In The Name Of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

ARAB SPRING AND PALESTINIAN CAUSE1

PREAMBLE

Allahu Akbar Wa Lillahil Hamd!!! Allahu Ghayatuna! War Rasulu Zaimuna! Wal Quran Dusturna! Wal Jihadu Sabiluna! Wal Mawtu fi sabilillahi, asma amalina Allahu Akbar Wa Lillahi il- Hamdu! "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of incomparable Majesty. May His peace and Blessing be upon the noble prophet Muhammad (SAW), his household members, companions and those who follow the path of truth till the Day of Judgment, Amin. INTRODUCTION We are all gathered here today 12th Rabiul Awwal 1434 with three objectives, viz:

To educate ourselves on the meanings of Arab spring and Palestinian Cause; To show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank (Muslims and Christians); and To expose the treachery of Israeli and its collaborators (America, Britain and France) as well as taking over Masjid Al-AQSA in Jerusalem.
Our claim to Masjid Al-AQSA and Palestine is justified by the words of Allah. He says:

Glorified is He Who took His servant for a Journey by Night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid AlAqsa, the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him of Our Ayat. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.Q17:1 Muhammad (SAW) led all the Prophets in prayer in Masjid Aqsa. After his death, the control fell in the hands of the Muslims until rogues and armed robbers forcefully seized the land and the sanctuary in 1948. It is therefore obligatory on all Muslim all over the world to show concern and empathy to the Palestinian Muslims.

-
And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help. Those who believe, fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause

Allah says:

A presentation delivered by Mr. Raimi, Lukman at the1434 Aqsa Day, held at the National Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria on January 24, 2013 (Rabiul Awwal, 1434 AH).

of the Taghut. So fight against the friends of Shaytan; ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytan. Q4:7576

The case of Palestine is not like Mali, Somalia, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria et cetera. In the case of Palestine, it is a justified cause sanctioned by Islamic law, logic, human rights and common sense. We should say the truth and show solidarity peacefully even if the rouge state of Israel and its allies hate it. Allah says:
Therefore fear not men but fear Me and sell not My verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers. Q5:44

The Jews and their allies have remained historical enemies of Islam and humanity since the beginning of Islam. Allah says: Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers among the Jews and those who commit Shirk. Q5:82 They have mastered propaganda and tools for misinforming humanity since ancient times. Allah says: 'O People of the Scripture! Why do you mix truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know. Q3:70-71

Say: "O People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Why do you reject the Ayat of Allah, while Allah is Witness to what you do. Say: "O People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Why do you stop those who have believed, from the path of Allah, seeking to make it seem crooked, while you are witnesses. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. These are the pictures of the Jews from the Quran.

ARAB UPRISNG Arab spring refers to the sudden revolution, wild demonstration and massive protest taking place in the Arab world. The wave is peaceful and impactful in some nations; but violent and unimpactful in several others. Prior to this period, the Arab populations were complacent and tolerant of oppressive governments except few like Iran and Sudan. The Arab Spring was sparked off by Tunisias violent protest which began on 18 December 2010, sequel to Mohammed Bouazizi's self inflicted burning while protesting police molestation and ill treatment. With the success of the protests in Tunisia, a wave of unrest struck Algeria, Libya, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Western Sahara, Syria and Yemen, then spread to other countries, with the largest, most organised demonstrations often occurring on a "day of rage", usually Friday after noon prayers. The protests have also triggered similar unrest outside the region. Numerous factors have been identified by scholars as catalysts for the revolts in Arab/Gulf nations. These include: Massive use of social network (Facebook, Twitter etc), unresolved Palestinian cause, Ikhwan-ul-Muslimun connection, Arabs fatigue with dictatorship, Human rights violations, Wikileaks diplomatic cables information, Economic decline of the Middle East nations, Massive unemployment, Extreme poverty, Large percentage of educated but dissatisfied youth within the 2

