MSU Alkalima Speical Project: For Justice We Fight

Posted originally May 19, 2007 5:11 PM
Found this on the Alkalima website on July 20, 2005
Original Link: http://www.alkalima.com/publications/Alkalima-FightForPalestine.pdf

Front side:

(center bottom)

A rock in the hand of a Palestinian is considered to be a weapon of mass destructions, while the Zionists are armed with tanks and nuclear weapons and they are only considered to be "defending their interests against hostile elements"

(right side)

Why we fight

Zi·on·ism, n. : An organized movement of world Jewry that arose in Europe in the late 19th century with the aim of reconstituting a Jewish state in Palestine. Modern Zionism is concerned with the development and support of the state of "Israel." -American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition

Islam is a religion that advocates justice. It requires that its followers stand up against oppression everywhere. In Islam, fighting against oppression to make justice prevail is an act of worship. The jihad [struggle] for justice in Palestine may be sought through speaking out against the aggression; however, if all peaceful attempts do not resolve the crisis, the use of force is then justified to deter the oppressors until justice is established.

Jihad consists of many kinds of worship, of both internal and external forms. However, its main implications are love and devotion for God, trust in Him, the surrender of one’s life and property to Him, patience, asceticism, and glorification of His remembrance. The individual or community that participates in jihad finds itself between two blissful outcomes, either victory and the establishment of justice, or the reward of martyrdom and Paradise. At the core of the Islamic resistance movement in Occupied Palestine is an issue of universal justice.

Muslims must fight injustice to fulfill their religious obligation to defend the oppressed, weak, as well as their families and homes in the Holy Land. Palestinians are the rightful inhabitants of the land, not the foreign Zionists who have forcibly displaced the Palestinians and let them to live in squalid conditions. It is not befitting for any human being to be forced to live this lifestyle, not even under the pretext of peace. It is better to die on ones feet than to live on ones knees, an attitude the freedom fighters defending Palestine embody today.

Although the Zionist occupiers may use terrorism and assassination to thwart the continually resisting indigenous population, the freedom fighters will continue to fight until their land is liberated or until they are blessed with martyrdom.

(left side)

Zionist Torture Exposed

Perhaps most notable in Israeli practice is the institutionalization of torture as a normal part of the interrogation process in dealing with Palestinians (not Jews). This was well established in a London Times investigation back in 1977, but it has been maintained and eventually enlarged in response to the Intifada, and given open, official legal status.

A report of Justice Moshe Landau in October 1987 concluded that "moderate physical pressure" is legitimate when interrogating Palestinians, which led one Israeli Knesset member to ask: At what voltage does an electric current applied to one’s testicles stop being "moderate physical pressure?" This gross perversion of human and civil rights became Israeli law and legitimized torture, without any reaction whatever from the West.

It is now standard practice to handcuff, blindfold, insult and beat, and often further torture Palestinian prisoners, including small children, many of whom are psychologically shattered by their experience in the hands of security police (Shin Bet, also called Shabak) interrogators. An April 1992 report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem estimated that 5,000 Palestinians had been tortured in the prior year, or some 420 per month.

Every few months there is a small back page article about another Palestinian prisoner who died in jail during or after "interrogation." In one case in 1992, a young man named Al-Akawi, brought to court after "moderate physical pressure," looked so badly beaten and unwell that the judge took the "unusual step" of giving the Shin Bet only eight more days for interrogation. But by 5 PM the next day the authorities summoned Al-Akawi’s father to come and remove his son’s body.-Edward S. Herman

http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/may94herman.htm

Back side:


(to be done later)

Summer 2004 Alkalima: The Assassinations of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi

This was originally posted May 19, 2007 4:34 PM PST
Original link was: http://www.alkalima.com/article.php?id=0603_assassination

The Assassinations of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi
By Abdulrahman Hachache

Why the assassinations will have serious consequences for “Israel” and the Islamic Resistance Movement

Hamas, an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in Egypt, was founded in Palestine by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. In his youth, Sheikh Yassin studied under Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Brotherhood in Egypt. Taking the knowledge he received back home to Palestine, he established an Islamic Resistance Movement to counteract Zionism. Sheikh Yassin experienced a life of struggle as he was quadriplegic since youth, but, through struggle, his knowledge and wisdom allowed him to serve as the spiritual leader for the Hamas movement in Palestine. Having been jailed and beaten by Israel to the point where he lost vision in one eye, Sheikh Yassin was released by Israel as a gesture for having attempted to assassinate another Hamas leader in Jordan.

On March 21, 2004, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin had just concluded Fajr prayer at a Masjid in Gaza when he was cowardly assassinated by three missiles launched by an Israeli helicopter. A few weeks later, after President Bush and Sharon met at the White House, Dr. Rantissi, the newly appointed leader of Hamas was assassinated in his car in a similar way as Sheikh Yassin.

These assassinations are taking place at a time when civil liberties are being increasingly restricted in the US. One may ask: why is it that Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Dr. Rantissi were assassinated? Anybody who are targeted for assassination, whether it be Malcolm X or Dr. King in the US, or Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi in Occupied Palestine had to have been perceived as a threat. The biggest threat to the West since the end of Communism and the Cold War has been Islam’s rising popularity to people all over the world. If one is trying to establish Islam economically, socially, or politically, one becomes a threat to the West and those governments supporting it. The people being targeted in Occupied Palestine are threats to the status-quo entity.

Twenty years ago, during the time of South African apartheid, there were those who were favored by those in control, and those that were threatened or killed. At the time, the ANC, founded by Nelson Mandela, was defined by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. At the end, he became the leader of the movement to end apartheid because of his popularity among the people.

