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Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim Theologians), Johannesburg |
| Title: | Palestine Today |
| Posted: | 7 June 2007 |
| Author: | Jamiatul Ulama |
| Agency: | Jamiatul Ulama |
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Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a
night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of
which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may
show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the
Hearing, the Seeing. [Al-Israa, Ayah 1] |
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PALESTINE TODAY As we mark 40 years
of the End of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the
Continuing Suffering of Occupied Palestine, Ulama
are advised to develop their khutbah/bayaan around
the following themes. |
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·
Its
sanctity is matched only by Makkah and Madina.
In the Qur’ān there are many verses implying that
the Land of Palestine, the city of Jerusalem, the
entire environs are set apart as holy and blessed.
The land around Masjid Al-Aqsa is referred to
70 times as the blessed land in the Qur’ān.
·
Land
of the Israa and Mirâj.
The
Night Journey of Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam was to Jerusalem. It was from here that
the Ascension took place.
·
Virtues of praying in Masjid Al Aqsa are exalted.
Up to 500 times more virtuous than any Masājid other
than Baitullah and Masjid Nabawi Sallallâhu
'alayhi wasallam (Hadith: Abū Darda; Al Bukharī).
Also Masjid where specific travel could be made to.
·
It
is an article of Islāmic faith to respect all the
Prophets.
(Qur’ānic) Because many Prophets, were associated
with Al Quds, and its surroundings, every inch has
become an object of reverence.
·
Linked to the Last Day:
Maimunah bin Sād Radiallāhu anha asked: “O
Prophet of Allāh!
Tell us about Baitul Maqdas to which he replied, ‘It
is the land
of gathering and resurrection.’” (Abū Dawūd)
What’s happening in Palestine Today?
·
Zionists continue to implement their policies of
exclusion by building an apartheid wall on
Palestinian land.
·
Land
is routinely expropriated for establishment of
illegal settlements of migrant settlers from around
the world except Palestinians.
·
Palestinian refugees within Palestine and beyond are
denied their right of return to their homeland.
·
The
so-called Israeli-Arabs risk losing their
citizenship at any given time while more and more
settlers are naturalised so long they claim Jewish
descent. With the exception of Jordan, all other
Arab states have not given Palestinian refugees
citizenship status.
·
Palestinian people live in squalor and abject
poverty in Lebanon, Syria and in the Occupied
Territories.
·
Acts
of provocation such us excavation of the area around
and under the Haram al-Sharif under the pretext of
archaeological research are sanctioned as
legitimate.
·
Routinely such provocation leads to confrontation
through which disproportionate force is used against
Palestinian defending the Haram al Sharif to
decimate, terrorise, maim and put under siege the
wider Palestinian community.
·
The
Palestinian economy is at the mercy of the Occupying
Power: Israel decides what can be imported or
exported, restricts movement of people and controls
access to all borders and sea.
·
Israeli stands out a record-breaker in ignoring
United Nations resolutions. In cases where no
resolution was passed against Israel, it was with
complicity of the US vetoing such a resolution.
·
Prof. John Dugard: “By making life as difficult as
possible for the Palestinian people...Israel has
embarked on a policy of collective punishment in
clear violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva
Convention.” The genocide of the Palestinian people
continues relentlessly.
How
it all Begun and Thereafter
·
Peaceful communities of Palestinians— Muslims,
Christians and Jews— who co-existed for generations
were either killed or had to flee to Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan and other Arab countries.
·
By
1948, Israel was declared as a Jewish State.
·
The
creation of Israel was the price Palestinian people
had to pay for the guilt of Europe’s treatment of
Jewish people.
·
In
1967, during the Arab-Israeli War, Israeli occupied
the West Bank and Gaza, Sinai and Golan Heights.
·
The
aftermath of this war saw even more Palestinians
dispossessed of their land and many more became
refugees on their soil and beyond.
·
Moshe Dayan later wrote: “…In three villages
southwest of Jerusalem and at Qalqilya, houses were
destroyed …not in battle, but as punishment ... and
in order to chase away the inhabitants ... contrary
to government...policy.”
·
An
estimated 4 million Palestinian people today live as
refugees worldwide.
·
Jimmy Carter, former US president describes the
Israeli regime is his book, Peace not Apartheid,
as ‘worse than apartheid’: "When Israel does
occupy this territory deep within the West Bank, and
connects the 200-or-so settlements with each other,
with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians
from using that road, or in many cases even crossing
the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of
apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in
South Africa."
The
Nature of Zionist Israel
·
Grabbing land for illegal settlements and
plantations.
·
Creating ‘facts on the ground’ to ensure that any
kind of settlement is reached at with some
irreversible changes in Zionist’s favour. The
‘Security Fence’ which is effectively an apartheid
artefact is a case in point.
·
Transfers. This is a euphemism for driving
Palestinians out of certain territories in order to
establish numerical majority for Israelis.
·
As
an extension to transfers, a Palestinians living in
occupied territories may have his/her citizenship
revoked once they leave or get married to someone
living in, say Gaza. On the other hand, a migrant
claiming any shade of Jewish decent is granted
citizenship upon arrival in Israel.
·
Brutalising Palestinians. Most of the decorated
military officers and heroes of the Israeli state
have been those who were in the fore-front of
inflicting terror on Palestinian people.
·
Annihilating Palestinian people. Zionist Israel is
far from rest in the pursuit of Palestinians. They
are followed, rounded-up and killed even if they are
in countries of refugee such as Lebanon and Jordan.
Sabra and Chatilla Massacres and a catalogue of
other massacres are vivid examples. Jenin remains
fresh in our memories.
Everyday Realities for Common Palestinian People
·
Women give birth at road-blocks while waiting for
permission to cross to territories or towns where
they can access medical care.
·
Produce such as fruit gets rotten at checkpoints
further suffocating what is left of the Palestinian
economy.
·
Activists are systematically incarcerated in order
to silence them and frequently Palestinians are
rounded up en masse for months on end without
any justifiable reason.
·
Helicopter gunships, tanks, jetfighters and heavy
weaponry are used on densely populated targets
without regard for innocent human lives of women,
children and the elderly. · Dr. Khalid Dahlan, a psychiatrist, in his latest survey says: “…The statistics I find unbearable. 99.4% of the children I studied suffer trauma; 99.2%of the children have had their homes bombarded, 97.5% exposed to tear gas, 95.8% witnessed bombardment and funerals, 96.6% witnessed shootings.” Almost 30% have seen family members shot or killed.…
Glimmer of Hope
·
The
Zionist project is untenable both economically and
demographically:
o
The
cost of keeping the Israel economy afloat is being
questioned from her traditional friends overseas.
o
Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Eastern
Europe have only used Israel as a stepping stone to
their ultimate destinations in Europe and North
America. The demographic superiority proves elusive.
·
The
aura of invincibility for Israel evaporated with the
stalemate with Hizbullah: for the first time in
history Israel failed to stop a non-state force in
the last summer’s Lebanon War.
·
The
‘gains’ of Israel seem hollow as analysts consider
her 1967 victory pyrrhic. Zionists have not found
peace since as they continue to face problems on
their borders, from shootouts in Gaza to fighting in
Lebanon (www.spiegel.de).
·
Above all, the resilience, resolve and tenacity of
the Palestinian people in the defending of Masjid
Al-Aqsa and their land is unquestionable. Their
determination against odds has kept the banner of
Islam flying over Jerusalem. They have to be saluted
and assisted in every possible way.
History is on the Side of Palestinians
·
Arab
existence is the longest in the history of
Jerusalem. It has to be noted that Jewish people
were not founders of the city but the tribe of the
Jebusites hence the city’s original name, Jebus.
·
It
is noted that only the most tolerant reigned there
the longest. After Umar’s Radhi-Allâhu anhu
taking over of the city, Muslim rule was interrupted
only by the bloodiest era of the city’s history.
This was the period of the Christian Crusades.
Salahuddin Ayyubi Rahmatullah ‘alayhi
liberated the city and restored an order in which
Muslims and non-Muslims alike flourished. Continuing
in this tradition were the Ottomans who ruled until
the British took over the Palestinian Mandate.
In
Remembrance of Palestine: What must we Do?
·
Teach our children and community about Palestine.
·
Participate in activities that keep memories of
Palestine, the land and its people.
·
Support causes for Palestine through charity.
·
Engage the media in the highlighting of the issue of
Palestine as a humanitarian crisis.
·
Continue to work with government in order to address
the issue of Palestine on the international scene so
that a just and lasting settlement is reached.
·
The
Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam said:
“The du’â of a Muslim for his brother (in
Islam) in his absence is readily accepted. An angel
is appointed to his side. Whenever he makes a
beneficial du’â for his brother the appointed
angel says, 'Aameen. And may you also be blessed
with the same.’” [Sahih Muslim] Let’s not forget the
power of du’â.
Footnote: Historical Perspective
Jamiatul Ulama |
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| Source: | Jamiatul Ulama |
http://www.islamsa.org.za