The Unchecked, Indiscriminate Annihilation of a Nation
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
206 |
| Khutbah Date: |
07/28/06 |
[b]وَمَا لَكُمْ لاَ تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاء وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ [/b][b]َقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَـذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا [/b][b]مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا[/b]And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated and oppressed? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help! [b][Qur’an 4: 75][/b][b]Silence of the “civilized”[/b]The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians in Palestine and Lebanon by the barbaric, blood-thirsty forces of a racist regime goes unchecked by world governments. No one condones the taking of hostages by Hizbullah, but that does not warrant that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians should be attacked (from air, land and sea) by Israeli bullies in uniform in full view of the world … over 700 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians killed, over 7000 displaced (all in 10 days); yet imperialist voices insist that [i]“Israel has a right to defend itself”. [/i]Should not the unarmed have most right to defense? Spineless “Muslim governments” are not only impotently helpless, but cowardly silent. Have we all forgotten that both Western and Islamic Law share the essential principle .. [b]Silence is consent
السكوت علامت الرضى[/b]Moral CorruptionThousands of “westerners” left Beirut to flee the bombings, including 10 000 Americans. The question remains, WHOSE BOMBS ARE THEY FEEING????[i]Aside from the core issues—refugees, Jerusalem, borders—the major themes reflected in the U.N. resolutions against Israel over the years are its unlawful attacks on its neighbors; its violations of the human rights of the Palestinians, including deportations, demolitions of homes and other collective punishments; its confiscation of Palestinian land; its establishment of illegal settlements; and its refusal to abide by the U.N. Charter and the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. – [/i][b][Donald Neff - Former Time Magazine Bureau Chief][/b]In an article on
Insane Brutality of the State of Israel, Kathleen Christison quotes Jewish activist and writer, Dr Michel Warschawski on "Israeli madness" and "insane brutality," a "putrefaction" of civilized society, that have set Israel on a suicidal course. He foresees the end of the Zionist enterprise; Israel is a "gang of hoodlums," he says, a state "that makes a mockery of legality and of civil morality. A state run in contempt of justice loses the strength to survive." As Warschawski notes bitterly, Israel no longer knows any moral boundaries -- if it ever did. Those who continue to support Israel, who make excuses for it as it descends into corruption, have lost their moral compass.[i] [Kathleen Christison is a former CIA political analyst and has worked on Middle East issues for 30 years. She is the author of Perceptions of Palestine and The Wound of Dispossession][/i]
UN TestimonyJAN EGELAND, UN HUMANITARIAN RELIEF COORDINATOR (who arrived in southern Beirut just hours after Israeli strikes) said: [i]this seems to be an excessive use of force in an area with so many civilians. [/i]Mr Egeland expressed shock that "block after block" of buildings had been leveled. He said the "disproportionate response" by Israel was a "violation of international humanitarian law".[i]“Indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians... Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable “[/i][b][Louise Arbour - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise] [/b]Four unarmed UN observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland, died after their UN post in the town of Khiam was hit by an Israeli air strike this Tuesday. The UN report says each time the UN contacted Israeli forces, they were assured the firing would stop. A senior Irish soldier working for the UN forces had warned the Israelis six times that their bombardment was endangering the lives of UN staff, Ireland's foreign ministry said. Had Israel responded to the requests, "rather than deliberately ignoring them", the observers would still be alive, a diplomat familiar with the report said. The following statement by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was issued in Rome:[i]I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a United Nations observer post in southern Lebanon that has killed two(4) United Nations military observers, with two more feared dead.This coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long established and clearly marked United Nations post at Khiyam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that United Nations positions would be spared Israeli fire.[/i]Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman also said [i]Israel would not allow the United Nations to join in an investigation of an Israeli air strike that demolished a post belonging to the current UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.[/i]A UN resolution condemning the bombing failed when the United States vetoed it. China, which lost a soldier in the bombing, demanded an apology from Israel.
Hypocrisy & DemocracyWe proclaim that we want democracy for the world, yet we sit idly by watching hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians being killed by a well-armed, well-trained army. The civilian infrastructures of both areas are being systematically destroyed, and what is our nation's response? We refuse to call for a cease-fire, and instead expedite the shipment of bombs to Israel so that they are better able to carry out their brutal attacks.It seems that our present version of democracy for the Middle East could be defined as; not a government of the people for the people, but instead ... ‘a government that is not necessarily elected by the people for the people, but rather who we think should be elected and serves our economic and military interest inspite of the people’.
“Collateral” DamageCollateral damage is defined as
unintended damage sustained during a military campaign, and the people of the Middle East are discovering that in their case it means a an occupying force using US weapons to “fight terror” or “defend itself” at the expense of Arab/Muslim son's leg, daughter's arm or spouse's life, a home or a friend. It is clear that this should be unacceptable in a civilized world. The great nations of the world should be stepping up and put a halt to this brutal carnage. To do otherwise is to declare Gaza and Lebanon expendable and to declare their peoples unworthy of civility in this so-called "civilized" world. Are these the acts which we are witnessing that of civilized people in a civilized world? Such kind of “democracy” and such kind of “collateral damage” is an insult to our collective intelligence.
What a ShameHow angered are people of conscience by the arrogance of the Zionist occupiers, how disgusted by the unashamed bias of much of the Western world towards Israel, how disappointed at the impotence of the Arab rulers, how dejected at the inability of the ummah to rise beyond petty differences and work for the common welfare of the Global Community of Faith. While so many of the self-righteous amongst us are concerned about the aqidah (beliefs) of one another, the Zionist are equally brutalizing the Sunni, the Sufi, the Shia, the Salafi, the Hanafi, the Shafi ... in the occupied territories. They make no distinction, only we do; in the process, nobody gains but our common enemies. We are weakened by our divisions; they are strengthened by our disunity.
Believers’ Conscience[list][*]The Believer has the responsibility of being a voice of conscience and a catalyst for good in all circumstances. In times of such challenging crisis, we recall the advice of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who is reported to have said: [i]“The solidarity of Muslims in their mutual love, mercy and sympathy, is that of a body; if an organ aches, the whole body sympathizes with it with sleeplessness and fever.” [/i] [/*][*]We also have the moral responsibility of distancing ourselves from the injuring and killing of innocent civilians in Haifa at the hands of Hizbullah rocket attacks. According to the Qur’an [5:32]; Muslims have inherited the command from that prescribed to the Children of Israel
“whoever takes a single life without justification is as if he has killed the entire humanity.” How far have so many deviated from that motto? [/*][/list] Let’s remember the words of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); [i]The true Believer is one in whom humanity at large find safety and security regarding life, honor and property.[/i]As we hope for peace, we realize that there can be no real peace in the absence of justice; and we pray that the Almighty Guides the hearts of influential people of conscience and conviction; whether Jew, Christian or Muslim; to work for the welfare of humanity and the goodwill of all creation.
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