Plight of Palestine

In the name of Allah Who states

 "Verily, We sent Our Messengers withmanifest  signs  and sent down with  them  the Book  and  the  Balance  thatpeople may act with justice ......" Q57:26
May   the   everlasting   peace   and   blessings   of   Allah   be   upon   his   chosenservant, our master Muhammad (S) and his purified progeny.Irrespective   of   racial,   religious   and   geographical   differences,   the   worldhumanly sympathizes with the Palestinians on the untold hardship sufferedin the hand of the usurper over the past seven decades. Recently, hundreds ofinnocent civilians were killed in cold blood for staging peaceful protestsagainst Israeli continued atrocities in the holy city of Quds, which houses thethird holiest mosque from which the historic heavenly journey was made.Justice   is   the   key   to   peace   and   stability   of   all   nations.   And   injusticeanywhere   is   a   threat   to   justice   everywhere.   Evidently,   it   is   the   centralphilosophy behind  establishment  of all  authorities.  To cite    the principle(Chapter   1,   article   1)   in   the   creation   of   United   Nations;   to   maintaininternational peace and security, and to that end; to take effective collectivemeasures   for   prevention   and   removal   of   threats   to   peace,   and   for   thesuppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bringabout by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justiceand international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes orsituations which might lead to a breach of peace. The widespread bloodshedand infringement on people's honors across the world were obviously borneof injustice making the world difficult to live. The world should ensure thisjustice for all and the Muslim Ummah should protect its interest if they arereally on the creed. The word intifada literally means shivering and from thetechnical point of view refers to resistance and rise against oppression metedagainst the weak. In his article in the electronic intifada, why I must oppose/smears against Israel’s critics in Germany. Adri Nieuwhof  said  I have tospeak   out   against   the   smear  campaign   waged   in   Germany   against   FaridEsack, a professor of Islamic studies from South Africa. The world couldremember   the  level   of   hatred  demonstrated   against   his  personality  whenoffered a teaching opportunity at the University of Hamburg on baselessallegations.   The   Angela   Merkel's   Christian   Democrats,   the   right-wingpopulist   party,   the  Green   Party’s   Volker   Beck,   Katharina  Fegebank  andIsraeli diplomats spread the said anti-Semitic rumor.1

He  is also  credited  with  the statement  "I  have  to  speak out because  myparents   suffered   under   the   German   occupation   of   the   Netherlands.   Onelesson I learned from their past is that I should never remain silent when therights   of   others   are   trampled   upon.   That   is   why   I   supported   the   SouthAfrican people in their fight against apartheid and that is why I defend therights of the Palestinians today.

I am deeply disturbed about how academicssuch as Eleonora Roldan Mendivil, Farid Esack and Noman Finkelstein havecome under attack in Germany because they criticize Israel’s violations ofPalestinian rights. The

pro-Israel lobby is waging smear campaigns againstdefenders of Palestinian rights, with a view to excluding them from Germanuniversities. He added "I have known Farid Esack since the 1980's when Iworked with the Holland Committee  on Southern Africa. Our committeeorganized boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against SouthAfrica   and   provided   political   and   material   support   to   the   liberationmovement, the African National Congress (ANC). Esack fought apartheid asa   leading   member   of   the   Call   of   Islam   organization   and   the   UnitedDemocratic Front (UDF) founded in the 1980s - when the ANC was bannedby apartheid regime. It brought together trade unions with various grass rootorganizations, including the Call of Islam. The aim of these organizationswas to make South Africa ungovernable by mobilizing people in campaignsto defy the apartheid regime. For example, Esack was among the organizersof 1989 peace march in Cape Town. Around 30,000 people took part in thatprotest, defying the state of emergency". A  relevant  work   in   support   of justice   in   the  Jerusalem  Post  "Esack hashelped raise funds for the popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine". Inthe   conclusive  end  of   the   6th  international  conference  in  support   of   theuprising,   the   leader   of   the   Islamic   revolution,   Ayatollah   Sayyid   AliKhamne'i   says   "Muslim   countries   have   a   responsibility   to   supportPalestinian  resistance   which   should   be   a  source   of   unity   in   the  Islamicworld. The issue of Palestine can and should be the pivot of unity for allIslamic countries. The top priority of the Islamic world and all those fightingfor freedom across the world is the Palestinian cause and unity to supportthat cause". The apparent achievements of the conference include placementof   the   issue   of   Palestine   and   creation   of   atmosphere   of   harmony   andunanimity as the first priority of the world of Islam and freedom fightersacross the world to ascertain justice. Unity is an unavoidable tool for theattainment of all organizational goals. Then why should Muslims divide? No

