Much of the international community, particularly Muslims and Arabs, is furious at the Israeli Army’s sweeping destruction and attempted genocide against the Palestinians. The army has wreaked havoc on a people whose sole weapon is their faith in the rightness of their demands and the legitimacy of their claims to their lands and holy sites. Some Palestinians, it is true, have some weapons — but nothing that is a match to anything in Israel’s technologically advanced arsenal. Angry people the world over have staged demonstrations to protest Israel’s unspeakable brutality and cruelty, with US blessings calling the Israeli actions "self-defense."
When the Palestinian Authority understandably refused Israel’s unreasonable demands for concessions, Israel in effect imprisoned Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. The siege was gradually narrowed down to a single building and then to a single room. The Israelis would surely have killed him but for outside intervention. Now they are seeking his exile — or so it seems from Ariel Sharon’s statement that he would give Arafat a one-way ticket out.
When will the Arab rulers become really angry at Israel’s barbarities? When will the Arab rulers heed the teachings of their religion concerning dealing with an enemy? The Holy Qur’an teaches us "if the enemy incline toward peace, you incline toward peace." The course to be taken, if the enemy does not want peace, is obviously another. We Arabs prefer peace. Then Egyptian President Anwar Sadat went to Israel to settle his dispute with Israel peacefully. Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has put forward the latest peace initiative. His plan stipulates the return of all lands occupied since 1967 in return for peace. All Arab countries have endorsed the crown prince’s initiative.
Israel should consider the initiative a victory because its occupation of what remained of Palestine in 1967 led to the idea of Arab countries recognizing the State of Israel and their establishing normal relations with it. This is contrary to the pre-1967 Arab position when Arabs were dreaming of returning to Haifa and Jaffa.
Israel’s enormous military power with boundless US support made it bold enough to march on Palestinian cities. The gross negligence on the part of the Arabs, who feared even engaging in border skirmishes with the aggressors, undoubtedly encouraged the Israelis. The senseless destruction by the Israeli Army included houses, mosques and churches. Al-Khodrah Mosque, the most ancient mosque in Nablus, was razed to the ground. The Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity’s holiest sites, was surrounded and fired upon. The people inside the church have been denied emergency medical aid as well as food and drink.
The United Nations has called for a halt to these brutal moves. Unfortunately, none of the UN members demanded an immediate halt and neither did they spell out punitive sanctions if UN resolutions were not obeyed. It should be noted in this context that such Arab countries as Libya, Sudan and Iraq have been subjected to severe international sanctions on far less serious charges.
In the case of the enemies who are not willing to accept peace, Allah’s order is quite clear. "Make ready your strength to the utmost of your power against them." (Holy Qur’an). When will our Arab rulers obey these religious teachings? According to the teachings of our religion, the leaders should unwaveringly confront the enemy. They should be confident of help from Allah because He said: "If you aid the cause of Allah, He will aid you and plant your feet firmly."(Holy Qur’an)
Haven’t the tragedies, atrocities and destruction of their Palestinian brothers kindled in these rulers any Arab sense of compassion? Are they not driven by the even more important need to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque and the blessed land? Are they unmoved by the photo of a helpless man sitting beside his dead mother, her head covered with a white scarf stained with her own blood? What is this terrorism that the Americans and Israelis are fighting against? What about American atrocities in Afghanistan and unconditional American support to Israelis against Arabs? And what about Israel’s own unspeakable brutalities against the Palestinians? In fact, both American and Israeli atrocities have prepared the ground for the birth of a million other Osama Bin Ladens. The eradication of terrorism cannot be achieved by murdering innocent civilians.
Are you unmoved by the tears and cries of women whose children have been murdered? How can your heart remain steady at the sight of centuries-old olive trees being mowed down or uprooted? Are you not horrified by Israeli bulldozers which level Palestinian houses to the ground — often with the inhabitants inside? Were you not moved by the tragedy of a Palestinian resistance leader at the Jenin refugee camp? Did you not see him blew himself up when he no longer had ammunition to defend his people? Do not be surprised when I say President George W. Bush has assumed the role of a "mufti" of a religion to which he does not belong. Only Bush — not any Muslim scholar — issued the religious ruling that the suicide bombers were simply more dead bodies — never martyrs. I am not sure of Bush’s qualifications to speak for his own religion. If it means anything to him, how could he have allowed the Church of the Nativity and other highly esteemed churches to be attacked? I request you, Mr. President, to take care of your pet dog. As for Islam, it has its own scholars who have ruled that the suicide bombers are martyrs. Whoever usurps our land and occupies it is an enemy who deserves to be fought until he gives it up.
When will you Arab rulers become angry and boycott the enemy diplomatically, commercially and even in tourism? Why this reluctance to break agreements with the Zionists? The Holy Qur’an tells us that they have broken covenants with us in the past and will do so again in future. You rulers have severed relations with your own Arab brethren on the flimsiest of issues while currently the vital issues of our religion and the destiny of the Palestinian people are at stake. Our people are furious with Israel and America. They demand a boycott of Israel and America. They want a jihad in Palestine. At the same time, you rulers argue about the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting. You should do more than donate money to the Palestinians. You could supply arms to them and ignore the arms being smuggled to them. At present you prosecute and jail your own people who smuggle arms to the Palestinians. In the end a day will come when you will be convinced of the need for a physical jihad.
We, who are angry at the silence of some of our rulers, have nothing to offer but money and blood. It is, however, in our power to boycott enemy products. To do so might mean sacrificing our own vanity and desires. We must also increase our prayers for the steadfastness and success of our Palestinian brothers. Our oppressors cannot defeat Allah even if the Palestinians have so far failed to defeat them. May God shower disasters upon them and show us the miracle of their punishment!
