Posted on 09/05/2001 6:15:49 AM PDT by SJackson
Edited on 04/23/2004 12:03:29 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Things are taking a dramatic turn at the United Nations Conference Against Racism, with the efforts to single out and isolate Israel going beyond even the worst warnings. It prompted me to sketch a doleful disquisition on how one can tell that criticism of Israel is really anti-Semitism when the criticism takes on the kind of disproportionate edge that it has taken on in Durban. But I happened to fall into a telephone conversation with my friend the Optimist, who suggested that the Durban conference hasn't been as bad for Israel as everyone has assumed.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
WWJD ? ( or have to say on this matter).
Jerry?
Are you a liberal and on the wrong website? You are very naive. Silly little peaceniks are not respected in the MidEast. ......BY ANYONE!!
Another person who claims to have read the Bible trough many but is TOTALLY IGNORANT of the many prophetic verses related to the rebirth of Israel as a nation and the Jews being gathered back again to their homeland. Sad indeed!
It looks like you need to read your Bible once more and this time pay attention, especially to these verses:
Jeremiah 30:3 'For behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.' "
Ezekial 20:34 "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.
20:44 "Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name's sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel," says the Lord God.' "
Hey, hypocrite, tell them to stop the Intifada then. It is against Islamic doctrine as this very astute Islamic Professor notes:
ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC LAW, THE SO-CALLED 'INTIFADAH' AGAINST ISRAEL WAS NOTHING BUT 'FITNAH' (SEDITION), AND THOSE INVOLVED IN FITNAH ARE SINNERS
by Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
ROME, August 27, 1998, Root & Branch:
In a recent essay distributed through our Information Services, Prof. Rene Louis Beres describes a letter he
received from "an Islamic scholar in an Arab country, informing me [Prof. Beres] emphatically that suicide
bombers who operate against Israel are "brave" and "heroic."
Prof. Beres continues:
"The Arab letter writer had another message for me. Referring to an earlier period when 'Jews and
Christians confiscated lands from Muslims and kicked them out of their houses,' he cites "the
following verse of Quran...revealed to Muslims through Prophet Muhammad: 'And slay them
wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution
is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first
attack you there, but if they attack you there then slay them. SUCH IS THE REWARD OF
DISBELIEVERS.' (Qur'an, chapter 2:191)"
Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi responds to the comments cited by this "Islamic scholar in an Arab country":
Dear Prof. Beres: R&B President Mr. Aryeh Gallin asked me to answer the letter you received from
"an Islamic scholar in a Arab country."
I do not know the reputation of this writer, but I can respond to his comments which exhibit colossal
ignorance of authentic Islamic teachings.
First of all, the traditional school of "orthodox Islam" is called "Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jam'ah", and
those who follow it are called Sunni Muslims. Many contemporary "Islamic scholars" (especially in
Arab countries) belong to a heretical school called Salafi or Wahhabi, but Salafis-Wahhabis disguise
their real nature by calling themselves "Sunni."
The Wahhabi school represents the official doctrine of the Saudi regime, and is propagated by an
organization called the World Islamic League. This sect opposes the traditional Islamic doctrine
about "fitnah" (sedition - a terrible sin in traditional Islam) and often causes confusion be calling
"fitnah" "jihad."
In the traditional understanding, "jihad" has many levels of meaning. Minor "jihad" is a military
struggle to defend the religious freedom of Muslims.
A legitimate "jihad" must be lead by a Caliph, or by a Sultan appointed by a Caliph. Since presently
there is no Caliphate, there is no military jihad today. Apart from this, as long as a government grants
Muslims their religious freedom (the possibility to pray five times a day), Islamic law says that
rebelling against this government is "fitnah" (sedition).
There is no difference between a government led by a Muslim or a non-Muslim, a country where
Muslims are a majority or a minority. When Muslims feel that their condition as a minority is
unbearable, Islamic law says they must emigrate to a country were they are a majority.
Since the Israeli government does not deny Muslims their religious freedom, Muslims resident in
Israel are required by Islam to live as peaceful and loyal citizens, or to emigrate.
According to Islamic law, the so-called Intifadah against Israel was nothing but "fitnah" (sedition),
and those involved in fitnah are sinners.
In any case, I really doubt that the "Islamic scholar" whom you cite can be regarded as "a scholar",
since he misquotes - applying it to the Jews - a Qur'anic verse (2:191) that deals with Arab
polytheists. This is clearly explained by all authoritative Islamic commentators, and is understandable
by the same context.
The verse says: "Do not fight them at Masjid al-Haram..." Masjid al-Haram is in Mecca; there were
no Jews in Mecca. Those who expelled Muslims from Mecca were the pagan Arabs, and even a
child who has learnt the Qur'an knows that this verse has nothing to do with Jews.
Moreover, this "Islamic scholar" writes that "the Muslims have the right to defend themselves and get
back the land from where they have been driven out by ANY MEANS."
