Islam has told to all mankind: “A person who does not speak out against the wrong is like a dumb Satan.” And Qur’an commended to humanity: “When some of them said: “Why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?”- said the preachers:” To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.” (Qur’an, 7: 164). For this reason, we as Muslim Scholars have to tell some facts against massacre of innocent people in Gazza.
1. We as Members of World Family should Speak out against the Oppression
I believe and Islam considers the whole humanity as one family. All have common ground in being the worshippers of Allah and the sons of Adam. That is why the Prophet, has put it clear in front of the Muslim congregation at the Farewell Pilgrimage saying: “O people, Your Lord is One and your father is one. All of you are traced back to Adam, and Adam was created from dust. No privileges of a certain person over the other save by righteous deeds.” We don’t make any discrimination on the ground of race, religion or color. Nobody can claim that you are anti-Semitism; but you can say anti-Zionism and aggression. Our first reaction to this tragedy was to recite a verse of the Qur’an. Islam, the religion of tolerance, holds the human soul in high esteem, and considers the attack against innocent human beings a grave sin, this is emphasized by the following Qur’anic verse: “… whoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption and mischief in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” (the Qur’an, 5: 32).
Let us think deeply about a saying of Prophet Muhammad he says: “We are like two groups who boarded a ship; one of them settled on the upper deck, and the other on the lower deck of the ship. When the people of the lower deck needed water, the people of the upper deck should help them and give them the water. Otherwise they would say, “Why should we cause trouble to the people of the upper deck when we can have plenty of water by making a hole in our deck”. Now, if the people of the upper deck do not prevent this group from such foolishness, all of them will perish; but if they stop them, they will be saved”.
O members of World Family! You and I are members of a collective personality such as that, worthy of the title of ‘perfect man.’ We are like the components of a factory’s machinery. We should work to bring people together; otherwise the world factory demolish entirely and mankind body be dispersed.
2. We as Muslims have never badly Treated Jews in whole History
According to the Islamic Law called “Shar’-i Sharif”, non-Muslims were all treated equally by the “Shar’-i Sharif”, regardless of their colors, tongues or races. And the Jews were subject to these decrees, too. As is known, in the fifteenth century, Europe was teeming with slavery, with discrimination among people, and as a result of this with the tyrannical judgments of the Inquisition Courts. The Europeans were not only involved in sanguinary clashes among themselves but also waged total war against non-Christian nations. In Christian Europe, where the Catholics gave no respite to the Protestants, and vice versa, it was certain that they would not tolerate the Jews either.
Jews were also found among those followers of the other religions who lived peacefully and freely – thanks to the Islamic Civilization established by the Andalusian Omayyads – in the peninsula, called Andalusia by Islamic historians and Spain by Europeans. The Ottoman fleet under the command of “Kamal Reis” had transported the Muslims and Jews who were exposed to genocide, by sea to safer regions; and particularly, they were bringing the Jews to the Ottoman land because when Gırnata fell in 1492, both Muslims and Jews found themselves subjected to ruthless oppressions.
Based upon that Shari’ah decree Bayezid II of the Ottoman Padishahs, it settled those Jews, who were expatriated from Spain in the spring of 1492, on condition that they should abide by the provisions of the above-mentioned dhimmah contract, in certain regions of the Ottoman land, particularly in Thessalonica, which is now in Greece, Edirne, in Liwadiyyah affiliated to Agriboz, and in the vicinity of Tırhala (Akgündüz, Ottoman Legal Codes, v. III, pp. 393; v. VI, p. 637 et seq.; Taboos Collapse, I-II, Istanbul 1996-97, v. II, pp. 118- 133; Zeydan, Abdulkerim, Ahkam al-Dhimmiyyin wa’l-Musta’manin, Baghdad 1963, p. 22 et seq.)
Who can prove that Ottoman States or any Muslim State has killed any individual form Jews? Historians know that Europeans have killed and exiled Jews in 15 th century but Ottoman State received them with open arms. Hitler and his army killed and exiled Jews but The Republic of Turkey received them with open arms including Commercial Law expert Prof. Hirsch.
