Introduction
The following report consists of Palestinian sermons from 2000-2003. Each Khatib (preacher) is a paid employee of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The sermons are broadcast live every Friday at noon from mosques under control of the PA and are shown on PA television. Part I of this report includes the common themes of the sermons, such as: calls for the destruction of the U.S., the perceived American Crusader war against Islam, honoring Shahids and the rewards of the martyrs, educating children to martyrdom, and antisemitism, including calls for the killing of Jews. Part II includes Palestinian leaders being questioned by Western journalists about the content of the sermons, and is followed by Part III, the transcripts of the Friday sermons.
Part I: Common Themes
Calls for the Destruction of the U.S.
"Allah wreak vengeance on the Jews and the Americans" is a common theme heard in PA sermons, as with Sheikh Ahmad Abd-Al-Razek's sermon on October 4, 2002. [1] Frequent calls for the destruction of the main allies of the U.S. - Britain and Israel - are also heard. As Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi stated, "Allah willing, this unjust state will be erased - Israel will be erased; this unjust state, the United States, will be erased; this unjust state, Britain, will be erased." [2]
Themes of Arab hatred of the U.S. within sermons often have Islamic historical undertones. For example, the leading Palestinian religious figure, Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, stated in a sermon on PA radio, "Allah, destroy the U.S., its helpers and its agents. Allah, destroy Britain, its helpers and its agents. Allah, prepare those who will unite the Muslims and march in the steps of Saladin. Allah, we ask you for forgiveness before death, and mercy and forgiveness after death. Allah, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims…" [3] The U.S. and its allies are also commonly referred to as Christian and Jewish Crusaders who must be fought. For example, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, speaking at a mosque named after UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, stated, "Allah the almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or the Christians, not to like them, not to become their partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements with them… Allah, deal with the Jews, your enemies and the enemies of Islam. Deal with the Crusaders, and America, and Europe behind them…" [4]
2003: The Year the American Crusader War Against Islam Began
In the year 2003, a common theme which emerged in PA sermons is that the U.S has begun a Crusader war against the Arabs. Sheikh Muhammad Abu Al-Hunud stated in a sermon on March 28, 2003, "If, God forbid, something happens to Iraq, the aggression and the Crusade will turn tomorrow against the Koran… God forbid, his second assault is on the Koran, [he wants] to change verses and to mess with Allah's book, to Americanize the region, Americanize the religion, Americanize the Koran, Americanize Muhammad's message… To my brothers in Iraq, to the President of Iraq, to the Iraqi leadership, to the Iraqi people… Strike, my brother; may your right arm, oh proud Iraq, be strong… strike Allah's enemies with it. Strike with it the enemies of humanity… from the pulpits of Al-Azhar and other mosques around the world, that any Muslim who does not stand by Iraq and support it against the American-British-Crusaders cruel attack… Allah, grant victory to the Iraqi army… Allah, defeat America and its allies… Allah, purify the Islamic soil from the American and British treason and defilement… Allah, make their possessions a booty for the Muslims, Allah, annihilate them and their weapons, Allah, make their children orphans and their women widows…" [5]
Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris also frequently states that the battle between Muslims and the U.S. is a religious war that has its roots centuries ago. In a sermon on September 5, 2003, he stated, "If we go back in the time tunnel 1400 years, we will find that history repeats itself… Byzantium represents America in the west… America will collapse, as Byzantium collapsed in the west… The Prophet [Muhammad] could, by means of unbroken ranks, conquer Byzantium, the greatest power compared to today's America - and this without a single martyr falling from among the Muslims… The Prophet could, by means of the unity of the Muslim ranks and its awakening, defeat the America of that time, as we will defeat America as long as it supports our enemy, as long as America insists on being against our people and against our cause and our holy places, and against our people and our leadership… Indeed, we consider America to be our No. 1 enemy… America is our No. 1 enemy, and we see it as our No. 1 enemy as long as we learn from the lessons of the Battle of Tabouk [which took place in October 630 AD] :'Make ready for them whatever you can of armed strength and of mounted pickets' [Koran 8:60]. We are prepared and ready, but victory is from Allah…" [6]
On another occasion, on March 21, 2003, Sheikh Mudeiris called President Bush a "dwarf" and a "Pharaoh" who would be defeated in Iraq: " …Allah drowned Pharaoh and those who were with him. Allah drowns the Pharaohs of every generation. Allah will drown the little Pharaoh, the dwarf, the Pharaoh of all times, of our time, the American President. Allah will drown America in our seas, in our skies, in our land. America will drown and all the oppressors will drown. Oh, people of Palestine, Oh, people of Iraq. The Crusader, Zionist America has started an attack against our Iraq, the Iraq of Islam and Arabism, the Iraq of civilization and history. It opened a Crusader Zionist war against Iraq. If Iraq is defeated, if the nation [of Islam] is defeated in Iraq - this will be our last breath of life... This is a Zionist Crusader war. It is not I who say this, it was the little Pharaoh [Bush] who announced it when he stated that this was a Crusader attack… You all know about the slap in the face which Iraq gave America at the time of the first invasion, when Iraq gave a knock out [punch] to America, the result of which was that Pharaoh the father [George Bush, Sr.] lost the presidency. This is a mark of shame on this family and therefore Pharaoh the son returned to power in order to take revenge. The only way to remove the shame is to topple down the Iraqi regime… This is also a religious war. What is the connection between Iraq and the Crusaders' wars? Just as Palestine is sacred so is also the land of Iraq, because the Prophet said so… America will be destroyed, Allah willing, and Palestine, Iraq, and the Middle East will become a cemetery for oppressors…" [7]
Shahids & the Rewards of Martyrdom
Sermons often call for Palestinians to become martyrs, or Shahids. Within the sermons, it is told that those who become a Shahid feel no pain and receive rewards in the afterlife, such as 72 black-eyed virgins. Family members of the Shahids are also praised in sermons. As Sheikh Isma'il Aal Radhwan stated, "[Even when] a martyr's organs are being chopped off, and he turns into torn organs that spread all over, in order to meet Allah, Muhammad, and his friends, it would not be [considered] a loss… This is the honor given to our martyrs, the martyrs of the Islamic nation, who were killed due to their loyalty to Allah... The sacrifice of convoys of martyrs [will continue] until Allah grants us victory very soon. The willingness for sacrifice and for death we see amongst those who were cast by Allah into a war with the Jews, should not come at all as a surprise… Oh believing brothers, we do not feel a loss... The martyr, if he meets Allah, is forgiven with the first drop of blood; he is saved from the torments of the grave; he sees his place in Paradise; he is saved from the Great Horror [of the day of judgment]; he is given 72 black-eyed women; he vouches for 70 of his family to be accepted to Paradise; he is crowned with the Crown of glory, whose precious stone is better than all of this world and what is in it…" [8]
The virtues of martyrdom are the subject of many of Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris's sermons: "Blessings to those who wage [Jihad] with their body… Blessings to our Shahids who sacrifice their souls easily for the sake of Allah… B lessings to the happy Shahids within the entrails of the green bird in Paradise. Blessings to the Shahids whose sins are forgiven with the first drop of their blood." [9] On another occasion, he stated, "Know that a Shahid [who falls] on this land is considered more than one Shahid someplace else. Yes, there are traditions that a Shahid here [in Jerusalem] is worth 70 Shahids in a place other than this good land…" [10]
Regarding the rewards of the martyrs, Sheikh Mudeiris stated in a sermon on May 2, 2003: "No preacher or sermonizer has right to begin his words without blessing all our Shahids… The Jews cannot influence the actions of our youth and children. But for you, Allah has chosen Shahada… Allah had honored our youth… by choosing you and by choosing from among you the Shahids… Is the Shahid dead like other dead, which requires us to offer condolences and mourn with his family, friend and relatives? Or is the Shahid enjoying virtues and the ability to perform miracles, which gives us the right to congratulate the Shahid and his family?... We have the right to congratulate the Shahids' families, and not extend condolences and sorrow of our Shahids, if they [sacrifice themselves] to Allah… But the Shahid is spared the agony of death. This is one of the miracles of the Shahid. Is it not enough that the Shahid weds 72 black eyed [virgins]?... When the Shahid sees the grace of martyrdom and death for the sake of Allah he will wish to return to this world to be killed in it ten times… The Shahid - is it enough for him that he does not feel the blow of the sword or the pain of death or of the killing rather, as one of you feels a [wasp] sting…" [11]
Palestinian Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri also praises martyrdom in his sermons: "We tell them: in as much as you love life - the Muslim loves death and martyrdom. There is a great difference between he who loves the hereafter and he who loves this world. The Muslim loves death and [strives for] martyrdom. He does not fear the oppression of the arrogant or the weapons of the blood-letters. The blessed and sacred soil of Palestine has vomited all the invaders and all the colonialists throughout history and it will soon vomit, with Allah's help, the [present] occupiers." [12]
Educating Children to Martyrdom
The concept of educating children to become martyrs occurs regularly in PA sermons. Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, one of the most popular Imams, is especially vocal on this issue. During one sermon, he repeats the following discussion he had with a child who approached him about becoming a suicide bomber: " A young man said to me: 'I am 14 years old, and I have four years left before I blow myself up'… We, the Muslims on this good and blessed land, are all - each one of us - seekers of Martyrdom… The Koran is very clear on this: The greatest enemies of the Islamic nation are the Jews, may Allah fight them… Blessings for whoever assaulted a soldier… Blessings for whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head…" [13] On another occasion, Madhi stated, " Shame and remorse on whoever refrained from raising his children on Jihad… Blessings to whoever waged Jihad for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever raided for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying 'Allahu Akbar, praise to Allah, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger'… Allah, show us a black day for the Jews, like the day of 'Aad and Thamud. [14] Allah, turn them into pillage for us. Allah, we strive for martyrdom for your sake..." [15]
Even if there was only one Palestinian child left, he or she would sacrifice himself for the sake of Jihad, Madhi stated in another sermon : "Even if they slaughter all of the Palestinian people and the only survivors will be one single Palestinian baby girl and one single Palestinian baby boy, the baby boy will marry the baby girl and they will give birth to the one who will liberate Jerusalem from the defilement of the Jews… While they [the Palestinians] sacrifice the last Palestinian child and the last Palestinian fetus, they [the Arab nations] will satisfy themselves with victories on the soccer courts… It was rightly claimed that a thousand verbal shells cannot compare to one shell made of iron. It was rightly claimed that what was taken by force will be regained only by the use of force. We must prepare ourselves in accordance with the religion of Allah and the Law of Allah. We must educate our children on the love of Jihad for the sake of Allah and the love of fighting for the sake of Allah." [16]
