RBIS September 26, 1999: Kol HaKavod to King Abdullah for crushing Hamas

Are these verses, cited by Hamas, valid? Do they mean what Hamas says they do? What is your rational and religious interpretation of Jordan's actions vis-a-vis Hamas? Was King Abdullah within his religious rights to both expel and incarcerate members of Hamas? Are Muslim leaders permitted to work with Israeli and American leaders to bring about peace even if it means compromises with what extremists like Hamas see as religious law?

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Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 04:17:43 -0400
Subject: Special HAMAS Release

HAMAS

Wednesday 22 Sept. 1999

Fatwa: the arrest of Hamas Mujahideen is a great sin

The committee for Islamic Sharia Ulama at the Jordanian Labour party, headed by Dr. Ibrahim Zeid Al Keelani, has issued a fatwa on the Jordanian government's step of closing the Hamas offices in the country and arresting its leaders.

The fatwa started with verses from the holy Quran "To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily, Allah is the most powerful for their aid. (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, (for no cause) except that they say, Our Lord is Allah. Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause); for verily Allah is full of strength, exalted in Might."

(Quran 22/39,40) Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, said in a Hadith that Jihad will continue until the Day of Judgement and in another he said that if Muslims forsook Jihad then Allah will bring humiliation unto them.

The fatwa then said that the Jordanian government's closure of Hamas offices and arrest of a number of its heroes including Mujahid Mohammed Abu Seif who defeated the Mossad gang in Amman coincided with a serious stage. That in which the Zionist Entity has declared judaization of Al-Quds and its unification under "Israel's" flag in addition to judaizing other areas of Palestine with settlements. This stage has also witnessed some Arab countries ceding, to the jews, the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948. They also concluded the agreements of Camp David, Oslo and Wadi Araba that recognized the Zionist enemy's occupation of Palestinian lands. Then they started security, economic and cultural cooperation with the Zionist Entity in a bid to protect it. It is well known that conceding national territory is religiously forbidden and thus all treaties including such articles are null and void. Effects of those agreements, which included a ban on Jihad and the arrest of Mujahideen, are of the greatest sins.

Such treaties allowed the legal ownership by the usurping jews of real estate, lands, factories and farms in Jordan. It is a well-known fact that jewish beliefs include Jordan as part of the Holy Land promised to them in their deviated scriptures and hence it should be occupied and judaized.

The Jordanian government should have rather declared that Jordan was a land of Ribat and Jihad and allow the Mujahideen to make use of its lands to defend national soil against the aggressive jewish build up on the land of Palestine. Regrettably, however, it closed the door before Jihad and implemented demands of the Zionist American government namely arresting and harassing the Mujahideen. This led the Jordanian government into the sin of allegiance to enemies of Islam while Allah says "O ye who believe, take not My enemies and yours as friends (or protectors), offering them your love." (Quran 60/1) and He also says "Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans." (Quran 5/82) and He says "Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in those circumstances) that do wrong." (Quran 60/9)

Jordan is the location where the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, has mentioned as the site of the decisive battle with us on the eastern bank of River Jordan and the jews on the western bank. Jordan the land of Mo'ta, Yarmouk (great Islamic battles) and (the well-known Sahabi) Abu Obaida will remain the land of Jihad and Mujahideen. That government that has practiced terrorism against the most honourable and pure group is called upon to turn to Allah for repentance. That government should go back to its religion and abide by Allah's dictates namely preparing the people for Jihad and defence of His lands and sanctities.

The duty of Muslims today is fighting the jewish usurpers and getting them out of the whole of Palestine. Allah says "And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out" (Quran 2/191)

Anyone who perform such a duty is considered a Mujahid who should be assisted through arming him and spending on his family. Preventing the Mujahideen from performing Jihad obstructs one of Islam's obligations, rather the topmost obligation in Islam. The Ummah must support those Mujahideen and not give them up. Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, said that a portion of the Muslim Ummah will remain solid backers of right, not harmed by those at odds with them until the Day of Judgement. He was asked where would those men be, the prophet said in Al-Quds and its surroundings. This group, nowadays, is Hamas, its leaders and heroes, and any backing away from them would mean backing away from Islam, Muslims, Al-Quds and sanctities.

AN OPEN MESSAGE FROM KHALED MISHAAL TO THE JORDANIAN MONARCH

(broadcasted by the Jazira Channel)

Your Majesty, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, did not change in a matter of few months and cannot change in years. The Hamas Movement that your father the late King Hussein, may Allah have mercy on his soul, knew quite well; is the same Hamas that is present today in Jordan. The late King knew Hamas and embraced a number of its leaders, hosted Dr. Abu Marzouq from his prison in America and received the Mujahid Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. He also adopted a manly stand, full of gallantry, firmness and wisdom, in resisting the Mossad agents on the land of dear Jordan and insisted on providing the antidote. This Hamas Movement did not change, so why is there a change in the stance towards it? What has changed?

Mohammed Abu Seif, who repelled the Mossad agents' attack against Jordan's sovereignty and security and who was honoured a year ago by the Interior Minister, what has changed so that he would be in prison today? Hamas did not change but regrettably stands towards it have changed. We hope that your Majesty would return things to normalcy. We also say to the Jordanian government and to all security and judicial apparatuses that those pressures on Hamas and those charges are not true and unjustifiable.

It is not appropriate that Hamas would be prosecuted for the sake of non-Jordanian interests. This does not fall in line with dear Jordan's interest nor that of the Ummah. We say to the dear Jordanian people, who stood in support of us with its northern, central and southern areas, with its tribes and (refugee) camps, with all political trends, with all its parties, syndicates and nationalist and Islamic figures, we tell them that Hamas will remain loyal to its pledge and that Jordan's security and sovereignty will remain our concern and will remain untouchable.

Hamas will never target anyone from the Ummah and will never change its policy especially in dear Jordan. The Movement's pendulum will remain directed against the Zionist enemy. I say to those who think that pressures on Hamas along with harassment measures would lead to its deviation from its path and political belief, I tell them that they are wrong.

No-one, insha'allah, will ever succeed in eliminating Hamas in this sensitive stage when the Palestine cause is passing through the most dangerous attempt for its liquidation under the pretext of final status talks. Hamas is not a thing that can be eliminated in a certain stage. We are going back to Jordan, and we say to all Hamas lovers and those afraid on its behalf, do not be afraid for there are loyal Hamas leaders and cadres within the occupied homeland and outside it. So, if some of Hamas leaders were absent or absented for one reason or another, the march of Hamas will persist by the will of Allah.

Your brother
Khaled Mishaal
Political Bureau Chairman of the Hamas Movement

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Sheikh Professor Palazzi Answers:

I will NOT waver in stating that Hamas is a CRIMINAL organization, according to both international law and Islamic law.

The leaders of Hamas claim that Islam legitimizes terrorism against civilian populations.

God forbid!

Islam regards terrorism against civilian populations as one of the WORST possible crimes.

The EXISTENCE of Hamas is an INSULT to Islam.

Muslim rulers must prevent the spread of this organization and imprison its leaders. It is the SACRED duty of Muslim rulers to do so. If they do not do so, they do not fulfill their Islamic duty of preventing sedition.

May Allah bless King Abdullah, and may He help other Muslim rulers to draw inspiration from his courage to openly fight this dangerous organization.

I also think that all those Western countries (including the United States) which permit groups linked to Hamas to freely operate and to make propaganda in their territories should learn from the example set by Jordan as well.

Muslims have the duty to cooperate in searching for peace.

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "And when they [your former enemies] incline toward peace, do you also incline to peace and trust in Allah, since He is the One who hears and sees everything." [Qur'an 8:61]

Searching for peace is not "compromising". It constitutes following a divine injunction cited in the Qur'an.

This verse was frequently quoted by the former Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Sha'rawi, to silence all those who claim that "peace with Israel is forbidden by Islam".

The so-called "Labour Party" of Jordan is another branch of Ikhwan al-Muslimun, and is no different from Hamas itself, except by name. That the leader of a party dares to write a "fatwah" is simply ridiculous, especially because this person attempts to apply to the Jews the verse:

"And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out"
[Qur'an 2:191]

ALL Quranic commentators state that this verse concerns Arab pagans (and NOT Jews), and that "from where they have turned you out" refers to Mecca.

When political leaders make a pretense of being "religious scholars" the result is simply a disaster.

Shalom from Rome,

Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi