FREE ESSAY ON A MUSLIMS VIEW

A MUSLIMS VIEW

For decades, the situation in Palestine has been promoted as an Arab issue, or a
Palestinian issue, and Muslims have, by and large, gone along with this charade. Such a
belief gas proven fatal as the Zionists have succeeded in further dividing the opposition
to their occupation of Palesine, with the inevitable weaknesses that implies. And yet,
paradoxiically, with the latest peace treaties, between themselves and Jordan, and with
the Palestinians of Yasser Arafat's Palestine National Authority (sic), the Zionists have
brought into the open what should have been obvious all along. Palestine is an Islamic
Issue, and Muslims all over the world have a duty to care about what is going on. Failure
to do so, to dismiss it as yet another nationalistic or regionl flash point best left
alone, is tantamount to surrendering the land of Al-Isra wal Mi'raj to Zionist control.
Why? Consider the evidence. Who are now promoted as the demons of the case, the enemies
of peace as they have been dubbed by the world's politicians and media? The Muslims.
Under whose rule did peace actually exist in the Holy land, with Muslims, Christians and
Jews alike sharing the land in harmony? The Muslims'. Who are persecuted mercilessly by
those self-same peace-loving regimes? The Muslims! How much more evidence do we need
before we wake up to what is really happening? We have heard how King Hussein of Jordan
has been guaranteed his right to be the guardian of Al-Aqsa, usurping Arafat's tenuous
and preposterous claim to that honour. And yet what sort of guardian allows his ward to
be occupied and desecrated by hostile forces? Politics is a dirty business, especially in
the international arena. It is one of the worst-kept secrets that King Hussein has been a
regular visitor to Israel over the years for talks with the Israeli government. He has
also met Israeli leaders in London and other world capitals on many occasions. It would
be interesting to know, therefore, exactly what deals have been agreed behind closed
doors leading to the treaty between Israel and Jordan. When it is remembered that neither
Arafat nor Mubarak were inveted to the signing ceremony two points emerge for
consideration. One, any remain- ing notion of Arab unity is exposed as a myth, since the
three musketeers- Hussein, Arafat and Mubarak now follow the motto all for none and one
for one Second, the Israelis are mastering the art of divide and conqure, and it is not
too difficult to see who is doing both the dividing and the ruling. Ever since the late
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia declared Jihad against the Zionists, saying that Muslims
should only travel to Al-Aqsa with the intention of liberating it, the third holiest
place of Islam has been virtually abandoned by the Muslims. Occasional visits by Muslims
from South Africa (who have never needed visas to visit Israel, the apartheid and now
post apartheid regime being almost indisinguishable from the Zionists), and some from
Europe and the USA, hardly demonstrate much enthusiasm for the Prophet's advice (upon
whom be blessing and peace): Muslims should only undergo the hardships of a journey to
visit three mosques - the Haram Sharif in Makkah, Madinah and Masjid Al-Aqsa. This has
played right into the hands of the Zionists whose aim is to destroy Al-Aqsa and build
their temple in its place. Anyone who doubts this should study the recent history of
attacks on the site, and the excavations carried out by the Israelis in the name of
archaeology but which are in reality intended to destabilise ancient buildings. So the
fewer Muslims there the better as far as they are concerned. While Muslims from outside
Palestine stay away voluntarily, the Muslims of Palestine are prevented by force from
attending to their daily prayers at the mosque. How can the worldwide Ummah accept this?
How can we sit back and watch while western lackeys like Hussein and his kind bargain
away the first Qiblah? How can we prepare to face Allah and His Messenger (upon whom be
blessings and peace) on the Day of Judgement, Knowing that we did nothing to protect the
site of his miraculous night journey and ascension? We have already seen the annexation
of Muslim land and mosques; places of wor- ship have been turned into night clubs, bars
and police stations. Not content with partitioning the land, the Zionists have done the
same to Masjid Ibrahimi in Al-Khalil; most of the mosque is now a synagogue. Even the
media has played its role, with Masjid Ibrahimi referred to as the Tomb of the
Patriarchs, leading people to believe that a mosque was never there in the first place.
Can we stay quiet much longer? Remember, if Al-Aqsa was not important, surely Allah could
have taken the Prophet to the heavens straight from Makkah; there was no immediate need
to make the trip to Jerusalem first, unless it was inten- ded to be a place of vital
importance for Muslims. And it is. Palestine is the land of the prophets (peace be upon
them all), the land where many of the Prophet's companions (may Allah be pleased with
them) lived and died. The soil is soaked with Muslim blood in defence of human rights.
Can we really accept that occupation of that land is an Arab issue or a Palestinian
issue? Even if every single Arab in the area was a non-Muslim, we have a duty to protect
Al-Aqsa and the surrounding land. The place has been crucial to the Ummah in the past,
and it has a crucial role to play in the future; even a cursory reading of the Ahadith
shows this quite clearly. Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), the second coming of Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) and the final reckoning with Dajjal, Gog and Magog, are all
going to take place in and around Al-Aqsa. It is that important. For Muslims to ignore
these facts is a criminal dereliction of our duty and we do so at our peril. Everywhere
in the world, Muslims are under attack: Bosnia, Kashmir, Algeria, Afghanistan, Somalia...
the list is long and the calls upon our resources of time, effort and money are many. But
Palestine cannot simply be ignored. It is the most important of all these places and
cannot be abandoned in the name of a false peace. Peace without Justice is no peace at
all. Apart from anything else, Masjid Al-Aqsa is a verse of the Holy Qur'an. Are we
really saying, O Allah! We don't want this verse, let the Zionists have it? May Allah
forgive us! We cannot rest until Al-Aqsa is free, and we must let our leaders know this.
As long as oppression continues in the Holy Land, whether it be from the Zionists or
their puppets, Muslims must stand firm, holding fast to thed Qur'an and Sunnah. If we do
not, then Allah alone knows what awaits us.