Table of Contents
Israel, the Birthplace of State Terrorism
Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a Responsibility which Originates from Human Innate Nature
The Legal Nature of Solidarity and the Universality of the Palestinian Cause
Human Beings are Members of a Whole, in Creation of one Essence and Soul
Supporting the Palestinian People as a Part of the Global Pursuit of Justice
Calling for a Worldwide Boycott of Israeli Goods
We live in an era when the Zionist regime of Israel, backed by the US government, slaughters the Palestinian people on a daily basis without any fear of punishment [1]. Israel, as it is known today, is an illegitimate regime which has occupied the country of Palestine with the support of world powers[2].
With the US government’s unconditional support, Israel commits heinous crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestine on a regular basis, crimes so horrific and dreadful that the mind cannot comprehend and the heart cannot bear.[3]
Needless to say that, under such conditions, international solidarity with the Palestinian people is absolutely necessary; it is a human obligation which we all owe one another[4]. Without adhering to such moral principles, mankind can neither have an honorable life nor an honorable death.[5]
Therefore, whatever is done toward building trust and solidarity among all the people of the world will lend strength to them all and will cause the human world to progress toward prosperity. On the other hand, if human beings forget their obligations toward one another, it will be to the detriment of the whole world[6].
Israel, the Birthplace of State Terrorism
Perhaps the most widely-used phrase in the world of today is “fighting terrorism”; it is a worthy goal which is grossly misused by the corrupt world powers. Today, the world powers commit all sorts of crimes under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
By distorting the realities and justifying their crimes, the corrupt world powers try to further their interests. Under such circumstances, the people’s awareness must be raised and they must be awakened to the truth regarding the reality of what the corrupt world powers are doing.
When public awareness is raised, the oppressive powers can no longer deceive the public using beautiful words[7]. The importance of raising public awareness is better appreciated when one considers the US and Israeli propaganda against Islam in order to depict it in the minds of the people all around the world as a religion which promotes violence and harshness.
This is done in order to invent the necessary pretext for themselves as well as the others who feel their interests threatened by the merciful teachings of Islam pressure the Muslims in their countries and depict them as murderers! This is while Islam is a religion of peace, kindness, and compassion[8].
Unfortunately, lying and the distortion of realities has always been used as a weapon by the oppressive powers to attain their goals. However, they are being employed on an unprecedented scale in our time period.
Today, those who fight for the freedom of their nation and country are labeled by the modern colonialists as terrorists; this is clearly done in order to hinder their efforts and prevent them from liberating their countries from colonial rule.
The duplicity of the world powers is better understood when realizing that they do not consider Israel, which is the greatest state sponsoring terrorism, a terrorist state but they call the Palestinian people who fight against the occupation of their country terrorists![9]
By creating waves after waves of propaganda, the US and Israel further their illegitimate interests in the world by committing all sorts of unspeakable crimes with a total lack of regard for international laws and the UN security council resolutions.
They have even very directly stated that they are prepared to do whatever needs to be done in order to protect their interests even if it is against the UN resolutions.[10] For instance, former US president George W. Bush directly told the world “either you are with us or with the terrorists”! In other words, it is the US interests that determines who is a terrorist and who is not!
These remarks are made while the US and Israel are themselves the greatest sponsors of terrorism, war, and violence in the world. In fact, it is these two states which constitute an axis of evil in the world[11].
Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a Responsibility which Originates from Human Innate Nature
The repudiation of injustice, observing other people’s rights, and the promotion of justice are values and virtues inherent in mankind’s innate nature.[12] This is why any human being considers it a natural response to defend himself against the invasion of enemies; it is a feeling and a response which is completely consistent with the innate human nature[13].
Therefore, the pursuit of justice is a universal pursuit, because all the people of the world, regardless of their differences, value justice. This is a natural human drive which urges us all to seek and promote justice all around the world.[14]
The same human drive which makes us fight injustice and promote justice at home dictates that we fight injustice abroad. Today, we are duty-bound to fight the gross injustice which is being committed against the Palestinian people.[15]
This is not only a natural human response, it is also in accordance with the teachings of all the true religions of the world. By examining all true religions, one realizes that they all have teachings regarding fighting injustice and the liberation of the oppressed.
Therefore, this justice-seeking spirit is not peculiar to the Muslims. There are various pieces of evidence which show that this has been a characteristic of all nations and all true religions in the west and the east of the world.[16]
There is not a single religion which considers injustice permissible or allows its followers to remain coldly indifferent to the sufferings of the oppressed. On the contrary all religions instruct us to rush to the aid of the oppressed and save them.[17]
This is why we believe that it is incumbent upon the people of the world to come come to the aid of the oppressed people of Palestine and to put an end to the heinous atrocities and the crimes against humanity which are being committed by Israel. We must all keep in mind that we will all be held accountable by Allah for what is happening to the Palestinian people if we fail to carry out our duty regarding them.[18]
The fact of the matter is that the people of the world have been awakened and this has led to the isolation of the US-Israel alliance; they cannot draw support from other nations as they once could, something which is even clearly visible in the weak position of the US in the UN Security Council[19].
This is because the truth about the atrocities of Israel has now come out, and the people of the world cannot remain silent about the pain inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli regime.[20]
The solidarity of the people of the world with the Palestinian people, which stems from their common innate nature, is the key to the liberation of Palestine and its restoration to its rightful owners.[21]
The Legal Nature of Solidarity and the Universality of the Palestinian Cause
A society, from a sociological, legal, and humanitarian perspective, is not the mere physical gathering of human being together at a certain time; in addition to this physical realization, a society has a spirit too. The spirit of a society is the intellectual, moral, and spiritual bonds among its members which causes their convergence, cooperation, and solidarity with one another toward achieving common goals and common welfare.[22]
Obviously, then, the members of a society who are given to stinginess and who want everything for their personal pleasure-seeking have taken for granted the spirit of the society. Such people are extremely vulnerable to oppression because every member of such a society is alone in the face of difficulties.
Conversely, in a society where an atmosphere of solidarity, munificence, and chivalry is established, no one will be left alone in times of adversity; in such a society, when a person faces difficulties, there are always others ready to help him and so no one will be overwhelmed with problems[23].
Clearly, then, if human beings come together in a society without fostering a sense of solidarity with one another and without having strong moral and spiritual bonds, they will be unable to advance their common interests.
Basically, in the absence of these characteristics a society will not exist.[24] Clearly, then, if two individuals come together based on mutual respect for one another’s rights they form a society. However, if millions of people gather together without having regard for one another’s rights and without caring for one another, they will not form a society[25].
Today, Israel slaughter the Palestinian Muslims every now and then with the green light of the US while few people raise objections in this regard. What is worse is that even some other western countries fully support the atrocities of Israel against the Palestinian people by trying to keep the people of the world unaware of the truth about the crimes of Israel.[26]
Under such circumstances, the free-spirited people of the world need to come together and change their dispersed protests in to huge and unified protests in order to pressure the corrupt world powers to stop Israel’s genocide in Palestine[27].
We need to discard nationalism, which involves valuing only one’s own countrymen, and come together under the principles of humanity. Regardless of where they live, all the people of the world need to consider the whole world as their own country and all the people of the world as their fellow countrymen.
This way, when a group of people is persecuted in a corner of the world there are always other people to defend and save them from persecution, and this way, all the people of the world will do whatever they can to support the Palestinian cause.[28]
Human Beings are Members of a Whole, in Creation of one Essence and Soul
All human societies are based on a large number of laws, all intended to protect each human’s life and welfare. This is because nothing is as important as a human life and nothing can compensate for the loss of an innocent life.[29]
Considering the fact that any given human society is made up of different members who are related to one another with various human bonds, the loss of a single member can have a devastating effect on the whole society.
To reflect the importance of this issue the holy Quran has stated the following:
[30]“مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَاً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّما قَتَلَ الناَّسَ جِمِيعاً وَ مَنْ احيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعاً”
“Whoever slays a soul without it having committed homicide or having done mischief on the earth, it is as if he has slain all humans entirely; and whoever saves a human life, it is as if he has given life to all humans.”[31]
If all the people of the world come together as a society based on this important Islamic principle, they will consider each other one another’s brothers and sisters, regardless of their race, language, and place of living.[32]
Today, the atrocities of the Israeli regime, backed by the US government, against the Palestinian people[33] must draw widespread condemnation from all corners of the world. All the free-spirited people around the world must stand up and express solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine because they are, based on the above-mentioned Islamic principle[34], a single family. And this must realize in the form of actions and mutual commitment not only in mere words.[35]
This fact has also been reflected in the Islamic traditions; an example is the following tradition by the Prophet (ṣ):
“The believers are like the limbs of a single body; so when one of the limbs is in pain the other limbs will be disturbed as well[36]”
Inspired by the above-mentioned Prophetic tradition, the renowned Iranian poet, Sa‘dī, has composed the following poem:
بنىآدم اعضاى يكديگرند كه در آفرينش ز يك گوهرند
چو عضوى به درد آورد روزگار دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
“Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul,
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.”
Thus, all human beings regardless of their race, color, and country of birth must join hands to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to fight the Zionist regime. This will be a convergence based on common spiritual grounds [of the monotheistic religions] and humanistic grounds [defending the oppressed][37].
