Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah during speech on the 17th anniversary of July War
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is to deliver a speech next Monday on the occasion of Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) birth anniversary, also known as Al-Mawlid Al-Nabawi.
The Hezbollah leader is to tackle latest developments during a ceremony held by the resistance party at 20:00 (Beirut time) on Monday (October 2) at Sayyed Shuhada Complex in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh.
Muslims across the world observe the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) between 12 to 17 of Rabi Al-Awwal lunar Hijri month. On the initiative of the founder of the Islamic Revolution late Imam Ruhollah Al-Khomeini, this period of time is called the Unity Week.
Late Imam Khomeini’s move aimed at highlighting the importance of solidarity among Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Sayyed Nasrallah recently spoke on August 28, hitting back at Israeli threats of assassinating Palestinian resistance leaders.
Hezbollah won’t allow the Zionist enemy to change the rules of engagement, the Lebanese resistance leader said, stressing that any assassination attempt on the Lebanese territory won’t go unanswered.
Every July of every year observes the death of one of the most renowned Muslim leaders of our recent history Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
Sayyed Fadlallah was one of a kind as a pioneer in many different fields. Volumes could be authored to cover part of his endeavors and faithful efforts.
Being one of those who were close to him for a quite long time, I want to mention few very important things about him in this article.
In the field of Islamic unity, Sayyed Fadlallah was one of the strongest leaders and workers to bring Muslims close to each other till they reach unity. He worked hard for it and paid heavy price because this does not fit certain agendas, especially in the west, namely the United States and “Israel”. An attempt against his life was carried out when many western security apparatuses, atop of them the CIA, along with Arab finance and coordination tried to assassinate him by a booby trapped car in the southern suburb of Beirut back in 1985. Thanks to Allah, he narrowly escaped the assassination because he stopped to answer a woman’s question on his way back home.
In another equally important issue, Sayyed Fadlallah believed strongly in dialogue among all to reach mutual understandings and agreements. He was among the first who called for and practiced dialogue with all parties and groups in Lebanon and abroad. His flexibility, openness and broad mindedness gained him a lot of supporters and followers in many regions in the Arab and Islamic world, especially among the new generations.
It is worth mentioning that his openness and flexibility gave him a prominent position in what we can call a new approach in understanding and analyzing Islamic jurisprudence [Fiqh], thus producing the Fatwa. He was very innovative in this regard which caused a stir among the traditional and classical religious circle, but this has been surmounted due to the flexibility of the Fiqh schools in Shia Islam.
We can easily say that he has established a school of thought that would spread in many areas and found itself a place under the sun.
Sayyed Fadlallah’s role in supporting the Resistance against the “Israeli” occupation was extremely strong and very clear. Whether in Palestine or in Lebanon, he was among the first who supported the Resistance’s military operations against the occupation, his positions in supporting the Resistance gained him a wide reputation and he was called by the western media as the spiritual guide of the Resistance fighters.
Many of the prominent cadres of the Islamic Resistance were among his students. He influenced a whole generation and raised the awareness about the importance of the resistance in sabotaging the enemies’ conspiracies and in bringing liberation, dignity and victory to Lebanon and the Lebanese.
As we commemorate the 13th anniversary of his death, he will always be remembered, revered and respected, and he will continue to serve as an icon of all the sublime meanings he sacrificed and lived his life for.
The spokesperson for the Society for Peace movement in Algeria tells Al Mayadeen that weakening Iran or Turkey cannot serve the Arabs.
The spokesperson for the Movement for a Society for Peace in Algeria, Nasser Hamdadouche
The spokesperson for the Movement for a Society for Peace in Algeria, Nasser Hamdadouche, said on Monday that Algeria played a key role in ensuring the success of the Arab Summit by dismantling some mines, including the insistence of some to condemn Iranian or Turkish interference in the region.
In an interview for Al Mayadeen, Hamdadouche said that Algeria enjoys positive relations with everyone, whether Arab or Islamic countries, including Iran and Turkey, adding that Algiers was keen not to raise controversial points during the summit.
Weakening Iran and Turkey is in the enemy’s interest
Hamdadouche added that weakening Iran or Turkey cannot serve the Arabs, Iran or Turkey, and it is in the interest of the real enemy of the region, which is the Zionist entity and the Western hegemony led by the United States.
He highlighted that there is no interest in antagonizing or dwelling on points of disagreement with Iran and Turkey, “because what unites us is far more than what divides us, and dialogue is the way to overcome the problems that face us.”
Hamdadouche pointed to the importance of “rising above differences and moving in the direction of what brings the nation together within a civilized framework of Arab-Islamic integration, that is, the integration of Arab countries with the most important powers in the region, led by Iran and Turkey.”
We must rise above the differences and move in the direction of what brings the nation together within a civilized framework of Arab-Islamic integration.
The Algerian spokesperson pointed out that Algeria is making efforts at the level of parties, organizations, and countries to overcome obstacles and establish dialogue between parties and Arab and Islamic countries.
Algeria resolved the Palestinian file
Hamdadouche said, “There is an Arab division over the Palestinian issue, whether the solution is through negotiation or resistance, therefore, Algeria resolved this file before the summit through a reunification initiative to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.”
He indicated that the Movement for a Society for Peace was looking forward to supporting the option of resistance against the Zionist entity, as well as criminalizing all forms of normalization because it is unreasonable for any Arab country to single out its decision outside the unified Arab political vision.
He also pointed to some Arab countries that did not stop at political and diplomatic normalization with the Zionist entity but rather went to what is even far more dangerous, as in military and security agreements with the Israeli occupation that threaten Arab national security.
The Algerian spokesperson pointed out that Algeria is making efforts at the level of parties, organizations, and countries to overcome obstacles and establish dialogue between parties and Arab and Islamic countries.
Algeria resolved the Palestinian file
Hamdadouche said, “There is an Arab division over the Palestinian issue, whether the solution is through negotiation or resistance, therefore, Algeria resolved this file before the summit through a reunification initiative to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.”
