Yasmin Mogahed’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict:

Author’s-Note:
Yasin Mogahed’s spin on the issue takes us to a place that we ca all relate to: it sets us up & forces us to truly reflect upon the different scenarios that she presents, and how we would view them, had they been in place of the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

I used to wonder why some Palestinian people would engage in actions that could only provoke the aggressor further. Then I realized that to ask a people to live quietly, while they have no justice and no freedom, is to ask them to live “peacefully” as slaves. “Peace” without justice or freedom is slavery. It’s like asking a battered woman to live “peacefully” with her abuse. We all want the bloodshed to stop. But what about the daily humiliation and institutionalized oppression?

I was reminded of a part in “The Hunger Games” when Katniss considers abandoning the resistance against the oppressor, in exchange for “safety”. Gale’s response was telling. He said: “Safe to do what? Starve? Work like slaves? Send their kids to the reaping?”

Consider this: If a woman is being raped, things would be a lot more “peaceful” if she didn’t resist. But, asking her not to resist–just because her attacker is physically stronger–is asking her to accept her own abuse and oppression for the sake of “peace”. This is what the world is asking Palestinians to do.

And sometimes what seems to the world as just ineffective tactics, like throwing a rock at a tank, is in fact an act of resistance. It is a powerful statement to the oppressor–and the world–that they refuse to be enslaved. That dignity and self-respect are even more beloved to them than their own lives.

It is a statement that you can take their lives. But not their freedom.

Yasmin Mogahed/2014

For more info. about Yasmin Mogahed:

http://www.yasminmogahed.com

Is al-Azhar University Serious?!!!

Author’s-Note:
Egypt, in all it’s incredible idiocy, with the assistance of al-Azhar University, the Oxford/Cambrige of Islamic-Learning within the conventional Muslim-World, pertaining to it’s reputation & academic stature, has decided to grant King Abdullah, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an honorary-degree from the university.

Ok, so let me get this straight:

‪Egypt decided to get the bright idea to grant King Abdullah, of the Kingdumb of ‪Saudi Arabia which is really ‪Saudi America, via ‪al-Azhar University, an honorary-degree, but, didn’t think even once about granting the People of ‪‎Gaza some honorary-humanity, by granting them asylum within the boarders of Egypt, as opposed to maintaining a boarder-wall, which keeps them landlocked, and victimized by the ‪Israeli-Military, which is really ‪AmerIsrael while Egypt, headed by ‪Sisi the Muslim/Arab nation with the largest military in the Middle-East just sits-back & has ‪Lipton Tea, with the ‪Kermit the Frog face, like, “But, that’s none of my business”…Now, I dare that Egyptian-Woman who was ranting, “Sisi yes, Morsi no!!!”, to complain about what’s happening in ‪Palestine/Israel.

Gareth Bryant/2014

The Reason why Presidential Iftar-Celebrations during Ramadhan are a No-Go:

Author’s-Note:
The following is a statement from Tariq Ramadan, an internationally-renown Socio-Political Scholar/Commentator, particularly of the Muslim/Arab-World, concerning the experience of attending a typical White House Iftar-Celebration, hosted by a United States President.

It was supposed to be an evening where the American President showed respect to a religious community, to the millions of American Muslims who have been fasting during the sacred month of Ramadan.

It was supposed to be a political expression of respect. It ended up being a political instrumentalisation of (voluntarily) trapped Muslim leaders listening to President Obama justify the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians, declaring Israel has the right to defend itself. One wonders what is the relationship between the Iftar celebration and Israel ? What is the US administration’s implicit-explicit intention in putting the Muslim leaders in such an embarrassing situation? To test their loyalty or rather their capacity to compromise or betray? They obviously remained silent.