Supporting the Palestinian People as a Part of the Global Pursuit of Justice
Justice is an indispensable prerequisite for the formation of a prosperous human society. Just as the entire universe is sustained by means of justice, human societies also can only be sustained with justice.[38] It is through the promotion of justice that human societies can have peace and security.[39]
It should be noted that the promotion of justice and fighting injustice can secure the welfare of one’s own society, but at the same time it will also benefit other human societies.[40] This means that, by promoting justice human beings will bring about peace in all societies.
Therefore, when promoting justice, one should not discriminate between friend and foe; all human beings deserve justice and, without it, no human society will ever achieve its ultimate goal, which is spiritual development.[41]
In this sense, solidarity with the Palestinian people will benefit those who express it as well, because it will awaken their justice-seeking nature[42] and revive the spirit of piety in the whole of mankind.[43]
It is worth noting that, a group of people who gather together need to have a common cause to unite them under one banner. That is to say, they must have a common language, metaphorically speaking, to keep them united no matter where they live.[44]
Today, many strategists have put forward the idea of globalization and the global village. They believe that, in order for the people of the world to finally live in peace and welfare, the entire world needs to turn in to a single country where the people’s lifestyle and beliefs are all the same.
We, however, believe that there is no need for the entire world to turn in to a single nation; there are certain world-class issues, such as the Palestinian Cause, which can unite all the people of the world and mobilize them against injustice. It can turn in to the common cause of the people of the world, by which they can be recognized as the members of a single whole, a body to fight injustice and to spread justice all over the world.[45]
Calling for a Worldwide Boycott of Israeli Goods
Religious teachings and human conscience dictate that all activities that might lend support to the enemy’s further atrocities should be stopped. Therefore, all free-spirited people of the world should join hands and boycott all the products whose revenues are used by the enemies toward further strengthening their economic and cultural hegemony[46].
In our time period, it is incumbent upon us all to boycott all the products whose revenues are used by Israel or their Zionist allies in the various corners of the world. This is clearly because purchasing such products leads to the strengthening of the enemy and the spread of oppression and injustice around the world.[47]
We must all take extra care not to buy any products that might be linked to Israeli producers; this is because sometimes Israeli-made products are sold under the name of another country in order to evade the boycott.[48]
It should be noted that what has been discussed above is not anti-Semitism at all; it is a call to stop the atrocities committed by the Zionists who are just a small fraction of the Jewish people[49].
However, this small fraction has managed to occupy Palestine and has driven its indigenous people out of their lands; it has been slaughtering the Palestinian people for over 70 years. However, this occupying regime is not satisfied with what it has already occupied; it has put forward its expansionist plans in the form of the map of their promised land “From the Nile to the Euphrates”.
In other words, the Zionists seek to occupy half of the Muslim countries, from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, to Iraq and Jordan. This is while there are many sites in these countries which are sacred to the Muslims. The Al Aqsa Mosque[50], the place where the Prophet of Islam (ṣ) ascended to his Spiritual Night Journey, Al Khalil, the birthplace of Ibrahim (‘a), Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ (‘a), and Gaza, where Hāshim ibn ‘Abdemanāf one of Prophet Mohammad’s ancestors is buried.
Recently, however, they have announced the most outrageous thing: they have decided to declare Jerusalem Al Quds as the capital of Israel.[51] This is one of the most sacred places of the world for the Muslims; it is a city which has been referred to several times in the Quran as a “sacred” and “blessed” land:
" ادْخُلُوا الْارْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِى كَتَبَ اللهُ لَكُمْ "
“Enter the Holy Land which Allah has ordained for you”[52]
" إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْاقْصَا الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ "
“…to Masjid Al Aqsa, whose vicinity We have blessed”[53]
Jerusalem Al Quds is a city where, according to history, many great prophets and religions were born. It has always been a place for monotheism and the promotion of the teachings of the divinely-sent prophets. This is why it has always been called the “holy land”.[54]
Now, considering the atrocities that are committed against the indigenous people of Palestine, it is incumbent upon all to condemn the most recent injustice that is being done to these people by the Israelis; they intend to completely evict the Palestinian population from their homes in Jerusalem Al Quds and declare it the capital of the Jewish state of Israel.[55]
This clearly shows the urgency of the matter and the need for quick action against the imminent mass displacement of large numbers of people from their homes in the occupied Palestine.
All religious leaders, including the Pope, need to join hands and condemn this heinous crime of the Israeli regime and its supporters against the Palestinian people. It is incumbent for all these leaders to have meetings in order to come up with plans to take swift actions against the further occupation of the Palestinian lands and homes[56].
Such a meeting can be organized in the form of an international congress for the solidarity of the followers of all the monotheistic religions with the Palestinian people. The aim of such meetings will be to exchange ideas and thoughts in order to find effective ways to unite the people of the world in the fight against the oppressive US and Israeli policies in Palestine.[57]
Researched and edited by the news editorial of the website of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi’s office.
www.makarem.ir
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