The current massacre in Gaza by the Zionists is a catastrophe for the people, a searing arrow through the heart of the Muslim Ummah and a humiliation for Islam. A tiny strip of land only 139 sq miles in size is crammed with 1.5 million people living in the best of times what can only be described as an over sized prisoner of war camp. For decades the lands of Palestine have been abandoned by the leaders of the various Muslim countries, each unwilling to move according the will of his or her people.
There have been feigned outrage, sorrow and even military theatrics against Israel in an attempt to placate the anger of the Muslims by the Muslim rulers since 1948. Excuse after excuse has followed and for a few decades some Muslims around the world did begin to accept the opinion that perhaps Israel is too strong for the Muslims to defeat. However in the modern age of instant communication, where the battlefield itself is beamed in to the homes of billions globally and information, news and concepts pay no heed to things such as international borders or government communication directives, the weakness of Israel and the shocking treachery of the Muslim rulers have been laid bare for all to see.
In this latest gruesome episode where Israeli phosphorus tank shells rip apart and burn the feeble bodies of small children and women in the land of Gaza, the Muslim rulers are once again not only failing to move against the attackers of the Muslims in the land of Al-Quds but are complicit in supporting the Israeli war machine in every conceivable way. Never before in history has an enemy, that is so massively outnumbered and outgunned like Israel, been allowed to trample over the honour of its adversary. Even in the midst of this slaughter Israel continues to receive vital supplies and shows of international solidarity from the Muslim rulers.
Turkey, headed by the so called `Islamist` party, continues to abide by the `water for arms` agreement signed with Israel in Jan 2004 where Turkey would "ship 50 million cubic metres of water a year for 20 years from the river Manavgat in Anatolia" to Israel in water tankers. This same Turkish leadership who would attempt to feign religious devotion by pretending to fight for a piece of cloth over a woman`s head but would stand silently by as the blood of their brethren is shed. This is the same Turkey that helps the Zionist air force become stronger by providing it with vital training. In June 2001 Turkey, Israel and America took part in war games named `Anatolian Eagle`, where fighter jets took part in mock dog fights over the central Turkish province of Konya.
Energy wise, Israel is being giving a free pass so that its military and economy can continue to operate smoothly. Israel imports 90% of the oil it consumes, majority of which is imported by oil tankers. The major oil ports are at Ashkelon and Eilat. Currently the port at Ashkelon receives oil from Russia in tankers via the Bosphorus, which is controlled by Turkey. In 1989 Egypt supplied about 45% of Israel`s oil needs but this has been gradually replaced by Russian oil, currently Egypt is still supplying around 26-30%.
The oil tankers arriving at Eilat have to pass though the Gulf of Aqaba whose waters are controlled by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The port at Eilat is strategic as it will become a key point of distribution for the central Asian oil to the world market, BP plans to pump oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the proposed Samsun-Ceyhan (originating in Kazakhstan) pipeline via Turkey through the Israeli Tipline pipeline to Eilat. All the routes require the consent of the Muslim countries. Continuing on the theme of Energy requirements Egypt signed an agreement with Israel in July 2005 to supply Israel between "1.7 to 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually for 15 years."
Economically, it was reported in 2002 by Deutsche Presse-Agentur that a total of $150 million worth of Israeli goods were imported into Saudi Arabia alone through 72 companies in Jordan, 70 companies in Cyprus, 23 companies in Egypt and 11 companies from Turkey. These regimes use a third country to disguise the source of the goods.
This is with regards to the treachery by Muslim rulers in the region. What about wider out in the Muslim world? Of all of the remainder of the Muslim world, perhaps the greatest shame of inaction in the current conflict lies with Pakistan. As a Pakistani Muslim, it is my unbearable shame that my Armed forces are not going to the aid of the people of Gaza. However, unlike previous conflicts where it was lamented that the Pakistani military is lying dormant in its barracks this accusation cannot be levelled today. Indeed the troops are on the move, but to the utter bewilderment of the common man such as me instead of fighting to protect Muslims and Islam, nay even the Pakistani in Pakistan, the military is engaged in a brutal conflict with its own people. In its most recent activity, the Pakistani military has been engaged in an operation on the Khyber Pass to clear the way for NATO supply lines in to Afghanistan. The PAF has killed hundreds in Swat just so that American fuel, arms and wine may safely be delivered. These very same supply lines, which carry 70% of supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, are being used by America to continue to occupy Afghanistan and bomb Pakistan. With regards to Israel, it was our very own General Musharraf who shook hands with Ariel Sharon, the butcher of Shabra and Shatila.
