12-03-2018, 09:09 PM
ROUHANI TO SAUDI ARABIA : WE’LL PROTECT YOU FOR FREE !
https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articl...u-for-free
Addressing the opening session of 32nd International Unity Conference in Tehran on November 24, President Hassan Rouhani condemned the “Zionist tumor” implanted in the Middle East and offered to defend Saudi Arabia “for free”.
“Islamic awakening is spreading and with strong faith in Allah, the Resistance movement is winning,’ said the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday November 25.
The words Sunni and Shi‘i have made their way into the political parlance of current events. You may want to review the news items and news commentaries of the Islamic world before the Islamic Revolution in Iran to find out how scarcely the words Sunni and Shi‘i figured into political articles and ideological books then. Now, though, you will find these words tucked into geopolitical analyses and sociopolitical studies about Muslim countries — ranging from the political right to the political left. Even Muslim writers are towing this highbrow line of thought! This “Sunni-Shi‘i” characterization of diplomacy and wars appears to be the fad of the near future.
We neither have the time nor are we straightaway interested in butting intellectual heads with writers and thinkers whose ideas are molded by the high god of Zionism and imperialism. Our immediate concern is with those Muslim writers and journalists who have shacked themselves in the sectarian fleapit.
To begin with, any rational Muslim will tell you that the Muslims of the world, excluding the enlightened ones, will consider themselves either Sunnis or Shi‘is. Ask them: was the Prophet (pbuh) a Sunni or was he a Shi‘i? And you will get an assortment of answers. Not much success there… Then ask: is your definition of a Sunni or a Shi‘i a definition that brings all Muslims together? Does your definition exclude the other (Sunni or Shi‘i) from being considered an “equal Muslim”? Here, you will have him/her begin to think (quite an accomplishment; as many of these Muslims have inherited their identities without thinking about who they are).
Then ask them: as we all agree that the Qur’an is our ultimate reference, can you produce for me one ayah that substantiates your (hereditary) definition of who a Sunni is? Or who a Shi‘i is? If your interlocutor remains calm and honest, he will confess that there is no ayah in the Qur’an that validates his conventional definition of his own Sunni or Shi‘i assumptions.
Then ask: are there fanatic Sunnis and fanatic Shi‘is around? Can you identify them for me? What makes them fanatics? Is thereany ayah in the Qur’an or is there any consensual hadith, which is compatible with the Qur’an, that explains such fanaticism? If your interlocutor is open, reasonable, and candid he will begin to rethink his inbred beliefs.
All of these questions and similar ones are not meant to demean any Muslim as much as they are meant to reject and rule out the bigotry and the bias that many Muslims have toward each other — precisely the components of today’s sectarianism.
Say good-bye to your friend and take a moment to spend with yourself. Look at the Muslim world and observe how sectarianism has been manipulated by those who have power and wealth; inside the house of Islam and outside of it to wreak havoc on hundreds of millions of poor Muslims who just two generations ago were faintly aware that they are Sunnis or Shi‘is!
It would be asking too much to expect a Sunni to pray like a Shi‘i, or to expect a Shi‘i to pray like a Sunni; in other words, there is not enough maturity in both the Sunni and the Shi‘i Muslims to come to the point where they both exchange recognition of the other in practical terms. Pray like each other. Fast like each other. And perform the rituals of Islam like each other. It is because of this inability that we have Muslims at psychological distances from each other. This is where sectarianism begins.
Okay. Let us move on. If the average Muslim considers the “other” Muslim incorrect in the way he performs his rituals we end up fostering a form of bias and in some cases intolerance and discrimination. Case in point: when was the last time you saw a Sunni scholar give the Friday khutbah in a Shi‘i masjid, and vice versa? Has there ever been a Shi‘i scholar who led the prayers in al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, or al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah? Has there ever been a Sunni scholar who led the jama‘ah prayers in Mashhad, or al-Najaf or Karbala’? And even if this was ever to occur, it should not be for public consumption or a showcase event. It should be done with a mass public Muslim recognition of the equality of the Islamic madhhabs (schools of thought). These narrow-minded-cum-mean-minded fiqhi variances attributed to the respected Islamic faqihs, and not to the Prophet (pbuh) himself, is what has kept us from assuming and resuming our socio-political responsibilities.