The importance of educating youth for battle has also been the topic of sermons by Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris: "And here, I want to emphasize, oh people of Palestine, that our children, the fruit of our loins - we must protect them… The children need proper education because it is they who will lead the struggle after us, on the day when they will grow up and become strong and we will grow old. They are our children, who will conduct the battle after us." [17]
On this subject, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri stated his thoughts on child martyrs, as well as the joy of their mothers: "I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven. I feel the earth moves under the occupiers' feet… There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination. The younger the martyr - the greater and the more I respect him… They [mothers of martyrs] willingly sacrifice their offspring for the sake of freedom. It is a great display of the power of belief. The mother is participating in the great reward of the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa… I talked to a young man… [who] said: '… I want to marry the black-eyed [beautiful] women of heaven.' The next day he became a martyr. I am sure his mother was filled with joy about his heavenly marriage. Such a son must have such a mother." [18]
Antisemitism and Calls to Kill Jews
"Annihilating" Jews by Palestinians becoming suicide bombers and "detonating" themselves in their midst, and by saving "a bullet is order to stick it in a Jew's head," are examples of the many calls for killing Jews in Palestinian sermons. Islamic Hadiths are often cited as inspiration for such actions. Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi explained, "Palestine will be, as it was in the past, a graveyard for the invaders - just as it was a graveyard for the Tatars and to the Crusader invaders, [and for the invaders] of the old and new colonialism… A reliable Hadith [tradition] says: 'The Jews will fight you, but you will be set to rule over them.' What could be more beautiful than this tradition? 'The Jews will fight you' - that is, the Jews have begun to fight us. 'You will be set to rule over them' - Who will set the Muslim to rule over the Jew? Allah… Until the Jew hides behind the rock and the tree. But the rock and tree will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, a Jew hides behind me, come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree, which is the tree of the Jews. We believe in this Hadith. We are convinced also that this Hadith heralds the spread of Islam and its rule over all the land… Oh Allah, accept our martyrs in the highest heavens… Oh Allah, show the Jews a black day… Oh Allah, annihilate the Jews and their supporters… Oh Allah, raise the flag of Jihad across the land… Oh Allah, forgive our sins…" [19]
Similarly, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya stated, "O brother believers, the criminals, the terrorists - are the Jews… They are the ones who must be butchered and killed, as Allah the Almighty said: 'Fight them: Allah will torture them at your hands, and will humiliate them and will help you to overcome them… The Jews are like a [gas] pedal - as long as you step on it with your foot, it doesn't move, but if you lift your foot from it, it hurts you and punishes you. This is the case of the Jews." [20]
Within sermons, Jews are commonly referred to as the descendants of pigs and apes, and as calf-worshippers. As Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi stated, "All spears should be directed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah, the nation that was cursed in Allah's book. Allah has described them as apes and pigs, the calf-worshipers, idol-worshipers… Whoever can fight them with his weapons, should go out [to the battle]; whoever can fight them with a machinegun, should go out; whoever can fight them with a sword or a knife, should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands, should go out; This is our destiny… The Jews have exposed their fangs. Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst. They have nuclear power, but we have the power of the belief in Allah… We blow them up in Hadera, we blow them up in Tel Aviv and in Netanya." [21] On another occasion, Sheikh Madhi added: "Oh beloved of Allah… One of the Jews' evil deeds is what has come to be called 'the Holocaust,' that is, the slaughter of the Jews by Nazism. However, revisionist [historians] have proven that this crime, carried out against some of the Jews, was planned by the Jews' leaders, and was part of their policy… These are the Jews against whom we fight, oh beloved of Allah. On the other hand, [what is our belief] about the Jews? Allah has described them as donkeys." [22]
Re-conquering Palestine
Sermons include calls for the expulsion of Jews from Israel and for their "return to Europe." According to the sermons, this will be done by re-conquering Jerusalem, Haifa, Safed, Jaffa, Ramle, and other Israeli cities and districts such as the Negev and the Galilee. For example, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris stated, "We love you Jerusalem, We love you Jerusalem, we will return to you oh Aqsa, and we will return to you oh Aqsa, we will return to you Haifa and Jaffa, Lod and Ramle, Nablus from which we were expelled. Oh Safed, oh all cities of Palestine and its villages, we will return to you with Allah's help. We will return to Ashdod and Ashkelon, and Harbiya and Na'aliya and all the cities and villages of Palestine, we will return to you as conquerors and liberators… If we hold onto our land, we will return to our country… Moreover, there is no solution to the Palestinian problem without the return of the refugees. The refugees were those who were driven out of their homes at gunpoint. They will return here and we will build our state together." [23]
Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya similarly stated, "We shall not forget Haifa, and Acre, and the Galilee, and Jaffa, and the Triangle and the Negev, and the rest of our cities and villages. It is only a matter of time. The weak will not remain forever weak, and the strong will not remain forever strong... If we are weak today … and we are not able to regain our rights, then at least we have to pass on the banner - waving high - to our children and grandchildren… Have no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, in any country. Fight them, wherever you are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them… We will not give up a single grain of soil of Palestine, from Haifa, and Jaffa, and Acre, and Mulabbas [Petah Tikva] and Salamah, and Majdal [Ashkelon], and all the land, and Gaza, and the West Bank…" [24]
The sermons of Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi also commonly refer to this topic. On one occasion, he stated, "Our belief is that this war, between us and the Jews, will continue to escalate until we vanquish the Jews and enter Jerusalem as conquerors, [and] enter Jaffa as conquerors. We are not merely expecting a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital; we are heralding [the creation of] an Islamic caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital…" [25] Similarly, he stated in another sermon, "We are convinced of the [future] victory of Allah; we believe that one of these days, we will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, enter Jaffa as conquerors, enter Haifa as conquerors, enter Ramle and Lod as conquerors, the [villages of] Hirbiya and Dir Jerjis and all of Palestine as conquerors, as Allah has decreed… 'They will enter Al-Aqsa Mosque as they have entered it the first time…'" [26]
On this subject, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri added, "We haven't sacrificed enough yet to be worthy of liberating Al-Aqsa. To liberate Jerusalem, Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi made great sacrifices for a long time, and we have to sacrifice until Allah's victory is completed… Our campaign is definitely religious and emanates from belief, although we try to avoid this slogan. The current Intifada of the [Arab and Islamic] world is a religious outburst, because it relates to the Al-Aqsa mosque… The land of Palestine is not only Jerusalem; this land stretches from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea. Naturally, the [Palestinian] problem relates to all of this land…" [27] On another occasion, elaborating on the borders of a future Palestinian state and the Jewish residents of Israel, he said, "From an Islamic point of view, it stretches from the Mediterranean to the Jordan [River]. It is Palestine in its entirety… all those Jews who came here from all over the world, must return to the places from where they came. The Jews from Germany should return to Germany." [28]
On the September 11th Attacks
Conspiracy theories against America and Jews are the subject of many sermons dealing with the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the September 11, 2001 attack. Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, speaking about the first attack, stated, "Oh those who pray, you have brothers wrongly and aggressively jailed in America. They have been forgotten. They were charged with false claims about the bombing of the World Trade [Center] in New York. We, from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and on your behalf, demand the release of these prisoners, who are monotheistic Muslims." [29] Weeks after September 11th, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri stated again that Muslims were not involved, and in fact that Americans were responsible: "Oh Muslims, oh brothers, believers, everywhere, our Prophet used to deal in Friday's sermons with current events of his time and I will follow him and also discuss some religious rulings connected to the current international events following the [attacks] that took place in America on the 11th of this month. First, there is a religious legal rule that man is innocent, namely, in Islam, a human being is innocent until he is proven guilty. It is not allowed to blame a human being and then tell him 'prove you're innocent.' Therefore we tell America: 'It is forbidden to accuse a person before the beginning of the investigation.' Until now, the American administration could not present proof to convict the accused in the [attacks] in New York and Washington, [because] it is possible that there are other elements inside America who carried out these [attacks]." [30]
Part II: Yasser Arafat and Hanan Ashrawi Questioned on 60 Minutes and Fox News about MEMRI Sermon Videos
Members of the PA have been questioned by journalists in the West about the contents of the official PA sermons. For example, on 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace showed a video provided to him by MEMRI of a PA sermon, to Yasser Arafat: [31]
Mike Wallace: On your state-controlled television, a few months ago, a cleric…
Yasser Arafat:Yes.
Wallace:…here's what he said…
Arafat: Yes.
Wallace: …On your television: 'Whoever can fight them with his weapons should go out to battle. Nothing will deter the Jews except the color of their filthy people's blood. Nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst.' I found it difficult to believe.
Arafat:I didn't, I didn't hear it.
Wallace: [Voiceover] He said he didn't hear himself, and he blamed the rhetoric on radicals who he says control many of the mosques, the same groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that he blames for the suicide attacks. The chairman didn't want to go anywhere near my question.
[To Arafat]: Your state-controlled television carried a sermon by a sheikh telling worshippers that martyrs will go to paradise and marry 70 beautiful virgins. Do you believe that's a correct interpretation of the Koran?
Arafat: I am not now in a position to translate for you what had been mentioned in our Koran.
On Fox News Sunday, Tony Snow asked Hanan Ashrawi about the PA sermons, also by playing video excerpts made available by MEMRI: [32]
Tony Snow: What I would like to do is read to you just a few statements that appeared on Palestinian TV on August 3 of this year, in a sermon broadcast over the television network, here is the quote:
"All weapons must be aimed at the Jews… Whom the Koran describes as monkeys and pigs. Whoever can fight the Jews with his weapons should go out to the battle; whoever can fight with a machine gun should go out; whoever can fight with a sword or knife should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands should go out… Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst."
