• History of Palestinian conflict, Israeli occupation from 1948 till today
• Gaza strip, the open-air prison for 2 million Palestinian civilians
• How the latest event served as a wake-up call to new generations

When the Qur’an said in the context of the battle of Badr – which was the mother of all battles and a precursor of things to come – that the objective of the battle was to establish as well as justify the truth and abolish as well as prove falsehood false “even if the criminals disliked it” (al-Anfal, 8), the stage was set for the emergence of perennial conflicts between the two divergent paradigms of fighting: one that champions the truth, justice and dignity of man, and the other that endorses the antitheses of the former.

The latest episode in the protracted Gaza tragedy is one of those conflicts when the truth is made manifest and its credibility firmly ratified, and when falsehood, on the other hand, is also made manifest and its professed integrity seriously undermined. What follows are two aspects of the ongoing truth affirmation process.

📚 Read Also: “Supporting Innocent Palestinians a Religious Duty”: Al-Azhar

A Mixture of Occupation & Oppression

When Muslims liberated the holy land of Palestine in the year 637, they converted it into a safe haven for both the Jews and Christians. Barring its formative age, the region, for the first time in human history, was governed by the principles of heaven and pure human consciousness rather than the principles of ruthless imperialism and unbridled human avarice.

The new state of affairs persisted ever since. It was disrupted only twice: during the Crusades (1095-1291) and when, in 1948, the illegal state of Israel was formed and imposed on the lands of Palestine and its people. Both disruptions were the result of fusing the effects of the perverted human nature, corruption of faith, and mercenary colonialism.

Since the disruptions were fueled and sustained by unprecedented monstrosities, on both occasions were Palestine and its people subjected to unspeakable premeditated, and systematically executed crimes. 

Today’s fate of Gaza is an expression of a well-developed pattern. The place has been defiled to an equal degree with regard to both earthly and heavenly standards. It is crying for deliverance and the restoration of hope not only for Muslims but also for all people of ethical acuity and goodwill. It is crying for humanity.

Historically, the Jews were allowed to live in Palestine and to enjoy their freedom of worship. Just like everyone else, they were treated justly. The Islamic law has specific protective provisions for non-Muslim minorities. Moreover, it is not a secret that Muslim lands often served as a refuge for Jewish migrants escaping persecution elsewhere.

On balance, Muslims provided the most hospitable environments for the Jews, behaving towards them cordially. Hence, for example, no sooner had Salahuddin al-Ayyubi defeated the Crusaders, bringing their unholy mission to an end than he allowed both Muslims and the Jews to return to the holy land of Palestine.