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The war in Ghaza
Mohamed Osman Ali
The war taking place today in Gaza, since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, cannot be isolated from the broader Middle East problem.
It's true that the extent of destruction and human losses in Gaza, and previously in Israel, is significant and must be condemned, with no disagreement between people on that. Especially the indiscriminate killing of lives in Gaza, where civilians were often targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces' bombing. Likewise, the attack that claimed the lives of innocent Israeli civilians around Gaza on the day of the Hamas assault was equally criminal, with the only difference being the number of victims on both sides and the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure.
But this aside...
Now we return to the broader problem, and how both sides are avoiding addressing it, preferring instead to immerse the world in daily news of their battles, which have persisted for more than two thousand years. However, this quick article isn't meant to discuss the Middle East problem in general. Mahmoud Mohamed Taha wrote a book about it over fifty years ago, and his analyses and proposed solutions can still be applied today with few modifications. You can find the book for free here (currently it's in Arabic though)
Now let's discuss the current events, condemning the attack on Israel on October 7 last year, 2023. Did Hamas consider the consequences of that attack, which resulted only in the killing of innocent civilians, some soldiers, and the kidnapping of civilians to bargain with? Does the end justify the means outside of Machiavellian principles? And even if Israel killed, tortured, and displaced, do two wrongs make a right?
The Israeli Defense Forces killed thousands of Palestinian children. Did Hamas consider that these children, if their lives were spared, might have grown to be more intelligent than Hamas' leaders and capable of liberating Palestine by more efficient and effective means? Or do Hamas leaders believe that Palestinian mothers cannot give birth to more patriotic, faithful, and understanding individuals than themselves?
If Hamas knew the extent of human and material losses, including the killing of thousands of children and women due to their attack on Gaza's periphery, and still proceeded, this strips them of any moral character. If they were unaware, it shows a lack of military and political acumen and planning capability.
Let's listen to Mahmoud Mohamed Taha in the above-mentioned book:
Excerpt:
God has guaranteed victory for Islam unconditionally, saying, 'It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, and sufficient is Allah as Witness' (Quran 48:28). However, He only guaranteed victory for the Arabs on two conditions: that they believe in Him and that they support Him within themselves, saying, 'O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet' (Quran 47:7). Islam is independent of the Arabs, but the Arabs are not independent of Islam. There is a warning from God to the Arabs that breaks the heart, 'And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you' (Quran 47:38). Who knows, perhaps these people are the Israelis? We must be clear: today's Arabs have been tested in their religion and have forsaken it. They are fighting Jewish racism with Arab racism... Jews fighting Jews! Didn't the Prophet say, 'The nations are about to call each other and set upon you just as diners set upon food.' Someone asked, 'Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?' He said, 'No, you will be numerous at that time, but you will be scum, like the scum of a flood. Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and will throw weakness into your hearts.' Someone asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the weakness?' He said, 'Love of the world and the hatred for death.'?
The Arabs, when they faced the Israelis on their own field, were defeated three times for many reasons, the two most important being: firstly, Israeli racism, unlike Arab racism, is closely connected to the Jewish religion, so the Israelis fight with the zeal of religious extremists, while the Arabs fight with empty hearts and vacant minds. Secondly, Israelis live at the heart of Western civilization, mastering modern warfare techniques, while Arabs live on its fringes, neither designing, manufacturing, nor efficiently maintaining or using modern weapons. Thus, they lack insight into scientific warfare.
Israel as a Whip:
The Jews have returned to the land of Palestine to stay. Their danger isn't in the land they currently occupy, but in their potential expansion if the Arabs can't compete with them. Arabs will not compete with Israelis through racism or the present Western mechanical civilization. The state of Israel is the 'whip' driving Arabs towards God. Long ago, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari said, 'Whoever does not advance to God by the sweetness of goodness will be led to Him by the chains of trials.' When will the Arabs understand?
End of excerpt.
Today, Arabs, especially Palestinians, will not defeat Israel through war or military means. These are weapons they possess only in fragments, acquired from the West and poorly used. Instead, they may win with a weapon Israelis do not possess: the weapon of morality. True morality, not the empty talk in mosques and various media outlets. This may be strange to them now, but they will understand it in the future."