That is from Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi. Now, the question is, that being on your national TV, should people not view that as an endorsement of those tactics?
Hanan Ashrawi:Well, frankly, I haven't heard this sermon, but had it been actually said, I certainly question the sources, but had it been broadcast, certainly I would condemn it.
Tony Snow: We understand that, as a matter of fact, hate language is used by both sides. The unusual factor here is that it is on a television channel that you and the Legislative Council and Yasser Arafat control. You're responsible for the content…
Hanan Ashrawi: No we don't control it.
Tony Snow: You don't control your own television network?
Hanan Ashrawi: No, no. There is no censorship or control on those and I never heard this speech, and I will have to take your word for it, although I would like to know your sources.
Part III: The Sermons
November 7, 2003, Muhammad Jamal Abu Hunoud, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza
"One of the virtues of this month, the month of Ramadan, is that besides being a month of education, repairing [ones'] manner, and the month of the Quran, it is the month of Jihad, so that the word of Allah will reign supreme, the month of the victory and the conquest, the month of many certain victories of the Muslims since the period of [Muhammad's] prophecy up to this day. The Muslims were victorious in all the battles they entered in the month of Ramadan…
"On the 17th of this month in the second year of the Hijra, the invasion of the great Badr took place. The day of salvation, the day on which the two camps met, [33] the day Allah strengthened the Muslims and granted them a decisive victory… On the 20th of the month of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijra was the great conquest of Mecca.
"The Messenger of Allah returned to it [Mecca], together with his 10,000 companions… [In addition], one of the victories in our day in the month of Ramadan is the day the Suez Canal was crossed [i.e. the 1973 War], the day of the great crossing that shattered the attackers' fortifications and undermined the existence of those who act with [such] tyranny in the land [that] their houses are destroyed by their own hands as well as by the hands of their enemies." [34]
October 31, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza
"Allah made the [month of] Ramadan a period of trading [between the followers] of His heart. Muslims compete with each other over prayer and religious study at night, over the fast and the financial expenses [i.e. charity] for the sake of Allah… [Allah said]: ' O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a commercial deal that will save you from a painful chastisement? It is that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive for the sake of Allah, with your properties and your souls: that will be best for you, if you but knew!' [Quran, 61:10-11]…
"Has the time not come for Muslim servants of Allah to say: 'We will establish our country in Ramadan'? Has the time not come for the Muslims to say: 'We will achieve victories in Ramadan as did those before us'? Has the time not come for Muslims to say: 'We will achieve victory and liberate the blessed Al-Aqsa in the month of Ramadan?'
"It is surprising that the soul of a Muslim who says 'there is no God but Allah,' fasts during the day, and prays and reads the Quran through the night does not call on him to fight the battle of Jihad in order to liberate the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the land of Palestine." [35]
September 5, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza
"…Oh believers, shall I guide you to a [commercial] [36] deal that will save you from severe torment? [Koran 61:10]
"I maintain that… a [mosque] preacher or sermonizer must begin his sermon by saying words of blessing for the Shahids, the wounded, the detainees, and those expelled from Palestine…
"If we go back in the time tunnel 1400 years, we will find that history repeats itself. Here the Messenger of Allah calls to do justice, and he holds on to it by willpower, by determination and by faith in Allah. He calls to do justice, but he is besieged by members of his own tribe, the infidel Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula. Likewise, he was besieged by two powers - Persia in the east and Byzantium in the west. They have besieged him, and they exactly represent today's USSR and America. Persia represents Russia in the east, and Byzantium represents America in the west. And indeed, Persia [collapsed] first in the east, as Russia fell first here in the east. And thus, if Allah wills it, America will collapse, as Byzantium collapsed in the west.
"The struggle between truth and falsehood continues, and it is ancient. There is no escape from [the fact] that victory goes to the men of truth, even if it takes a long time. This is a matter of belief to which we hold, because victory belongs to the men of truth, as long as they cling to their truth, holding on to their unity and their unity of action. The men of truth will be victorious, with Allah's help. We will be victorious here in Palestine, as long as the men of Palestine hold on to their Islamic and national principles, and to unbroken ranks and their unity of action…
"The Prophet [Muhammad] could, by means of unbroken ranks, conquer Byzantium, the greatest power compared to today's America - and this without a single martyr falling from among the Muslims… The men of Byzantium fled their posts and cities when they heard of the army of the Prophet, and this is without a single Muslim Shahid falling. The Prophet could, by means of the unity of the Muslim ranks and its awakening, defeat the America of that time, as we will defeat America as long as it supports our enemy, as long as America insists on being against our people and against our cause and our holy places, and against our people and our leadership. As long as America holds these criminal opinions, we will defeat it with Allah's help.
"Indeed, we consider America to be our No. 1 enemy, as long as it supports our enemy. Must we be killed by only American planes? [Must] our homes be destroyed only by means of American tanks? Must our enemy control us only by means of American support? America is our No. 1 enemy, and we see it as our No. 1 enemy as long as we learn from the lessons of the Battle of Tabouk [which took place in October 630 AD ] :'Make ready for them whatever you can of armed strength and of mounted pickets' [Koran 8:60]. We are prepared and ready, but victory is from Allah…"
August 22, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"…Muhammad, Allah's Messenger, heralded to those killed for Allah that they are Allah's most preferred people. When a man comes to the Messenger of Allah and says, 'Who is the man most preferred by Allah?' [Muhammad] says: 'A believer who participated in Jihad with his body and his money for the sake of Allah.' These are the people most preferred by Allah.
"Blessings to those who wage [Jihad] with their body and are killed for the sake of Allah. Blessings to those who fight by means of their money and spend it for the sake of Allah…
"This is the fate that Allah has bestowed upon us, people of Palestine, that we be worthy of struggling and giving our souls on this good and blessed land… Blessings to our Shahids. Blessings to our Shahids who sacrifice their souls easily for the sake of Allah. Blessings to our Shahids who were burned yesterday in their cars, at the same hour as the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque was burned 34 years ago…
"Blessings to the Shahids, blessings to the happy Shahids within the entrails of the green bird in Paradise. Blessings to the Shahids whose sins are forgiven with the first drop of their blood, the first for the sake of Allah. Blessings to the Shahids who fell on the blessed land, for whom the struggle for it is better than this entire world and all that is in it. Blessings to the Shahids who are happy and exult in the pleasures of Paradise…"
August 15, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"…Oh believers, oh beloved of Allah's Messenger, you who hold fast in the good, pure, and blessed land, on this very day, the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque was set afire treacherously by treacherous and oppressing Zionist gangs. On August 21, 1969, Al-Aqsa Mosque was set afire by a Zionist gang. [37]
"When the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque was burned, on that day a worn-out old hag ruled the government of the Zionist entity. Her name was Golda Meir. She ruled this Zionist entity. When she heard that a gang of Zionists had set the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque afire, she wrung her hands and began to lament on the bitterness of the fate of the State of Israel, since she imagined that the Muslims and Arabs would awaken all at once, immediately, in order to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Zionist entity. But as the first day passed, and in the middle of the second day, when she saw the idleness of the Muslims and Arabs towards what had happened to their holy of holies, what did she say? She said: 'If only they [the Jews] had destroyed it.' Thus said the prime minister of the Zionist entity after she thought that the State of Israel would disappear, on the day the Al-Aqsa Mosque was burned.
"Oh Muslims, we are not exaggerating when we say that the Palestinian people defends the honor of the entire Muslim nation… Blessings to you, [sons of] the Palestinian people. Blessings to you, people of Jerusalem, you who sacrifice Shahids in order to preserve the identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and its Islamic and Arabic identity. Indeed, the presence of the people of Palestine and the people of Jerusalem is what will protect the existence of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, because the Al-Aqsa Mosque is subject [to destruction], since that same worn-out old hag said: 'If only they had destroyed the Al-Aqsa Mosque.'
"They are planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is subject to acts of destruction, planned and organized in advance. Oh Muslims, Al-Aqsa is in real danger. Tunnels have been dug underneath Al-Aqsa on the pretext of uncovering the false Temple of Solomon. Oh Muslims, Al-Aqsa is subject to planned and organized acts of destruction. It is the people of Jerusalem and Palestine who protect the existence of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we are not exaggerating. We bless you, we bless everyone whose blood flows upon this good and pure land. If a prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque is worth 1,000 prayers at another mosque, then know that a Shahid [who falls] on this land is considered more than one Shahid someplace else. Yes, there are traditions that a Shahid here [in Jerusalem] is worth 70 Shahids in a place other than this good land… Every wounded person on this land is comparable to hundreds of wounded [elsewhere]…
"The Palestinian people today need an Omar bin Al-Khattab, whose soul was inflamed every time he read Surat Al-Israa [in the Koran], Omar, who, every time he read [the verse]: 'Praised be He who took his servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Distant [Al-Aqsa] Mosque [Koran 17:1].
"Omar felt that Al-Aqsa Mosque was calling for help. He felt that Al-Aqsa Mosque was seeking his help. And then he amassed his army and turned from there [Medina] to here [Jerusalem], to Al-Sham [Syria] and to Jerusalem, with the most prominent of the Prophet's companions, in order to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He liberated it from the Crusaders who had defiled it, he liberated it, but gave them [the Crusaders] security, through what was later called The Pact of Omar.But, notice, oh worshippers of Allah, the Jews, they are the most wicked creatures on the face of the earth, while the Crusaders, despite their wickedness, asked of Omar bin Al-Khattab one condition from among four - not to permit the Jews to live in Palestine. We want people like Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyoubi, we want Salah Al-Din to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, that Salah Al-Din liberated when he heard the cries of the people of Palestine and the people of Syria, when they were massacred and abused…
"Since Salah Al-Din liberated the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the land of Palestine, this land has been subject to the greed of invaders, until the imperialist attack came and Palestine was conquered. It was conquered by the British, with whom we have relations of blood-vengeance. Between us and Britain, there is a lengthy reckoning of blood vengeance which we will never forget, even though politics requires it. Was it not Britain that gave what it did not possess to those who had no right to it? Was it not Britain that gave the Jews a right to establish a state on the land of Palestine and at the expense of the Palestinian people? There is a lengthy reckoning between us and them.