population, Concentration of wealth in the hands of autocrats in power for decades, insufficient transparency of its redistribution, corruption, Increasing food prices and global famine rates and threats to food security worldwide. ORIGIN OF CRISIS: THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE Zionists in Europe, America and other European nations empowered Jewish settlers to stylishly take over the land of the Arab Palestinians. On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over Palestine expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved a proclamation which declared the establishment of a Jewish state known as the State of Israel. The event marked the Nakba Day for Palestinians. An-Nakbah refers to the mass deportation of a million Palestinians from their cities and villages, accompanied by savage massacres of civilians, and the razing to the ground of hundreds of Palestinian villages. Some historian called it Palestinian exodus (al-Hijra al-Filasnya). Wikipedia documented that approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs left, fled or were expelled from their homes. Edgar O'Ballance, a military historian, reports: Israeli vans with loudspeakers drove through the streets ordering all the inhabitants to evacuate immediately, and such as were reluctant to leave were forcibly ejected from their homes by the triumphant Israelis whose policy was now openly one of clearing out all the Arab civil population before them. From the surrounding villages and hamlets, during the next two or three days, all the inhabitants were uprooted and set off on the road to Ramallah. No longer was there any "reasonable persuasion". Bluntly, the Arab inhabitants were ejected and forced to flee into Arab territory. Wherever the Israeli troops advanced into Arab country the Arab population was bulldozed out in front of them. FAILED ATTEMPTS TO RESETTLE JEWS Modern Israeli is not the same as the biblical Israel of old. They lost the Biblical Israel to their pagan neighbours and enemies ages ago owing to their hypocrisy, treachery and disbelief in the True God. They went into exile (Exodus) on account of the curse they received from their Prophets. They were molested and despised by all people of the world Britain, France, Russia, Germany et cetera. Every nation wants to purge them out of Europe with several plans in mind. These include: Andinia Plan in Argentina: Attempt was made around the 19th century to establish a Jewish state in parts of Argentina. The name and contents of the plan have wide currency in some write-ups in Argentina and Chile. Ararat city (Canada and New York): In 1820, Mordecai Manuel Noah attempted to establish a Jewish homeland at Grand Island in the Niagara River in a place to be called "Ararat," after Mount Ararat, the Biblical resting place of Noah's Ark. He erected a monument at the island which read "Ararat, a City of Refuge for the Jews. Uganda Program: Another plan was made to give a portion of British East Africa to the Jewish people as a homeland. The offer was first made by British Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain to Theodore Herzl's Zionist group in 1903. He offered 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2) of the Mau Plateau in what is today Kenya. The offer was a response to pogroms against the Jews in Russia, and it was hoped the area could be a refuge from persecution for the Jewish people. The idea was brought to the World Zionist Organization's Zionist Congress at its sixth congress. Jewish Autonomous Oblast in USSR: On March 28, 1928, the USSR passed the decree allowing a free territory for settlement of the working Jews. The decree granted privilege for the Jews to establish an administrative territorial unit on the approved territory.

Fugu plan: There was a move by the imperial Japan to award a settlement for Jewish refugees in Japanese territories after the Holocaust. The plan was viewed by its proponents as risky but potentially rewarding for Japan. The plan was first discussed in 1934 and then solidified in 1938, supported by notables such as Inuzuka, Ishiguro Shiro and Norihiro Yasue; however, the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1941 and other events prevented its full implementation. Madagascar plan: The Madagascar plan was another proposal that emanated from the Third Reich government of Nazi Germany. It was mooted to forcibly relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar. Heinrich Himmler declared: "I hope that the concept of Jews will be completely extinguished through the possibility of a large emigration of all Jews to Africa or some other colony." British Guyana: In March 1940, a Jewish Homeland was conceived in a location called British Guyana. The British Government noted the idea as laudable; it was left for future Government to fine-tune for full implementation later years to come. It was overtaken, later in favour of Israelis empowerment to take over Arab Lands in Palestine. WORRISOME DATA ATTROCITIES OF JEWS Nakba incident alone led to the expulsion of 750,000 indigenous Palestinians. Palestinians refugee population in the Middle East approximately numbered 4.4 million with over 1.3 million among them living in 58 UN operated camps in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. During 1948 Nakba, a total of over 5000 Palestinians were killed, In the War of Attrition (1967 to 1970) between Israel and Egypt, a total of 2500 Palestinians were killed, In the Yom Kippur War, 1000 Palestinians killed), Lebanese Civil War (75 000 Palestinians + Lebanese killed). From 2000-2005, a total of 5000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza/West Bank, Gaza War (1500 Palestinians killed), The First Intifada 1987 1993 (1000 Palestinians killed), Hebron Massacre 1994 resulted in the massacre of 60 Palestinians in Mosque), 20 killed in the Church of Nativity including 2 Priests and 3 Deacons, Second Intifada 2000 2005, led to death of 3000 Palestinians Al-Aqsa massacre in 2000 (35 Palestinians killed), Jenin killing in 2002 (53 Palestinians killed). Gaza in 2008, 60 Palestinians were killed Gaza in 2012, led to death of 140 Palestinians Thousands are in Israeli prisons with severe torture. REACTIONS TO ISRAELI TAKEOVER OF LAND 1) UN AND PALESTINE ISSUE: United Nations Security Council, as of AT January 2010, has passed 79 resolutions directly critical of Israel for violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the U.N. Charter, the Geneva Conventions, international terrorism, or other violations of international law. 2) Creation of Palestinian Liberation Organisation: Palestine Liberation Organization (Munaamat at-Tahrir al Filasniyyah) is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is the recognized representative of the Palestinian people. It enjoyed observer status at the United Nations since 1974. The PLO was considered by the United States and Israel to be a terrorist organization until the Madrid Conference in 1991. In 1993, PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and rejected 4