It's true that the extent of destruction and human losses in Gaza, and previously in Israel, is significant and must be condemned, with no disagreement between people on that. Especially the indiscriminate killing of lives in Gaza, where civilians were often targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces' bombing. Likewise, the attack that claimed the lives of innocent Israeli civilians around Gaza on the day of the Hamas assault was equally criminal, with the only difference being the number of victims on both sides and the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure.
But this aside...
Now we return to the broader problem, and how both sides are avoiding addressing it, preferring instead to immerse the world in daily news of their battles, which have persisted for more than two thousand years. However, this quick article isn't meant to discuss the Middle East problem in general. Mahmoud Mohamed Taha wrote a book about it over fifty years ago, and his analyses and proposed solutions can still be applied today with few modifications. You can find the book for free here (currently it's in Arabic though)
Now let's discuss the current events, condemning the attack on Israel on October 7 last year, 2023. Did Hamas consider the consequences of that attack, which resulted only in the killing of innocent civilians, some soldiers, and the kidnapping of civilians to bargain with? Does the end justify the means outside of Machiavellian principles? And even if Israel killed, tortured, and displaced, do two wrongs make a right?
The Israeli Defense Forces killed thousands of Palestinian children. Did Hamas consider that these children, if their lives were spared, might have grown to be more intelligent than Hamas' leaders and capable of liberating Palestine by more efficient and effective means? Or do Hamas leaders believe that Palestinian mothers cannot give birth to more patriotic, faithful, and understanding individuals than themselves?
If Hamas knew the extent of human and material losses, including the killing of thousands of children and women due to their attack on Gaza's periphery, and still proceeded, this strips them of any moral character. If they were unaware, it shows a lack of military and political acumen and planning capability.
Let's listen to Mahmoud Mohamed Taha in the above-mentioned book:
Excerpt:
God has guaranteed victory for Islam unconditionally, saying, 'It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, and sufficient is Allah as Witness' (Quran 48:28). However, He only guaranteed victory for the Arabs on two conditions: that they believe in Him and that they support Him within themselves, saying, 'O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet' (Quran 47:7). Islam is independent of the Arabs, but the Arabs are not independent of Islam. There is a warning from God to the Arabs that breaks the heart, 'And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you' (Quran 47:38). Who knows, perhaps these people are the Israelis? We must be clear: today's Arabs have been tested in their religion and have forsaken it. They are fighting Jewish racism with Arab racism... Jews fighting Jews! Didn't the Prophet say, 'The nations are about to call each other and set upon you just as diners set upon food.' Someone asked, 'Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?' He said, 'No, you will be numerous at that time, but you will be scum, like the scum of a flood. Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and will throw weakness into your hearts.' Someone asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the weakness?' He said, 'Love of the world and the hatred for death.'?
The Arabs, when they faced the Israelis on their own field, were defeated three times for many reasons, the two most important being: firstly, Israeli racism, unlike Arab racism, is closely connected to the Jewish religion, so the Israelis fight with the zeal of religious extremists, while the Arabs fight with empty hearts and vacant minds. Secondly, Israelis live at the heart of Western civilization, mastering modern warfare techniques, while Arabs live on its fringes, neither designing, manufacturing, nor efficiently maintaining or using modern weapons. Thus, they lack insight into scientific warfare.
Israel as a Whip:
The Jews have returned to the land of Palestine to stay. Their danger isn't in the land they currently occupy, but in their potential expansion if the Arabs can't compete with them. Arabs will not compete with Israelis through racism or the present Western mechanical civilization. The state of Israel is the 'whip' driving Arabs towards God. Long ago, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari said, 'Whoever does not advance to God by the sweetness of goodness will be led to Him by the chains of trials.' When will the Arabs understand?
End of excerpt.
Today, Arabs, especially Palestinians, will not defeat Israel through war or military means. These are weapons they possess only in fragments, acquired from the West and poorly used. Instead, they may win with a weapon Israelis do not possess: the weapon of morality. True morality, not the empty talk in mosques and various media outlets. This may be strange to them now, but they will understand it in the future."