: I made a decision to seek freedom in the West. But first I went to Saudi Arabia to work and save some money. During these three years I had to keep silent because any criticism would have gotten me hanged or beheaded. So I kept silent.

Aish.com: We see much of Islamic terrorism emanating today from Saudi influence, yet you describe radical Islam as being rooted in Egypt. How did this develop historically?

Dr. Hamid: The Saudi royal family has a deal with the religious authorities, to implement Wahabbi-style Sharia law. For centuries this was a local Saudi problem, as the Wahabbis did not think to promote Islam globally.

Al this changed when members of Muslim Brotherhood, who were put into prison during Nasser’s time, managed to escape to Saudi Arabia. There they influenced the Saudis to take it global, to export the radical form of Islam.

This gained popularity because Muslims in other countries lamented, “Look how Allah has blessed the Saudis with money and oil because they apply Sharia. That is a sign that Allah is pleased Our economic problems will be solved if we do the same – just as Allah has blessed the Saudis, He will bless us, too.” That’s how the extremist Saudi style came to be viewed as the solution to all the problems in the Arab world.

Adherence to the Koran is compatible with universal human rights and intellectual freedom. Unfortunately the real message of Islam has been hijacked.

Egyptian Elections

Aish.com: In recent weeks, Israel’s southern border turned very hot, with rockets and terror attacks coming from Sinai. Is there concern that with theMuslim Brotherhood candidate winning the presidential election, Egypt may morph into a full-fledged “Islamic Republic”?

Dr. Hamid: It depends. Although the Muslim Brotherhood controls the government, as long as the military controls their own power, I believe the Egyptians will maintain the status quo. If the Muslim Brotherhood controls the military, Egypt will become like Iran or even worse. Unfortunately, the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to confront the military in a "life or death" struggle over the country's future. So a political regression in Egypt may likely happen.

Aish.com: How would Israel then need to react?

Dr. Hamid: In that case Israel will need to act decisively, because the Muslim Brotherhood poses an existential threat to Israel. The best outcome of any confrontation would be if Israel gives Egypt a major beating. That would teach Muslims a lesson that the whole phenomenon of political Islam can collapse.

Aish.com: What did you learn about Israel and the Jews growing up?

Dr. Hamid: When I was four years old, the dehumanization of the Jews led me to imagine them as green ugly people, full of evil. The media and schools portrayed Israel and the Jews as bloodsuckers who enjoyed killing young Arab kids.

Many Muslims correlate the word “Israel” to the similar-sounding word “Azraeil,” which means "angel of death." This links the concept of death with Israel, and from the earliest age Muslim children are instilled with a hatred of Israel.

Fortunately, my parents had a broader view. When I was age seven, my father, who was secular and open-minded, was reading a history book when he showed me a photo that will never be erased from my memory. He explained: “These people are called Jews and someone named Hitler put them in ovens to burn them alive.” I went to my room and wept over these people.

 

 

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