In Islam, nothing can be obtained by "any means." One must always respect the rules of Islamic law;
one cannot obtain a good result by sinful means. One cannot, e.g., collect money for charity by
stealing or selling drugs.
This "Islamic scholar" misinterprets the Qur'an 2:191, but forgets to cite the preceeding verse -
2:190:
"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah
does not love transgressors."
This verse openly refutes the theory of "by any means."
The Prophet Muhammad explained very clearly which these limits are: Muslims must not exaggerate
in self-defense, must always look for an opportunity for peace, and must fight "as soldiers against
other soldiers, as an army against another army."
Murdering women, priests, rabbis, children and other civilians is forbidden by Islamic law.
Those who die while committing these crimes are not "martyrs", but sinners who died without
repenting.
During the last half of this century, Arab dictators have used Israel as a scapegoat. They have tried
to convince Muslims that anti-Zionism is sanctioned by Islam.
On the contrary, I believe that it is time for Muslims to understand that Israel is a friendly country,
that Jews are our brothers in Abraham, and that Arab-Israeli cooperation could really contribute to
overcoming Arab underdevelopment and modernizing the Middle East (changes feared by the ruling
classes in Arab countries!).
Those Muslims such as myself who live in Europe have the possibility to freely say and write all this.
Unfortunately, in other countries - particularly the Arab dictatorships of the Middle East - freedom of
speech and freedom of conscience is suppressed on pain of imprisonment, torture or death.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Rome, Italy
------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT SHAYKH PROF. ABDUL HADI PALAZZI:
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi is a Member of the International Council of the Root & Branch Association.
Prof. Palazzi is Secretary General of the Italian Muslim Association (AMI), an Imam of the Italian Islamic
Community (ICCII) and Director of the Community's Cultural Institute. Prof. Palazzi holds a Ph.D in Islamic
Sciences by decree of the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Prof. Palazzi is also Muslim Co-Chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship.
Wow. Well first I'll begin to say that the God of the Old Testament remains God today, which also means Jesus remains the same today as he did in the days of the Old Testament. The Triune God remains unchanged. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament promise of the Messiah, and salvation is from him. We say salvation comes through Israel, because Jesus came through Israel. Both Jews and Gentiles can accept Christ's gift of salvation. In addition, the ancient blessings for Israel stand.
But since you seem to recognize only the New Testament, please read these words from Romans 11:25-29. ...a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, "the Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My convenent with them, when I take away their sins. From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
You know nothing about the Bible as you know nothing about the Koran and its blessing on the reconstitution of Israel. This, again by the eminent Professor of Islamic Studies in Rome:
NO AUTHENTIC THEOLOGICAL REASON WHY MUSLIMS SHOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL - AM YISROEL CHAI!
by Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
JERUSALEM, July 2, 1998, Root & Branch:
From an Islamic point of view, is there any fundamental reason which prohibits Muslims from recognizing Israel as a friendly State?
I realize that a negative answer to the above question is taken for granted by popular opinion. My approach, however, is not based on popular opinion or the current political situation, but on a theological analysis of authentic Islamic sources.
Viewing the Jewish return to Israel as a Western invasion and Zionists as recent colonizers is new. It has no basis in authentic Islamic faith. According to the Qur'an, no person, people or religious community can claim a permanent right of possession over any territory. The Earth belongs exclusively to G-d, and He is free to entrust sovereignty over land to whomever He likes for whatever time period that He chooses.
"Say: 'O God, King of the kingdom (1), Thou givest the kingdom to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off the kingdom from whom Thou pleasest; Thou endowest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: all the best is in Thy hand. Verily, Thou hast power over all things.'"(2) (Qur'an 3:26)
From the above Qur'anic verse we deduce a basic principle of the Monotheistic philosophy of history: G-d chooses as He likes in the relationship between peoples and countries. Sometimes He gives a land to a people, and sometimes He takes His possession back and gives it to another people. In general, we can say that He gives as a reward for faithfulness and takes back as a punishment for wickedness, but this rule does not permit us to say that God's ways are always plain and clear to our eyes, since His secrets are inaccessible to the human intellect.
Using Islam as a basis for preventing Arabs from recognizing any sovereign right of Jews over the Land of Israel is new. Such beliefs are not found in classical Islamic sources. Concluding that anti-Zionism is the logical outgrowth of Islamic faith is wrong. This conclusion represents the false transformation of Islam from a religion into a secularized ideology.
Such a false transformation of Islam was in fact made by the late Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin el-Husseini. He is the one person most responsible, both morally and materially, for the repeated Arab defeats in their conflict with the Jews in Israel. Husseni not only incited Arabs against Jews. He also encouraged the torture and murder of all Arabs who correctly understood that Arab cooperation with Jews was a precious opportunity for the development of the Land of Israel. Husseini ended his woeful life by putting his perverted religious teachings at the service of the evil and pagan Nazis.