Taking this to another level, both the Sunni and the Shi‘i historical developments metastasized into bigoted and sectarian drifts. In the Sunni sphere there are those Wahhabis and Salafis who go to the extent of labeling the Shi‘is as kafirs. In the Shi‘i sphere there are those Safawis (Safavis in Persian) and Hujjatis who consider Sunnis to be outside the pale of Islam. Both of these represent the deadly outcome that comes from our initial inability to identify ourselves as equal Muslims (regardless of madhhab) and more importantly to express that by unifying our masjids in a way that it really does not matter whether a particular prayer leader prays according to a madhab other than mine.
There are larger fish to fry than to be sinking into the pits of circular arguments pertaining to ritualistic performances. There is a hadith from the Prophet (pbuh) that says, “Allah does not take into consideration your outward show; rather He takes into consideration your internal reality.”
The fanaticism in the Sunni context has taken a major blow — a potential knockout by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Saudi tribal regime and the financial clout it has, or should we say had, throughout the world. Many Muslims are waking up and looking at an ugly and disgusting Saudi regime that is beginning to disintegrate due to its role in the war on populations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, etc, not to mention its crimes against individuals who are its own citizens from Jamal Khashoggi to the hundreds of ‘ulema’ whao have been rounded up in a humiliating manner, thrown into prison, and either forgotten about or awaiting a kangaroo court to sentence them to long terms in prison or to put them on death row. Islamic activists, writers, scholars, and observers are speaking out against the tyranny and the lackey regime in Arabia that takes its orders from Zionist henchmen and imperialist bosse
The fanaticism in the Shi‘i context is brewing beneath the surface. Our brothers and sisters in the Islamic Republic of Iran have been riding a crest of well-deserved successes as costly as they have been over 40 long years… But they have to begin to address the cancer of sectarianism in their midst; two scholars, among others, who did just that were the late Ayatullah Mutahhari and Dr. Ali Shariati. Their lessons, articles, and books on this subject, as far as this writer knows, do not circulate; this, in and of itself, proves that the sectarians do have sizeable clout within the Islamic Republic.
Our brothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran have shown the rest of the Muslims a very commendable character of civility and courtesy. Their efforts at bringing the Muslims together are admirable. Their bypassing of the ritualistic issues that divide the rest of the Muslims within the house of Islam is laudable. But we would be naive to make believe that Shi‘i sectarians are negligible and of no influence. Like all nations, Islamic Iran has its share of nationalists and even racists. But that does not concern us as much as the sectarians who can bring the Islamic Revolution to a halt, stifle the Islamic Republic, and reverse most if not all the progress of the past four decades. We dread a day in the future when the sectarian clout reverses Walayah al-Faqih and turns the clock back to the “negative/passive anticipation” of the Imam in occultation. Forewarned is forearmed.
O you who are faithfully committed to Allah [His power and authority]! Be on guard concerning Allah [His power presence and overriding authority] as is due to Him, and do not die except as Muslims [surrendering to His dominance] (3:102).
https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articl...u-for-free
Addressing the opening session of 32nd International Unity Conference in Tehran on November 24, President Hassan Rouhani condemned the “Zionist tumor” implanted in the Middle East and offered to defend Saudi Arabia “for free”.
The three-day conference organized on the occasion of the birthday celebration of the Prophet (pbuh), was dedicated to the issue of al-Quds and Palestine. Titled, ‘Al-Quds, Axis of Unity of the Ummah’, more than 600 guests were invited of which the Palestinian contingent was the largest.
Referring to the $450 billion protection money the US has got from the medieval kingdom, President Rouhani said despite this, “your patron [Trump] insults you.” At a campaign rally in on September 27, Trump had said, “without US protection, Saudi Arabia would not last two weeks.”
