[CCM Home]

<< Return to the Editorials Page <<

Editorial

The Middle East Peace: Our Obligations

Intense efforts are underway to redefine the political geography of Palestine. The Zionists are under tremendous pressure to accept a plan that will give Palestinian Authority control of 13% of the 25% of the total area of Palestine and eventually, if the Zionists please, of all the 25%. This plan will justify and legalize the occupation of  87% of Palestine now and of 75% of it for all forseeable future. Yasir Arafat has already accepted this plan. If Muslims were to accept it also, then more than four decades of struggle was nothing but a mindless stupidity. When Israel was illegally established it occupied much less area than it now claims. Yasir Arafat should have befriended them then and he would have more than 25% land under his control.

Our struggle is not for land and our struggle is not defeatable and it is not time-restricted, if we understand the meaning of Allah’s message and follow it in letter and sprit. This is what we are commanded to do:

O ye who believe! Endure, outdo all others in endurance, be ready, and observe your duty to Allah, in order that ye may succeed. [Qur'an 3:200]

We published the following editorial in 1991. This is still our stand today.

Two former antagonists, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, have finally forced the rulers of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, PLO, and other lands to sit face to face with Zionists. This, we are to believe, is a sincere effort to resolve the problems created by the occupation of Palestine by the Zionists.

The callousness exhibited in the selection of venue for this “historic” event is phenomenal. Spain is a land where, according to recorded history, the first human holocaust took place in the form of a barbarous slaughter of Muslims. The royal palace, until a few days before the convening of this peace conference, had statues showing Spaniards trampling on the heads of Muslims. Some of the statues were removed with much fanfare and world-wide publicity, just to ensure that Muslims were reminded of these atrocities.  The official line, of course, was that the statues were removed to avoid offending the Arabs. The word “Moors” was used to describe the oppressed instead of Muslims. If not for this well designed publicity perhaps the conference attendees would never have even noticed the statues. They are too busy being Syrians and Jordanians and Palestinians and Lebanese.

As the talks proceed there is only one delegation speaking for the Zionists. The “Muslims” cannot be represented by one delegation. They have to be divided into Syrians and Jordanians and Lebanese. Is it not Muslims that Allah addressed in the Qur'an:

And hold fast to the rope of Allah all of you together and do not be factionalized. [Qur'an 3:103]

This “peaceful settlement of the Middle East dispute” is no doubt necessitated by the defeat of the Russian communists in Afghanistan, and the overthrow of the West’s staunchest stooge, the Shah of Iran. Both blocks, by their peculiar defeats, realized that they have to pool their resources together instead of being antagonists, for the rise of “fundamentalism” in Muslim lands threatens them both. The results of recent elections and the popularity of Muslims in Algeria, the uprising in Tunisia, and the general awakening in Muslim lands have only accelerated the images of a quick settlement of any disputes that can distract the secular (pagan) rulers from confronting Islam.

We suspect that once this “peace agreement” is signed and sealed, the repression of Muslims and schemes against Islam will intensify. The gun lords  will provide arms and ammunition to convince Muslims that the best way to spend one’s life is according to pagan (secular) laws. Those who dare to challenge this bogus theory would be subjected to open or subtle discrimination.

There is no ambiguity in Allah’s command. Anyone who defies Allah’s command ends up in the pit of hell fire. The Muslim ummah has no obligation to honor “peace agreements” negotiated on their behalf by people who defy Allah’s command. The Muslims must continue their struggle against Kufr. This struggle is not to establish “home lands” in Palestine or simply to get control of a piece of the “lost” land. This struggle is against evil wherever and in whatever shape it exists. It is against oppression of people. This struggle is against racism. This struggle is against unjustifiable distribution of resources. This struggle is against intimidation of people by the established authorities. This struggle will insha Allah continue for Allah says:

Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, they are the ones to attain felicity. [Qur'an 3:104]

We pray to Allah that Muslims everywhere will be among that group.

Published: July 1998