"violence. Yasser Arafat was the Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee from 1969 until his death in 2004. He was succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen). 3) Intifada: This was an uprising by Palestinians against Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip territories. Palestinian discontent has resulted in two separate uprisings since 1987. The First Intifada 1987 1993 (1000 Palestinians killed) and Second Intifada 2000 2005, led to death of 3000 Palestinians. These uprisings have involved a series of demonstrations, strikes, riots, and violence against Israelis, their settlements, and their institutions. 4) Formation of HAMAS: The same year 1987 that Intifada started marked the formation of HAMAS, that is, arakatu al-Muqwamah al-Islmiyyah (Islamic Resistance Movement) as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas Charter affirmed in 1988, that Hamas was founded to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Hamas has a military wing, called Izzudin-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which provides protection for the people and repel Israeli forces. Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, while Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Arab nations do not. 5) QUDS DAY: Quds Day is an annual event marked in Iran since 1979 on the last Friday of Ramadan to expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposing Zionism as well as Israel's control of Jerusalem; Quds is that city's Arabic name. It was introduced in Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, and the day's parades are sponsored and organized annually by the Iranian government. 6) HIZBULLAH IN LEBANON: Hezbollah first emerged in the year 1982 as resistant force against Israeli invasion of Lebanon, during the Lebanese civil war. Its leaders were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini, and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto include "Israel's final departure from Lebanon", ending "any imperialist power in Lebanon" and giving the people the chance to choose "with full freedom the system of government they want", while not hiding its commitment to the rule of Islam. Is the Palestinian Cause Justified? VIEWS OF THE WORLD ON PALESTINIAN CRISIS: Gandhi on the Palestine conflict 1938 Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French...What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct...If they [the Jews] must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs... As it is, they are co-sharers with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them..But according to the accepted canons of right and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds. Mahatma Gandhi (A Land of Two Peoples). Archbishop Tutu to writes: Dear Student Leaders at the University of California Berkeley It was with great joy that I learned of your recent 16-4 vote in support of divesting your universitys money from companies that enable and profit from the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and violation of Palestinian human rights. Principled stands like this, supported by a fast growing number of US civil society organizations and people of conscience, including prominent Jewish groups, are essential for a better world in the making, 5