Rouhani said the United States cultivates close ties with “regional Muslim nations” to protect Israel, an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s Arabian allies. He said bowing to American pressure amounts to “treason” and only invites more insults. The foul-mouthed American president in his September 27 speech had said he had spoken to the king of Saudi Arabia. “I told him you have lots of money. King, you have to give some of that money to us. You have to pay for your protection. We need $2 trillion.” Despite such public insults, the Saudis stooped even lower. Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman tried to brush the insult aside by saying “disagreements between friends” are normal. But this was not a disagreement; this was public insult. One either has to be very thick or thick-skinned (or both) to put up with such insults and keep smiling like a good slave.
For Bin Salman and the people around him, Islamic Iran is their “greatest enemy”. They have also publicly stated that Israelis are their cousins! Reminding the audience of how Iran had valiantly defended itself singlehandedly for eight years against the Iraqi-led Arabian and Western attack, Rouhani offered to defend Saudi Arabia as well. He said Iran has helped post-Saddam Iraq to fight Daesh terrorists, and was helping Syria to defend itself. Iran has also extended valuable support to Hisbullah in Lebanon and the Palestinian resistance groups, all facing Zionist crimes.
In fact, Ismail Haniyyah’s video message was broadcast to the conference. The Hamas Political Bureau chief offered profuse thanks to the Islamic Republic for its steadfast support and the dedication of this year’s conference to the issue of al-Quds and Palestine.
Rouhani said: “Iran is prepared to defend Saudi Arabia [as well] from terrorism and superpowers.” He went on: “We do consider you as a brother… We do consider the people of Makkah and Madinah our brothers.” But this is where Bedouin logic (or illogic) kicks in. They would rather pay $450 billion protection money to hustlers in the US and still get insulted but not accept the hand of friendship from Islamic Iran without paying a penny or being insulted. The Bedouins feel more comfortable doing what their ancestors have done for decades: lick the boots of the imperialists and Zionists and get kicked in the teeth. They still keep smiling and want to be kicked more. Such is the plight of slaves!
WITH STRONG FAITH IN ALLAH, RESISTANCE MOVEMENT WINNING- THE RAHBAR
“Islamic awakening is spreading and with strong faith in Allah, the Resistance movement is winning,’ said the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday November 25.
The Rahbar was addressing hundreds of foreign guests, ambassadors of Muslim and other countries in Tehran, senior government officials and ulama at the Rahbary (Office of the Rahbar). The guests were invited to participate in the celebration of the birthdays of the Prophet (pbuh) and of Imam Jafar as Sadiq (as). On the second of the three-day conference, foreign guests were taken from their hotels to the Rahbary. There was much anticipation in the air as the guests eagerly awaited the Rahbar’s arrival.
As he appeared from behind the curtains and moved to the centre of stage to take his seat, everyone in the massive hall immediately stood up shouting slogans in support of the Rahbar. He waved to the huge crowd as a kind and affectionate father would to his children. He began by thanking Almighty Allah for all the favors bestowed upon the Muslim Ummah as well as sending the noor (light) of the Prophet (pbuh) to guide humanity. He congratulated the gathering on the birthdays of the noble Messenger (pbuh) and Imam Jafar as Sadiq (as). The Rahbar then paid tribute to the late Imam Khomeini who led the Islamic revolution to success as well as to the martyrs whose sacrifices defended the revolution for 40 years. He said that West Asia was undergoing great changes due to people’s reliance on Allah. This Islamic awakening, said the Rahbar, was causing great anxiety among arrogant powers led by the US.
“Anywhere that Islam has penetrated the hearts and minds of the people, the arrogant powers have been slapped. We strongly believe that these arrogant powers led by the US will be slapped again with increased Islamic awakening in this region,” the Rahbar added.
This was already evident in such places as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine where resistance movements have already defeated Zionist-imperialist intrigue. Even in poor Yemen, the resistance movement, led by the valiant Ansarallah fighters, has frustrated the designs of the aggressors.