"Palestine and its holy places are under constant aggression, and if we have words of reproach, they are directed at the Arabs and the Muslims… Hasn't the world heard that the Palestinian prisoners suffer in [Israeli] jails, because yesterday they were served poisoned meals, which may cause the death of dozens of our imprisoned sons? Your brothers in the prisons are subject to the ugliest of Zionist attacks. They are subject to the ugliest of tortures and abuses. You have heard, and all the world has heard, that two days ago our brothers in the prisons were served poisoned meals, and more than 50 prisoners are in serious condition because they were given poisoned food. Indeed, they are subject to the ugliest of tortures and abuses, but they are steadfast in solitary confinement. We say to them: Answer the call of your God, oh believers, gird yourself with patience and adherence to your land, and fear Allah, so that you will succeed…"
May 2, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"Oh, you who garrison this good and blessed land. In light of these abhorrent massacres, in whose shadow we live, as we have sacrificed over 30 [souls] in the past two days across Palestine, in less than 48 hours. Under these circumstances of massacres, no preacher or sermonizer has [the] right to begin his words without blessing all our Shahids. We do not have the right to [speak] our words without giving our best wishes to our Shahids in Palestine, blessing the wounded, the prisoner, and the expelled. Blessing to all the people of Palestine worthy of receiving the best wishes. The Prophet [Muhammad] brings you tidings and asks you to accept the blessing since Allah chose you to defend this land. Allah chose you from among all the peoples so that you will be the defenders of Palestine…
"The Jews cannot influence the actions of our youth and children. But for you, Allah has chosen Shahada, in order to choose from among you the Shahids of the people of Palestine. Allah chose from amongst us Shahids, as the poet says: He who does not die by the sword dies in another way. Causes are many. And the proof of this, as Allah says: 'Death will reach you even in your beds, those who are destined to die, will be exposed even in their beds.' That is, they would not die by Shahada. Allah had honored our youth, our people, and our nation, by choosing you and by choosing from among you the Shahids, oh people of Palestine. Therefore, you are worthy to receive a blessing while you cling to this land…
"Is the Shahid dead like other dead, which requires us to offer condolences and mourn with his family, friend and relatives? Or is the Shahid enjoying virtues and the ability to perform miracles, which gives us the right to congratulate the Shahid and his family? The Shahid, of servants of Allah, is not dead like all the other dead. Nay, we have no right to say about him that he is dead and this is according to a decision from the seventh heaven above, by Allah himself, as a privilege for the Shahids. This is mentioned in two Koran chapters…
"Allah forbids you to say that the Shahid is dead, saying [in the Koran]: 'Do not say that they who die for Allah are dead, because they are alive, but you do not notice.' We cannot imagine that [Shahids'] lives. They leave a wretched, base life in this world in order to ascend and live, next to Allah, a life that only Allah knows.
"The Shahids' live next to Allah and they have the qualities of living people and they are sustained as the living are in this world. But, oh believers, how great is the difference between this livelihood and that, how great is the difference between livelihood in this wretched and lowly world and livelihood that Allah alone, knows there, near the throne of the Lord. Blessings to the Shahids, as they are alive, sustained next to their Lord. They are joyful in this world. But what a difference is there between our joy and theirs! There is a difference between our mundane joy and their joy there in Paradise; they are joyful in the grace that Allah has bestowed upon them. Then they bring good tidings and seek good tidings for their brothers who have not joined them…
"They do not know the fear of this world, and they are not saddened, as they were sad in this world. There is no reason to worry about them, and they are not sad. They are the Shahids. The Shahids who are in the heavens, next to Allah…
"As the Shahids are indeed in the highest paradise. The superior qualities and miracles of the Shahids are too numerous to count, since Allah alone know them. But what do we know of these miracles- listen to the words of your Prophet when he counts the Shahids virtues. Therefore, we have the right to congratulate the Shahids' families, and not extend condolences and sorrow of our Shahids, if they [sacrifice themselves] to Allah…
"Whoever fights so that the word of Allah will be supreme, fights for the sake of Allah. Therefore, these Shahids, by Allah, is it not enough for you that [such a Shahid] is forgiven with his first drop of blood? Is it not enough for you that the Shahid is saved from the agony of death, of which the Prophet said: Death involves agony from which no one is spared, except for the Shahids. Even the prophets, the messengers, and the angels, on the day of their death are not spared this. But the Shahid is spared the agony of death. This is one of the miracles of the Shahid. Is it not enough that the Shahid weds 72 black eyed [virgins]? Is it not enough for the Shahid's family that he vouchsafe for 70 of his relatives? Is it not enough for the Shahid that they dress him in garments of glory on the day of resurrection? Is it not enough for the Shahid that his soul lives inside the vitals of the green birds of paradise circling around the throne of honor? Is it not enough for the Shahid, that when Allah asks him what his wish is, he will be the only one to answer; I want to be returned to the world in order to be killed for You ten times, oh Lord. And Allah will say then: I have already ruled regarding them and they will not return to this world. When the Shahid sees the grace of martyrdom and death for the sake of Allah he will wish to return to this world to be killed in it ten times. The Shahid, oh servants of Allah, dwells in the highest paradise together with the righteous and the prophets. The Shahid - is it enough for him that he does not feel the blow of the sword or the pain of death or of the killing rather, as one of you feels a [wasp] sting as in the words of the Prophet. This is the grace of the Shahid. The Shahid is in the heavens with Allah. And blessing to our Shahids and may Allah have mercy on our Shahids and take them under his wing and avenge their blood…"
March 28, 2003, SheikhMuhammad Abu Al-Hunud, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza
"… It looks like some of the Muslim leaders forgot Allah… The power of the infidels does not stem from their weapons and equipment; their power stems from our obedience to them, from the obedience of a number of Muslim and Arab leaders to them, [from the compliance with] their threats, demands, and aggression…
"Civil wars and calamities afflict the nation in order to distinguish the faithful, the steadfast and the truthful from the liars, and the hypocrites who sold themselves in slave markets, sold themselves to the devil and supported the aggression of Allah's enemies…
"The sons of Iraq are slaughtered, Iraq is bombarded; the sons of Iraq are murdered. [Iraq] is an Arab Muslim country, the cradle of civilization since the dawn of history, the capital of the land of Muslim caliphates. The Iraqi people are crying for help… Where are you, Oh Arabs? Where are you, nation of Islam?... Be free, or die honorably. The sons of the Arab and Muslim nation are murdered, its sons are slaughtered, its homes demolished and the Arabs are standing and watching.
"One of the Arab leaders claims that he opposes the attack on Iraq while he finances the airplanes of the invading enemy. Another condemns the attack on Iraq while the attackers use bases on his own soil to attack Iraq. A third Arab sister [country] openly declares its enmity towards America, but behind closed doors holds meetings and strikes deals [with the Americans]. A fourth opens its ports and airports to enemy ships and airplanes. Is this Islam? Is this the religion?!
"The aggression against Iraq is an assault on international laws and on religious edicts. The aggression against Iraq is an aggression against humanity, against values and principles. The aggression against Iraq is an assault on Islam, the Koran and the message of Muhammad… If, God forbid, something happens to Iraq, the aggression and the Crusade will turn tomorrow against the Koran. Prior to the attack on Iraq, Allah's enemy and the enemy of His Prophet… called to change the religious education systems in the Arab and Islamic countries. Today, God forbid, his second assault is on the Koran, [he wants] to change verses and to mess with Allah's book, to Americanize the region, Americanize the religion, Americanize the Koran, Americanize Muhammad's message.
"What are you going to do, oh millions of Arabs, oh Arab leaders? What are you going to do in light of this tyranny and this aggression? These bullets that are being fired today on the Muslim people of Iraq will be fired tomorrow on your chests and the chests of your peoples.
"To my brothers in Iraq, to the President of Iraq, to the Iraqi leadership, to the Iraqi people, the Iraqi clans, the glorious women of Iraq, we say: 'Strike, my brother; may your right arm, oh proud Iraq, be strong. If your arm gets weary, [lift it] and strike Allah's enemies with it. Strike with it the enemies of humanity, and let them realize that Iraq's soil is a fire land [for them], and that they will drown in its waters. The Iraqi soil repels this aggressor, the Iraqi soil curses him when he steps on it, and the Iraqi people spit in his face…'
"Trustworthy [Islamic] clerics, from East and West… came up with proofs from the Koran and the Sunna, and announced them from the pulpits of Al-Azhar and other mosques around the world, that any Muslim who does not stand by Iraq and support it against the American-British-Crusaders cruel attack is a traitor to his religion, traitor to his nation, traitor to his motherland, and traitor to his Arabism. Aren't you listening? Did you plug your ears and blinded your eyes? What happened to you? What is the meaning of this shame?!!
"My brothers in Islam, my brothers in Arabism, the Prophet said: 'Behold the Arabs from an approaching evil.' This is the approaching evil. If the Arabs do not wake up and do not return to Allah - [and] those among our leaders who sold themselves, and I am not saying all of them - [should know] that what is happening in Iraq is not far from them. Jobs do not last forever, seats do not last forever, death will be their lot…
"Allah, grant victory to the Iraqi army…
"Allah, defeat America and its allies…
"Allah, purify the Islamic soil from the American and British treason and defilement…
"Allah, make their possessions a booty for the Muslims, Allah, annihilate them and their weapons, Allah, make their children orphans and their women widows…"
March 21, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"…Allah drowned Pharaoh and those who were with him. Allah drowns the Pharaohs of every generation. Allah will drown the little Pharaoh, the dwarf, the Pharaoh of all times, of our time, the American President. Allah will drown America in our seas, in our skies, in our land. America will drown and all the oppressors will drown.
