One grave danger, which is threatening the world of Islam today, is undermining the important issue of Palestine and consigning it to oblivion. Some Muslim countries expand on this severe threat; they behave, speak and act, in way that will culminate with the issue of Palestine being ignored and consigned to oblivion.
Palestine is the primary issue of the Islamic world. An Islamic country has been completely occupied, not a small strip of land, city or village, but an entire country! People have been driven out of their homes. Even those Palestinians who reside in Palestine are living with complete difficulty and pressure. They are subject to continuous slaughter, humiliation, degradation and pressure. Is this a minor issue?
According to Islamic fiqh – whether Sunni or Shia fiqh, or fiqh in other Islamic denominations – there’s no doubt that when an enemy dominates Muslim lands, it’s a legal obligation upon everyone to engage in jihad against them--whichever form of jihad possible. Today, fighting against the Zionist regime is obligatory and necessary for the entire world of Islam. Why do they dodge this responsibility?
Thankfully, our people are awake and vigilant on this matter. In any case, the world of Islam needs unity, it needs coalition and it needs unanimity. Most nations are unanimous. It is governments that are responsible for this, and they can also play an important role.
The issue of Palestine is not a minor issue. About 60-plus years have passed from the occupation of Palestine. Several generations of these people – the Palestinians - have come and gone, but the Palestinian ideal has thrived. The enemy is trying to destroy the Palestinian ideal, but the Palestinian ideal has thrived.
Unfortunately, Arab governments are so busy doing other things that they do not have the time or they do not want to attend to the issue of Palestine. Standing on ceremony with other countries, different other considerations and aligning oneself with America and others do not allow them to do so. The issue of Palestine is a very important issue. We cannot abandon the issue of Palestine. Today, the Intifada of the people of Palestine has begun in the West Bank. The people are fighting, but the judgment that arrogant bullhorns make is a completely oppressive judgment. When a person whose house has been occupied, whose life is in danger and who does not have financial security – they come and destroy his house with a bulldozer, they engage in building settlements and they destroy his farm – attacks with a stone, they say that that person is a terrorist! This is while the organization that is destroying that person’s life, security, dignity, wealth and world is referred to as innocent. They say that this organization is defending itself. This is very strange. This is one of the wonders of today’s world!
Someone has come and has usurped a house. They have thrown out the owner of the house and they are constantly oppressing him. They say to him that he should not defend himself, but he is defending himself. If the oppressed owner – who has lost his security and his house, and whose wife, children, dignity and everything he has are under threat – swears at the usurper or throws a stone at him, they call him a terrorist. Is this a minor thing? Is this a minor wrongdoing? Is it a minor mistake? Is it a minor act of oppression that can be forgiven? This cannot be forgiven! We will defend the movement of the Palestinian nation with all our power as long as we can and in whatever way we can!
