TO THE MOSLEM ARABS…
To the Moslem Arabs and to Moslems around the world, but particularly to the Palestinian Moslems, I would like to say this:
A few years before my father died, he was admitted to hospital for an operation. In the ward with him were other elderly men, many of whom were old soldiers like himself (My father had spent all his working life with the British Army) The conversation of many of those old soldiers was sprinkled with epithets such as W-gs, Pakkies and N----rs and he found this acutely embarrassing as many of the doctors, nurses and cleaners were Asians or Blacks.
“I’m a Pakistani!” he finally announced, after yet another volley about the Pakkies.
They all looked at him in amazement. My father looked every inch the old-style British Officer that he had been. In fact, it would be impossible to imagine him as anything else.
“Yes,” he added. “I was born there.”
“Oh” they said. “Your Dad was serving there?”
“Yes,” he said and this put an end to the conversation for a while but later it started again.
“My father fought with the Indian Cavalry!” he finally said. “And I served with Indian troops- AND I LIKED THEM!”
In the words of Rudyard Kipling:
Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!
Both my grandfather and my father had a great affection for the troops with whom they served and a high proportion of them were Moslems. I have a similar affection for Asians and for Arabs. Most of those I have come across and worked with in Britain and in the Middle East have been hardworking, friendly and hospitable and I have received a great deal of kindness and hospitality from many Moslems over the years.
However, with the greatest affection, I would like to say this to all Moslems- particularly to the Moslem Arabs:
You may be totally convinced that you are serving God in your war against Israel and the Jewish people but, in fact, you are fighting against the Almighty God himself- the God who made this world and who created your ancestors.
You say that Israel is an unjust society. Fine, OK, let's admit for the moment that Israel is not a perfect society. Most Israelis are quite happy to admit that Israel is not a perfect society and many of them spend a great deal of time and energy complaining about the imperfections but, at least in Israel, Jews and Arabs are allowed to complain loudly and publicly about those injustices without dire consequences:
“Out of the whirlwind created by the Israeli occupation there was some positive gain. Under Jordan’s rule the democratic process was somewhat lagging. Although Israeli democracy is also behind that of the Western countries and not as democratic as it claims to be, some democratic values are much further ahead of some countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
A good example is the relative freedom of expression and of thought. From the Israeli society we learned to speak and write more freely than ever before. This enabled us to express our mind in a manner we had never enjoyed to such an extent; in private as in public among friends as among strangers I wasn’t afraid to criticise and to use harsh words against the oppressive rule of the occupation. It was a relief and an outlet for our anger and the only way to show our reaction and opposition to the Israeli occupation, especially during the first and most difficult years.
I passed sleepless nights waiting for reprisals following heated discussions only soon to find that it was my right to speak my mind. This right of the individual enriched and transformed my personality. This right that gave the Palestinians under Israeli occupation the possibility of presenting and defending their just cause in words and writing was new to us. Although the effect was minimal, the impact in the short- as well as in the long run- did have its merits. The occasional discussions with Israeli acquaintances were always outspoken, straight and to the point. Many came to sympathize with us in our afflictions. Once an Israeli confessed to a friend of mine that he was happy and his conscience wasn’t troubling him, as he wasn’t occupying a Palestinian-owned house…” John N. Tleel, in his autobiography, “I am Jerusalem”
“When Yasser Arafat and the PLO arrived in Gaza in 1994 there was a lot of hope that the Palestinians would enjoy a free media. However, one of the first thing the PLO did was to order an immediate crackdown on the Palestinian media. Many local journalists - including those working with the international media and those who had independent press offices were targeted. Some were arrested, beaten, their equipment confiscated and offices torched. Sadder still, the foreign media did not really cover the story.
Why was there a crackdown? Because those who came with Arafat from Tunis came with a different mentality. They did not live here. Most of them had never spoken to an Israeli Jew in their lives. As such, they came with what could be called an "Arab regime" mentality, like that of Arab dictators. They wanted to make sure that the Palestinian media was 100-percent under control. They secured that control by appointing editors, closing down newspapers and funding competing ones.
The PA, for example, ordered a crackdown on the pro-Jordanian An-Nahar newspaper in Jerusalem and closed it down. Another newspaper edited by the Khatib family, which had been operating with an Israeli license between 1967 and 1994, had its offices burnt down, and the publisher fled to London.
THREE YEARS ago I began reporting daily for The Jerusalem Post. The irony is that as an Arab Muslim I feel freer to write for this Jewish paper than I do for any Arab newspaper. I have no problem writing for any Arab newspaper if it will provide me with a free platform and not censor my writing. My Post editors do not interfere with my writing. The fallen hope for Palestinian press freedom, Khaled Abu Toameh. January 3, 2006
Is your society perfect and how much are you allowed to complain about its injustices and shortcomings? Come on, be honest.
