A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| a message to the ummah |
|---|
| Sis_Ummah |
| 04/08/02 at 15:12:39 |
| Assalamu-alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Please take the time to read this message .... Dear Ummah (Nation), My beloved brothers in Islam It's time to act now! Recently we have watched on our screens the Palestineans humiliated, massacred and incarcerated. Since the 29th of September 2000, over 749 Palestinians have been killed and more than 16,400 injured by the Israeli army and settlers. The vast majoritiy of these have been children under 16. The Government of Israel has intensified collective punishment on the Palestinian civilian population,laying siege to their land, preventing free movement and devastating the Palestinian economy. "Normal" life is impossible as people are unable to work, move around freely, attend school, get to hospitals, or to obtain water. We have also watched Israeli soldiers storm the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. I do not intend to write an essay about the suffering of the Palestinean people, who are suffering as write these words, as it is possible for us to hear from their own mouths, live, what is going on. Iam writing to say Enough is Enough. Recently we have watched and done little, as millions have been slaughtered in Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Iraq, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Kashmir........The list continues. We have blamed many for this; Zionists, 'The West', America, Capitalism, 'Weak faith', 'the Media' Arab leaders....again the list continues. It's time to move on now and put a stop to this killing. Now is a time for action and not words. It is easy to blame others, but let us make a change and blame ourselves. Arabs; cut down on your slogans and ranting and raving and do something useful for a change. Non Arabs; stop your apathy, and stop pretending that the solution to the problem simply lies in stricter Hijaab, improving one's 'Tajweed' and not listening to Westlife. Let us remember that as Muslims, we are obliged to follow the Quraan and Sunna. I think both of these make it very clear what action we should be taking at a time like this. Think back to the prophet's (s) time on earth and try and extend your imagination slightly and extrapolate this to current events. So, it's time for action now. Either that or trust me,- it'll be YOU next. What to do? If you live in a Muslim country, then I think that the answer is easy. People are finally waking up. We must replace our corrupt dictatorships,with leaders who are more worthy of their roles. I think that people are already realising this and have taken to the streets. This must be done peacefully, and in order to do so millions must go out and express their wishes. We must never turn against each other, and despite what Arafat says, we don't REALLY want millions of martyrs.If you are living in a Muslim country and have not bothered to go out and demonstrate, then by your silence, you are aiding and abetting these murderers. IT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO. Right, what about those of us living in the West. We must act too, but the type of action we need to be taking needs to geared towards effectiveness within the environment in which we live. With five million Muslims living in France, we should expect our resistance to be more sophisticated than burning synagogues. We must learn from the present day European Jewry. Our actions must be cool, calm, sophisticated and ruthless. So far we have done little aside from demonstrate. We CAN and MUST do more. Here are some simple steps we can all take. Each and everyone of us is capable of taking these step, but we will only be effective if we undertake these commitments en masse. These steps are the absolute MINIMUM. They are basic measures designed for a very uninfluential minority. 1) Continue with our current demonstrations. Let us make sure that as long as the Palestineans remain surrounded, every single Israeli embassy worldwide remains surrounded. We must not lift our blockade, and there are enough of us around to make sure that there is a 24 hour blockade. If you are fortunate enough to live in a place with no Israeli embassy, then make the US embassy your next choice. This is a largely symblolic gesture,but believe me it does contribute to Palestinean (and Jewish) morale. 2) Boycott Israeli goods. If you haven't already been doing this, you should start. These are a couple of links to websites that provide further information. http://www.inminds.com/boycott-israel.html and www.palestine campaign.org . This will be most effective if we ALL adopt this policy, but also if choose one or two symbols (e.g. Marks and Spencers) and try and put them out of business. There are lots of leaflets you can dowload from these websites. Distribute them in your neighbourhood and in towns and cities. 3) This is also a propaganda war. Obviously, there is no contest in this war. The Zionists are way ahead of us on this front. It's time to start making an impact. We have started to have our own media, now but the rest of the world still hears only the Sharonist account of events. We must get more sophisticated. We are using the internet successfully, but we need to start influencing mainstream media. Write in and complain to your national station everytime a Sharonist news report is aired. Everytime they refer to Auschwitz, urge them to remember Sabra and Shatilla. Question them everytime they use words like 'terrorist', 'gunman' and 'security' and'military campaign' out of context. Make the use of the word terrorist analagous to the use of the word 'Nigger'. If the media is state run, threaten mass action. Write to the BBC and tell them that you no longer wish to pay for a TV lisence, as you do not wish to sponsor Zionist propaganda. A couple of years ago, a similar Jewish campaign forced the BBC to become more pro Israeli. 4) Write to your local Congressman or MP. These people just want to get elected and most of them have no genuine loyalty to Israel and most of them have no genuine loyalty to Israel. Tony Blair was recently deterred from bombing Iraq by the much publicised opposition he faced from his own party members. Even if each letter we write will only save one life then it is worth it. 5) Strengthen our communities. It is not much use influencing Western public opinion if ignorance and apathy prevail in our communities. Muslim minorities living in the West, are generally disunited, poorly organised and ignorant. This must change. Remember that the building block of communities is the family, and of the family is the individual. We must all start with ourselves and strive to be better educated, and more moral. We must each fight our own personal battle against ourselves. From giving up smoking to sending our kids to private school. We must all strengthen our community. Read an extra book or have an extra kid. Learn about your history, and your faith. FIGHT against ignorance. Unite and love one another as brother and sister. Forget racism and personal feuds. Do each other favours and help each other out. Have you even read the Quaran from its first page to its last? Read it and follow the instructions it gives. 6) Contribute finiancially to the Palestinian cause. There are many charity delivering aid to the Palestinians. Get your credit card out and PAY. These are very simple measures that we should ALL be taking. They are not enough, but not doing at least the above is criminal.If you are able to do more, please do. This is a baseline of resistance that we must put up. Please, Please, Please do something. Enough is enough. Let us take the opportunity to unite around the Al Aqsa Mosque and forget our differences..... Salaam (peace) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Re: a message to the ummah |
|---|
| Halima |
| 04/09/02 at 09:37:57 |
| This is truely a couragious message full of truth. Having said that, what can I do? Plenty. I would like to point out here that Muslim in the third world and especially Africa have more courage than Muslims in the Arab world in particular. During the Afghan crisis, Muslim in Africa demonstrated, voicing their anger against the injustice being committed there. Particularly in countries where the Muslims where a minority. The Muslims in the third world were greatly diasspointed by the attitudes of the Arab world not only in the Palestininian issue but also the Afghan issue and most issues Islamic. If it is time for anything, it time for the Arabs to wake up. They the have support of the other Muslims around the world but they are the ones who always let Muslims down. It is said charity begins at home. It is time the Arabs lead the Muslims world in a positive Islamic direction and a concrete solution. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |