Posted on 04/26/2002 11:13:55 AM PDT by swarthyguy
-SNIP-But consider the following proposal: Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan declare the formation of a multi-national Muslim army that operates within the gambit of International Law under a central command. Each country donates 100,000 soldiers and shares the cost of equipping the peacekeeping force. Then these countries announce a public fund for the support of this army whose mandate will be to protect Muslims all over the world, wherever they happen to be in danger. -SNIP-
Full Text Here
No flags flew at half-mast for those who were massacred in Jenin. No one counted those who are still lying under the rubble. It was a massacre carried out before the whole world, with full compliance of the President of the United States who helped in numerous ways in allowing the Israeli defence forces (IDF) to kill Palestinian men, women and children as they pleased. But most of all, the Jenin massacre once again proved that Muslims can be massacred in any numbers, anywhere, any time without the fear of any joint action by the fifty-seven so-called independent Muslim states.
As millions of Muslims helplessly watched, the carnage continued for days. There were voices, even large demonstrations, all over the world. But those who were carrying out the massacre remained focused in their inhuman task, knowing fully that these protests are mere words that would not translate into any action. This massacre also proved, once more, the abysmal state of the Muslims.
But consider the following proposal: Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan declare the formation of a multi-national Muslim army that operates within the gambit of International Law under a central command. Each country donates 100,000 soldiers and shares the cost of equipping the peacekeeping force. Then these countries announce a public fund for the support of this army whose mandate will be to protect Muslims all over the world, wherever they happen to be in danger.
Within days, the public fund will swell. There will be support all over the Muslim world. It will be a move that would change the dynamics of international politics in a very short time. It will be an army that will be supported by the material and non-material resources of 1.3 billion Muslims. Such an army would be a force of an unprecedented nature. Its mission would be defined as a peacekeeping force, but the fundamental charter of this organisation would state, in non-equivocal terms, that henceforth, it would not allow anyone to massacre Muslims. Having drawn this fundamental line, it will then work to find just solutions of various oppressed Muslims by taking a pro-active role. But it will establish a clear line: henceforth, no one will be able to massacre Muslims.
There is no doubt that there would be a number of objections to this proposal. But all of these can be adequately answered if there is a clear understanding that this is a Muslim peacekeeping force charged with the clear duty to protect Muslims from Jenin-like situations. It is a justifiable action because the existing international organisations have failed to carry out their responsibilities. Moreover, it is justifiable on moral and legal grounds because all international laws recognise sanctity of human life.
But the most powerful objection to this idea would be that such an army would have to physically go into another country to carry out its task and this would amount to the invasion of that country. But this is only an objection that ignores existing factors in the present situation. One of the most obvious of these factors is the absence of any other means of protection of lives. This is an overriding fact which has been abundantly made clear in Jenin.
Second, the Muslim peace-keeping army would be just that: a peace-keeping force that would arrive on the scene to protect Muslim lives; it will not be an occupying army but it will force the killers to retreat and allow the international organisations to play their role in finding a just solution. It will remain in the troubled spot and work with other international organisations in ensuring the presence of adequate food, water, and medical supplies. It will not engage in combat unless attacked.
Third, the existing world situation is clearly built upon alliances. It is another matter that most of these alliances are merely a cover for one country's agenda. But these alliances exist, nevertheless, and are recognised internationally. Hence, an alliance of five Muslim countries is not an oddity.
Fourth, the state of Israel owes its existence to approximately ten million US dollars that America gives to it every day. (The 2002 foreign aid program that President Bush signed into law in January provides Israel with $2.04 billion in military aid and $730 million in financial assistance, nearly one-fifth of total US aid to the world.) Without this massive infusion of funds, it would not exist. But it is not its existence that is the argument for the creation of a Muslim army; it is its occupation that sets the precedent. This occupation of Palestine by the state of Israel is a well-established international fact, recognised by the United Nations and even by the United States. So, if one state, supported by another state, can occupy a land, then five other states can send an army to prevent massacre of civilians.
Fifth, in the absence of an "official" army of such a nature, the burden of protection of Muslims has fallen on "un-official" armies which are often termed as "terrorist" organisations. The creation of an "official" force would provide an alternative to this situation while ensuring the protection of lives and properties.
There are other grounds for the creation of such an army. The most important of these is religious. Even a nominal Muslim would grant that the Qur'aan is the supreme code and the ultimate arbitrator of affairs for a Muslim and the Sunnah of the Prophet of Islam is the example that ought to be followed. Both of these prime sources of Islam call for and support this idea. The Qur'aan, for instance, establishes the concept of Jihad in no uncertain terms. It calls for readiness and preparation for defensive war, it proclaims that "those who are martyred in Allah's cause are not dead." (Q. 3:169).
Likewise, the Sunnah of the Prophet of Islam establishes the obligatory duty of one Muslim to protect the life and property of another. This is a collective duty that is obligatory and in the Jenin massacre, all Muslims have failed to absolve themselves of this duty, especially those who live close to Palestine. "Muslims are like a body," the Prophet of Islam has said, "if one part is hurt, the whole body is wounded."
This idea seems to be so compelling that one wonders why there is not already such an army. One answer is obvious: Muslims are being ruled by those who do not recognise this need. At a deeper level, this brings us to one of the most glaring ironies of our times.
When the Jenin massacre was being carried out, OIC and the Arab League did not intervene to stop it, just like all other international organisations, including the United Nations. In certain Muslim countries, even the news of the massacre was not allowed on state control media; in others, it was only a passing news because the ruling elite feared mass protests. But why? Why do the rulers of the so-called independent Muslim countries become complacent allies in such inhuman barbarity?
The answer to this glaring and cruel irony must be sought in history. After the Second World War, a drama was enacted that created the illusion of the emergence of fifty-seven nation states in the traditional Muslim lands. But for all practical purposes, the Muslim world remains colonised. Britain and France have conveniently passed on the reins of colonisation to the United States of America and together, they have changed the mechanism of ruling. The presence of US soldiers in a number of Muslim countries and the puppet regimes in the rest is the new colonising force that keeps Muslims in bondage.
In order to liberate themselves, Muslims first need to recognise that they are still colonised. This can only happen through a mass awareness campaign by leading intellectuals, religious scholars and grassroots activists. If there is one lesson of Jenin, it should be this: Muslims have to establish an effective mechanism for their own protection; no one else will do so
This is definitely FUNNY may be even SILLY, I believe this topic does not even deserve as much attention as evident from the number of replies posted.
We should consider putting this behind the back burner, it is not worth of any attention at all.
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