The Rahbar also drew attention to the 40-year struggle of the Islamic Republic against the intrigues of the imperialists and Zionists and their allies. “From the day when our revolution was a small sampling 40 years ago to today that it has become a strong tree, the Islamic Republic has withstood the enemies’ intrigues. Today, the revolutionary people of Iran, especially the youth are making great strides in all fields. This is the direct result of their total reliance on the divine power of Allah.” Referring to Islamic Iran’s experience and success, the Rahbar urged Islamic thinkers and scholars to “strengthen Islamic awakening and the resistance movement in the region as best they can, because the only way for the salvation of the region is to spread this spirit of resistance and pure Islamic thought.”
The Rahbar also paid rich tribute to the Palestinian Islamic resistance movements that have gradually gained confidence and strength and put the Zionists on the defensive. This year’s International Islamic Unity Conference has been dedicated to the struggle for the liberation of al Quds and Palestine from the clutches of the Zionists. Addressing rulers of regional countries, the Rahbar said, “Our advice to you is to return to the rule of Islam and come under the authority of Allah because the rule of America and Satan will not benefit you.”
He cited the case of Saudi Arabia and its allies that have become the target Donald Trump’s insults, saying such remarks are an insult to all Muslims. “America, based on its arrogant nature, is humiliating these countries and, as everyone has seen, the ill-mannered president of the United States, has likened Saudi rulers to milking cows,” said Imam Khamenei. The Rahbar also touched on the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen and its plans to forge close ties with Zionist Israel. “Certain rulers of Muslim countries have allied with America in the twin criminal acts in Palestine and Yemen but victory will insha-Allah belong to the Palestinian and Yemeni people. America and its followers will be defeated,” declared the Rahbar with confidence and deep faith in Allah.
Imam Khamenei said the US and Israel are now much weaker than before. Their “desperation, foolish accusations and cruel and criminal acts” are due to the resistance of the Muslims “that will bear fruit.” Stressing the significance of uniting around the light of the noble Prophet (pbuh), the Rahbar said Muslims would be able to overcome all challenges in the world.
“Anywhere that Islam has penetrated the hearts and minds of the people, the arrogant powers have been slapped. We strongly believe that these arrogant powers led by the US will be slapped again with increased Islamic awakening in this region,” the Rahbar added.
This was already evident in such places as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine where resistance movements have already defeated Zionist-imperialist intrigue. Even in poor Yemen, the resistance movement, led by the valiant Ansarallah fighters, has frustrated the designs of the aggressors.
The Rahbar also drew attention to the 40-year struggle of the Islamic Republic against the intrigues of the imperialists and Zionists and their allies. “From the day when our revolution was a small sampling 40 years ago to today that it has become a strong tree, the Islamic Republic has withstood the enemies’ intrigues. Today, the revolutionary people of Iran, especially the youth are making great strides in all fields. This is the direct result of their total reliance on the divine power of Allah.” Referring to Islamic Iran’s experience and success, the Rahbar urged Islamic thinkers and scholars to “strengthen Islamic awakening and the resistance movement in the region as best they can, because the only way for the salvation of the region is to spread this spirit of resistance and pure Islamic thought.”
The Rahbar also paid rich tribute to the Palestinian Islamic resistance movements that have gradually gained confidence and strength and put the Zionists on the defensive. This year’s International Islamic Unity Conference has been dedicated to the struggle for the liberation of al Quds and Palestine from the clutches of the Zionists. Addressing rulers of regional countries, the Rahbar said, “Our advice to you is to return to the rule of Islam and come under the authority of Allah because the rule of America and Satan will not benefit you.”
He cited the case of Saudi Arabia and its allies that have become the target Donald Trump’s insults, saying such remarks are an insult to all Muslims. “America, based on its arrogant nature, is humiliating these countries and, as everyone has seen, the ill-mannered president of the United States, has likened Saudi rulers to milking cows,” said Imam Khamenei. The Rahbar also touched on the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen and its plans to forge close ties with Zionist Israel. “Certain rulers of Muslim countries have allied with America in the twin criminal acts in Palestine and Yemen but victory will insha-Allah belong to the Palestinian and Yemeni people. America and its followers will be defeated,” declared the Rahbar with confidence and deep faith in Allah.