The Israeli ambassador, Mr. Ron Dermer, also invited (why?), was actually the first to speak. One must remember what he said about Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims : Palestinians have “a cultural tendency towards belligerency” that is “deeply embedded in the culture of the Arab world and its foremost religion”. This is the man who was invited to celebrate Iftar with the Muslims meanwhile his Government is destroying Gaza. From the White House he tweeted, triumphantly : “@WhiteHouse for Iftar dinner. Appreciate strong statement there by President Obama about Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Obviously Muslim leaders didn’t tweet. It was enough of an honor for them to be invited to the White House and to have met the President. An honor, truly, dear Muslim leaders? Ordinary Muslims (and proponents of justice and dignity from other religions) in the US and around the world, as well as Palestinians, might think differently.

What’s happening in Palestine/Israel is very simple…here’s what I call it: #HolocaustRemix

After seeing the uncensored picture of that lifeless young Palestinian boy, on that Hospital bed, with literally 1/2 of his head missing, I’ve come to the following conclusion: It doesn’t really even matter which side of the coin one favors in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict…if you’ve seen the picture that I saw & your heart doesn’t shed at least one tear, then you are 100% Inhumane. This comfortability which we have that allows us to just tolerate/accept the degradation of fellow Human beings makes me utterly ashamed to be a Human being living in the “Modern-World”…and this can’t be a modern World when there are countries just standing by while one nation is given the complete green-light to exterminate another group of Human beings: today, in front of our very eyes…we are witnessing the resurrection of the Holocaust. Only this time, the #Palestinians have been made to take the place of the Jews & other oppressed Peoples of the era, while the #Zionists have taken the place of the Nazis & Fascists.

Why are People so pathologically afraid to just admit that the Zionists are the new Nazis & Fascists, that Zionism is just the Jewish version of Christianized #Nazism & Fascism, that what’s going on in Palestine/Israel is a direct socio-political mirror-image of what #Hilter did in Europe, what Mussolini did in Africa, and what #Hirohito did in #Asia, during #WorldWarII? Let’s stop pussy-footing around this issue in the Middle-East & call it what it truly is: a Holocaust, an Apartheid, a Genocide.

Being a Muslim is no justification to support Muslims who manifest Terrorism. Likewise, being a Jew is no justification to support Jews who manifest Zionism…Zionism is no different than Nazism or Fascism.

Gareth Bryant/2014

Ariel Sharon: A Necessary Introspective

Ariel Scheinermann, better known to the World as Ariel Sharon, was one of the most relevant political figures, within the 20th-Century. He was a celebrated Israeli military man & politician, while also being classified as a grand nemesis & nuisance to all his Arab neighbors. Now, there has been a lot of talk, surrounding this man’s death, from his supporters & adversaries, alike. However, what’s even more important than his controversial position, as a hero to some & a tyrant to others, is the fact that this man died, a very dilapidated death, one in which he had been in a vegetative state for nearly a decade.

One may ask, naturally, if they opposed him, “Who cares?”, while others may very well morn for him & his family. But, the point that I want to get at is what does his death mean for him. Now, we all know that as Muslims, they way that we live, in the Mundane, will be a direct-result of how Allah will judge us, in the Hereafter. This man Ariel Sharon has died & is with his Lord now, being questioned within his Grave, as to what he was like, as an individual, within his Earthly life.

We need to take serious lessons from the deaths of him & people like him:

1. He didn’t die as a Muslim, which Allah requires all that have freewill to do so: “Oh, you who believe!!! Revere Allah, revering Him is correct; and do not die, except as Muslims.” (Noble Qur’an: Chpt.3, V.102), “Whoever chooses a Path, other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him; and, in the Hereafter, he will be among the Losers.” (Noble Qur’an: Chpt.3, V.85).

2. He was an active-participant in the oppression of other Human beings, the same reasons as to why Nazi-Germany is in the history-books as being tyrants, likewise, the State of Israel has done many of the exact same atrocities to the Palestinian People, as well as in other nations, just like how Nazi-Germany had done during World War II.

3. He was directly responsible for the carnage in southern Lebanon, back in 1982, C.E. (the year that I was born), in which he (personally) commanded Israeli military personnel into the sovereign nation of Lebanon, in order to increase Israel’s political/military dominance within the Middle-East.

Allah states some very important things, within the Qur’an, about killing people and/or being responsible for the unjustified deaths of others: “Whoever kills one who has killed none, nor has caused corruption within the Earth, it’s just as though they’ve killed the entire Human-Race.” (Noble Qur’an: Chpt.5, V.32), “And, do not kill one who Allah has made sacred, except with Justification. And, whoever is unjustly killed, We’ve made his heir empowered. So don’t overdo killing; verily, he is assisted.” (Noble Qur’an: Chpt.17, V.33). Taking all of that into consideration, regardless of how you feel towards, against this man, these are the raw-facts, Islamically. Now, here’s another element of his death which I completely disagree with: Muslims, People generally, celebrating the fact that he has died. This honestly makes me angry, and I’ll tell you why. As Muslims, regardless of how a person dies (i.e. regardless to whether they die as Muslims or not), even if they die fighting against the Muslims, as adversaries, there’s still a certain level of respect that anyone/everyone whom is a Human being is entitled to, by virtue of them being Humans. Here’s the proof for what I’m saying: Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was informed of some of his Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) mocking `Ikrimah (May Allah be pleased with him), the son of `Amr ibn-Hisham (AKA Abu-Jahil), one of the most-hated of the enemies of Islam & the Muslims, at this time, who was confirmed to have died as a Disbeliever, during the Battle of Badr, one whom even Muhammad had dubbed “The Pharaoh of this Nation” (). Guess what? Muhammad had put an end to this mockery of `Amr, in order to make  at ease & so that he would not have to be reminded constantly of the fate of hi sown father, in the Hereafter, which hurt him significantly. In fact, Muhammad actually said, as a result of this, “Insulting the dead causes grief to the living, and does not reach the dead.”.(Companions of the Prophet)

So, in the Muslim-World, when there are reports of People celebrating the death of this man, are we really that happy that yet another Human being didn’t die upon Islam? Does that make your day, sort-of-speak, knowing that another Human being didn’t capitalize on the opportunity to be with Allah, within the Paradise? Does that make you feel good, knowing that these People, and People like them, whom Allah describes, will be from among the Losers, on the Day of Standing? Do you really think that that’s a cool perspective to have: mocking People who didn’t accept Islam before their deaths? Is this something that you find comical and/or amusing? If your answers to any of these questions are yes, then, we have some serious problems, as an Ummah/Nation.

Instead of being happy, elated, at the spiritual misfortunes of others, we need to be more like Muhammad, who cared about every single person that he encountered, and wanted the best for them, not the worst for them. He was never celebratory whenever he heard the news of someone during his lifetime whom didn’t die as a Muslim, because, as a Recipient-of-Revelation, he knew fully well that not dying upon Islam isn’t a joke, it ain’t nothin’ funny or cute, or amusing about it. Yet, sadly, we, as Muslims, seem to get joy out of hearing the news that People die upon other than Islam. We need to really correct this perspective; I’m basically out of words with regards to this issue.

Gareth Bryant/2014

Oppression: What the World needs to be constantly reminded of:

In light of what has recently been happening in Palestine, let’s look at some historical examples of the same type of oppression, that’s just as vile as what we’ve witnessed in the Levant during our very own lifetimes:

1. The Crusades, the Christian invasions of the Muslim-World, during the Middle-Ages (1095-1456 C.E.)

2. The Spanish & Portuguese-Inquisitions (1478-1821 C.E.)

3. Chattel-Enslavement of Africans & Native-Americans, in the Western-Hemisphere (circa. 1500-1900 C.E.)4. The Indian-Removal & Indian-War tactics & policies of the United States, against the Native-Americans of the continental U.S. (circa. 1781-1901 C.E.)5. The Pogroms of Russia (circa. 1881-1919)

