A Muslim perspective on Christmas

Christmas is an annual Christian religious holiday commemorating the birth of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him. For many Muslims who even do not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it becomes an issue of what stand they should take.
There have been a number of legitimate criticisms of the holiday from Muslims and non-Muslims based on theological and cultural considerations. However, this cannot be used to disregard the holiday as merely an exercise in ancient pagan practices, for instance, or excessive consumerism. Muslims have to remember that for practicing Christians, Christmas really is about Jesus.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was so accommodating of Christians that according to the two earliest Islamic historians, Ibn Saad and Ibn Hisham, the Prophet even allowed a delegation of 60 Byzantine Christians from Najran in Yemen to worship in his own mosque in Madinah.
Lead by their bishop (Usquf), they had come to discuss a number of issues with him. When time of their prayer came, they asked the Prophet's permission to perform this in the mosque. He answered, "conduct your service here in the mosque. It is a place consecrated to God."
God expects us to stay away from mocking the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them. He says in the Quran: "And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do" (Quran, 6:108).
We also have to remember that even if for many nominal Christians, the celebration is not really about participating in religious traditions, Christmas is a time for families to get together. In a number of cases it is the only time of year families get together, either because family members are scattered in different parts of the country or the world, because of communication and relationship problems, or because in America today, the family unit is becoming weaker and weaker.
Christmas is a great time to relate to our neighbors. We should not forget though, that "relating" does not mean "preaching". Da'wah cannot be made in a rude manner. Allah says in the Quran: "Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice, and reason with them by ways that are the best and most gracious: because your Lord knows best, (those) who have strayed from His Path, and those who receive guidance " (Quran, 16:125).
In particular, when dealing with Jews and Christians, Allah says: "Do not argue with the People of the Book unless it is in the politest manner, except for those of them who do wrong. Say: 'We believe in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you. Our God and your God is [the same] One, and we are Muslims before Him'" (Quran, 29:46).
This may not be an occasion to emphasis the differences as much as the commonality of our beliefs, unless someone is really asking you about them.
A starting point for a discussion about Christmas could be the Islamic belief in all Books revealed by Allah and all Prophets sent by Him. In this discussion, special emphasis could be made on Prophet Jesus. Non-Muslims are often surprised to discover that Muslims also believe in this noble Prophet and his great mother Mary (peace be upon her).
Remember that respect does not mean compromise. This article is not asking you to compromise anything. You have freedom of religion given by God to believe in what you believe in. But in a world where conflict is increasing, a Muslim should be a bridge- builder and a peacemaker. It was due to the Muslim practice of Islamic ideals of respect and tolerance that the key of the holiest Christian Shrine in Jerusalem, the church of the Holy Sepulcher, remains entrusted with a Muslim family, as it has been for over 1400 years.
These are the lessons which need to be learned by those extremists who attack Christians during their worship in Nigeria and those extremists who burn Masjids in the USA.

Mufti Perlis vs Mufti Perak.

Itu Perlis punya fasal !!. Ini adalah kenyataan yang biasa keluar dari mulut Mufti Perak. Kenyataan biasa yang terpacul dari mulut yang sama ialah " Tugas saya dah selesai yang lainnya adalah tanggungjawab pemerintah".

Kenyataan Mufti Perlis berbau sedikit akademik tetapi kenyataan Mufti Perak lebih berbau kuasa dan politik.Mufti Perlis menyatakan bahawa "walakah" tak sama dengan "walayah". Saya lebih bersetuju dengan Mufti Perlis demi keadilan. Pernafsiran oleh Wakalah tentang ayat Al-Quran di dalam mahkamah bukanlah muktamad tambahan lagi semua kasus mesti merujuk pada fakta. Keputusan muktamad ialah Hakim. Orang Islam juga adakala tidak memahami Al-Quran dengan baik. Tidak semua Peguam Syarei dikalangan orang Islam yang betul-betul memahami Al-Quran. Yang amat perlu ialah yang menjadi Hakim. Maka syarat menjadi Hakim mestilah berkelususan Agama dan juga Undang-undang Sivil dan juga Syariah, di sampin mempunyai kejujuran dan ahlak yang baik.