He indicated that the Movement for a Society for Peace was looking forward to supporting the option of resistance against the Zionist entity, as well as criminalizing all forms of normalization because it is unreasonable for any Arab country to single out its decision outside the unified Arab political vision.
He also pointed to some Arab countries that did not stop at political and diplomatic normalization with the Zionist entity but rather went to what is even far more dangerous, as in military and security agreements with the Israeli occupation that threaten Arab national security.
Some #Arab countries did not stop at political normalization with the Zionist entity and went to what is even far more dangerous, as in military and security agreements.
Hamdadouche stressed that Arab national security should not be divided, adding that the Israeli occupation represents the real danger to Arab national security, in addition to water and food security, which are tools of the struggle with “Israel”. In the same context, he underlined that “normalization with the Zionist entity is condemned, rejected, and criminalized by us, even if it comes from political Islam or from any religious Fatwa or any legal text.” Hamdadouche said that Algeria would have wanted to criminalize normalization if this decision was within its jurisdiction, adding that “it seems that there was a settlement that took place during the Arab summit, which requires reducing Algeria’s rhetoric against normalization in exchange for withdrawing the Iran or Turkey file from consultations.” Hamas’ choice to return to Syria is strategic In a separate context, the Algerian spokesperson indicated that when Hamas raised the issue of resuming relations with Syria, Algeria’s response was the necessity of positioning the movement within the Axis of Resistance in the region, away from the controversial points in the Syrian or Lebanese internal affairs.
Hamas consulted with us about the decision to resume its relations with #Syria, and we did advise them to do so and to position themselves within the Axis of Resistance.
Hamdadouche pointed out that some Arab countries did not only stop supporting the resistance against the Zionist entity, but rather categorized the Palestinian Resistance factions as “terrorist organizations”.
In this context, Hamdadouche hoped that Syria will return to its natural position, which, despite all that it has been subjected to from some Arab states and the international community, has remained faithful to the Palestinian cause.
He also highlighted that the Lebanese resistance against the Zionist enemy has honored the Arab nation.
The #Lebanese Resistance has honored the nation, and #Syria has remained loyal to the #Palestinian cause despite all that it was subjected to.
Riots in Iran in the interest of “Israel” and the US
Regarding the Iranian role, Hamdadouche said, Iran has an undeniable history with the Resistance, adding that Hamas asserts that Iran’s support is unconditional and the proof is that when the movement severed its relations with Syria, Iran did not stop its support for the Palestinian Resistance movement.
Commenting on the recent riots in Iran, the spokesperson said that the attempt to target and weaken Iran, in which regional and global powers are allied, will be in the interest of the Zionist entity and the US, who will have no mercy on the Arab region if Iran falls.
#America and "Israel" will have no mercy on the region if #Iran falls.
Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought denounced some Islamic states over joining the coalition of the US and Israeli regime.
AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought denounced some Islamic countries over joining the coalition of the US and Israeli regime.
Sheikh Hamid Shahriari, in his speech at the proximity conference held to mark the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA) held at Torbat-e-Jam Azad University on Tuesday expressing regret that the assets of Muslim world should fund non-Muslim institutions.
He referred to the US-brokered normalization deals as signed between some Muslim states and the Israeli regime and asked,” Why should the assets in some Islamic countries fund a European team?”
The cleric noted that the US and UK are certainly behind some satellite networks and cyber channels and constantly desecrate Islamic sanctities.
Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought referred to presence of Daesh terrorist group in Iraq and Syria saying,” Presence of Daesh aimed tearing down Iraq into three parts before its topple though unity among Shia, Sunni and Kurds and their joining with Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani foiled the plot for disintegration of Iraq.”
Sheikh Shahriari warned that similar plots for dividing the world of Islam will be carried out if Muslims do not stand vigil.
“Enemies cannot tolerate unity among Muslims” he said and added,” They are the same people who killed nearly 80 million in World Wars merely for their own benefits and now they are boasting to their so-called human rights.”
Top cleric also denounced the western countries for looting the cultural heritages in Iraq and Syria and said,” The US objective for its presence in the region is for guaranteeing its benefits as it has been so in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.”
Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, Sheikh Hamid Shahriari made the comments at “Reyhant-Unnabi” conference, proximity meeting held in Torbat-e-Jam Azad University on Tuesday.
In a recent interview published on the Islam asil YouTube channel, Sunni Lebanese Sheikh Ghazi Yusuf Hunayna stated that ‘within only 10 years, the Resistance Axis managed to shift the global balance of power’.
The ‘Resistance Axis’ referenced here by Sheikh Hunayna broadly refers to a strategic anti-Israel/anti-US imperialist alliance composed of, but not limited to, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi, Yemen’s Ansarullah, and various Palestinian armed factions.
Source: Islam asil (You Tube)
Date: November 8, 2021
( Please help us keep producing independent translations for you by contributing a small monthly amount here )
Transcript:
Sheikh Ghazi Yusuf Hunayna, Sunni Lebanese Scholar:
There is no doubt that the Islamic Unity Project – or so to put it more precisely and broadly, that the Resistance Axis Project – is facing a very big opponent, which is the United States, along with several Western states, the Zionist lobby, and a great deal of Arab hypocritical states that are unfortunately secretly colluding behind the scenes with the Zionist enemy and with the American enemy. This Islamic Unity Project and this Resistance Axis Project is facing all of these enemies with, of course, a clear disproportion in (each side’s) capabilities.
The Americans and their allies have a huge media apparatus as well as strong financial capabilities. It is correct that we are still treading the first steps of (establishing) the authentic Muhammadan Islamic media, which calls for the unity of the (Muslim) nation, (which promotes) the culture of Islamic unity among the members of the Ummah and the renunciation of disagreement and of fragmentation.