After Husseini came Jamal al-Din 'Abd al-Nasser. Nasser based his policy on Pan-Arabism, hatred and contempt for Jews, and an alliance with the atheistic Soviet Union. Nasser's terrible choices were critical factors in maintaining Arab backwardness. Fortunately, most of Nasser's mistakes were afterward corrected by the martyr Anwar Sadat. (3)
After the defeat of Nasserianism, Islamic fundamentalist movements made anti-Zionism the primary feature of their propaganda. They presented the negation of any Jewish rights to the Land of Israel as rooted in authentic Islam and derived from authentic Islamic religious principles.
THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN KORANIC EXEGESIS
The fundamentalist Muslim program to use Islam as an instrument for political warfare against Jews finds a major obstacle in the Qur'an itself. Both the Bible and the Qur'an state quite clearly that the right of the Israelites to the Land of Israel does not depend on conquest and colonization. This right flows from the will of almighty G-d Himself.
Both the Jewish and Islamic Scriptures teach that G-d, through His chosen servant Moses, decided to free the offspring of Jacob from slavery in Egypt and to constitute them as heirs of the Promised Land. Whoever claims that Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel is something new and rooted in human politics denies divine revelation and divine prophecy as explicitly expressed in our Holy Books (the Bible and Qur'an).
The Qur'an relates the words by which Moses ordered the Israelites to conquer the Land:
"And [remember] when Moses said to his people: 'O my people, call in remembrance the favour of G-d unto you, when he produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave to you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which G-d has assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin.'" (4) (Qur'an 5:20-21)Moreover - and those who try to use Islam as a weapon against Israel always conveniently ignore this point - the Holy Qur'an explicitly refers to the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel before the Last Judgment - where it says:
"And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass, we will gather you together in a mingled crowd.'" (5) (Qur'an 17:104)Therefore, from an Islamic point of view, there is NO fundamental reason which prohibits Muslims from recognizing Israel as a friendly State. Am Yisroel Chai!
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi,
Rome, Italy
-------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
1.The original Arabic word we translated as "kingdom" is mulk, from a Semitic root m-l-k, that is common to both Arabic and Hebrew. According to Islamic theological terminology, the three synonyms for "kingdom" are mulk, malakût and jabarût. They refer respectively to the physical, psychical and spiritual levels of existence. Of course, G-d can be called King of all of them; if here only mulk is quoted, it depends on the fact that this verse directly concerns the earthly domain. To denote a kingdom in the secular and political sense, Arabic commonly uses another derived form, that is mamlakah.
2.Qur'an 3:26. For typographical reasons, it is not possible to reproduce here the original Arabic text of the Qur'an, which must nevertheless be understood as quoted. As well here as in other Qur'anic quotations, the English translation of the meaning of Qur'anic words from Arabic is my own, but based on the most authoritative English commentaries, such as M. Marmaduke Pickthall's "The Meaning of The Glorious Qur'an" (Beirut 1973), 'A. Yûsuf 'Ali, "The Holy Qur'an - Text, Translation and Commentary" (Maryland 1983) and A. 'A. Maududi "The Holy Qur'an - Text, Translation and Brief Notes" (Lahore 1986).
3.In using the term "martyr" I do not simply refer to one who lost his life for a good cause. I give a precise translation of the Arabic word "shahid," which identifies a "martyr" in the strictly religious sense; that is to say, someone who spent his life serving the cause of G-d. Since making peace with former enemies is an explicit Qur'anic order (see Qur'an 8:61), and since, according to Islam, Peace is G-d Himself, any believer who is killed because of his search for Peace must be understood as a religious martyr. The same considerations clearly apply to Yitzhak Rabin.
4.Qur'an 5:20-21 (emphasis added).
5.Qur'an 17:104 (emphasis added).
------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT SHAYKH PROF. ABDUL HADI PALAZZI:
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi is a Member of the International Council of the Root & Branch Association. Prof. Palazzi is Secretary General of the Italian Muslim Association (AMI), an Imam of the Italian Islamic Community (ICCII) and Director of the Community's Cultural Institute. Prof. Palazzi holds a Ph.D in Islamic Sciences by decree of the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prof. Palazzi is also Muslim Co-Chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship.
No, many translations state "You shall not murder". Others translate it as Kill to include self-murder, suicide, or murder of another person. The Torah is replete with incidents of justified killing.
Yep, you're a liberal all right. If you ever get stalked you might change your tune on this principle.
Also, while you might not consider it "acceptable" to shoot a burglar in your home just because he you think he might be armed and therefore a threat to you or your family, if you live in Texas it is completely legal!
Many more Iraqis than Americans were killed in Desert Storm. Does that make us murderers and them innocent? Or does it just mean they started a war they couldn't win?
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