France woke up this Saturday morning to the sounds of sirens and fear. Once more terror came to strike at the heart of the French capital, the covert weapon of an ideology which strives on violence, bloodletting and persecution.

As France�s death toll is mounting, as millions around the world look on to the devastation a deranged band of criminals left in their tracks, angry fingers, blinded fingers are being raised against Islam, the appointed enemy of a generation - the designated target of a neo-colonial system which is bent on playing sectarian hatred to serve its hegemonic agenda.

Let me make myself abundantly clear: Islam will never be found in the actions of those whose lips and hearts are filled my hatred and intolerance. For all those who continue to see in ISIS the reflection of Islam�s tenets I say you have been sold a lie.

Islam speaks not of bloodletting and wars. Islam is a call to compassion, reason and social justice. Islam stands for the weak and the innocent, Islam remains a mercy and a light for those who chose to see.

Islam cannot be found in the heresy which was born in the arid and unforgiving sands of Nejd (Saudi Arabia). Islam should never be associated to the deviation of a pseud-scholar, and let�s face it, madman - Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, who brandished theofascism in the Hejaz several centuries ago so that his ambitions could be served.

Wahhabism is not rooted in Islam - worse still its philosophy and entire system of thought is based on ignorance, violence and repression, the very negation of Islam, the very antithesis of the prophets of Islam�s message.

When God raised the status of women to such heights that He put heavens at their feet, Wahhabis turned women into tradable commodities devoid of any real human value. When mercy and forgiveness are found in every pages of the Qur�an, injuncting men and women to rise above passion in favor of reason so that their souls could taste light and not darkness, Wahhabis have preached death, rape and plunder.

Islam cannot be found in those verses Wahhabis recite and those hadiths their lips continue to utter, for they have redacted, modified and misinterpreted the Words which were sent forth.

I would refer you to the words of one of Islam�s most brilliant scholars, a man whose life work has been spent in the service of the truth - not for his own gain but towards the restoration of Islam�s voice, Dr John Andrew Morrow, the author of The Covenants Of The Prophet Muhammad With The Christians Of The World.

In his forthcoming book, Restoring The Balance Dr Morrow writes:
�Islam, it should be recalled, is a religion of moderation. Muslims should be neither extremely lax nor extremely strict in their observances. As we read in the Holy Qur�an, �Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope� (2:286); �[Allah] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship� (22: 78); and �Allah does not want to place you in difficulty� (5: 6). As Almighty Allah warns in the Holy Qur�an, �Do not exaggerate in your religion� (4:171), a verse that can also be translated as �Do not be fanatical in your faith.� The Qur�an also warns believers to �Beware of extremism in your religion� (5:77). In short, Muslims are supposed to be �a justly balanced nation� (2:143).
Although some scholars may argue that the reproach against extremism contained in the Qur�an applies to the People of Book, the Prophet explained that it was equally applicable to Muslims. In fact, he warned his followers to �Beware of extremism in your religion for it is that which destroyed the nations which came before you� (Nasai and Ibn Majah). In another tradition, he stated that �The religious extremists [mutanatti�un] are destroyed� (Muslim). And again, �Let it be known, the religious extremists [mutanatti�un] are destroyed� (Abu Dawud). The Messenger of Allah also warned: �There are two groups of people from my Ummah who will not receive my intercession: oppressive rulers, and religious extremists� (Tabarani).�

Extremism and radicalism, whatever their forms and purposes,are by definition anti-Islamic as they negate God�s commands to mankind - that Islam is a religion of the middle, and that piety and Grace are found by subduing passion and excess.

Paris attack was commandeered and carried out by the enemies of Islam and Islam can never be found in those murderous cries radicals insist on screaming as they kill and plunder, sowing destruction as they go at the heart of every man, woman and child.

Imam Ali, the son in law of the Prophet Muhammad and first Imam of Islam warned, �Two types of people will be destroyed because of me: the extremist and the enemy.� He stated that �The best stance towards me belongs to those who choose a moderate way.� Imam Muhammad al-Baqir professed that �There are two categories of my Ummah which do not benefit from Islam: the extremists and those who believe in predestination.� As Imam Ja�far al-Sadiq warned, �Beware of the exaggerators lest they deviate your children.� He stated that �The smallest thing that diverts a believer from his faith is sitting next to an extremist, listening to him, and confirming his words.� As Imam �Ali al-Rida said, �We, the Household of Muhammad, are the middle nation. The extremists cannot reach us, and the laggard cannot keep up with us.�

Wahhabism is a cancer onto the world. But if we have any hope of eradicating it, we need to call it by its name. Wahhabism is the Voldemort of our story, the evil which we all refuse to name for it would imply facing our own guilt in the propping and abating of terror.

Theofacism rose because we collectively did nothing to stop it. Worse, theofascism returned because many of our leaders plotted to use its arms to covertly rise new empires under the cover of democracy.

As France cries, and as with mourn with her I would urge you to remember what evil brought about such destruction and heartache.

Muslims more than most have suffered under the banner of terror and so Muslims more than most can identify with heart-wrenching pain of losing loved ones to Wahhabism. From Syria to Yemen, tears have run free, and blood colored the earth red.

When you look at terror do not see Islam but see Wahhabism, the very ideology western powers insist on rubbing shoulders with when they bow to Riyadh�s will.

An estimated 120 were killed this Friday - a tragedy which millions around the world have already denounced as an abject act of terror.

And indeed it is. But again any loss of life to violence is a tragedy and an injustice against humanity as a whole.

France does not hold any monopoly on grief, especially when millions continue to live under the vengeful boots of those so-called �moderates� Western capitals so eagerly fund and arm in the name of democracy-building and peacemaking.

And if fault indeed needs to be asserted, I�m afraid fault lies with those powers which continue to stand by terror�s side so that their armies could rise new empires to serve their leaders.

In an interview with�Democracy Now, US General Wesley Clark shun an interesting light on those dealings Western powers have entertained in their conquest of the Middle East.

Recalling a conversation he had with US officials at Pentagon, Gen. Clark noted:�I said, "Are we still going to war with Iraq?" And he said, "Oh, it's worse than that." He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, "I just got this down from upstairs" -- meaning the Secretary of Defense's office -- "today." And he said, "This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran." I said, "Is it classified?" He said, "Yes, sir." I said, "Well, don't show it to me." And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, "You remember that?" He said, "Sir, I didn't show you that memo! I didn't show it to you!"�

When it comes to terror and Western agendas, nothing I�m afraid is as it seems.And so caution and maybe wisdom would require for all of us to pause and REALLY look at the picture and which parties such attacks really serve.

French President Francois Hollande�s declaration of war against terror needs to be directed at Riyadh where Wahhabis stand the masters of an ideology of bloodletting - leave Islam out of it I say.

And if indeed you wish to stop terror I would suggest that Western powers join the ranks of the Resistance, those factions which in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain have already risen against the black flag, denouncing the horrors of Wahhabism.

This article was written by �Catherine Shakdam� for American Herald Tribune on Nov. 15, 2015.