Yes, it is perfectly true that Israel is far from perfect and there certainly is bone-headed bureaucracy, incredible, bumbling inefficiency and crass stupidity- yes, even injustices at times- and (yes) many Israeli soldiers will testify about injustices and even brutality that they, personally, have witnessed.
Here I would like to pause and to make it very clear that that those, who are responsible for any injustice and brutality will one day have to stand in front of God Almighty and to answer for it- just as we will all have to stand before him and account for our lives.
Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
Having said that, it is an unfortunate reality that there are bound to be injustices inflicted when a nation is struggling for its very survival against forces that wish to destroy it (and, let's be honest, Islam is intent on the total destruction of Israel. You know that.)
The Israelis know how the Palestinian schools teach their children to hate them; they know about the interviews with the Palestinian mothers who want all their sons to be shahids; they know how you laugh and pass around sweets and cakes whenever you hear that Jews have been killed.
“The hatred which we indoctrinate into the minds of our children from their birth is sacred” (Suleiman Al-Khash in Al-Thaura, the Ba’ath party newspaper, May 3, 1968).
Recently- to give just one example- a friend of mine was having a Hebrew lesson in an Ulpan in Jerusalem when a bus bomb went off nearby. All around her, people were anxiously fingering their mobile phones, waiting for the class to end so that they could contact their relatives and friends. Then she noticed that on the other side of the room was a group of Moslem Arabs and she also noticed that most of them were laughing and joking! The Jews (and most of the Christians) in that class watched that disgusting performance with disbelief and with contempt but they did nothing to them.
Pray tell me, what would have happened if the situation had been reversed and a class of Palestinians had seen a group of Jews laughing about Palestinian men and women being slaughtered? In your heart you know very well what would have happened to them.
The Israelis know your pathological hatred. They are not stupid. They know.
The Israelis know all about the sermons in the Palestinian mosques- the sermons that urge the faithful to “kill Jews wherever you find them.” They know how much you hate them and if, from time to time, that hatred is returned, is that really such a surprise to you? Would any other nation react any differently? Would they? Would you react any differently?
“I was leading a patrol in Gaza once,” said “Shmuel”, an Israeli infantry officer I once spoke to. “One of my men- “Moti”, a good friend of mine- took pity on a cute looking girl. (She must have been… maybe nine- that sort of age) He felt sorry for her and gave her something to drink. This cute little girl pulled out a pistol and shot him in the head- killed him! …I mean… the sort of sick, disgusting society that would build up so much hatred in that young girl that she could cold-bloodedly murder a man who was trying to help her…. I know, war is war but…come on!…
“After that, all I wanted to do was to get in a helicopter gunship and flatten the whole of Gaza!”
Can you, in your heart, really blame that man for feeling like that? A society that can produce a young killer like that “cute little girl” has to be very sick indeed. Under the same circumstances, would you not feel exactly the same as that young infantry officer? Of course you would.You know you would, so please don’t sound so surprised and outraged when the hatred that you so constantly express for the Jewish people is, from time to time, dumped back in your own laps!
Yes, it is perfectly true that there is injustice in Israel but, given the circumstances, isn't it a miracle that there isn't a lot more? The fact, however, that there are some injustices and brutality is a matter between the Jewish people and the Almighty God who gave them the land. God has not invited you to join in the discussion and he certainly has not told you to subject them to this hatred and to this constant terror.
Yes, the Jewish people do have their faults- just like the rest of us- and you don't necessarily have to like them - but you do have to stop this stupid, totally pointless war against them now, while there is still time, or your nation will be totally destroyed and- very likely- you along with it. You are a gifted, intelligent people with some fine talents- indeed, the Palestinians as a whole are noted for being among the most educated and intelligent people in the Arab world- and you could have a great deal to offer the world. Indeed, I have many happy memories of kindnesses that have been shown to me, personally, by Arabs, including Palestinians, and by other Moslems. For goodness sake, use your God-given potential and work with the God, who created you. Work with God and stop fighting against him. If you do, your future is assured.
Think about it; if life is so terrible under the Israelis, then why are so many Arabs- Moslems as well as Christians- flooding over to the Israeli side of the hated "fence" ? Why aren't they streaming the other way to live with their Palestinian brothers under Palestinian government? In fact, Arabs have been streaming into the country since the 1880's to share in the prosperity that the Jews have brought to this land. You know that too, don't you? In your heart you know the truth.
“There is an "uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants from Egypt, TransJordan and Syria". The Hope Simpson Report , 1930
“…30,000-36,000 people from (Hauran) district entered Palestine in 1934.” The Syrian Governor of Hauran, 1934
"Far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied until their population has increased more than even all world Jewry could lift up (increase) the Jewish population". Winston Churchill 1939
Yes, you do know.