In addition, we hold on to the Resistance Axis Project along with the idea of the Islamic Unity Project for the sake of liberating Palestine, thereby leading other sides to unite against us and (seek to) influence our internal coherence. However, this does not mean that we are not concerned about cultural, social, and political issues in terms of the Islamic Unity Project, (in contrast), the project shoulders additional dimensions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is concerned with addressing such topics, but we must keep in mind the Resistance Axis (in comparison with the) other side’s capabilities. However, despite the imbalance in capabilities, we were able, and within 10 years (only), to alter the international equations (in our favour).
The Security Council was led by a singular pole, which is the United States, however, today a tripartite international balance has been generated consisting of America-Russia-China. With Russia and China stands the allies: Syria, Iran, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Venezuela, and many other free states of the world.
Therefore, within the (context) of the Islamic Unity Project we must expand the scope of our work and build and open (new) bridges (that connect us) with others, even though we know that those others whom we hope will reach the same awareness that we have reached are experiencing a lot of pressure that might even threaten their livelihoods and occupations.
by Ramin Mazaheri posted with permission and bothparts cross-posted with PressTV
As a numerical minority – of course Shia are the Muslim group most interested in Muslim unity: It means survival. It has meant this since the very death of Prophet Mohammad, and both “Muslim unity” and “the survival of Shi’ism” have been inseparable ever since.
The logic of that concept – that “Muslim unity” is the best protector of the largest minority in the Muslim world – should be self-evident. Minorities need peace to thrive – they are outnumbered in conflicts/votes.
It is only divisive imperialists, and their puppets in some Muslim countries, who reject this logical idea and propagate the opposite – that, instead, Shia are trying to divide the Muslim community; that the minority Shia are bent on war with Sunnis. Of course, that is a war which is already prohibited by Islam – faith can never be forced on someone – so such persons (and I refer to isolated extremists who hold no democratic political power anywhere in the Muslim world) are always rejected as being un-Muslim.
No thinking Muslim needs a conference to restate this millennia-old conversation and settled law. Iran’s annual International Islamic Unity Conference, which just concluded its 35th meeting, is light years beyond these phony non-issues.
What the Conference does is to provide a forum to create an Islamic-geopolitical path to resolve insecurity in the Muslim world. Such insecurity is allowed to occur, in our modern area of imperialism, because there is disunity on fundamental topics of political modernity among Muslims.
Islamic Unity Week was initiated in 1987 and is held on the week of the birthday of Prophet Mohammad. The conference is not held to proselytize in favor of Shi’ism (again, proselytizing in Islam is forbidden, which is why there are no Muslim missionaries) but to strengthen unity among Muslims in a practical sense.
Yes, the event is held under the auspices of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, which paves the way for Islamic scholars to get to know and understand one another. Creating theological empathy and respectful intellectual understanding among Islam’s many sects is indeed an integral part of the conference. But the presence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the heads of Iran’s Foreign Minister and Minister of Culture, major Iranian political leaders, political scientists, communication specialists, and others attest to the very practical, very real-world results which the conference is expected to produce.
A fundamental tenet of the conference is that Muslims cannot be united as long as foreign powers take away the sovereignty of Muslims in their own countries. Thus, the practical basis of the conference is anti-imperialism, a struggle so bloody and necessary that correct unity of any type must be utilized.
We should always remember that unity among any broad masses has always been called “divisive” by the powers of imperialism – whether such powers were feudal kings who rejected even meager parliaments, or the stockholders of the East India Tea Company, or the “200 families” of France whom Leon Blum had to negotiate with, in 1936, for an 8-hour day because “Who else was there for me to negotiate with?”, or today’s 1% and the media they own all of – because the united power of any masses against the elite will effect a modern revolution in any society.
Political unity should be easier than religious unity, but the Muslim world has more of the latter than the former
When there is Muslim unity on a merely national level the result takes the form of an “Islamic republic”. It must be a republic because monarchy – the preservation of privileges which are based on blood, elitism, and favoritism, and thus the necessary rejection of economic and political equity – is always cruel and unusual punishment of the nation’s masses and their resources.
That idea did not come along in the history of the Eastern hemisphere until the advent of the 19th century, and places like Europe fought the Napoleonic Wars, smothered the democratic wave of 1848, spread the false glory of their monarchs around the globe in violent and arrogant colonialism and embarked on the horror known as World War One simply because monarchs (in alliance with their aristocracy, both old and nouveau riche) wanted to preserve their privileges. It is truly as simple as that, and to say otherwise is a lie.
Monarchy – i.e. autocracy, authoritarianism, inequality before the law, unearned privilege, and arrogance – still has enormous support and backers among most of Western Europe, and these countries have propped up their royal brethren in the Muslim world.
It is incorrect to expect global unity on a religious plane, but are we expected to still wait for unity regarding the truly horrific demands of kings and queens?
“Republican imperialism” – of which France and the United States are shining examples – is not a true republic but one which merely mouths the words of equality before the law, yet whose policies preserve the nouveau riche and keep imperialism firmly in place. In such places, patriotism is the most exalted virtue, and because it places the nation higher than even God it degrades positive patriotism into fanatical jingoism.
Following World War One the idea that a nation of people has superior characteristics, deserve special privileges, and are destined to rule over others was then changed into “fascism”. The differences between monarchy and fascism are slight as there was no fundamental overturning of property relations as in, for example, the Iranian Islamic Revolution – the banking system, medium and heavy industry, and foreign trade remained in the hands of a tiny cabal instead of the people’s hands for the people’s benefit.
Because Western nations are either former or current colonizers and/or strongholds of monarchism (either overt or latent), they suffer themselves from a vicious sectarianism. Their callous, entrenched, self-serving elite tries to foist that same sectarianism onto the Muslim World. The policy of “divide and conquer” is not something they fail to use domestically as well, of course.
This is properly called “sectarianism” outside of the West but inside the West it is given a more innocuous-sounding name – “identity politics”. Both are the politics of battles for elite privileges, of “us versus them”, of anti-unity, of an individualism which strives to know no legal bounds.
“Identity politics” is anti-republican because it is sectarian. One hears this constantly in France – they do have a revolution-from-the-masses history to draw from, after all. In the US, identity politics is cynically viewed as a necessary evil in a world with only heartless societies.
The elite who profit seek divisiveness both in California and Nebraska, just as they want divisiveness in Lebanon and Iraq, just as they now want divisiveness within Afghanistan with a flaming urgency.
It is Afghanistan that this year’s conference was focused upon, as it’s currently ground zero in the struggle for unity in the Muslim world regarding the global war against a sense of arrogant privilege which some persons call “reactionary”, which other persons call “fascism” and which other persons call “evil”.
In Part One the geopolitical foundations of Islamic Unity Week have now been described, which allows us to see the accuracy of the title of Part 2, “Iran’s Islamic Unity Week: A place free from fascist/reactionary/anti-Muslim influences”. In 2021 the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan makes just such a haven incredibly necessary for Islamic Unity as well as global harmony.
Iran’s Islamic Unity Week: A place free from fascist/reactionary/anti-Muslim influences ( Part 2)
The intellectual unity of the Muslim World has long been established. They are similar to the Buddhists in this – they similarly have had very few epochs of “fitna” (civil war) – and dissimilar from their Christian Abrahamic brothers, who seemingly have embraced the idea that Christian unity is neither achievable nor even desirable but fundamentally antagonistic and overly-intrusive.
Indeed, it is not surprising that the Western media did not cover Iran’s 35th annual International Islamic Unity Conference, which just concluded, as it does not appear to see divisions among Christianity as a subject worth covering either?
Part One discussed the geopolitical foundations of the Conference: The struggle for unity in the Muslim world regarding the global war against a sense of arrogant privilege which some persons call “reactionary”, which other persons call “fascism” and which other persons call “evil”. Certainly, “imperialism” can be used interchangeably with all three.
The anti-imperialist victory of the Taliban over the United States-led Western coalition may wind up not being anti-imperialist at all – this was the underlying concern of this year’s conference.
The Taliban themselves were indeed this year’s target audience: it should be easily understandable that the primary aim was to show the Taliban that they are being monitored, and that there are demands by 52 Muslim countries that Shia and other groups be protected in the name of both Afghan unity and Muslim unity.
The expulsion of the Western coalition may prove to be a failure in the anti-imperialism fight if Daesh and other terrorists – who foment Muslim disunity via attacks on Shia – are not totally rejected and subdued by the new Taliban leadership. Without an inclusive government and zero tolerance for “sectarianism/identity politics”, then certainly Daesh will continue to terrorize and thus provide grounds for yet another western invasion. That would mean more decades of disunity in Afghanistan, in a victory for imperialism.
However, a Taliban which is inclusive and which expels Islamic fundamentalists would be a victory for both anti-imperialism as well as Muslim unity. It should be easy to see why for Muslims the two are the same in 2021 It should be easy to see why to the colonialist project of Israel and the individualist-worshipping Western 1% Muslim unity is as threatening to their profit lines as anti-imperialism is; as any broad unity of the masses is.
The Taliban say they have changed from decades of fighting – the conference is a reminder that 52 Muslim nations are studying them closely for proofs.
Daesh and other groups – which are known to be funded by Western imperialist nations even though they find democratic approval in no Muslim region – keep getting Western guns and money precisely because they allow the West to station Western troops in Muslim countries. It is a fundamental tenet of the International Islamic Unity Conference that Muslim nations must provide for their own security, as Iran does. The West repeatedly insists that only they are capable of providing security in the Muslim world, but the double-dealing and murderous hypocrisy of Western history in the modern Muslim world is well-known to all.
Indeed, the Muslim world is so thwarted and denied chances of self-empowerment that they are now relying on the Taliban – originally a terrorist group supported by the United States to topple a democratic government – to break the cycle of Western-backed terrorism within Muslim countries.
It seems like a very weak leg upon which to rest the Conference’s politically-modern version of Muslim unity, no?
But there is no worldwide revolution coming to save the Muslim world: The nation of Afghanistan has proven exceptional in its ability to overcome foreign invasion, and now they must prove that their exceptional ability was based on the modern political ideas of grassroots demands for sovereignty, social equity, and religious harmony.
In a real way, Iran’s Conference is an open invitation, and a plea, and a humble request for communication in order to show the Muslim world that there is another version of what is acceptable in Islam other than what is offered by the house of Saud and the obscenely-monied (which is also to say “obscenely privileged”) Persian Gulf countries. The differences are not cultural values – because Islam is the essence of all these cultures – but the most fundamentally modern political values, i.e. the rejection of feudalism, monarchy, unequal privilege, Muslim disunity, and the violence always required to uphold any of these outdated concepts.
The Conference shows that the petrodollar’s true printers and the Arab League do not have a monopoly on the political direction of the Muslim world, and – in my opinion – their actions and comprador complicity in recent decades show that they do not deserve one.
Iranians believe that due to their Islamic and modern revolution they are not some sort of shining example for the Muslim world but simply a guaranteed safe space – a place that can host open dialogue and which excludes undoubtedly reactionary/fascistic/evil intentions.
Such dialogues must be held in the name of Muslim unity, which should be about as controversial as motherhood but which are controversial because Muslim unity would upend two centuries of Western dominance, colonization and forced regression/stagnation. In 2021 the Muslim world looks to Afghanistan as a place of newfound military sovereignty – grassroots, republican and Muslim unity must immediately follow.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei described the issue of Palestine as the main index of unity among the Islamic nations, saying if Muslim unity is realized, then the Palestinian issue will be resolved in the best way.
Imam Khamenei received the participants in the 35th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Sunday.
The meeting, also attended by the heads of the three branches of the Iranian government – judiciary, executive, and legislative – and a group of government officials, was held on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversaries of Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] and Imam Sadiq [AS] at Imam Khomeini Hussainiyyah on Sunday morning.
“An indicator of Muslim unity is the issue of Palestine. If Muslim unity is realized, the issue of Palestine will be solved in the best way. Some Islamic governments committed a grave sin by normalizing relations with the usurping, despotic Zionist regime. They must repent and compensate,” Imam Khamenei emphasized at the meeting.
“On the auspicious birth anniversaries of the Great Prophet Muhammad and Imam Sadiq [PBUT], I congratulate the Islamic nation and the world’s free-thinking people and I send my greetings to the pure spirits of those who were martyred on the path of Islam,” His Eminence noted.
“The birth of the Prophet of Islam is in fact the beginning of a new era in humankind’s life. It’s an announcement that a new era of the divine will and divine favors for humankind have commenced,” Imam Khamenei stated.
“In any period of time, it is the believers’ duty to look at what situation they are in, what the religion expects of them, and what mission has been assigned to them. In this era, acting duly based on Islam’s comprehensiveness and the issue of Islamic unity appear to be very important,” His Eminence said.
“Islam is an all-inclusive religion. One must act according to this all-inclusiveness. Worldly political powers insistently try to limit Islam to individuals’ deeds and beliefs. The Quran rejects this in 100s of verses. Islam is active in all social, political, international areas,” Imam Khamenei underlined.
“The Islamic Unity is definitely a Quranic obligation. The unity of Muslims is not a tactical matter that some people assume we should be united in certain situations. No, it is a principle. Cooperation between Muslims is necessary. If Muslims are united, they will all be strong,” Imam Khamenei noted.
Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered on Friday night a speech in which he tackled various regional and internal topics.
Addressing thousands of people in Dahyieh [Southern Suburb of Beirut], Sayyed Nasrallah congratulated the Muslim world on the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad [PBUH], and his grandson Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq [AS], and the Muslim Unity Week.
The Prophet of Mercy&Unity
On the event of celebration, His Eminence explained that “Among the blessings of Imam Khomeini and the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran is the point that appears to be creating disputes, which he turned to a point of unity when he called to labelling the period between the 12th and 17th of Rabiul Awwal as a Muslim Unity Week [between Sunni & Shia Muslims].”
“We must get to know Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] to be our model in life; and we cannot get to know Islam or the Muslim Sharia law without getting to know this prophet, his behavior, words and biography,” he added.
In parallel, the Resistance Leader underscored that “There is an Ummah [nation] which Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] has brought from the darkness of ignorance, dispersion, illiteracy, and getting lost through building a state for Islam, and conveying the divine religion and the eternal message.”
Sayyed Nasrallah further highlighted that “Among Prophet Mohammad [PBUH]’s achievements was that he altered the view towards humanity, in which he annulled all values of ignorance and applied the Islamic system; the Quran confronted looking to women as inferiors and praised them instead.”
“No inner peace was present during the Age of Ignorance. People were killed or attacked for any reason,” he stated, noting that “The Messenger of Allah achieved an inner peace that can’t be even imposed by police or army. It was a peace from within minds, hearts, and souls made by culture and piety.”
Meanwhile, His Eminence clarified that “The humankind is responsible for their countries, people, lands, honors and dignities of people once attacked. This is the religion of Prophet Mohammad [PBUH].”
“Those who are mostly praised by Allah are the ones who know the rights of their brothers and try their best to satisfy such rights,” Hezbollah Secretary General confirmed.
Palestine Main Cause
Moving to the regional front, Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated that “The top priority and responsibility among Muslims is Palestine with its opressed people, detainees , refugees and violated sanctities that every human being must be concerned about.”
“Among the most important battles any person can engage in against normalization is to boycott ‘Israel’,” he emphaized, pointing out that “Funding the Palestinian Resistance is a great responsibility that Arabs, Muslims and humans must shoulder.” Normalization with “Israel”
On the same level, His Eminence hailed the “Bahraini youth- who protested normalization with ‘Israel’- given the fact that they faced the police crackdown and are fully aware of the repercussions of their support of Palestine.”
“The position of the Bahraini scholars as well as Yemen and its people in denouncing normalization and supporting Palestine is an expression of commitment to the Islamic duty and responsibility,” he stressed, noting that “The US and some Arab regimes want our Arab and Muslim people to eliminate even this hatred through cementing normalization. They want us to love and praise ‘Israel’.”
Sayyed Nasrallah also underlined that “The conference of normalization in Erbil was a trial that if not blasted, it would have been followed by similar conspiracies.”
In addition, the Resistance Leader viewed that “Announcing a cease-fire in Yemen while the siege in place means the continuation of the war,” denouncing the fact that “Instead of condemning the victim in Yemen, the international community must listen to the popular will of the millions of Yemenis.”
Brutal Daesh
On another level, Sayyed Nasrallah said that “It is strange and surprising that some sides remain silent regarding Daesh’s [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL group] brutal crimes.”
“Islamic unity means cooperation, rapprochement and integration among Muslims and avoiding fighting among them,” he reminded, lamenting the fact that “It is unfortunate what Daesh has achieved in the name of the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], while the Americans say that they’ve created Daesh, and there are those who do not want to listen.”
Clarifying that “Muslims have triumphed in all arenas where they cooperated and united with each other,” His Eminence mentioned that “The greatest responsibility on Muslim scholars and elites is to prevent any action that could lead to sedition.”
In response, Sayyed Nasrallah urged the “continued political, popular, and media condemnation of all those who were about to push Lebanon towards strife,” pointing out that “The resistance in Lebanon emerged victorious by cooperation and collaboration, and the resistance in Palestine wins when it is united on the internal and external fronts with the axis of resistance.”
A Sounding Message to “Israel”
Regarding the bloody massacre in Tayouneh, His Eminence underlined that “Hezbollah is following up with the investigation, which is good and brave.”
On the issue of border demarcation, Hezbollah Secretary General declared that his party “won’t say anything related to the land and maritime border demarcation, which is left to the Lebanese state.”
“The ‘Israeli’ enemy is illusional if it thinks that it can act freely in the disputed maritinme area before reaching a firm conclusion,” Sayyed Nasrallah announced, noting that “At the appropriate time, when the resistance sees that Lebanon’s oil is in danger, it will act on this basis.”
On another level, His Eminence stated We don’t have any problem in the issue of the Hezbollah has no problem with “negotiating with the International Monetary Fund and we hope that Lebanon would send one united and real delegation.” “The wealthy have responsibilities towards those who are under the line of poverty, and tradesmen shouldn’t monopolize the goods or raise the prices,” he concluded.
Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah confirmed that efforts to bring Muslims together throughout the Islamic world, since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, contributed to enabling a level of cohesion for overcoming the current stage. He further noted that the coherent and solid base at the Islamic level, especially between Sunnis and Shiites, maintains a measure of balance, cooperation, unity, and the ability to stand up to the winds to which our world and our region are exposed.
In his speech during the 35th International Conference on Islamic Unity held in Tehran, Sayyed Nasrallah underscored that the accomplishments stemming from years of conferences and meetings helped to overcome the harsh phase that we endured, which was threatening the Islamic world with sectarian wars.
“With God’s help and awareness, insight, the presence of honest people and the blood of the martyrs, this stage has been overcome,” Sayyed Nasrallah explained.
In parallel, he stressed that the arrogant American and “Israeli” campaign to disrupt the efforts of Muslims still exists. This requires us to have hope and sit down again, think, program, plan and make effort to reach the desired goal, which is rapprochement and unity among Muslims and not to give the enemies of the nation any opportunity to exploit differences or variations in their favor.
He also underlined that we have to benefit from previous experiences, from strengths and weaknesses, feasible and beneficial actions in order to develop. Meanwhile, we must abandon useless ones so that we do not waste time, energy, money, and capabilities. We must also try to look for frameworks and good ideas, and this must be given an opportunity.
“We are always being targeted, and the most significant aspects being targeted are rapprochement, harmony, and cooperation. When we were united, we created victories,” Hezbollah’s Secretary-General explained.
His Eminence underscored the necessity to build on the past and consider this matter as one of the major national priorities to thwart the enemy’s plots.
Sayyed Nasrallah suggested that the formation of a committee in which all the countries of the Islamic world would be represented should emerge from this conference and prepare for a direct meeting. They must represent their countries in order to evaluate the experience of previous decades and build on them and set goals for the next stage.
TEHRAN – A senior Lebanese political analyst says that Iran adheres to the Palestinian cause while many Arab countries have neglected Palestine in order to satisfy the colonialists and the Zionist regime and their American master.
Amin Hoteit says Iran has adopted such a policy toward Palestine because it is an independent and sovereign state.
“There is a big difference between a sovereign, independent ruler who safeguards the interests of his nation and a subordinate ruler who guards the interests of foreigners,” Hoteit tells the Tehran Times.
“Iran adheres to Palestinian cause while many Arabs neglect Palestine in order to satisfy the colonialists and the Zionist regime, and their American master,” the Lebanese analyst notes.
After 11 days of Israeli bombing, Gaza remains strong. The Israeli regime was forced to agree to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Resistance forces in Gaza forced Israeli settlers to seek shelters by firing hundreds of missiles at different parts of occupied territories. Following is the text of the interview:
Q: What is the status of Palestine in the Arab and Islamic world?
A: Palestine is part of the Arab and Islamic lands, and within this framework, we say that the Islamic world should be coherent and united in the face of Israel as God says in Quran: “Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, one and I am your Lord, so worship Me.” (Al-Anbya – Verse: 92)
On the one hand, according to Islamic logic, the attack on Palestine means an attack on the Islamic Ummah.
On the other hand, Palestine contains the most important sanctities of Muslims, including Jerusalem, which hosts Muslim’s first Qiblah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque; and there are other religious symbols related to Islam and Christianity.
Third, the Palestinian people are part of the Arab people and the Islamic Ummah, and attacking that part means attacking the whole. For all of this, Palestine, in its three dimensions -the land, the people, and the holy sites-has a fundamental position for the Arab and Islamic world.
Q: Why does Iran, after the Islamic Revolution, has kept insisting on liberating the Palestinian lands?
A: What distinguishes Iran from other Arab countries is that first it is an independent, sovereign state whose rule stems from the will of the people and was established on the basis of an Islamic revolution that seeks to achieve the nations’ rights and resist the usurpers.
Therefore, Iran is working for the sake of Islam, the people, and the Islamic Ummah. This feature does not exist in most Arab regimes, wherein the ruler is appointed by foreigners.
In Arab states, a ruler comes and goes by an external decision, and policies and governments are determined by powers outside the countries. Therefore, at a time when we find that Iran is a country in which the rule emanates from the people and takes care of the interests of the people and nations, most of Arab rulers are guardians of the interests of foreign powers.
There is a big difference between a sovereign, independent ruler who safeguards his nation’s interests and a subordinate ruler who guards the interests of foreigners. For this reason, Iran adheres to the Palestinian cause while many Arabs neglect Palestine in order to satisfy the colonialists and the Zionist regime and their American master.
Q: How do you see the stances of Arab states towards the Palestinian issue? How do you assess normalization of ties with Israel?
A: Unfortunately, some Arabs are heading towards overt surrender to the Israeli enemy.
Under the slogan of normalization of ties with Israel and the forged Abraham Accords, these regimes accepted to be slaves of Israel and servants of American interests, providing it with resources and reassurance. This approach should be stopped.
We call on Arab people to move against this approach adopted by their governments. They need to retreat from this treacherous behavior.
Normalization of ties with Israel, in our opinion, is a betrayal of the Ummah and a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. It violates their rights and legitimacy. That is why we find that today there are sides and groups in the Arab and Islamic world that condemn normalization of ties with the Zionist regime and call for an end to it and a return to the idea of Palestine from the river to the sea.
Q: Is it possible to bet on the American-European role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?
A: The Palestinian tragedy is a result and product of European-American conspiracy.