and it is always an inspiration when young people lead the way and speak truth to power. I am writing to tell you that, despite what detractors may allege, you are doing the right thing. You are doing the moral thing. You are doing that which is incumbent on you as humans who believe that all people have dignity and rights, and that all those being denied their dignity and rights deserve the solidarity of their fellow human beings. Professor Yusuf Qaradawi during a sermon aired on the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera TV on January 28, 2009, He said:, "I will shoot Allah's enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus I will seal my life with martyrdom." In another statement, he said: "How can we conduct a dialogue in a time when they seize lands, shed blood, burn farms, and demolish houses? Palestine's conundrum has to be resolved first before we sit together at the same table. "Imam al-Qaradawi in 2007, reiterated his support for resistance groups."I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the jihad,". "I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations." President Jimmy Carter asserts: Some Israelis believe they have the right to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land and try to justify the sustained subjugation and persecution of increasingly hopeless and aggravated PalestiniansOften excluded from their former homes, land, and places of worship, protesting Palestinians have been severely dominated and oppressed. There is forced segregation between Israeli settlers and Palestine's citizens, with a complex pass system required for Arabs to traverse Israel's multiple checkpoints. An enormous wall snakes through populated areas of what is left of the West Bank, constructed on wide swaths of bulldozed trees and property of Arab families, obviously designed to acquire more territory and to protect the Israeli colonies already built. Christian churches in South Africa full press release in Palestine in 2012 reads: Our exposure to the Palestinian East Jerusalem and the Israeli-Occupied West Bank was overwhelming, one which traumatised us. Being South African, it felt like walking into another apartheid ambush. We witnessed violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law on so many levels the multiple Israeli house demolitions, the discriminatory Israeli legal system, the daily intimidation of Palestinians by the Israeli Defence Forces, the Israeli Apartheid Wall and its associated regime of restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians, the damage to Palestinian olive groves, the imprisonment of a large percentage of Palestinians including children, the ongoing confiscation of Palestinian water and land, the closure of previously bustling Palestinian streets and businesses, separate pavements for Israelis and Palestinians and a system whereby the colour of Palestinian vehicles number plates restrict them to certain roads. Our visit was undertaken..to come and see for ourselves what their circumstances are. We heard from Palestinian Christians how they have experienced a political and an identity catastrophe (the Nakba) since 1948 when the State of Israel was declared and 750 000 Palestinians became refugees. Moreover, Palestinian Christians experience a theological catastrophe as Christianity is used in some parts of the world to justify the oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people by Israel. We are conscious how a literal reading of the Bible, one where the Israel of the Old Testament is confused with the modern State of Israel, can result in the oppression of people, the Palestinian people. We confirm that the crisis in the Holy Land is in essence not a religious conflict, but a political crisis brought about by the violation of international law by the State of Israel. As South Africans we believe we have a moral obligation to speak up and to stand with the oppressed. We do not want to We do not want to necessarily side against the Israelis, but 6

we do want to uphold international law and fight against any form of injustice. (December, 8, 2012)
Mustafa Mashhur, Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 1996-2002 said: "It should be known that Jihad and preparation towards Jihad are not only for the purpose of fendingoff assaults and attacks of Allahs enemies from Muslims, but are also for the purpose of realizing the great task of establishing an Islamic state and strengthening the religion and spreading it around the world""And the youth should know that the problems of the Islamic world, such as Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, or the Philippines, are not issues of territories and nations, but of faith and religion. They are problems of Islam and all Muslims, and their resolution cannot be negotiated and bargained by recognizing the enemys right to the Islamic land he stole, therefore, there is no other option but Jihad for Allah, and this is why Jihad is the way." "Honorable brothers have achieved Shahada (Martyrdom) on the soil of beloved Palestine, during the years 47 and 48, [while] in their Jihad against the criminal, thieving, gangs of Zion. The Imam and Shahid (Martyr) Hassan Al-Banna is considered as a Shahid (Martyr) of Palestine, even if he was not killed on its soil."

RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of my recommendations are: 1) Aqsa Day has come to stay in Nigeria like Quds Day. Therefore let all Nigerian Muslims keep the Palestinian cause alive. It is not MAIs agenda alone, but a collective duty of all. 2) Muslims and non-Muslims in Nigeria should boycott all Israelis products and services as well as their friends. In other words, let us sanctions all their companies and investments. Non-Muslims are doing this, we do not have excuse. There is Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS). 3) Pray always for our brethren in Gaza, West Bank and other locations. 4) Let us have informed understanding of Islam in order not to play into the wrong hands of the enemies who indoctrinate young Muslims and turn them into militants as they did for Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Mali Rebels and Boko Haram in Nigeria. In conclusion, the recent recognition of Palestine on 29 November 2012, as a "non-member state" by a vote of 138 to 9, with 41 abstentions is sign of victory. This implicitly recognised its sovereignty. Allah says: Truth has come, falsehood should vanish.