Be brave enough to admit it- you owe a lot to the Jewish people. Many a Moslem Arab in this country and abroad is prepared to admit it in private- with no other Arabs within earshot. That, I am afraid, is one of the key problems with Arab society. Most of you are- with very good reason- scared stiff of one another and most of you will only open up and tell the truth about what you really feel when there are no other Arabs about. Many of you, in fact, have been hiding your feelings from one another for so long that you no longer know what you feel. True?
One Moslem Arab, for example, said this to me:
"Without the Jews and the English there is no life. They teach us how to work. They teach us how to farm. They teach us how to build houses. They educate us. They give us money to help us. They taught us how to take the oil out of our own land, and that is why the Arab countries are now so rich. Without the Jews and the English we would be nothing. We would have nothing. We would be like the Bedouin…"
Another Moslem Arab said this to me:
"The Arabs are the enemies of Allah....Look over there. What colour is the land?...Over there the land is green. That is where the Jews live. Now look at this land here where we live. What colour is it?...Our land is grey dust. If we stopped hating the Jews and ended this war against them, our land would be green like theirs. I tell you, we are the enemies of Allah!"
Another local Moslem said this to me:
"The Jews are good people. In 1967 I ran away to escape the fighting. I saw the Israeli planes come over. When they saw soldiers they bombed them. When they saw civilians they did not bomb them. Arab planes would have bombed civilians as well as soldiers. I tell you, the Jews are good people."
A Moslem Arab farmer from Gaza said this to me:
“The Israeli occupation was the best thing that could have happened to Gaza. When the British were here, they had a lot of farming experts and we prospered under them. Then we were under the Egyptians. The Egyptians knew nothing about farming and they couldn’t have cared less about us. We suffered under them. Then the Israelis came. They have a lot of farming expertese and we have never been better off…”
A Kuwaiti Moslem, in an open letter to the Palestinians, wrote,
"You (Palestinians) should thank Allah five times a day that you are fighting the Jews and not somebody like Saddam!"
Now please read this next quote slowly and note very carefully who said it…..
"Honestly, the problems we face in our relations with some of our Arab brothers are much worse than those we face vis-á-vis Israel." Yasser Arafat, 1985
For goodness sake do yourself a favour and admit the truth.
First admit the truth to yourself. You might find that admitting the truth to yourself will be very difficult You may have been lying to yourself and to everyone around you for so long that you no longer recognise what the truth really is or what you really believe or what you really think or feel.
After you have admitted the truth to yourself, then admit it to those you trust. There must be one or two members of your family- or friends- whom you are close to and whom you trust.
After you have admitted the truth to those you trust, have the courage to admit the truth in public. History is full of examples of Arabs, and other Moslems, who have shown a great deal of courage in a right cause..
An Israeli soldier, for example, once told me:
“If there were one thousand Israelis against one Jordanian Bedouin, he would fight until he was killed. He would not surrender. If he were ordered to surrender by his superiors, he would obey the order but, even then, the safest thing would be to give him a pat on the back and a packet of cigarettes and tell him to go home!”
Be one of those Arabs who are willing to show courage in the right cause. Be brave enough to make a stand. Stop your part in this insane hatred of the Jews and end your part in this stupid, totally pointless war against them.
I ask you in love- is such a lost cause worth dying for?
Psalm 83:1. O God, do not keep silent; do not be still, do not be quiet! Look! Your enemies are in revolt, and those who hate you are rebelling. They are making secret plans against your people; they are plotting against those you protect.
"Come," they say, "let us destroy their nation, so that Israel will be forgotten forever."
They agree on their plan and form an alliance against you: the people of Edom and the Ishmaelites; the people of Moab and the Hagrites; the people of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, and of Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has also joined them as a strong ally of the Ammonites and Moabites, the descendants of Lot.
Psalm 83:9. Do to them what you did to the Midianites, and to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. You defeated them at Endor, and their bodies rotted on the ground. Do to their leaders what you did to Oreb and Zeeb; defeat all their rulers as you did Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, "We will take for our own the land that belongs to God."
Scatter them like dust, O God, like straw blown away by the wind. As fire burns the forest, as flames set the hills on fire, chase them away with your storm and terrify them with your fierce winds. Cover their faces with shame, O LORD, and make them acknowledge your power. May they be defeated and terrified forever; may they die in complete disgrace. May they know that you alone are the LORD, supreme ruler over all the earth.
I ask you again in love- is such a lost cause really worth dying for?
Zechariah 12:9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem….
For the third time I ask you in love- is such a lost cause really worth dying for?
You might well have a few successes against the Jews for a while but the end result will be the same. Your people- including possibly you and your own family- will be destroyed if you carry on.
Think about it. Is it really worth it? I think you know in your heart that it isn’t worth it, so do yourself a favour and end your part in this war and hatred now, get down on your knees in front of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and cry out for forgiveness. It will take courage to do this- a lot of courage- and if you do not have that sort of courage (and most of us don’t) ask God for it. Get on your knees before God in sincere repentance.
