The call of Masjid Al-Aqsa and our Responsibility

It is no secret that Israel is bent on erasing

the existence of the Gaza Strip from the map.

 By: Raza ul Haq

Although every Muslim country makes its own decisions at the state level ever since the ‘Ummah’ was split into nation states, yet there are certain issues that transcend the boundaries of time and space, and will always remain common among the Muslim Ummah. The issue of Palestine is, undoubtedly, one such matter.

Allah (Exalted be He) Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:

“Hold fast, all of you, to the cord of Allah, and be not divided.” (3:103)

and

What has happened to you that you do not fight in the way of Allah, and for the oppressed among men, women and children who say, “Our Lord, take us out from this town whose people are cruel, and make for us a supporter from Your own, and make for us a helper from Your own.” (4:75)

The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had likened the Muslim Ummah to one body, in which if one part is in pain, the whole body feels it. The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had also likened the faithful believers to such a building, one part of which acts as a support for the other parts.

The brutal bombing of Gaza by Israel has been ongoing for more than five months, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 31,000 Muslims, mostly children and women, according to the figures reported in the media. Over 90,000 people are severely injured and almost double that number are still under the rubble of the demolished buildings. Israel is continuously bombing schools, hospitals, and refugee camps. According to media reports, 70% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed, suggesting that the actual number of casualties may be many times more that the reported figures. Even the most conservative estimates affirm that almost 80% of the population of Gaza is forced to live under the open sky in severe weather. Access to electricity, gas, oil, food, water, and life-saving medicines for more than two million people has been cut off. The Israeli government is allowing only a handful of trucks carrying supplies to enter Gaza every day. The Israeli bombs and bullets murder even the crowds of poor Gazans that surround those aid trucks, en masse, adding to the shameful war crimes and crimes against humanity of the Zionist state. According to the UN, currently, almost 1 million people in Gaza are suffering from illness and acute poverty. Children are dying from malnutrition. During the past five months, the residents of Gaza have been forcibly pushed towards the south, and there are now 1.3 million Palestinians present in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, who are being murdered in droves every day by Israeli bombing. It is no secret that Israel is bent on erasing the existence of the Gaza Strip from the map. High-ranking officials in Israel are openly declaring that they will destroy not only Gaza but also the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The reality is that Israel, with the complete and unconditional support of the United States and many countries of western Europe, is committing genocide of the Palestinian Muslims. This is the first genocide in human history that is being shown live on mainstream and social media.

The reality is that Israeli brutality is actively escalating and the illegitimate Zionist state is now taking practical steps towards the creation of the Greater Israel. There are no two opinions regarding the undeniable fact that the state of Israel has been continuously evolving in light of the “Protocols of the elders of Zion” formulated by the Zionists at the twilight of the nineteenth century. It was according to the same Zionist agenda that the state of Israel was gorged as a dagger in the heartland of the Middle East in 1948 and our Arab brethren, back then, vehemently condemned that abhorrent development. With the passage of time, Israel illegally occupied many a land belonging to the Arab world. In the recent past, Israel tried to deceive and betray the Arabs and other Muslim countries under the false pretext of ‘normalization of ties’, despite the fact that the Zionist state has engraved on its forehead, both proverbially and literally, its true nefarious designs in the words, “Israel, your boundaries extend from the Nile to the Euphrates”, which the Zionists also tag as the ‘Biblical Boundaries of Israel.’ Israel plans to occupy many other parts of the Arab world in the future. It is, thus, imperative for the Muslim Ummah to remember that Israel is bent on destroying the peace of the whole world, and its next target will be other Muslim countries. Hence, Muslim nations must now decide whether they will continue to endure humiliation or respond with determination to the Israeli brutality and thuggery.

While, South Africa has filed a case of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and many other countries have given testimony against the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine in a separate case in the ICJ, the truth is that neither will the World Court have the courage to declare the Israeli atrocities as genocide in unambiguous terms, nor will Israel ever accept any of the non-binding verdicts given by the ICJ. As for the United Nations Security Council, resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have been vetoed multiple times by the United States. The pro-Israel position taken by the United Kingdom and France, too, is no secret.

The truth is that the Western regimes, politicians and media will keep portraying Israel as a victim, despite the fact that the Zionist state has been a violent aggressor for the past 75 years. We must not forget that it is the collective responsibility of Muslims worldwide to defend the Palestinians, the Holy Land of Palestine and the eternal Islamic wafq of Masjid Al-Aqsa. Moreover, it is an open secret that as part of its Greater Israel project, Israel has set its malicious eyes on the Holy city of Madinah, too. Had the Muslims been united as ‘one-nation’ today, the enemies of Islam would never have dared to harm any Muslim anywhere in the world. However, that must no become an excuse for inaction. The Muslim Ummah can commence to deter Israel and its allies by closing air, land and sea for providing munitions and fuel to Israel. The Muslim countries can isolate Israel by terminating all diplomatic relations with it. The Muslim countries can exsiccate all sap from the economies of Israel and its allies by instituting a complete and permanent state-sponsored boycott of products and services made by Israel and its partners in crime. All Muslim countries must unite on this minimum policy agenda.

It is imperative for all Muslim countries to mobilize for not only complete moral, diplomatic and financial support of Muslims in Palestine, but also enter the fray for military assistance of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, who are being decimated by Israeli bombs in Gaza. We must remember that inaction on our part will only embolden the Israelis to expand on their nefarious plans which will also be detrimental to each and every one of our geographical and territorial borders, and the sovereignty of Muslim countries. Even more significant is the fact that if we Muslims do not help our oppressed Palestinian brothers and sisters, and do not take practical measures to stop the Israeli cruelty then we will be held accountable for such transgressions on the Day of Judgment. 

May Allah (Exalted be He) be the guide, aide and guardian of all Muslims.

May Allah (Exalted be He) guide the leaderships of Muslim countries on the right path. Ameen!