"Oh, people of Palestine, Oh, people of Iraq. The Crusader, Zionist America has started an attack against our Iraq, the Iraq of Islam and Arabism, the Iraq of civilization and history. It opened a Crusader Zionist war against Iraq. If Iraq is defeated, if the nation [of Islam] is defeated in Iraq - this will be our last breath of life... It was only natural that America would invade Iraq. When Afghanistan was devoured we said that if Afghanistan would be devoured, Iraq too would be devoured and I warned that if Iraq is devoured, south Lebanon will be devoured too and Syria should also start preparing because the rest of the Arab world fell without war. This is a Zionist Crusader war. It is not I who say this, it was the little Pharaoh [Bush] who announced it when he stated that this was a Crusader attack. Hasn't he said this? I'm amazed at some of the clerics of the nation [of Islam] who cooperate with their [treachery]… I am amazed that they are trying to keep the nation away from Jihad… and they issue Fatwas according to which this war is not against Islam, but against Iraq, as though the people of Iraq are calf worshippers or fire worshippers. Aren't they Muslims?… I am speaking about the people not about the regime…
"Why Iraq? Why precisely Iraq? Is it because it is in possession of weapons of mass destruction as they claim? No. The U.N. has proven that this claim is not true but despite this America wants to wage war against Iraq. Why Iraq, Oh Muslims? Wake up. You're being attacked because of your religion. Iraq is being attacked for a number of reasons: There are economic and security reasons. There are reasons stemming from personal vendetta, there are historical reasons, and there are religious reasons.
"You all know that America is enduring now an economic crisis that nearly finishes it. Hence it has no choice but to start a war… there should be war in order to raise the American standard of living. Iraq is the only Gulf state whose oil is not controlled by America…
"And there are personal reasons. You all know about the slap in the face which Iraq gave America at the time of the first invasion, when Iraq gave a knock out [punch] to America, the result of which was that Pharaoh the father [George Bush, Sr.] lost the presidency. This is a mark of shame on this family and therefore Pharaoh the son returned to power in order to take revenge. The only way to remove the shame is to topple down the Iraqi regime…
"This is also a religious war. What is the connection between Iraq and the Crusaders' wars?
"Just as Palestine is sacred so is also the land of Iraq, because the Prophet said so…
"America will be destroyed, Allah willing, and Palestine, Iraq, and the Middle East will become a cemetery for oppressors…"
February 28, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza
"The first Fidaii in Islam was 'Ali, who sacrificed himself for the sake of the messenger of Allah.' Some Muslims today see this as evidence that it is permitted to push children to sites of conflict, and this is wrong. I say with full [religious] legal authority, that when 'Ali sacrificed himself for the Prophet', he was not a child, as they say. 'Ali was a child when he accepted Islam, and he was 7 years old.' But when he slept in the bed of the Prophet 13 years later, he was 20, he was young man in his adolescence. Even if we accept this, when 'Ali entered the struggle against the infidels, he entered it upon the decision of Muslim leadership. He entered the struggle by a decision, and not by his own opinion. And here, I want to emphasize, oh people of Palestine, that our children, the fruit of our loins - we must protect them. Our children, who pushed themselves or are pushed into struggle with the Jew, these children of ours-we need them. All the streams and the organizations and the forces in Palestine have condemned sending children to the settlements carrying a knife or something else, and then having them be killed. Statistics say that the number of children killed on the fences of the settlements is in the dozens, and this is a dangerous matter. Since the national and Islamic forces in Palestine condemn this, we can say that those who send the children are collaborators, as long as there is condemnation, those who send the children are deemed collaborators by all. They are deemed collaborators by all, or that they [the children] go there as a result of the brainwashing our children absorb. Our children are innocent, they need education. The children need proper education because it is they who will lead the struggle after us, on the day when they will grow up and become strong and we will grow old. They are our children, who will conduct the battle after us. We need them. 'No' to brainwashing in the streets! 'No' in the clubs. This call is an address to all our warrior brothers. We hope that this role will be an educational role for our children, because we need their education.
"[When] the Prophet left [Mecca] he stood at the outskirts of Mecca and apologized to Mecca: 'By Allah, oh Mecca, you are the city most beloved to Allah and to me, and had your people not expelled me from you I would never leave.' This is what our forefather said on the day they expelled from their homes said, [those] driven out from their villages in Palestine, driven form their homes at gunpoint. Some say that your fathers abandoned the land when they fled. No. Anyone who says this knows neither our grandfathers nor our fathers. He does no know that they waged a struggle against Britain before Israel. Anyone who said this does not know history of Palestine, is not familiar with the elders of Palestine and the religious sages of Palestine. He does not know the man who waged a battle and defeated the steadfastness of our enemy when he said to them: 'I will place my soul in my hand and fling it into the abyss of death; either a life that will delight a friend or death that will anger the enemy.' This was said by a poet from among the poets of Palestine, and he waged a battle by mean of [this poem] and he fell in Palestine. Many of Palestine's sages were expelled from there; they had struggled since 1929, and before. Our fathers, men of Palestine, struggled and fought for the sake of the honor of Palestine and of the residents of Palestine, but they were expelled at gunpoint. They did not run away but left saying: 'We love you Jerusalem, We love you Jerusalem, we will return to you oh Aqsa, and we will return to you oh Aqsa, we will return to you Haifa and Jaffa, Lod and Ramle, Nablus from which we were expelled. Oh Safed, oh all cities of Palestine and its villages, we will return to you with Allah's help. We will return to Ashdod and Ashkelon, and Harbiya and Na'aliya and all the cities and villages of Palestine, we will return to you as conquerors and liberators… If we hold onto our land, we will return to our country. In the name of Allah we say that the land of Palestine is the most beloved to us; it is the most beloved country to us, oh people of Palestine. Had it not been for the Jews who expelled us from Palestine we would not have left, we would not have left. These are the words of those who fell there. Therefore, here we say that we hold on to and cling to the issue of the Palestinian refugees. No, we will not abandon the issue of the refugees, and our leadership will not abandon it, and here, too, out people will not abandon it. Moreover, there is no solution to the Palestinian problem without the return of the refugees. The refugees were those who were driven out of their homes at gunpoint. They will return here and we will build our state together. We will build out state on the land of Palestine. You must have hope."
October 4, 2002, Sheikh Ahmad Abd Al-Razek, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"Worshippers of Allah: This journey [of the Prophet Muhammad, from Mecca to Jerusalem] guides us and causes us to scrupulously defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and urges all the countries of the Arab world and all the Islamic countries to sharply reject and condemn what Bush has done, this crazy man, who with his signature cancelled the UN [resolution] stating that Jerusalem is an occupied city and that the occupied territories must be returned to their owners and that the city of Jerusalem is an occupied city, and what applies to the occupied territories applies to Jerusalem as well, but what he cancelled with that decision and said that Jerusalem is united and it is the capital of the Jews contradicts all the international norms, all the moral standards in the world. I call on the Muslims, Christians, and free men in the world to stand against this oppressing decision. This is an oppressing decision, and it must not be made exclusively by a crazy man who will, with the stroke of a pen, give the Jews a city that does not belong to the Jews. Allah, avenge us and do not take vengeance upon us. Allah, wreak vengeance on the Jews and the Americans."
April 12, 2002 Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"…Oh, beloved of Allah. [In the Friday sermon] two weeks ago, I bore in your name a blessing of love to the crowns upon our heads, [that is] to the Arab and Muslim rulers. Among other things, I said: 'Oh crowns upon our heads: If Sharon spat in your faces, what would you do?' Today I apologize for these words, because Sharon has not only spat on the heads of the nation, but also trampled us underfoot.
"We are convinced of the [future] victory of Allah; we believe that one of these days, we will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, enter Jaffa as conquerors, enter Haifa as conquerors, enter Ramle and Lod as conquerors, the [villages of] Hirbiya and Dir Jerjis and all of Palestine as conquerors, as Allah has decreed… 'They will enter Al-Aqsa Mosque as they have entered it the first time…'
"Anyone who does not attain martyrdom in these days should wake in the middle of the night and say: 'My God, why have you deprived me of martyrdom for your sake? For the martyr lives next to Allah'…
"Our enemies suffer now more than we do. Why? Because we are convinced that our dead go to Paradise, while the dead of the Jews go to Hell, to a cruel fate. So we stand firm and steadfast, in obedience to Allah…
"The Jews await the false Jewish messiah, while we await, with Allah's help… the Madhi and Jesus, peace be upon him. Jesus's pure hands will murder the false Jewish messiah. Where? In the city of Lod, in Palestine. Palestine will be, as it was in the past, a graveyard for the invaders - just as it was a graveyard for the Tatars and to the Crusader invaders, [and for the invaders] of the old and new colonialism…
"A reliable Hadith [tradition] says: 'The Jews will fight you, but you will be set to rule over them.' What could be more beautiful than this tradition? 'The Jews will fight you' - that is, the Jews have begun to fight us. 'You will be set to rule over them' - Who will set the Muslim to rule over the Jew? Allah… Until the Jew hides behind the rock and the tree.
"But the rock and tree will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, a Jew hides behind me, come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree, which is the tree of the Jews.
"We believe in this Hadith. We are convinced also that this Hadith heralds the spread of Islam and its rule over all the land…
"Oh beloved, look to the East of the earth, find Japan and the ocean; look to the West of the earth, find [some] country and the ocean. Be assured that these will be owned by the Muslim nation, as the Hadith says… 'from the ocean to the ocean'…
"Oh Allah, accept our martyrs in the highest heavens…
"Oh Allah, show the Jews a black day…
"Oh Allah, annihilate the Jews and their supporters…
Oh Allah, raise the flag of Jihad across the land…
"Oh Allah, forgive our sins…"
September 28, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
"Oh Muslims, oh brothers, believers, everywhere, our Prophet used to deal in Friday's sermons with current events of his time and I will follow him and also discuss some religious rulings connected to the current international events following the [attacks] that took place in America on the 11th of this month.
"First, there is a religious legal rule that man is innocent, namely, in Islam, a human being is innocent until he is proven guilty. It is not allowed to blame a human being and then tell him 'prove you're innocent.' Therefore we tell America: 'It is forbidden to accuse a person before the beginning of the investigation.'
"Until now, the American administration could not present proof to convict the accused in the [attacks] in New York and Washington, [because] it is possible that there are other elements inside America who carried out these [attacks]. [Since] those who flew the planes were professionals and had significant technical knowledge.
"Second, Allah says: 'It is forbidden to throw on one person the burden of another.' Therefore, we are not allowed from the legal religious point of view to throw on a person the responsibility for a deed done by another person. It is forbidden from the legal religious point of view to kill innocents, since the comprehensive war does not leave out anything; it kills innocents, it burns trees, it destroys homes and economies.
"The aggressor will not be secure in his country, just like the party that was attacked. In as much as it is forbidden to kill innocents in America, it is forbidden to kill innocents in Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries.
"Third, our Prophet says in a long tradition ( Hadith ): 'It is forbidden for a Muslim to go against another Muslim, against his life, his properties, and his honor (wife).' It is forbidden from the religious legal aspect that a Muslim would kill another Muslim; this killing is regarded as a severe sin. There are tens of verses, and hundreds of traditions that forbid it. It is far more sinful for a Muslim to ask for the help of a non-Muslim to kill another Muslim. This is a grave heresy. Allah says in the 'Chapter of the Cow' [in the Koran] that 'heresy is worse than killing.' 'Preserve Allah's edicts oh rulers, and be careful with your deeds.'
"Allah says in another verse: 'You should fear Allah if [indeed] you are believers.' In another place he says: 'Do not fear them, but me if [indeed] you are believers.' The belief is the basis for fear of Allah. He who does not fear Allah is shaken in his belief or lacks belief. We trust a Muslim who fears Allah but does not fear human beings.
"Oh Muslims, brothers in faith everywhere, from the pulpit of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque we call upon America, the superpowers and the states that aligned in a military pact, we tell all of them: 'No to war, because it brings hardships on all mankind.' [We say] no to the killing of innocents, no to the killing of elderly women and children, no to [being under your] guardianship. 'No to [your] intervention in other peoples' issues. No to imperialism, no to occupation.' We tell the Muslims: 'You have to unite around the Koran and the Sunnah [the conduct] of his messenger, the Prophet Muhammad.'"
September 21, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin mosque in Gaza
"…Oh beloved of Allah… We must always remember who the Jews are, what they believe regarding Allah, what their position is regarding the prophets and apostles, and what they say about them in their holy books - that is, in the books they claim are holy. [We must always remember] their view of the Prophet Muhammad, and their corruption in the world, particularly in the Arab and Islamic world.
"Oh beloved of Allah, who are the Jews? Regarding their belief about Allah: The Jews have said that the hand of Allah is fettered in chains; [but] it is their hand that is fettered in chains, and they are cursed for their words… According to the Jews' belief, as it is written in some of their holy books, such as the Talmud, Allah divides his time into three parts. One third of the time he weeps. Why? Because his [chosen] people are dispersed in all directions. Another third he spends playing with the whales, and the final third he spends doing nothing in particular. This is their perverted belief about Allah…
"Oh beloved of Allah… One of the Jews' evil deeds is what has come to be called 'the Holocaust,' that is, the slaughter of the Jews by Nazism. However, revisionist [historians] have proven that this crime, carried out against some of the Jews, was planned by the Jews' leaders, and was part of their policy… These are the Jews against whom we fight, oh beloved of Allah.
"On the other hand, [what is our belief] about the Jews? Allah has described them as donkeys who must carry the books of the Torah - but they have not carried them. Our belief, which is true, about the Jews is that Allah is angry at them. They are cursed with the curse of Allah in this world and in the hereafter. Therefore, we say to them out of friendship: 'Oh Jews, come to your senses, return to the true faith; you must convert to Islam…'
"Our belief is that this war, between us and the Jews, will continue to escalate until we vanquish the Jews and enter Jerusalem as conquerors, [and] enter Jaffa as conquerors. We are not merely expecting a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital; we are heralding [the creation of] an Islamic caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital…
"Oh beloved of Allah, as we always say: When the battles between the Muslims and infidels begin, the martyrs and the slain Muslims will reach Paradise… in contrast, those who die not for the sake of Islam, after the deliverance of the message of the Prophet Muhammad… will end up in the fires of Hell…"
August 31, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"He who does not attack (in the Jihad), does not prepare himself with words for attack, and does not leave after him a Jihad warrior in the family, will die a death that smacks hypocrisy. Therefore, you must attack for the sake of Allah. Oh beloved of Allah, if the Jews accuse the Palestinian people and say that we are terrorists, tell them with one voice: This is an accusation that we do not deny and an honor we (strive) to reach."
August 24, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque (PA Radio)
"Allah, destroy the U.S., its helpers and its agents. Allah, destroy Britain, its helpers and its agents. Allah, prepare those who will unite the Muslims and march in the steps of Saladin. Allah, we ask you for forgiveness before death, and mercy and forgiveness after death. Allah, grant victory to Islam and the Muslims…"
August 17, 2001, Sheikh Isma'il Aal Ghadwan, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"…It is the duty of the Islamic nation to open the gates of Jihad, where its strength and honor lie. We are a nation that was given Islam and Jihad by Allah... S'ad bin Abi Waqqas tells the story of Abdallah bin Jahsh, who wished to launch a Jihad and never come back... He was hoping to get early [to Heaven] in order to meet the Prophet when he dies... Abdallah bin Jahsh said on the eve of the battle of Uhud: 'Oh Allah, bring me tomorrow an enraged and furious man and I will fight him for Your sake, and he will fight me, overcome me, and chop off my ear and my nose…'
"When I meet with You [Allah] tomorrow, You will say: 'Oh Abdallah, what were your ear and nose chopped off for?' And I will answer: 'Oh my lord, for your sake and for your Prophet's sake.' And You will say: 'You have spoken the truth.'
"S'ad bin Abi Waqqas said to his sons when the battle was over: 'Oh my sons, what Abdallah bin Jahsh did to spread Islam was much more superior to what I did. By Allah, when the battle was over, I found his ear and nose hanging on a string, and this is what he desired... Why? So he could meet Allah and say to Him: 'Allah, I fought the war of Jihad for your sake and for Your Prophet's sake' and when Allah would say to him: 'Show me your proof,' he would answer: 'the [chopped off] ear and the nose are my proofs.'
"When the enemies of Allah, the Jews, may Allah curse them, mutilate [the bodies], and chop off organs - these organs will serve as evidence for our sons and brothers for whom Paradise in the high heavens is a place of refuge. [Even when] a martyr's organs are being chopped off, and he turns into torn organs that spread all over, in order to meet Allah, Muhammad, and his friends, it would not be [considered] a loss...
"Yes, my believing brother, listen to the words of the Prophet to Jaber bin Abdallah who was sad after the battle of Uhud in which his father was killed...: 'Oh Jaber, why are you sad?' [Jaber ]said: 'My father was martyred and left me many children to take care of.' [The Prophet] said: 'Oh Jaber, I will tell you something that will take the sadness out of your heart... Oh Jaber, Allah spoke directly to your father without any mediation.' This is the honor given to our martyrs, the martyrs of the Islamic nation, who were killed due to their loyalty to Allah... The martyr is given an opportunity to ask one wish and Allah makes it come true...
"He [Abdallah, the father of Jaber] asked for one thing: to return to this world in order to tell how lucky the martyrs are. In Heaven, he said: My Lord, I only ask to come back to the world and then to be killed [again] for the sake of Allah, [then] go back to the world once again, and be killed again for the sake of Allah, then go back to the world [for the third time] and be killed again for the sake of Allah.
"Allah said to him: 'I have ruled that no one would return to the world.' [Abdallah] said: 'My Lord, is there any good news for the Mujahideen who still follow the Prophet's way...?
"Allah said to him: '...Do not consider those who have died for the sake of Allah as dead, but as alive, and as being provided for by their Lord.'
"This good news... has passed down to our people who still make great sacrifices, defending the honor of the Islamic nation. The sacrifice of convoys of martyrs [will continue] until Allah grants us victory very soon. The willingness for sacrifice and for death we see amongst those who were cast by Allah into a war with the Jews, should not come at all as a surprise...
"Oh believing brothers, we do not feel a loss... The martyr, if he meets Allah, is forgiven with the first drop of blood; he is saved from the torments of the grave; he sees his place in Paradise; he is saved from the Great Horror [of the day of judgment]; he is given 72 black-eyed women; he vouches for 70 of his family to be accepted to Paradise; he is crowned with the Crown of glory, whose precious stone is better than all of this world and what is in it…"
August 3, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"...Oh lovers of Allah. After the leaders of the Jews declared the 'Hell' plan, [38] we say: Yes, we accept the challenge, if this is the 'Hell' plan. Then our dead [will reach] Heaven and their dead [will reach] Hell, Allah willing. This Jihad activity will continue, whether they like it or if it upsets them. Why do we complicate things. This is Jihad: Either victory or Martyrdom...
"The states called the 'ring-states' [i.e. bordering Israel] - what are they good for? What are they worth? Do they protect us from the Jews, or do they [in fact] protect the Jews from the Mujahideen in the name of Allah? We have said to them and we keep saying: 'Continue to guard your thrones and bellies, continue to protect your capitals, and let the Mujahideen saturate this blessed land with their pure and untainted blood. Then, the Jews will see miracles from us.'
"A young man said to me: 'I am 14 years old, and I have four years left before I blow myself up amongst the Jews.' I said to him: Oh son, I ask Allah to give you and myself Martyrdom...'
"Oh lovers of Allah, we must state clearly: 'There is no difference between the National and Islamic [forces], we are all forces for the sake of Allah. We, the Muslims on this good and blessed land, are all - each one of us - seekers of Martyrdom. We do not know when the bombardments come. If the Jews only knew... that if they bombard us, the Arabs would bombard their villages and cities, they would hesitate a thousand times...'