6. The Holocaust of Nazi Germany & Fascist Italy, in Europe, as well as North Africa (circa. 1938-1944 C.E.)

7. The occupation of Palestine & the decimation of the Palestinian people (circa. 1947-present).

Now, is it just me, or are these few examples manifestations of some very pathological behavioral-patterns, that have been a recurring theme within our Human-existence; also, isn’t it most ironic that these same atrocities, that have been imposed upon the Jewish people (#’s 5 & 6) are now, at the hands of a Jewish-State government, imposing very similar acts of terror, strife, rape, murder, destruction, robbery, and torture upon the Palestinian people (#7)?

Gareth Bryant’s Top-Five Reasons why there’ll never be a “Palestinian-State”

http://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKPOF/135/JFKPOF-135-001

1. The Palestinian people, the Muslim Palestinians anyway, have not made the issue of Palestine a religious issue-They’ve only made this an ethno-national issue, while forgetting that Palestine is the long-lost sector of the Muslim-World. So, like any & every part of the Muslim-World, it belongs to all of the Muslims, not just some, just like how Makkah, Madinah, and Jerusalem are not at all the properties of the respective countries that hold present jurisdiction over these sacred religious-sites, rather in truth, they are the properties of the Muslim-World. But, very few, if any Muslim-Palestinians, Muslim-Arabs, or Muslims in general, view the issue of Palestine in this way at all. This is based upon a statement from the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), when he said, “The Muslims share three things: Water, Fire, Land.”.(Abu-Dawud) This refers to any and all places where the Islamic-State has ruled/formerly ruled, places where there is a modern government which is presently run either mainly or totally, by other Muslims, as well as any & all natural resources available in these respective places, by religious default, all of the above, are the global-properties of the Muslims. But, unfortunately, again, most Muslims just don’t get it.

 2. The Western-World really doesn’t want the Muslim-World to reunite, under any circumstances, which would, by default, tamper with the geo-political/financial dominance & interests of the Western-World, in the Muslim-World, particularly the Arab-World-The main reason why the United Nations even allowed the State of Israel to exist in the first place was to serve as a satellite-nation, to monitor & keep the rest of its Muslim/Arab neighbors under military pressure, which has worked significantly over the past six decades. And, the Western-World is not just going to give up its most prized satellite-nation, Israel, for the sake of giving justice to the Palestinian people.

3. The Muslim leaders in the Muslim-World/Arab-World are too greedy for wealth, power, position, influence on the world’s political stage, etc., to concern themselves with the needs of their fellow Muslims, who have been oppressed for the past six decades, which actually stem from the ancestors of the modern leaders of the Muslim-World/Arab-World revolting & helping to topple the Ottoman Empire, the last official, globally-recognized ruling-body of the Muslim-World to date, which no one wants to really talk about. This is how the Western-World was able to get the Muslim-Arabs to revolt against the Turks in the beginning, via the promise of autonomous self-rule.But, in actuality, they’ve become geo-political boy-toys to the Western-World, so because the Western-World has so much dirt on them, it’s like they can’t really stand up against the tyranny of the State of Israel & the Western-World, without first admitting to the fact that they are, in fact, majorly responsible for the formation of the State of Israel, via rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, which had control over Palestine at the time of World War I-Of course, after their defeat, in World War I, one of the conditions of surrender was that the Ottoman Empire forfeit all former territories, outside of modern-day Turkey, to the Allied Powers, which, of course, included Palestine.

4. If a Palestinian state were in fact established, they would have a lot of bones to pick with a lot of nations, like their Muslim/Arab neighbors, who basically left them hanging for damn near a century, while they’ve been systematically displaced, oppressed, marginalized, and made into the most popular group of refugees in Human history.

5. The Global-Elitists really don’t give a shit!!!

Gareth Bryant

Intimidation to cease Resistance against Zionism, thus claiming that Anti-Zionism equates to Anti-Jewishness.