In relation to the current conflict, it is often said once all other arguments are defeated, that Israel cannot be challenged because it is a nuclear power and it is too strong for the Arabs. This is a very good point, indeed the Arabs do not have a nuclear weapon and if this conflict continues in an Arab-Israeli paradigm, then it is quite feasible that this conflict will not only continue but there will be countless others like this in the years to come.
However surely this is the crux of the matter. This conflict, since 1948, has been presented to the world as a Palestinian issue, at best as an Arab problem. Yet the people in the Muslim world are marching through the streets because they see this problem as a Muslim problem. These crowds are shouting Allahu Akbar, not cries of Arab nationalism. They demand freedom for their oppressed brethren from the yolk of Zionist oppression. And viewed in this light, the Muslim world is militarily far superior to his tiny State.
What is needed today in Gaza is not simply charity and Dua. This is something one should do on an individual level but the issue at hand is that the people of Gaza are being attacked by a State, not an individual. Such an action requires a response at State level, nothing less. The armies of Israel that are currently terrorising the people of Gaza need to be confronted by another army, not a rag tag guerrilla group armed with crude weapons. What are needed are the armies of the surrounding nations such as Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to be mobilised to defend the people of Gaza. What is needed is a complete siege of Israel to be implemented from land, air and sea so that vital supplies may be cut off, just like it has done to Gaza. This is the correct solution from Islam and the way of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). We must not fool ourselves in to thinking that simply making Dua, fasting or charity shall alleviate the problem. We must also not fool ourselves in to thinking that foreign powers and institutions such solve this current crisis or indeed any other in the Muslim world. These powers look after their own interests only and are themselves guilty of wars and massacres against Muslims. They show their double standards by invading and occupying Muslim lands on false pretences, yet are reduced to issuing hollow words of chastisement to Israel over its current acts of barbarism.
Will the Muslim rulers respond to this call? It is clear from their track record and their actions that they most likely will not. The have and continue to pursue their own interests and those of the West. When it came to fighting the two Gulf Wars against Iraq, these countries were more than happy to mobilise their forces and also later to implement sanctions which lead to the death of 500,000 Iraqi children. Today Turkey allows the transit of approximately 75% of all US supplies in Iraq through its territory.
If these rulers will not carry out these actions, and history tells us they will not, then it is time for them to step aside and let a sincere leadership execute the will of the Muslim Ummah. It is clear that what is lacking from the Muslims in this fight is not resources, strategic routes or military capability but political will, leadership and vision. A sincere Islamic leadership is needed in this hour of need so that not only can the lives, honour and property of both Muslim and non-Muslims in the Islamic lands be protected, but also so that their boundaries that keep them weak and divided are removed and foreign interference in the affairs of the Ummah ended.
Until this is not carried out, Muslim blood shall continue to flow in Gaza and elsewhere in the streets as does the blood of animals on Eid al Adha. Who will carry this action out? As always, the power to support or remove a government ultimately rests with the military in the Muslim world. The burden of change rests on the shoulders of the armed forces. As for a common man such as me, writing an article so that it may reach the eyes and ears of such people is my attempt to discharge my responsibility in this affair. How long then will the militaries of the Muslim world lie dormant? How many tears of blood do they need to see before they will move? Today it is Gaza; tomorrow it could be Islamabad, Cairo, Tehran or Istanbul. For all our sakes, I pray that this is sooner rather than later, as Allah (swt) says in the Quran:
*"The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say: "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger."
"And they would say: "Our Lord! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us as to the (right) Path" * [TMQ Surah Al-Ahzab Verses 66,67]