"We must all seek a role in the Jihad and the battle. We said and we still say: 'Even if we, the entire [Palestinian] people, stood in line and signed for the Jews that we want peace, they would not accept it. The Koran is very clear on this: The greatest enemies of the Islamic nation are the Jews, may Allah fight them...'
"The Palestinian people should cure its wounds; we must forget our differences. There is no place for blood-vengeance. Our enemy is very clear. All weapons should be directed towards him. Why do we see weapons that are directed on one another?... All spears should be directed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah, the nation that was cursed in Allah's book. Allah has described them as apes and pigs, the calf-worshipers, idol-worshipers... they have said that we are cockroaches and ants and that they should kill us, but we approach them with the words of Allah: '...Whoever wants to save himself, should enter to the true religion - Islam - and repent, and then there will be no problems between him and us, our rights will be his and his obligations will be ours. However, he who came to this land as an invader and did not enter the religion of Allah, should go back to the place he came from, or else, our spears will reach him, Allah willing.'
"Oh beloved, the Jews want to throw us under a wall of despair [and claim] that we are destined to die. We say: 'We accept this challenge. Any one of us who dies, will reach Heaven, Allah willing. I ask Allah that we would meet him as Martyrs for his sake. I ask Allah that our dead will be in Heaven...'
"Whoever can fight them with his weapons, should go out [to the battle]; whoever can fight them with a machinegun, should go out; whoever can fight them with a sword or a knife, should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands, should go out; This is our destiny. The people who are the most hostile toward the believers are the Jews and the Polytheists... The Jews have exposed their fangs. Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst. They have nuclear power, but we have the power of the belief in Allah...
"The Prophet [Muhammad] said: 'The Jews will fight you, and [Allah] will establish you as rulers over them...' We blow them up in Hadera, we blow them up in Tel Aviv and in Netanya, and in this way, Allah establishes us as rulers over these gangs of vagabonds. The Jews fight you, but Allah will establish you as rulers over them. Until the Jew would hide behind a stone or a tree, and the stone or the tree would say: Oh Muslim, Oh servant of Allah, a Jew is hiding behind me, come kill him, with the exception of the Gharqad tree which is the tree of the Jews...'
"In several years, Allah willing, we will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, to Jaffa as conquerors. To Haifa as conquerors, to Ashkelon as conquerors. We are certain that victory is near...
"Blessings for whoever assaulted a soldier... Blessings for whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head…"
July 6, 2001, Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"...Oh, you who love Allah, in the Koran we read our Lord's words, that we must fight all the polytheists just as they fight all of you... Oh, you who love Allah... This [Muslim] nation has left the leadership of the human race to a handful of contemptible Jews and their assistants and was satisfied [with its position at] the tail of the convoy...
"The Palestinian people has decided that this blessed Intifada would continue. We sacrifice as many prisoners, martyrs, and wounded as we can; we will continue the Intifada until the land of Palestine is liberated. We will not be satisfied with the mere establishment of a Palestinian state; the Muslim people of Palestine want to meet Allah and we are the soldiers of the Caliphate, that was announced by the Prophet [Muhammad]... Therefore, the Caliphate will be in accordance with the prophecy, in Al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem, and in its surroundings...
"Oh, you who love Allah, the signs of the victory are many... Oh, you who love Allah, do not believe the joke of peace. By Allah, do not believe the joke of peace. Even if the Palestinian people here and in the Diaspora will stand in line and sign [on an agreement] with all ten fingers, and even with the toes of their feet, and we will say: 'We all want peace with you' - by Allah, they [i.e. the Jews] do not want peace...
"Even if they slaughter all of the Palestinian people and the only survivors will be one single Palestinian baby girl and one single Palestinian baby boy, the baby boy will marry the baby girl and they will give birth to the one who will liberate Jerusalem from the defilement of the Jews.
"Victory is drawing near, but believe me, there is a secret resolution, decided upon by, unfortunately, many of the Arab and Muslim nations. While they [the Palestinians] sacrifice the last Palestinian child and the last Palestinian fetus, they [the Arab nations] will satisfy themselves with victories on the soccer courts, with music festivals, and with Arab and Muslim summits. Where are the summits, where are their decisions?... It was rightly claimed that a thousand verbal shells cannot compare to one shell made of iron. It was rightly claimed that what was taken by force will be regained only by the use of force.
"We must prepare ourselves in accordance with the religion of Allah and the Law of Allah. We must educate our children on the love of Jihad for the sake of Allah and the love of fighting for the sake of Allah.
"We welcome, as we did in the past, any Jew who wants to live in this land as a Dhimmi, just as the Jews have lived in our countries, as Dhimmis, and have earned appreciation, and some of them have even reached the positions of counselor or minister here and there. We welcome the Jews to live as Dhimmis, but the rule in this land and in all the Muslim countries must be the rule of Allah... Those from amongst the Jews and from amongst those who are not Jews who came to this land as plunderers, must return humiliated and disrespected to their countries.
"On the other hand, those Jews who are local and who have lived with the Palestinian people and with the locals from amongst the Christians - there is nothing bad with their living [amongst us] in harmony and peace. This is the kind of peace we understand. The Arabs and Muslims must speak, because our choice is the Jihad for the sake of Allah...
"Oh, you who love Allah, there is no alternative to the true return to Allah. Victory will not come from the Kremlin, neither will it come from the White House decisions, or from Arab and Islamic summits. Victory is from Allah...
"...Oh, you who love Allah, it is our duty to strive so that all our deeds will be [only] for the sake of Allah. Listen to the following precious story:
"In one African country, a Muslim army was fighting against the Byzantine army. The number of the Byzantines was more than ten times the number of the Muslims... The Byzantine commander was Gregorius and his daughter was by his side. Gregorius' daughter said: 'My father, who are these, they are merely a handful, their number is small, no more than 15,000, who are they?' He answered her: 'These are the Arab horsemen.' She said: 'My father, give them to me as spoils.' And he had given her [their property's worth] as spoils, before the battle even took place. However, Allah wanted Gregorius killed in the battle and his daughter to be one of the captives.
"The commander of the Muslim army wanted to know who killed Gregorius, but nobody answered.
"This is how we should also act: Do, do, and do, but without talking.
"Who killed Gregorius? Gregorius' daughter said to the commander of the Muslims: 'I know who killed my father.' And when Abdallah Ibn Al-Zubeir passed next to her she said: 'Oh, commander of the Muslims, this is the man who killed my father.' [The Muslim commander asked him:] 'Oh, Abdallah Ibn Al-Zubeir, why did you conceal this from us?' What did Abdallah Ibn Al-Zubeir say in response? His words still echo in the ear of history. He said: 'Allah knows I killed him.''
"Allah knows what we do and there is no necessity for humans to know this as well. With such noble values, the [Muslim] nation shall win..."
June 8, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza
"...I tell you, Oh beloved, that ever since Kamal Ataturk [founder of modern Turkey], this Jew who disguised himself as a Muslim - and there may still be in the Arab nation Jews who disguise themselves as Muslims… ever since he announced the end of the Islamic Caliphate in Istanbul - as some contemporary religious sages assert - the era preceding the end [of days] has began - the era of the military rule, the era of revolutionary rule. Allah willing, we are at the end of this era and Allah willing, the Caliphate will return, in accordance with the prophecy, and I pray that we will be among its soldiers...
"Allah is almighty. Had He wanted - He would have beaten them. But He tests you in suffering. We must prepare the ground for the army of Allah that is coming according to the [divine] predetermination. We must prepare a foothold for them. Allah willing, this unjust state will be erased - Israel will be erased; this unjust state, the United States, will be erased; this unjust state, Britain, will be erased - they who caused this people's Nakbah [the 1948 'catastrophe']...
"Oh beloved, we must be certain that victory will come. Shame and remorse on whoever refrained from raids [against the enemy] or refrained from preaching to himself [to raid]; shame and remorse on whoever refrained from raising his children on Jihad; shame and remorse on whoever hated his Muslim brother while loving one of the infidels; shame and remorse on whoever hid behind excuses that have no basis with Allah...
"Blessings to whoever waged Jihad for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever raided for the sake of Allah; blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying 'Allahu Akbar, praise to Allah, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.'
"Just as the building collapsed over the Jews in their sinful dancing floor [referring to the collapse of a wedding hall in Jerusalem] - I pray to Allah that this oppressive Knesset will collapse over the heads of the Jews.
"Allah, forgive us our sins,
Allah, show us a black day for the Jews, like the day of 'Aad and Thamud [39]
Allah, turn them into pillage for us
Allah, we strive for martyrdom for your sake...
Allah, we strive for your mercy and your paradise..."
May 25, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
"Oh Muslims, let me begin my sermon with a quote from the words of the Prophet's companion Abdullah Ibn Rawwaha in a speech he delivered to his army on the eve of the Battle of Mu'tah." He said: "Oh People, I swear by Allah, that the thing you hate [meaning death] is what you are going out to seek today: The Shahada [Marytrdom].
"We are not fighting with a large army, nor with force. We are fighting only with this religion [Islam] with which we have been blessed by Allah. So attack and you will gain one of two blessings: either victory or martyrdom. In the eighth-century, the Muslim army consisted of only 3,000 soldiers, while the large Roman army exceeded 100,000. The commanders of the Muslim armies discussed [the plans for] the battle and decided to go into battle and clash with the masses of Roman soldiers despite the fact that they [the Muslims] had a small number of people and a small amount of weapons.
"Oh Muslims, 'the first commander of the Muslim army sacrificed his life in the Battle of Mu'tah. It was the Prophet's companion, Zayd Ibn Al-Haritha. So the command was taken over by the next commander, the companion Ja'far Ibn Abu Taleb who came down off his horse and launched an attack into multitudes of Romans until his right hand palm was cut off. He passed the banner to his left hand but that one too was severed. He still continued to hold the banner of the flag between the two stumps where his hands had been, until he was struck by a Roman soldier.
"It was a hard hit that cut his body in two. In his body there were 50 stabbings, none of which entered in his back because he did not retreat. He faced the enemy and was amongst them. That is the nature of believers who do not retreat at the time of the assault. And I ask : Is Ja'far's breaking into the ranks of the enemy regarded as suicide? No, God forbid. No! It is martyrdom for the sake of Allah. The Prophet named him Ja'far, the Flyer, because Allah granted him two wings when he reached paradise, in place of his two hands cut off in the battle. He persisted in the battle and in attacking the enemies ranks until he died as a martyr.
"We tell this to those who think it is an act of suicide [referring to the Mufti of Saudi Arabia] [40] : 'Be careful with your religious rulings.'
"Oh Muslims. Oh believers, the Prophet's companion, Abdullah Ibn Rawwaha, was the army's third commander. He took the flag and fought until he was martyred. The Muslim soldiers were perplexed because they had no commanders left, since the three commanders who were appointed by the Prophet, were already martyred. The soldiers were about to retreat, but then, the Prophet's companion, 'Uqbah Ibn Abi 'Aamer, said to them: 'Oh people, a man is better off being killed with his face to the front than while withdrawing'. Yes, Oh Muslims. The soldiers realized their situation and agreed on appointing as Emir, the noble and heroic, Khaled Ibn Al-Walid, who managed, by his wisdom, his ability, and military skills, to save the army from total destruction. This was the first battle that was commanded by Khaled Ibn Al-Walid since he embraced Islam. When he took the flag that day, he fought fiercely. On the second day, he devised a brilliant plan for withdrawal, sustaining only minimal casualties.
"Oh Muslims, when the Prophet sent the army to Mu'tah, he gave them the following instruction: 'conquer in the name of Allah, fight the enemies of Allah and your enemies in Al-Sham [Syria]. You will find innocent people there. Do not harm them. Do not kill a woman. Do not kill a child. Do not uproot a tree, and do not destroy a house.' This is our great Islamic religion. It encourages good ethics and high morale in days of peace, as well as in days of war.
"On the other hand, our enemies destroy houses, kill children, destroy wells, disconnect water, and uproot trees. They prevent pregnant women from reaching hospitals and they are forced to give birth by the side of the road. They use warplanes against defenseless citizens. Yes, they are occupiers and not owners of any sovereignty…
"They think that they scare our people. We tell them: in as much as you love life - the Muslim loves death and martyrdom. There is a great difference between he who loves the hereafter and he who loves this world. The Muslim loves death and [strives for] martyrdom. He does not fear the oppression of the arrogant or the weapons of the blood-letters. The blessed and sacred soil of Palestine has vomited all the invaders and all the colonialists throughout history and it will soon vomit, with Allah's help, the [present] occupiers.
"Oh those who pray, you have brothers wrongly and aggressively jailed in America. They have been forgotten. They were charged with false claims about the bombing of the World Trade [Center] in New York. We, from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and on your behalf, demand the release of these prisoners, who are monotheistic Muslims."
October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza
"… None of the Jews refrain from committing any possible evil. If the Labor party commits the evil and the crime, the Likud party stands by it; and if the Likud party commits the evil and the crime, the Labor party stands by it…. The Jews are Jews, whether Labor or Likud... They do not have any moderates or any advocates of peace. They are all liars. They all want to distort truth, but we are in possession of the truth.
"O brother believers, the criminals, the terrorists - are the Jews, who have butchered our children, orphaned them, widowed our women and desecrated our holy places and sacred sites. They are the terrorists. They are the ones who must be butchered and killed, as Allah the Almighty said: 'Fight them: Allah will torture them at your hands, and will humiliate them and will help you to overcome them, and will relieve the minds of the believers....
"O brothers in belief, this is the case of the Jews and their habitual conduct, and what happened yesterday, and has been going on for two weeks, and before that for many years, and which will be repeated in future years unless we stand up like men and unless we have the known Muslim position, [the position] of those who wage Jihad in the path of Allah, those who defend their rights and who sacrifice all that is dear to them.
"O brothers in belief, the beautiful bride has a costly price and dowry.... Our bride is paradise, o brothers in belief… The cost and the dowry of this bride, the dowry of this paradise, is that we fight in the path of Allah, and kill and be killed.
"Allah has purchased from the believers their persons and their property in return for the promise that they shall have paradise, for they fight in the cause of Allah, and they slay the enemy and are slain. This is a promise that He [Allah] has made incumbent upon Himself, as set out in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Koran…
"… We say to the Jews, and we say to Clinton, and we say to all those who supported the Jews and still cooperate with the Jews, we say to them, that this will not shake us, we are the Palestinian people, who are positioned in the land of the Isra' and Mi'raj. It will not shake a single hair of ours. Our determination will not sway. We will raise the banner of Jihad…
"… America and Europe and the world were shocked by the kidnapping of three tramps, the kidnapping of three wretched soldiers, and the killing of two in Ramallah. But their feelings were not moved, and they did not shudder when they saw the children Muhammad ad-Durrah and others - women, and men, and youths - being martyred by cannons and missiles, and all the barbaric instruments that the Jews possess.
"They were moved, for the sake of five persons, and the world went into turmoil and it will not stop for Clinton or for the old hag Albright, they will not be relieved, and they will not cease to be concerned, and they will not rest until the Jews return to their families. But as for the Palestinians, as for this pure blood, it can go to Hell in the eyes of the Americans and Europe and the Jews…
"This is the truth, O Brothers in belief. From here, Allah the almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or the Christians, not to like them, not to become their partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements with them. And he who does that, is one of them, as Allah said: 'O you who believe, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies, for they are allies of one another. Who from among you takes them as allies will indeed be one of them…'
"... The Jews are the allies of the Christians, and the Christians are the allies of the Jews, despite the enmity that exists between them. The enmity between the Jews and the Christians is deep, but all of them are in agreement against the monotheists - against those who say, 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger,' that is - they are against you, O Muslims.
"Even if an agreement of Gaza is signed - we shall not forget Haifa, and Acre, and the Galilee, and Jaffa, and the Triangle and the Negev, and the rest of our cities and villages. It is only a matter of time. The weak will not remain forever weak, and the strong will not remain forever strong... If we are weak today … and we are not able to regain our rights, then at least we have to pass on the banner - waving high - to our children and grandchildren...
"…None of the factions is allowed to stand on the sidelines at this stage, or not to think well of avenging our pure martyrs and wounded… Our people must unite in one trench, and receive armaments from the Palestinian leadership, to confront the Jews. By Allah, the Jews, O brothers in belief, do not know, nor have they ever known throughout history, anything but force and Jihad in the path of Allah. The Jews are like a [gas] pedal - as long as you step on it with your foot, it doesn't move, but if you lift your foot from it, it hurts you and punishes you. This is the case of the Jews.
"Have no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, in any country. Fight them, wherever you are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them - and those who stand by them - they are all in one trench, against the Arabs and the Muslims - because they established Israel here, in the beating heart of the Arab world, in Palestine. They created it to be the outpost of their civilization - and the vanguard of their army, and to be the sword of the West and the Crusaders, hanging over the necks of the monotheists, the Muslims in these lands. They wanted the Jews to be their spearhead …
"… Let us put our trust in Allah, close ranks, and unite our words, and the slogan of us all should be, 'Jihad! Jihad! For the sake of Palestine, and for the sake of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa!'
"... We will not give up a single grain of soil of Palestine, from Haifa, and Jaffa, and Acre, and Mulabbas [Petah Tikva] and Salamah, and Majdal [Ashkelon], and all the land, and Gaza, and the West Bank …
"... Allah, deal with the Jews, your enemies and the enemies of Islam. Deal with the Crusaders, and America, and Europe behind them, O Lord of the worlds…"
* Steven Stalinsky is Executive Director of MEMRI.
[1] October 4, 2002, Sheikh Ahmad Abd Al-Razek, Sheikh 'Iljin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[2] June 8, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[3] August 24, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque, PA Radio.
[4] October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza.
[5] March 28, 2003, SheikhMuhammad Abu Al-Hunud, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[6] September 5, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[7] March 21, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[8] August 17, 2001, Sheikh Isma'il Aal Ghadwan, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[9] August 22, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[10] August 15, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[11] May 2, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[12] May 25, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television.
[13] August 3, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[14] Two pre-Islamic Arab tribes that refused to convert to Islam, and were punished by annihilation.
[15] June 8, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[16] July 6, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[17] February 28, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[18] Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (Egypt), October 28, 2000. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 151, November 9, 2000, 'PA Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Discusses the Intifada.'
[19] April 12, 2002 Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[20] October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[21] August 3, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheik 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[22] September 21, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[23] February 28, 2003, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Khalil Al-Wazir Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[24] October 13, 2000, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[25] September 21, 2001, Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[26] April 12, 2002 Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza, PA Television.
[27] Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (Egypt), October 28, 2000. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 151, November 9, 2000, 'PA Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Discusses the Intifada.'
[28] Die Welt (Germany), January 17, 2001. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 182, January 24, 2001, 'The PA Mufti: Jews from Germany Should Return There.'
[29] May 25, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television.
[30] September 28, 2001, Mufti Sheikh Ikrimeh Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, PA Television.
[31] CBS, 60 Minutes, February 10, 2002.
[32] FOX News, August 19, 2002
[33] A paraphrase of the Quran verse 41:8. The two camps are the camp of Muhammad and his Muhajirun followers and the caravan from Makkah led by Abu Sufian.
[34] Palestinian Television (PA), November 7, 2003.
[35] Palestinian Television (PA), October 31, 2003.
[36] Referring to the Koranic concept of martyrdom in which in return for sacrificing one's life for Allah, one goes to Paradise; i.e. 'the profitable deal.'
[37] The arson attempt on the Al-Aqsa Mosque was carried out by Dennis Michael Rohan, an Australian national and a member of the fundamentalist Christian Church of God, based in Australia.
[38] According to the Palestinian media, Israel has a plan to reoccupy Palestinian territories, code named "Oranim" (Pines), which is mistranslated by Arafat to mean "Hell" in Hebrew.
[39] Two pre-Islamic Arab tribes that refused to convert to Islam, and were punished by annihilation.
[40] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 53, May 2, 2001, 'Debating the Religious, Political and Moral Legitimacy of Suicide Bombings - Part I: The Debate over Religious Legitimacy.'