While you are on your knees think of the declaration you make as Moslems: “There is no God but Allah...”
As Christians, we would say it slightly differently. “There is no God but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...” Most of you would probably not argue with that statement as you sincerely believe that Allah and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are one and the same.
At this point, I would like to share something I read recently. It is well documented and it happens to be true:
An Arab friend in the Old City of Jerusalem recently exclaimed to me excitedly, “All of Egypt is crazy (stirred) over a miracle!”
The author confirmed the validity of the miracle with a highranking Egyptian Coptic priest who lives in London. I also telephoned Cairo to confirm the validity of the recent sign and wonder, which occurred in Egypt and which was reported throughout the Middle East, even on television, according also to a reliable Egyptian pastor.
“The report of which you have heard,” said my Cairo friend, “is very widespread in Egypt. Everybody—and that certainly includes the Muslims-- is discussing it like wildfire. Some in the Church are skeptical and, in fact, have always been skeptical of miracles! But our God is well able to do these things, because there is a great, great hunger in Egypt for the reality of God’s presence and miracles.”
According to the report, an Egyptian man murdered his sister-inlaw in order to inherit family money. He decided to bury alive her children with the corpse to prevent the children from inheriting the money.
Miraculously, ten days later the two children were rescued and their uncle was apprehended. A reporter interviewed both the murderer in prison and also one of the rescued children. The following amazing details were heard in the account on television, according to an Egyptian pastor:
Two children were incarcerated in a tomb and abandoned to die by their cruel uncle. [Many poor people actually live in the mausoleums of Cairo in the so-called City of the Dead.] A passerby heard their noise and rescued them. How did they survive ten days without food and water?
To this, the older child replied, “Every evening a man came and woke up my Mother, and she would give milk for the baby. Streams of light were shining from this man. He also gave me dates to eat.” (Date pips were reportedly found in the tomb; and it is a recorded fact that many Christian monks have subsisted for years in the desert with only dates for food.)
The reporter asked, “Who was this man that could cause a dead Mother to feed her baby?”
The child answered, “ I don’t know his name, but he had two holes in his hands with blood streaming out of the holes!”
At that point, the interviewer gasped, “Do you realize you are describing the Prophet Issa (the Islamic name for Jesus)?” Suddenly, the television program was abruptly ended. Nevertheless, Egypt has not stopped talking about this miracle.
Following are comments from an Egyptian pastor who verified that the miracle was reported on television:
“The story, which potentially may have been seen by millions of people, was not repeated by the news media, which is absolutely not a surprise if you understand the Middle East. Part of the miracle is that the story was seen on TV! You have to understand that if the station doing the interview knew what this child was going to say, I seriously doubt the story would have been aired in the first place, and most likely the government cut it off immediately from airing again or getting into the papers.
“Just as you can be sure a story like this (or any of the countless miracles that our Lord does around the world) will not get into the Western press because of the liberal, ungodly media (and predictable Western skepticism even among Christians), the media of the Arab world is strictly censored, and so this report had to be a big ‘oops’ for them.
“Jesus/Issa still heals the sick, gives sight to the blind and raises the dead, at least in places where people are desperate enough to need Him and simple enough to believe Him when He shows up.
“Workers in the Middle East will tell you that most Muslims who receive Christ have had a dream, vision, or actual visitation of the Lord, enabling them to overcome the fear and oppression. This is happening by the thousands, but we're not likely to hear about it on the news.
“If nothing else, I hope people are encouraged to keep praying for the miracles, dreams and visions that confirm the life-giving Word of our Lord and Savior. Be of good cheer, He has overcome the world!”
(For this story- and many others- go into www.jesusvisions.org )
Think about this Prophet whom you call Issa and we call Jesus. You regard him just as a Prophet but he was not just a Prophet. He was a lot more than that. Issa is the Son of God and he died willingly to pay the penalty for your sins so that you won't have to die for those sins. Ask God to apply the sacrifice of Issa to you and to your sins and ask God to forgive you. If you do that, you will find Him merciful and God will also give you the inner peace that comes from knowing that, whatever happens after that, your life will be in his hands- the hands of Almighty God himself- in this life and on into the next.
So, let us start that declaration again: “There is no God but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...and Issa (Jesus) is his son...”
Zechariah 14:16. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Eternal Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
You and your family could be among those coming up to Jerusalem to celebrate God's festivals- and not among the dead. Think about it. It’s not yet too late but, the way world events are going, it could be too late sooner than any of us might think.
TO THE MOSLEM ARABS.
TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN ISRAEL.
TO THE BRITISH PEOPLE.
BOMBS AND THE NHS.
HOW WILL IT ALL END?
IT COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT.
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