Similarly, ten years ago Hamas was considered a terrorist organization by Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Since then, the Arab people have realized that the only solution to the Zionist situation is through military force, which is espoused by Hamas, Hizb’Allah, Islamic Jihad, and other Islamic resistance organizations. Hizb’ Allah, led by Sheikh Nassrallah, proceeded with the use of military force and was successful in liberating South Lebanon.

Arab countries have come to realize that the only group able to liberate land from the Zionists was Hizb’ Allah. Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who only had control of his tongue, stuck to his correct legitimate ideology and was assassinated as a hero of the Palestinian people and Muslims worldwide. Although he had various physical limitations and the only thing he could command was his tongue, Sheikh Yassin used it to fight and "terrorize" the evils of Shaytan (Satan) and the enemies of Allah.

Just as the legacy of those before them has grown after their martyrdom - as has been the case with Hassan Al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and Malcolm X - Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi have joined these martyrs in the Islamic Movement; their influence on future generations will be immense. Hamas, Hizb’ Allah and other Islamic Resistance groups have vowed to respond to the killings of these martyrs, and the quickest response so far has come from Hizb’ Allah, who launched missile strikes on "Israel" immediately after the martyrdom of Sheikh Yassin.

The killing of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin has sparked a fire in Muslims all over the world. "Israel" has elevated Sheikh Yassin from a man to a martyr. In that same vein, it will be one hundred years from now that Sheikh Yassin will be established as a dominant hero in the Middle East as Malcolm X was in the States. The assassination of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine, whose persistence, piety, and self-sacrifice led to his popularity amongst people all over the world, gives rise to the beginning of the second generation of Islamic Resistance.

The actions taken by "Israel" can be compared to a snakehead analogy. By taking of the head, you are able to debilitate the rest of the body. However, this strategy is clearly shortsighted and counterproductive. The Qur’an states, "Men said to them, ‘A great army is gathering against you,’ and frightened them, but it (only) increased their Faith. They said, ‘For us Allah is sufficient, and He is the best disposer of affairs’" (3:173).

The likely consequences of "Israel’s" assassination of Sheikh Yassin and Dr. Rantissi will be a new group of people whose knowledge, spiritual soundness, and sincerity will lead them above the rest. If Hamas is sincere, the assassinations will embolden the organization and those within it by making them stronger and eventually allowing them to succeed and reap the rewards they seek, as long as they stick steadfastly to their objective and work for the sake of Allah.

Hachache is a fifth year History major at UC Irvine

UCI MSU Alkalima Spring 2004 Editorial

Originally posted May 19, 2007 3:39 PM PST
Original link was "http://www.alkalima.com/article.php?id=0602_editorsDesk"

Editorial

Being a stickler for equal rights, I’ve always believed that leaders
are made, not born. However, last quarter, if someone had told
me that leaders are born, not made, I would have wholeheartedly
agreed with them. Being in a leadership position myself, I
encountered several problems that tested my abilities and
frustrated me to the extent that I resigned myself to the idea that
I was not born to lead people - that regardless of how much I
worked towards it, I would never be the charismatic, dynamic
leader I always wanted to be.

Yet when the Alkalima staff arrived at the theme of "Leaders and Revolution" for its
next issue, I slowly began to reaffirm my initial belief that leaders are, in fact, made,
and not born. True, there are those individuals who have a natural tendency to take
charge and elicit responses from their followers, but being a leader means much
more than being charming and engaging. Acquiring the skills that make a leader
takes time and energy, and a determination to succeed. The mark of a true leader is
perseverance, thriving in adversity and making light of any discomfiting situation that
confronts her. What makes a leader truly exceptional is her ability to create positive
change - change so dramatic that it may even be considered revolutionary. Changing
long-held dictums and challenging the way people think is never an easy
undertaking, but when done effectively by a strong leader, the results are
extraordinary.

No one ever said being a leader would be easy. It takes sacrifice, resilience, and
most importantly patience. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws), the best of men
and leaders, sacrificed so much for the sake of Islam and was a just and patient
leader. He led by example, placing the good of his people before his own. His
complete faith and trust in Allah allowed him to rise above the challenges that
confronted him, for only through Allah’s guidance and mercy does a leader truly
succeed.

"If ye help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when
the Unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion; they too were
in the cave, and he said to his companion, ‘Have no fear, for Allah is with us’: then
Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which ye saw
not, and humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is
exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise" (The Holy Qur’an 9:40).

When one does become a leader, however, it is her moral obligation not to abuse her
power, because her people will do whatever she wants and directs them to do.
Currently, the United States suffers international censure - a plight the American
people have to face - because of the mistakes made by the miscalculations of its
leaders. A leader must take responsibility for her actions, for the extent of the
influence that a leader holds over her people is immeasurable. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin,
the face of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, carried so much influence
over his people that they were willing to sacrifice their lives because he believed it
would further their movement. He was a frail, nearly-blind 73-year-old who was
paralyzed from the neck down, and yet he held so much pull over his people. Setting
aside his actions and political agenda for a moment, one cannot help but marvel at
the extent of Yassin’s power and influence, especially since Israel thought that it was
necessary to use three missiles to eliminate him.

So many leaders - even those in some "Muslim" countries - have made thoughtless and irresponsible decisions, and thus - regardless of whether they deserve it - an entire people is subsequently labeled as selfish and inhumane.

When you really think about it, leaders incite revolutions. They may not necessarily be violent or political revolutions, but some form of change does result from a leader. What is variable is whether that revolution a positive - an outcome that rests in the hands of none other than the leader and her faith and trust in Allah.

Shahtaj Siddiqui
Editor-in-Chief
Alkalima Newsmagazine