Imam Khamenei said the US and Israel are now much weaker than before. Their “desperation, foolish accusations and cruel and criminal acts” are due to the resistance of the Muslims “that will bear fruit.” Stressing the significance of uniting around the light of the noble Prophet (pbuh), the Rahbar said Muslims would be able to overcome all challenges in the world.
“At a time when the world was immersed in the darkness of ignorance and deceit, Allah in His infinite mercy bestowed upon entire mankind the light of Prophet Muhammad. If we follow this light today, it will lead us to prosperity and salvation,” said the Rahbar. “If humanity achieves the maturity to accept the Prophet’s invitation, all of its calamities would be resolved,” he added.
Imam Khamenei said that the world was engulfed in darkness because of the oppression unleashed by the dominant powers. “Today, humanity is afflicted with numerous problems. This is not only the case in the Muslim world, rather countries that are apparently developed also suffer from such afflictions.” He advised them to study Islam to find solutions to their problems in its pristine principles. No wiser words could be said, Allahu Akbar!
MUSLIM UNITY IS NOT AN ILLUSION IT IS AN OBLIGATION
Nationalism is a sickness. Racism is a plague. And sectarianism is a cancer. These are the three major illnesses that afflict the Muslims — from the time the first Islamic country came into existence in Arabia over 14 centuries ago up to this very day. Here, we shall try to make a diagnosis of sectarianism, setting aside much of its history.
The words Sunni and Shi‘i have made their way into the political parlance of current events. You may want to review the news items and news commentaries of the Islamic world before the Islamic Revolution in Iran to find out how scarcely the words Sunni and Shi‘i figured into political articles and ideological books then. Now, though, you will find these words tucked into geopolitical analyses and sociopolitical studies about Muslim countries — ranging from the political right to the political left. Even Muslim writers are towing this highbrow line of thought! This “Sunni-Shi‘i” characterization of diplomacy and wars appears to be the fad of the near future.
We neither have the time nor are we straightaway interested in butting intellectual heads with writers and thinkers whose ideas are molded by the high god of Zionism and imperialism. Our immediate concern is with those Muslim writers and journalists who have shacked themselves in the sectarian fleapit.
To begin with, any rational Muslim will tell you that the Muslims of the world, excluding the enlightened ones, will consider themselves either Sunnis or Shi‘is. Ask them: was the Prophet (pbuh) a Sunni or was he a Shi‘i? And you will get an assortment of answers. Not much success there… Then ask: is your definition of a Sunni or a Shi‘i a definition that brings all Muslims together? Does your definition exclude the other (Sunni or Shi‘i) from being considered an “equal Muslim”? Here, you will have him/her begin to think (quite an accomplishment; as many of these Muslims have inherited their identities without thinking about who they are).
Then ask them: as we all agree that the Qur’an is our ultimate reference, can you produce for me one ayah that substantiates your (hereditary) definition of who a Sunni is? Or who a Shi‘i is? If your interlocutor remains calm and honest, he will confess that there is no ayah in the Qur’an that validates his conventional definition of his own Sunni or Shi‘i assumptions.
Then ask: are there fanatic Sunnis and fanatic Shi‘is around? Can you identify them for me? What makes them fanatics? Is thereany ayah in the Qur’an or is there any consensual hadith, which is compatible with the Qur’an, that explains such fanaticism? If your interlocutor is open, reasonable, and candid he will begin to rethink his inbred beliefs.
All of these questions and similar ones are not meant to demean any Muslim as much as they are meant to reject and rule out the bigotry and the bias that many Muslims have toward each other — precisely the components of today’s sectarianism.
Say good-bye to your friend and take a moment to spend with yourself. Look at the Muslim world and observe how sectarianism has been manipulated by those who have power and wealth; inside the house of Islam and outside of it to wreak havoc on hundreds of millions of poor Muslims who just two generations ago were faintly aware that they are Sunnis or Shi‘is!
It would be asking too much to expect a Sunni to pray like a Shi‘i, or to expect a Shi‘i to pray like a Sunni; in other words, there is not enough maturity in both the Sunni and the Shi‘i Muslims to come to the point where they both exchange recognition of the other in practical terms. Pray like each other. Fast like each other. And perform the rituals of Islam like each other. It is because of this inability that we have Muslims at psychological distances from each other. This is where sectarianism begins.