The Europeans continue to insult Palestine and the Palestinian people since they adopted the Sykes–Picot Agreement in Britain and France, which was followed by the Balfour Declaration.
Then, they decided to partition Palestine in the United Nations, which was ruled by Europeans and Westerners.
They are insulting the Arab world and the Islamic Ummah by aggression against Palestine.
Whoever harmed Palestine cannot heal its wounds, and therefore we are not betting on a real European stance or on a just and fair American position in order to restore rights to their owners.
The only bet is on the peoples, on the will of the Muslim nations, and on the governments that line up in support of the resistance axis, which constitutes a milestone in the modern era.
Resistance forces have succeeded to withstand colonial domination in the region and now are drawing a scheme of liberating Palestine in the people’s minds.
Q: How could Israel preoccupy Islamic countries with internal disputes and divert attention from the Zionist threats?
A: Israel is afraid of the unity of the Arab-Islamic world because if the Arabs and the Muslims get united, what Imam Khomeini said about the Zionist regime’s demise will be realized.
To divide the Islamic world and preventing Muslim unity, Israel is working to undermine the Arab-Islamic frontier. Unfortunately, it finds those who listen to it and engage in its projects.
The comprehensive war that targeted Syria, and the great strife that has been called the Arab Spring, are not but a case of conspiracy plotted by the Zionists and Europeans to disperse and divide Muslims so that they do not unite to liberate Palestine.
Palestinian Muslims performing prayers and reading Quran in the Great Al-Omari Mosque in the early days of the holy month of Ramadan. (Photo: Fawzi Mahmoud, The Palestine Chronicle)
COVID-19 cases in Palestine, especially in Gaza, have reached record highs, largely due to the arrival of a greatly contagious coronavirus variant which was first identified in Britain.
Gaza has always been vulnerable to the deadly pandemic. Under a hermetic Israeli blockade since 2006, the densely populated Gaza Strip lacks basic services like clean water, electricity, or minimally-equipped hospitals. Therefore, long before COVID-19 ravaged many parts of the world, Palestinians in Gaza were dying as a result of easily treatable diseases such as diarrhea, salmonella and typhoid fever.
Needless to say, Gaza’s cancer patients have little fighting chance, as the besieged Strip is left without many life-saving medications. Many Palestinian cancer patients continue to cling to the hope that Israel’s military authorities will allow them access to the better equipped Palestinian West Bank hospitals. Alas, quite often, death arrives before the long-awaited Israeli permit does.
The tragedy in Gaza – in fact in all of occupied Palestine – is long and painful. Still, it ought not to be classified as another sad occasion that invokes much despair but little action.
In fact, the struggle of the Palestinians is integral to a larger struggle for fundamental human rights that can be witnessed throughout the Middle East which, according to a recent Carnegie Corporation report, is one of the most economically unequal regions in the world.
From war-torn Libya to war-torn Syria, to Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and many parts of the Arab and Muslim world, the dual tragedy of war and want is a scathing reminder of the price ordinary people pay for frivolous power struggles that yield nothing but more uncertainty and achieve nothing but more hatred.
Once more, the holy month of Ramadan visits the Muslim Ummah while its tragedies are still festering – new conflicts, unfinished wars, an ever-expanding death toll and a never-ending stream of refugees. Sadly, not even Ramadan, a month associated with peace, mercy and unity, is enough to bring about however fleeting moments of tranquility, or a respite from hunger and war for numerous Muslim communities around the world.
In Palestine, the Israeli occupation often takes even more sinister turns during this month, as if to intentionally compound the suffering felt by Palestinians. On April 14, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque called on Arabs and Muslims to intervene so that Israel may cease its harassment of Palestinians at the holy shrines of Al Quds – occupied East Jerusalem.
Aside from the increased attacks by Jewish extremists, who are now storming Al-Aqsa Mosque at a significantly higher rate than ever before, the Israeli occupation authorities have “removed the doors of the Mosque’s minarets, cut the electrical wires of loudspeakers to prevent the Adhan (call to prayer) and seized (Ramadan) iftar meals, in addition to threatening to storm the Mosque on the final days of the holy month of Ramadan,” Sheikh Hussein said in a statement.
Israel fully comprehends the spiritual connection that Palestinians, whether Muslims or Christians, have to their religious symbols. For Muslims, this rapport is further accentuated during the holy month of Ramadan. Severing this connection is equal to breaking the collective spirit of the Palestinian people.
These are only a few examples of a multifaceted and deeply rooted tragedy felt by most Palestinians. Numerous similar stories, though of different political and spatial contexts, are communicated every day throughout the Muslim world. Yet, there is no meaningful discussion of a collective remedy, of a strategy, of a thoughtful answer.
Ramadan is intended to be a time when Muslims are united on the basis of a wholly different criterion: where political and ideological differences disappear in favor of spiritual unity which is expressed in fasting, prayer, charity and kindness. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing is not Ramadan as it was intended to be, but different manifestations of the holy month, each catering to a different class – a painful but true expression of the disunity and inequality that have afflicted the Muslim Ummah.
There is the Ramadan of boundless wealth, finely catered iftar meals, coupled with endless, cheap entertainment. In this Ramadan, platitudes are often offered about charity and the poor, but little is delivered.
There is also the Ramadan of Palestine, Sudan and Yemen, of the Syrian refugee camps and of little dinghies dotting the Mediterranean, carrying thousands of desperate families, holding little but their hope of a better future beyond some horizon. For them, Ramadan is a stream of prayers that the world, especially their Muslim brethren, may come to their rescue. For them, there is little entertainment because there is no electricity and there are no massive iftar feasts because there is no money.
“Dua” is Arabic for supplication. For the oppressed, dua is the last resort; at times, even a weapon against oppression in all of its forms. This is why we often see bereaved Muslims raising their open palms to the sky whenever tragedy has befallen them. Ramadan is the month where the poor, destitute and oppressed raise their hands to Heaven, beseeching God in various accents and languages to hear their prayers.
