A delegation of Australian Muslim sheikhs and scholars, headed by the Mufti of Australia, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Muhammad Salem, is currently touring the Middle East. On December 25, the delegation visited Egypt, and from there went on to the Gaza Strip to show solidarity with the Gazans and to call for an end to the siege. The delegation's next destination is Syria, where it plans to visit refugee camps and areas damaged by the fighting.[1]
For a December 26 news report on Al-Aqsa TV about the visit, see MEMRI TV clip Mufti of Australia and Delegation Meet with Hamas Prime Minister Haniya and Officials in Gaza.
Australian Mufti: Gaza Is The Front Line Of Defense For Arab And Islamic Honor
During his visit to Gaza, the Mufti of Australia met with Hamas Prime Minister Isma'il Haniya and Hamas Minister of Religious Endowments Dr. Isma'il Radwan. He told Haniya: "I am happy to be here in the land of jihad and to learn from its sons. It is an honor for me to stand among the residents of Gaza, where weakness always becomes strength, the minority becomes the majority, and humiliation becomes honor."[2]
During his meeting with Radwan, the Mufti said that the delegation did not just come to support but also to see how principles are implemented on the ground. According to him, "the strength of a nation is not judged by the size of its territory or population, but rather by the might of its men and their ability to resist an invalid reality."[3]
In an interview with the daily Al-Quds, he said: "The Palestinian problem is also the central problem in the Islamic world. Gaza is the first line of defense – not just for the Arab lands, but for Arab and Islamic honor and for all that is holy in the Muslim world... Recently, Australia's position on Gaza has become respectable, after Australians took an official position that was very positive regarding the problem of Palestine. Furthermore, many ministers and members of parliament, including the foreign minister, took a stand for the Palestinians. The most important thing is to explain the Palestinian problem and defend it." He expressed his esteem for the steadfastness of the Gazans, their heroism, and their determination.[4]
Haniya: The Road To Jerusalem Is The Road Of The Martyrs
Haniya praised "the victory achieved by the Palestinian people in the Eight-Day War [Operation Pillar of Defense]," describing it as "a strategic failure by the occupation." He expressed satisfaction at the visits of foreign delegations to Gaza, which he said were a result of "the victory of the resistance in the last campaign," and added: "Jerusalem is [our] destination, and the road to it is the road of the esteemed leaders – the martyrs. We swear not to relinquish a single inch of the land of Palestine or a single right of our people, chief among them the right of the refugees to return to their homeland and homes."[5]
Radwan: Gaza Will Fuel The Resistance
Hamas Minister of Religious Endowments Dr. Isma'il Radwan told the Australian delegation: "We meet after the victory of the resistance, which is the victory of truth over falsehood. The resistance, with its modest means, triumphed over the occupation, which committed crimes against our children, elderly, women, and sons." Radwan claimed that, during Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel had destroyed three mosques and hit 64, in addition to hitting five cemeteries, which had left body parts strewn about.
He stated that "Gaza will be the first line in defending the honor of the nation, and will fuel the resistance," and called on the clerics of the nation to support the Palestinian people financially, politically, and morally.[6] He added: "This noble visit embodies the unity of the nation – Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Islamic unity means the unity of the nation and its goals, Allah willing. It means the unity of the hopes we strive to fulfill, so that we can all participate, Allah willing, in the battle for the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine."[7]
The Mufti of Australia with Hamas Minister of Endowments Isma'il Radwan[8]