3. “Oppression does not continue, but Unbelief does”
We should know that “Oppression does not continue, but unbelief does”. According to Prophet Muhammad “Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is darkness on the Day of Resurrection…” ( Reported by Muslim). In another Hadith Qudsi, Allah Almighty says: “I shall take revenge on the oppressor in this life and the next. I shall take revenge on someone who saw a person being oppressed and was able to help him but did not help him.” (Reported by Tabarani). But “… when it is said to them; ‘Make not mischief on the Earth’, they say; ‘We are only peace makers’. Indeed they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not.” (Al-Baqarah 2:11-12). We should know that just as the penalties of those perpetrating small crimes are delivered locally, and serious crimes are sent to the high courts, so too, according to the rules, the small errors of believers are punished swiftly and in part in this world, in order to quickly purify them. But the crimes of the people of misguidance are so great that since their punishments cannot be contained in this brief worldly life, as required by justice they are referred to the Supreme Tribunal in the eternal realm, and mostly do not receive any punishment here.
It is clear from the above that Islam and true Muslims have nothing to do with oppression. The issue can’t be generalized as done by the World media. A clear separating line between true Muslims and those who trade in the name of religion has to be drawn. Those who have a moderate view of Islam have a big role to shoulder. This role should be enhanced especially in the period ahead in order to quench the thirst of those non-Muslims who are eager to respect Islam as well as those Muslims whose vision about the true Islamic teachings are not clear.
As a Muslim Scholars we don’t believe for some lovely words like dialogue, harmony and integration for UN, European or American institutions while they are silent against massacre of Israel.
4. The Real Sources of Radicalism and Terrorism
1. Serbs murdered and raped thousands of innocent women and children in Bosnia; Northern Ireland terrorists cannot be forgotten forever; in Africa and South America there are a lot of terrorist activities which nobody can label this terrorist acts as a Muslim terror. And at least thousands of innocent people, women and children are being killed in Palestine by tanks and warplanes. America has killed two million Muslims in Iraq. After these events, who is the source of terrorism? You can decide.
2. Unfortunately evil is giving birth for another evil. Sometime two sides exceed the borders of sacred laws and existing laws. One side is killing innocent people with tanks and warplanes and other side is making suicide attacks contrary to Islamic rules. We are condemning two sides. If one side bombed Mosques, UN buildings, and houses who is the source of radicalism? You can decide.
3. World people are confused about the concept of democracy too. If any Muslim political movement won election in anywhere, America and most of European countries declares them illegal and sometimes terrorist organization like in Palestine and Algeria. But if any pro-American or secular party won, then that is a democratic system even they are dictators like Saddam and some States. What is the definition of democracy? You can decide.
4. The value of Declaration of Universal Human Rights and international law rules has been lost. If Israel violated the rules, than no problem; but if Iraq (even if the claim were lie) or any poor or Muslim countries violated the rules, than all punishments must be implemented. Are human rights or international law dominant or not? You can decide.
5. The official international community is biased to some races and religious against others. Is this in the sake of mankind or not? You can decide.
We, as Muslim scholars, condemn every mischief against human life. Our hearts bleed for the attacks that have targeted innocent people. The haphazard killing where the rough is taken with the smooth and where innocents are killed along with wrongdoers is totally forbidden in Islam. No one, as far as Islam is concerned, is held responsible for another’s actions.
We categorically go against anybody’s embarking on such attacks. Islam never allows a Muslim to kill the innocent and the helpless. If such attacks were carried out by some Muslims – as some groups claim – then we, in the name of our religion, deny the act and incriminate the perpetrators. We do confirm that the aggressors deserve the deterrent punishment irrespective of their religion, race or gender.
O members of World Family! Let us suppose that we are on a ship, or in a house, with nine innocent people and one criminal. If someone were to try to make the ship sink, or to set the house on fire, because of that criminal, you know how great a sinner he would be. You would cry out to the heavens against his sinfulness. Even if there were one innocent man and nine criminals aboard the ship, it would be against all rules of justice to sink it.
We should bring people together and God help us and bless us