Okay. Let us move on. If the average Muslim considers the “other” Muslim incorrect in the way he performs his rituals we end up fostering a form of bias and in some cases intolerance and discrimination. Case in point: when was the last time you saw a Sunni scholar give the Friday khutbah in a Shi‘i masjid, and vice versa? Has there ever been a Shi‘i scholar who led the prayers in al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, or al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah? Has there ever been a Sunni scholar who led the jama‘ah prayers in Mashhad, or al-Najaf or Karbala’? And even if this was ever to occur, it should not be for public consumption or a showcase event. It should be done with a mass public Muslim recognition of the equality of the Islamic madhhabs (schools of thought). These narrow-minded-cum-mean-minded fiqhi variances attributed to the respected Islamic faqihs, and not to the Prophet (pbuh) himself, is what has kept us from assuming and resuming our socio-political responsibilities.
Taking this to another level, both the Sunni and the Shi‘i historical developments metastasized into bigoted and sectarian drifts. In the Sunni sphere there are those Wahhabis and Salafis who go to the extent of labeling the Shi‘is as kafirs. In the Shi‘i sphere there are those Safawis (Safavis in Persian) and Hujjatis who consider Sunnis to be outside the pale of Islam. Both of these represent the deadly outcome that comes from our initial inability to identify ourselves as equal Muslims (regardless of madhhab) and more importantly to express that by unifying our masjids in a way that it really does not matter whether a particular prayer leader prays according to a madhab other than mine.
There are larger fish to fry than to be sinking into the pits of circular arguments pertaining to ritualistic performances. There is a hadith from the Prophet (pbuh) that says, “Allah does not take into consideration your outward show; rather He takes into consideration your internal reality.”
The fanaticism in the Sunni context has taken a major blow — a potential knockout by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Saudi tribal regime and the financial clout it has, or should we say had, throughout the world. Many Muslims are waking up and looking at an ugly and disgusting Saudi regime that is beginning to disintegrate due to its role in the war on populations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Libya, etc, not to mention its crimes against individuals who are its own citizens from Jamal Khashoggi to the hundreds of ‘ulema’ whao have been rounded up in a humiliating manner, thrown into prison, and either forgotten about or awaiting a kangaroo court to sentence them to long terms in prison or to put them on death row. Islamic activists, writers, scholars, and observers are speaking out against the tyranny and the lackey regime in Arabia that takes its orders from Zionist henchmen and imperialist bosse
The fanaticism in the Shi‘i context is brewing beneath the surface. Our brothers and sisters in the Islamic Republic of Iran have been riding a crest of well-deserved successes as costly as they have been over 40 long years… But they have to begin to address the cancer of sectarianism in their midst; two scholars, among others, who did just that were the late Ayatullah Mutahhari and Dr. Ali Shariati. Their lessons, articles, and books on this subject, as far as this writer knows, do not circulate; this, in and of itself, proves that the sectarians do have sizeable clout within the Islamic Republic.
Our brothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran have shown the rest of the Muslims a very commendable character of civility and courtesy. Their efforts at bringing the Muslims together are admirable. Their bypassing of the ritualistic issues that divide the rest of the Muslims within the house of Islam is laudable. But we would be naive to make believe that Shi‘i sectarians are negligible and of no influence. Like all nations, Islamic Iran has its share of nationalists and even racists. But that does not concern us as much as the sectarians who can bring the Islamic Revolution to a halt, stifle the Islamic Republic, and reverse most if not all the progress of the past four decades. We dread a day in the future when the sectarian clout reverses Walayah al-Faqih and turns the clock back to the “negative/passive anticipation” of the Imam in occultation. Forewarned is forearmed.
O you who are faithfully committed to Allah [His power and authority]! Be on guard concerning Allah [His power presence and overriding authority] as is due to Him, and do not die except as Muslims [surrendering to His dominance] (3:102).