In his July 11, 2023 column in the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, journalist 'Abd Al-'Aziz Al-'Abdallah slammed the Arab and Muslim "traitors" who have normalized relations with Israel and who condemn the Palestinian resistance and expect the Palestinians to coexist with Israel. The Jews, he argued, will not be satisfied until the Muslims leave the holy land and the holy sites and abandon the Islamic faith. He therefore called on the Arabs and Muslims to teach their children the stories of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Palestine, and also to teach them about the Arabs who have betrayed the Palestinian cause and will be dogged by humiliation forever.
'Abd Al-'Aziz Al-'Abdallah (Image: Al-sharq.com)
The following are translated excerpts from his column:
"[Among the Arabs and Muslims] there are deviant groups that have strayed from their course and from the national consensus that Jerusalem is the Muslims' first direction of prayer and is [therefore] not just a piece of land but [an issue of] deep faith for the Muslims. Those people think that the issue of Jerusalem is not their business but only the business of the people of Palestine!
"The worst people are those who attack the Palestinian resistance and any uprising aimed at restoring the Islamic and Arab right to the holy sites and the land. In fact, they demand that the Palestinians live in peaceful coexistence with the occupier, and they side with the occupation army against the Palestinians, admire this army and pray for its victory, while they [themselves] are in a state of humiliation…
"In the past and today as well we see the crimes perpetrated by the occupation soldiers in the occupied territories and the killing and robbing of our brethren there, so what is our position [on this]? Our position is that if, as individuals, we are unable to regain the land, we can [at least] establish the principles of justice among ourselves and among the nation. These principles state that this land is ours, that these holy places are ours, and that all measures taken by some [Arab countries] to normalize relations with the occupation, and the expressions of affection they exchange [with the occupation], are meaningless.
"Allah says in the Surah of the Cow: 'And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper' [Quran 2:120]. Therefore, they will never be satisfied until you [the Muslim] abandon not only the land and the holy places, but the entire Muslim faith. And then [do you think] they will be satisfied?!
"[So what] is our duty? Teach your children the stories of the martyrs in occupied Palestine. Teach them how its sons, its young people and its women sacrificed their lives defending the land and the holy places. Teach them how the Jews were afraid of the crippled sheikh [Hamas founder] Ahmad Yasin and of many others like him. [And] teach your children about [the Arabs and Muslims] who betrayed the land, and that humiliation will dog every traitor forever – because whoever becomes a Zionist will never have honor, but only humiliation and sorrow.
"In sum, Palestine will yet be restored to us, with Allah's help. Palestine is the land of all Muslims. The day will come when flags bearing the names of the martyrs and of the determined, sacrificing [fighters] will be raised aloft, whereas the names of those who neglected [Palestine] and collaborated [with the occupation]… will be cast onto the ash-heaps of history forever."[1]
[1] Al-Sharq (Qatar), July 11, 2023.
