Monday, August 27, 2007
The Palestinians know they cannot govern themselves
This is startling, if true (bold emphasis added):
By day, they are the middle class, putting in days as mild-mannered teachers, factory supervisors and office clerks.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian supporters of the Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir movement demonstrate at a rally in Ramallah
But by night, the growing number of supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Islamic fundamentalists who reject modern democracy in favour of a pan-Islamic religious caliphate, are gathering in the West Bank to recruit the thousands who have grown disillusioned with the vicious stand-off between the secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas.
"Any person living in Palestine now realises political parties, especially the Islamic ones, have not achieved anything for the individual," said Sheikh Abu Abdullah, a thin-framed man with a wiry beard.
His is the commanding voice behind weekly Hizb lessons at the al-Faruq mosque in the middle-class suburb of Kfar Aqab, past a crowded Israeli checkpoint where east Jerusalem melds into Ramallah.
About 50 men, young and old, stayed after evening prayers this week to listen to the sheikh's lesson entreating them to follow the Koran and stop infidels from profiting at the expense of the poor - one of an estimated hundreds or thousands of mosques in the West Bank and east Jerusalem where Hizb ut-Tahrir now teaches every week.
Though difficult to estimate their membership, a rally earlier this month in Ramallah drew at least 10,000 and, by some estimates, up to 40,000 people; their posters are plastered on every wall in the city centre.
"Any talk about a return to the caliphate, any talk about a return to religious values is something that is attractive to people," said Majid Abu Malah, 55, an Arabic-language teacher who attends regularly.
He, like many others, says he has given up on both Hamas and Fatah, and will not vote in the next election. "I believe in what [Hizb ut-Tahrir] gives."
Hizb ut-Tahrir, founded in Jerusalem in 1953 but largely dormant until recent years, is banned in dozens of countries, though it is legal and has a strong presence in Britain.
Its platform calls for the eventual overthrowing of Arab-world governments to be replaced by a caliphate, which would also encompass Israel.
The organisation argues that it does not advocate violence; however, it has been accused of inciting racism and hatred, and is known for activities such as demonstrations against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed last year.
Commentary
The linked article from the Telegraph mostly focuses on Hizb ut-Tahrir, and whether it is in fact a dangerous foundational organization of the jihad. I think the Telegraph has buried the lede. The real story is that the quoted Palestinian Arabs have, first, given up on the idea that they can arrive at an effective government on their own; second, rejected popular sovereignty as a source of legitimacy; and, third, decided that Palestinian Arabs should not exist as a separate national group but as a constituency in a "caliphate" encompassing all Muslims.
In other words, these Palestinians agree they are not a nationality, that they should not determine their own government, and that they must be governed by others. They simply prefer that the "others" be Muslim rather than Jewish. And, when you get right down to it, what Arab Muslim wouldn't prefer that? Other than those who live inside metropolitan Israel, of course, who for whatever reason have chosen not to emigrate.
My question: What proportion of Palestinian Arabs would have to hold these views before the rest of the world admits that they are not, really, a nationality?
7 Comments:
By 
AOF, at
Mon Aug 27, 05:03:00 AM:
You miss the point. They are part of the Muslim nation, or "Ummah". They are simply yearning for the return of the Caliphate that gave them peace and unity for over a thousand years.
By 
, at
Mon Aug 27, 05:38:00 AM:
Can a person be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time?
This Priest says YES
http://webandchurch.blogspot.com/2007/08/muslim-priest.html
Insane!
By , at
Mon Aug 27, 06:38:00 AM:
Ah, but the real threat comes from Zionists, neocons and Christian fundamentalists. I heard it on CNN and it must be true.
By Dawnfire82, at
Mon Aug 27, 08:40:00 AM:
"peace and unity for over a thousand years."
The reason that it took the Muslims so long to beat back the Crusades was that they were so busy killing each other.
At one point, there were THREE caliphates, all of whom were at war with each other.
They very concept of a united, happy Muslim nation is a sort of modern fantasy. Even in the days of the 1st 4 'rightly guided' caliphs; one of them (Ali, #4) was assassinated by fellow Muslims, following a religious/political civil war. There was bad blood between various factions under Omar (who was assassinated, too; he was #2) and there was an armed revolt against Uthman (#3) in which he too was killed in his home.
To re-iterate; 3 of the 4 first caliphs died violent deaths, 2 of them at the hands of fellow Muslims.
'Peace and unity for a thousand years.'
It's a myth.
By , at
Mon Aug 27, 11:49:00 AM:
The Brits have a lot to answer for, and I do not mean historically. This orginizination is one of a number the Brits do not crack down in the name of free speech. These organizations have, until recently, kept their activities low key in Britain while increasing their influence overseas.
Mind you, the US seems to be bending over backwards to give legitimacy to organizations known to be supporting terroist otganizations so why should I complain about the Brits.
By , at
Mon Aug 27, 03:55:00 PM:
The Brits have an unusual problem, in that nations that are part of the Commonwealth (formerly in the Empire) are granted easy Visa and passport status to Great Britain herself.
That includes (especially) India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; the latter primarily Muslim countries, the former with a substantial Muslim minority. Don't doubt the Muslim Imams aren't aware of this and exploit it to undermine Britain.
They are either going to have to re-think the Commonwealth status of many people and change this, or they are going down the memory hole. Much has been predicted as to the fate of Western Europe in the decades to come, but the fate of Sweden and Britain is almost already written.
-David
By Noumenon, at
Thu Aug 30, 08:33:00 AM:
I will confess to not reading the whole post, but I believe the pro-Palestinian side would go, "We tried electing governments to represent us. The U.S. and Israel refused to accept them as legitimate and froze their funds. Therefore, there is no point electing governments to represent us. We should look to something else to advance our cause." Wouldn't you give up on electing your own government if other countries got to make all the rules for you anyway?
