Confronting Israeli Normalization Requires All-Out Efforts of All Muslims
Speaking to IQNA in an interview on the sidelines of the 36th International Conference on Islamic Unity, Salah al-Bardawil, a Gaza University scholar and senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, said these attempts threatened the entire Muslim Ummah and should be confronted from different political, media, military and other dimensions.
He said awareness about the threat of concession and normalization must be raised among the younger generation of Muslims and everyone must realize that it is dangerous not only for Palestine but for Islam and all Muslims.
Asked about the role of the resistance movement in safeguarding Al-Aqsa Mosque, he noted that the Islamic resistance groups, above all Hamas, have constantly confronted the Zionist enemy and offered thousands of martyrs on the path of defending al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Referring to the Saif Al-Quds Operation, the Hamas official noted that it was carried out in reaction to the Zionists’ recurrent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and foiled the enemy’s plots against the holy site.
It was a turning point in confrontation with the Zionist enemy, he went on to say.
The name Saif Al-Quds Operation or ‘Operation Sword of al-Quds’ was used by the resistance groups based in the Tel Aviv-blockaded Gaza Strip, including the Islamic Jihad, to specify their defensive operation against the regime’s latest war on the coastal sliver in May last year.
The operation saw the resistance firing more than 4,000 rockets against the occupied territories, forcing the regime to desperately call for a ceasefire after just 11 days.
The operation also sought to exact revenge on Tel Aviv over its weeks-long harassment of Sheikh Jarrah’s Palestinian residents, whom it had served with eviction orders.
Elsewhere in the interview, al-Bardawil pointed to the factors impeding unity in the Muslim Ummah, saying one main reason that leads to discord is ignorance that has spread by the outsiders.
He said another factor is the attempts by the world arrogance and the Zionists who seek to split up the Islamic Ummah.
There is also the weaknesses and selfishness of some rulers of Muslim countries and their detachment from the teachings of Islam, he added.
The solution, he said, lies in raising awareness among Muslims, especially the younger generation, and also developing dialogue to put an end to conflicts.
Al-Bardawil noted that differences among Islamic schools of thought have long-term roots and need time and patience to be resolved.
Of course, there are efforts need to convince all Muslim scholars, elites and politicians about the need for proximity and unity among Muslims from all Islamic schools of thought, he stressed.
Anyone who does not believe in the need for cohesion and unity in the Muslim Ummah does not actually believe in Islam.
The Hamas official also reiterated the necessity for focusing on the fundamental principles of Islam on which all Muslims agree, including the Book of God, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Qibla (direction toward Mecca).
The 36th International Islamic Unity Conference was held here in Tehran earlier this month.
Some 200 foreign guests from 60 countries and 100 Iranian guest addressed the conference in person and virtually.
The International Islamic Unity Conference is annually held in Iran by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) on the occasion of the Islamic Unity Week.
The 17th day of Rabi al-Awwal, which fell on October 13 this year, is believed by Shia Muslims to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), while Sunni Muslims regard the 12th day of the month (Sunday, October 9) as the birthday of the last prophet.
The interval between the two dates is celebrated every year as the Islamic Unity Week.
Late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini (RA) declared the occasion as the Islamic Unity Week back in the 1980s.
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