doubt, all persecution, humiliations, disgrace and extreme poverty befallingthe  Ummah  are nothing but effects of its division. A good example is themost disturbing problem that Imam Khomeini repeatedly pointed out wasthe  invasion of Palestine and creation of Israel subjecting its defenseless andrightful citizens  especially women and  children in untold  persecution forseveral decades! However, the greatest challenge is the Takfiri movementwhich dismisses Muslims from Islam. The Takfirists are no doubt, work inthe interest of the enemies whether they accept it or not. We pray to Allahthe Most High to bring an end to their devilish acts! Unity as the centralfocus of Maulud gives greater emphasis on Muslims unity. Yes, I call thedividing   factors   along   Shia/Sunna   as   trivial   because   they   are   notfundamentals. Allah states  “And hold fast, all together, by the rope whichAllah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves” Q3:103.In the light of the verse, Imam Suyuty in Durrul Manthur quoted the famoustradition from Musnad Ahmad “O people, I leave amongst you two thingswhich if you follow you will never go astray. They are the book of Allah andmy Ahlul-bait -family”It is pertinent at this point to express the Islamic principle for the protectionof the Ummah as a whole. Allah states “Be not  like those who are dividedamongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving clear signs; forthem is a clear chastisement” Q3:105   The prophet (S) said “the believersare like one man; if his eyes suffer his whole body suffers; and if his headsuffers, his whole body suffers” Lamentably, the  Ummah  is besieged withincreasing   problems, unconnected   with  the  way   it  ignores  the   honorablemessage brought by the holy prophet. This, no doubt is the root cause of allhumiliations experienced in different parts of the world such as Palestine,Iraq,   Syria,   Yemen,   Bahrain,   Afghanistan,   Pakistan   and   Central   AfricanRepublic among others. So also the unfortunate situation in Nigeria withincreasing poverty, fear, confusion, general insecurity, killings and variousforms of persecution especially in the North.Generally speaking, the unity week as part of the significant legacies of lateImam Khomeini is for the Ummah to analyze itself vise a vise the propheticguidance. As such it emphasizes the need for strict obedience to the messageand   utmost   need   for   unity   under   the   common   testimony   of   faith.   Theenemies of Islam use division as a tool to destroy the Ummah with the helpof misguided Muslims. That is why those committed to the true cause of thereligion   are   devotedly   concerned   on   the   unity.   On   the   need   to   remainunconditionally united, Allah warned  “Be not   like those who are divided3

amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving clear signs; forthem is a clear chastisement” Q3:105. In a hadith narrated by Muslim on theauthority of Nu’man bn Bashir, the Prophet (S) said “the believers are likeone man; if his eyes suffer his whole body suffers; and if his head suffers hiswhole body suffers”.Beside Imam Khomeini's legacy on unity, Shaikh Ahmad Shaltut's historicfatwa as quoted in Risalatul  Islam,  Dar  Al-Mazahibul  Islamiyyah, Cairo;Second  edition  is   still   enlightening   “Islam   does   not   oblige   any   of   itsfollowers to obey a certain religious school. Every Muslim can follow any ofthe religious schools, which have been handed down without distortion andthe   ordinances   of   which   have   been   recorded   in   their   unique   texts.  Anyfollower of any of the four common Sunni schools can convert to any otherschool. The Ja’fari school, also as the Twelver school, is one of the schoolsthe following of which is permitted in religious laws just like following ofthe Sunni schools. All Muslims are, therefore, advised to admit this truth andto refrain from undue fanaticism and from unjustified prejudices about otherreligious schools. This is because the Shari’ah and the religion of Allah areneither dependent on nor unique to any specific school”In line with this, Dr. Muhammad al-Dasuqi, a professor in Qatari Universityremarked   “approximation   in   the   schools   of   thought   is,   in   principle   anattempt to break the vehemence of party spirit and unite the word of theUmmah on the principles of its doctrine and the basic of its religion”  Issuesof transfer from one school of thought or jurisprudence to another are easilytraced in our history books like the famous “Irshadul Ummah Ila TayseerilMillah” by Shaikh   Bn Fodio. On the other hand, the holy Qur’an advisesMuslim to approach the people of the book in a cordial discourse with aview to drawing them towards Islam. “Do not argue with the people of thebook except in a most kindly manner” Q29:46.While   drawing   the   attention   of   the   Muslim-Umma  in   particular   and   theworld at large to enormously come to the aid of defenseless Palestinians byall means possible and dislodge the injustice meted against them,  I call forthe unconditional release of Sheikh el-Zakzaky (H) and his disciples.
Wassalamu alaikum