They are reassured by such hadiths – sayings of Prophet Mohammed – as this: “The supplications of three persons are never turned away: a fasting person until he breaks his fast, a just ruler and the supplication of the oppressed which is raised by Allah above the clouds, the gates of Heaven are opened for it, and the Lord says: By my might, I will help you in due time.”
There has never been a more critical time for the Ummah to work together, to heal its collective wound, to uplift its down-trodden, to care for its poor, to embrace its refugees and to fight for its oppressed. Many Muslim communities around the world are aching and their pain is unbearable. Perhaps this Ramadan can serve as the opportunity for social justice to be finally enacted and for the oppressed to be heard so that their hymn of torment and hope may rise above the clouds.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and also at the Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassasn Nasrallah delivered on Wednesday a speech on the memorial ceremony held by the Association of Muslim Scholars to honor its late Chairman of the Board of Trustees, judge Sheikh Ahmad Zein.
As His Eminence renewed Hezbollah’s condolences on the demise of the great Sheikh, dear resistance fighter, father and teacher Sheikh Ahmad Zein, His Eminence hailed “Sheikh Zein as a sublime model of faith, religiosity, knowledge and sincerity.”
“Sheikh Ahmad Zein resembles a model of ethics, humility, transparency, tenderness, friendliness, love and kindness,” Sayyed Nasrallah added, noting that “Sheikh Ahmad Zein is a model of the revolutionary resistant who was clear in his stances, vision, and bravery.”
In parallel, the resistance leader underscored that “Sheikh Ahmad Zein was stable and solid in the path of [Muslim] unity and resistance.”
“Unlike Sheikh Ahmad Zein, other people’s stances changed due to personal desperation, Petrodollars and authority,” he confirmed, praising “Sheikh Ahmad Zein, who walked a path of an intellectual, juristic, and religious basis on which he remained firm.”
According to Sayyed Nasrallah, “Sheikh Ahmed placed before him the constants of Palestine, its people, Al-Quds and the occupied land from the sea to the river. He took upon himself the cause of confronting the ‘Israeli’-American scheme to dominate the region.”
“Sheikh Ahmed, from the beginning to the end, was with Palestine and against the liquidation of its cause and with everyone who stood with it,” His Eminence highlighted, recalling that “Sheikh Ahmad Zein stood from the beginning with the revolution in Iran, because it supported Palestine.”
Moreover, Sayyed Nasrallah went on to say: “Sheikh Zein backed and supported all resistance fighters and scholars. He offered all what he could for the sake of resistance.”
He further said that “The most difficult situation for Sheikh Ahmed Zein was in Syria, and he endured a lot for that stance.”
“The most important reason behind targeting Syria was because of Palestine and the resistance, which Sheikh Zein had been aware of,” His Eminence mentioned, reminding that “Sheikh Zein rejected the regime’s practices in Bahrain and the war on Yemen despite all the pressures, and he was one of the scholars who uncovered the fabrications and misleading regarding the talk of the so-called sectarian war in Yemen.”
Sayyed Nasrallah also hinted that “The most difficult level of Sheikh Zein’s and the resistance scholars’ political life was in this decade. Recently, stances made by Sheikh Zein and other scholars were of great importance.”
In addition, Sayyed Nasrallah underscored that “In the last stage, the position of Sheikh Zein and other scholars had great significance. One of the most dangerous and difficult problems was those who tried to turn the battles into a sectarian war.”
Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah hailed the historic role of many scholars who buried the sectarian division long sought by conspiring states, noting that what happened in many countries was intended to be turned into a Sunni-Shia strife as in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, etc…
“Those who broke the strife in this war are the wonderful and distinguished Sunni elite,” he elaborated.
On another level, Sayyed Nasrallah underscored that “There is a new political and media war against the oppressed Yemeni people through showing that Saudi Arabia wants to end the war while Ansarullah refuses this.”
“What is proposed to the Yemenis is not an end to the war. It is just a ceasefire while all other forms of war continue such as blocking the airport, seaports, and borders,” he emphasized, noting that “What is proposed to Yemenis is a major deceit that neither Sayyed Abdul Malik Al-Houthi nor the Ansarullah movement or the Yemeni scholars will be deceived with, not even the Yemeni children will accept this.”
In addition, Sayyed Nasrallah hailed “The Yemeni people who are as great in politics as in resistance.”
He further advised the Saudis and the Americans not to waste time after they have touched the Yemenis could not be deceived. “Ceasing the fire without lifting the siege is misleading and reflects the desire to achieve what they were unable to score in the military field.”
To the Saudis, Sayyed Nasrallah sent a sounding message: “Don’t waste time as your game won’t deceive the Yemenis. Just stop the war and end the blockade.”
On the Palestinian front, His Eminence viewed that “Palestinian steadfastness is the reason behind ‘the deal of the century’s’ failure, particularly disappearance from circulation.”
“The axis of resistance passed and crossed the worst and most dangerous stage in its history, and it continues to meet threats with hard work and the accumulation of capabilities,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, underlining that “Iran will not give today what it didn’t give during the harshest stage of sanctions and the daily threat with war.”
Moreover, he underlined that “Iran is on the threshold of overcoming the blockade and sanctions, and it has proven its strength and abilities.”
“Biden’s admin is seeking not to let Iran be part of an alliance that includes Russia and China. However, what Iran did not offer amid the harshest sanctions and daily threats of war it won’t offer now. It’s on its way to overcome the blockade and sanctions. It [Iran] proved strength.”
On another level, Sayyed Nasrallah predicted that “The US is moving in decline, while the axis of resistance is moving in an upward progression.”
To the Lebanese, His Eminence sent the following advise:“Let us not wait for America, the world, and developments. Let us set internal and regional dialogues to solve our problems.”
“America’s allies should know that the current US administration’s priorities are not in our region anymore, and that the US is sinking,” he said, warning that “Everybody should learn that Lebanon has exhausted its time. And it is now that we must reach a solution.”
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 