WikiLeaks stripped Saudi rulers naked

Saudi rulers stand exposed and stripped naked by Wikileaks disclosure that King Abdullah asked the United States of America to launch military strikes on Muslim Iran. Almost a week later a Cairo datelined AP report disclosed that Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal (right) proposed during his talks with U.S.A. diplomat David Satterfield in May 2008 to deploy an Arab military force backed by U.S.A. and NATO airpower to crush Hezbollah and prevent the militant group - and its patron Iran- from taking power in Beirut.
This is an absolute disgrace. Never in the history of Muslims that a ruler, and that too the one claiming to be the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, Masjid Haram in Makka and Madinah Munawwara, turned to the sworn enemies of Islam and Muslims, the United States of America ruled by Jews and the NATO, to launch military strikes on another Muslim country-Iran.

TARGET ... Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant
This may shock ordinary people, however not the knowledgeable people, especially Muslims worldwide. The role of the autocratic and oppressive Saudi regime, installed in power in its present form by the British and the Jews in the aftermath of World War 1, as an integral part of the Jewish sponsored USA-European war against Islam and Muslims, remains an open secret.
According to Wikileaks documents King Abdullah has repeatedly asked the USA to attack Iran. Saudi venom has been such that Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel al Juberi said that King Abdullah told during his meeting with USA General David Petraeus in April 2008 to cut off the head of the snake-Iran.
The Wikileaks disclosures exposed the treachery and the lowest depth to which the Saudi ruling elements have descended to in collaborating with the enemies of Islam and Muslims. Now the often raised question by Muslims worldwide is whether they are suitable to be the rulers of the land of Islam let alone being the custodian of the Holy Mosques.

Who are these Saudi rulers?
Al Saud was the tribal chief in and around Riyadh early last century. They are an illiterate lot and far away from modern education and civilizations. Economic hardships were the order of the day. Though they called themselves Muslims their day to day life was governed by medieval style tribal customs and traditions. Islam, in its proper perspective disappeared from the region under the European colonial rule which could be described as the Dark Age in the Middle East .On the whole Saudi Arabia and the surrounding Gulf States lived in extreme hardship and no one took any notice of these desert Bedouins until the oil wealth in the early 1970s.
In 1897, the Zionists decided to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Ten years later in 1907 Britain decided at the London Colonial Conference to establish a hostile power which would keep the Middle East in turmoil. This brought Britain and the Zionists together and the two jointly manipulated and brought down Turkey’s Islamic Ottoman Empire during World War 1.
Abdul Aziz Ibn Al Saud (left) and other tribal leaders, heavily bribed, supported and facilitated the British and the Zionists to topple Turkey’s Ottoman and wipe out Islam from there. As part of this conspiracy the British concluded a Treaty of Friendship in 1916, with Abdul Aziz Ibn Al Saud, who by then had established his control over Nejd with the capture of Riyadh.
The Ottoman Empire collapsed during World War 1. In their drive to wipe out Islam the British and the Zionists were quick to abolish Turkey’s caliphate and introduce a secular government headed by a Romanian Jew called Mustafa Kamal who pretended as a Muslim and won the confidence of the Turkish Sultan.
Up to the collapse Ottomans Makka, Madina and Jeddah were under their rule. Ottomans appointed Sharif Hussein, great-great-grandfather of the present American-British Jordanian stooge Abdullah, as the Sharif of Makkah. However during the war Ottoman lost control over Makkah and Jeddah before finally losing Madina in 1919.
Sharif Hussein (left) was keen to maintain the Caliphate system and revive Islamic rule. He tried to govern the Holy cities of Makkah and Madina with a committee represented by Muslims all over the world. With this in mind Sharif Hussein declared himself the Caliph of Makkah on 7 March 1924, four days after the abolition of the caliphate on 3 March 1924.
This provoked the British and the Zionists who were all out to abolish the caliphate and crush any move to unite Muslims which may lead to revival of Islam worldwide. Responding quickly the British and the Zionists provided arms and money to Abdel Aziz Ibn Al Saud to attack Sharif Hussein. Abdel Aziz didn’t miss the chance.
Backed by Britain and the Zionists, he attacked Sharif Hussein, defeated him, prevented the establishment of caliphate and established the Wahhabi rule which was not favourable to the system of caliphate. Thus the caliphate system, which has been the rallying point for Muslims all over the world, was wiped out and the British and Zionists’ control over the region was further strengthened with Abdel Aziz at the helm. Wahhabism was allowed to flourish.
The irony was that Sharif Hussein found refuge under the British who later made his two sons, one a king of Jordan and the other the ruler of Iraq. This is the sad and sickening plight of the Muslim Middle East ruled, almost a century later today, by USA, British, French and Zionists’ appointed stooges, and shamelessly implementing Judeo-Christian conspiracies against Islam and Muslims.
Thus Britain and the Zionists were solely responsible for creating the present Saudi Arabia and installing Al Saud family as the rulers there. As a result the Al Saud family owes a great deal to British and the Zionists. And the Muslim world is paying the price. This is the shameful plight of the Muslim world.
In the early 1980s extremely pro American King Fahd (right), better known for his worldly pleasures than his religious scholarship, appointed himself as the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques- in Makkah and Madina. No one even in Saudi Arabia, let alone the Muslim world, was consulted.
On the other hand which Muslim country could oppose the Al Saud family in view of their iron grip over the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina known for their unprecedented sanctity, immense oil wealth and the blind support of the United States of America and Europe.
The scattered and powerless Muslim world simply accepted this reality without any resistance. Perhaps this may be the reason why years ago Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said that the ”Holy cities of Makkah and Madina should be liberated from Al Saud family in view of their close collaboration with the Judeo-Christian crusaders against Islam and Muslims and managed by the entire Muslims worldwide."
While Saudi-British relations continued to flourish in the subsequent years, the Al Saudi family’s relations with the United States of America began as early as 1930 when Ibn Saudi selected a USA oil company to explore oil in his country. With that began the USA ‘s serious interest too. Those were the days when Saudi Arabia was very poor and undeveloped, and a top executive of the USA oil company, Jimmy Moffett, a friend of both USA President Roosevelt and Ibn Saud, asked President Roosevelt in 1943 to give economic assistance to the Saudi king.
Saudi’s Islamic credibility has been under a cloud for sometimes in view of their shameful role in the USA led European invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan, and their blind support of Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians, and several other anti-Muslim issues. The Saudis managed to overcome the hostility from worldwide Muslims with their disgraceful dependency on the USA and their money power.
However this balance was shattered with the Wiki Leaks disclosures.

The seven layers of the earth which scientists have recently discovered was eluded to by Prophet Muhammad 1400 years ago.

A simple image of Earth and the interior layers.  Windows to the Universe, at (http://www.windows.ucar.edu) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).  ©1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; ©2000-05 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is the second revealed source of Islam.  Like the Quran, it contains scientific information unavailable 1400 years ago.  From these miracles is the “seven” earths, mentioned by the Prophet in several of his sayings.  From them are the following two:

Hadith 1

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Salamah that a dispute arose between him and some other people (about a piece of land).  When he told Aisha (the Prophet’s wife) about it, she said, ‘O Abu Salamah!  Avoid taking the land unjustly, for the Prophet said:

“Whoever usurps even one span of land of somebody, its depth through the seven earths will be collared to his neck.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, ‘Book of Oppression.’)

Hadith 2

Salim narrated on the authority of his father that the Prophet said:

“Whoever takes a piece of land of others unjustly, he will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, ‘Book of Oppression.’)

The aforementioned hadith prohibits oppression in general, especially the taking of a piece of land belonging to others unjustly.  What might the seven earths refer to?

Studies in geology have proven that the earth is composed of seven zones, identified from the inner to the outer layers as follows:

(1)  The Solid Inner Core of Earth: 1.7% of the Earth’s mass; depth of 5,150 - 6,370 kilometers (3,219 - 3,981 miles)

The inner core is solid and unattached to the mantle, suspended in the molten outer core.  It is believed to have solidified as a result of pressure-freezing which occurs to most liquids when temperature decreases or pressure increases.

(2)  The Liquid Outer core: 30.8% of Earth’s mass; depth of 2,890 - 5,150 kilometers (1,806 - 3,219 miles)

The outer core is a hot, electrically conducting liquid within which convective motion occurs.  This conductive layer combines with Earth’s rotation to create a dynamo effect that maintains a system of electrical currents known as the Earth’s magnetic field.  It is also responsible for the subtle jerking of Earth’s rotation.  This layer is not as dense as pure molten iron, which indicates the presence of lighter elements.  Scientists suspect that about 10% of the layer is composed of sulfur and/or oxygen because these elements are abundant in the cosmos and dissolve readily in molten iron.

(3)  The “D” Layer: 3% of Earth’s mass; depth of 2,700 - 2,890 kilometers (1,688 - 1,806 miles)

This layer is 200 to 300 kilometers (125 to 188 miles) thick and represents about 4% of the mantle-crust mass.  Although it is often identified as part of the lower mantle, seismic discontinuities suggest the “D” layer might differ chemically from the lower mantle lying above it.  Scientists theorize that the material either dissolved in the core, or was able to sink through the mantle but not into the core because of its density.

(4)  Lower Mantle: 49.2% of Earth’s mass; depth of 650 - 2,890 kilometers (406 -1,806 miles)

The lower mantle contains 72.9% of the mantle-crust mass and is probably composed mainly of silicon, magnesium, and oxygen.  It probably also contains some iron, calcium, and aluminum.  Scientists make these deductions by assuming the Earth has a similar abundance and proportion of cosmic elements as found in the Sun and primitive meteorites.

(5)  Middle Mantle (Transition region): 7.5% of Earth’s mass; depth of 400 - 650 kilometers (250-406 miles)

The transition region or mesosphere (for middle mantle), sometimes called the fertile layer, contains 11.1% of the mantle-crust mass and is the source of basaltic magmas.  It also contains calcium, aluminum, and garnet, which is a complex aluminum-bearing silicate mineral.  This layer is dense when cold because of the garnet.  It is buoyant when hot because these minerals melt easily to form basalt which can then rise through the upper layers as magma.

(6)  Upper Mantle: 10.3% of Earth’s mass; depth of 10 - 400 kilometers (6 - 250 miles)

The upper mantle contains 15.3% of the mantle-crust mass.  Fragments have been excavated for our observation by eroded mountain belts and volcanic eruptions.  Olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and pyroxene (Mg,Fe)SiO3 have been the primary minerals found in this way.  These and other minerals are refractory and crystalline at high temperatures; therefore, most settle out of rising magma, either forming new material or never leaving the mantle.  Part of the upper mantle called the asthenosphere might be partially molten.

(7)  Lithosphere

Oceanic crust: 0.099% of Earth’s mass; depth of 0-10 kilometers (0 - 6 miles)

The rigid, outermost layer of the Earth comprising the crust and upper mantle is called the lithosphere.  The oceanic crust contains 0.147% of the mantle-crust mass.  The majority of the Earth’s crust was made through volcanic activity.  The oceanic ridge system, a 40,000-kilometer (25,000 mile) network of volcanoes, generates new oceanic crust at the rate of 17 km3 per year, covering the ocean floor with basalt.  Hawaii and Iceland are two examples of the accumulation of basalt piles.

This image shows a cross section through the earth’s crust and upper mantle showing lithosphere plates (made of the crust layer and the top part of the mantle) moving over the asthenosphere (upper mantle).  Windows to the Universe, at (http://www.windows.ucar.edu) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).  ©1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; ©2000-05 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.  Continental crust: 0.374% of Earth’s mass; depth of 0-50 kilometers (0 - 31 miles)

The continental crust contains 0.554% of the mantle-crust mass.  This is the outer part of the Earth composed essentially of crystalline rocks.  These are low-density buoyant minerals dominated mostly by quartz (SiO2) and feldspars (metal-poor silicates).  The crust (both oceanic and continental) is the surface of the Earth; as such, it is the coldest part of our planet.  Because cold rocks deform slowly, we refer to this rigid outer shell as the lithosphere (the rocky or strong layer).

This image shows the divisions of the Earth’s interior into 7 layers.  (Adapted from Beatty, 1990).

Conclusion

The layers of the earth coincide with the above mentioned hadith of the Prophet.  The miracle is in two matters:

(1)  The expression of the hadith, ‘He will sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection,’ indicates the stratification of these “earths” around one center.

(2)  The accuracy with which the Prophet of Islam referred to the seven inner layers of earth.

The only way for a desert dweller to have known these facts 1400 years ago is through revelation from God.

 

References

Beatty, J. K. and A. Chaikin, eds.  The New Solar System.  Massachusetts: Sky Publishing, 3rd Edition, 1990.

Press, Frank and Raymond Siever.  Earth.  New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1986.

Seeds, Michael A. Horizons. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1995.

El-Najjar, Zaghloul.  Treasures In The Sunnah: A Scientific Approach: Cairo, Al-Falah Foundation, 2004.

Non-Muslim Syarie lawyers: Perlis mufti says 'aye'

Perlis mufti Juanda Jaya said that not all members of the National Fatwa Council agreed with its stated position that non-Muslims not be allowed to practise in Syariah Courts.

DAP leaders 'touched' by coverage

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20: Staying true to the adage that 'bad publicity is also publicity', DAP leaders said they were “touched” by the attention given by right wing Malay tabloid Utusan Malaysia, which dedicated six pages including its front page to attack the party.
“Utusan paid a special tribute to DAP today with 6 pages of coverage, including the front page. We must be doing something right!” said the party's Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament Tony Pua, in a posting on Twitter.
“An UMNO leader had advised Prime Minister (Najib Razak) to ask Utusan to tone down its racial agenda half a year ago as it was counterproductive to Prime Minister's 1Malaysia campaign.
"Either PM is sleeping or he condones Utusan's racist views. Today's attacks on Guan Eng and DAP is nonsensical,” said Bukit Bendera MP, Liew Chin Tong.
The brunt of Utusan's attacks was however borne by Penang chief minister and DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, who was accused of being a racist and anti-Malay.
Statements from several UMNO leaders also branded DAP a tool of the Singaporean regime, and some even called for a ban on the party. The paper had earlier accused DAP of being behind the WikiLeaks story which quoted Singapore's minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew of saying that Opposition Leader had willingly walked into a sodomy trap.
'Walk the talk'
Meanwhile, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang took prime minister Najib Razak to task over his statement calling on the media to promote pragmatism and moderation.
“The movement of the moderates can marginalise the extremists, and that the media has a significant role to play in this quest,” said Najib, Najib, opening an international convention by World Chinese Language Press Institute in Penang.
“Well said, but Najib is not walking the talk.Najib should ask how he could expect his promotion of moderation 'to take back the centre' to have any traction or credibility when the UMNO organ Utusan Malaysia is allowed to preach extremism of the worst kind with lies and falsehoods everyday?” said the DAP leader.

Rationality please, PAS tells govt over Shi'a clampdown

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20: PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has joined other independent religious leaders in calling for the government to be more wise when dealing with differences of opinions in Islamic thought.
Responding to the recent arrest of two Shi'a Muslim teachers for spreading "deviant teachings" after a raid on a centre in Gombak, PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man warned  that the way the authorities were handling the issue would cause a bigger crisis.
“While I personally do not agree with the Shi’a school of thought, that does not mean we can act aggressively, when at the same time, deviant teachings such as Qadiyani, Bahai and Ayah Pin are allowed to exist,” said Tuan Ibrahim.
Last week, two teachers, including an Iranian, and 200 participants of a religious talk at a centre for Shi'a Muslims, were arrested and charged at the Syariah court after a raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Deparment (JAIS).
Shi'a Muslims subscribe to the Shi'ite school of thought in Islam, which sprung out of political differences during the early history of Islam. Followers of the school are mostly found in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain and certain parts of the Arab world.
While majority of Sunni and Shi'a Muslim scholars recognise each other, there are extremists who resort to violence and brand the other as 'infidels', prompting mainstream leaders from both divides to urge for unity and work on their fundamental similarities.
'Intellect'
Tuan Ibrahim added that the authorities should have opted to hold discussion and dialogues instead of resorting to arresting those who hold different opinions.
He reminded that Islam teaches Muslims to resort to the intellect when faced with differences of opinions.
“Because those who are involved are from among university lecturers, students and foreigners, the arrest will not stop the movement from operating.
"Islam teaches us to use the approach of dialogue and argument when facing what we describe as the difference of opinion and school of thoughts,” he said, adding there would always be differences in opinions in Islam.
The arrest also invited a sharp rebuke from former Perlis Mufti, Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who warned the country was sliding to “an era of Talibanisation”.
Asri said the country should not try to “become a country a la Taliban that only allows one school of thought” and deny the right of the people to practice their beliefs.
“[Violence] usually explodes in countries where the right to speak is constantly denied. Perhaps the government has its own agenda in this matter?” he asked.

My TEDx Talk on the Quran: the Video

Here it is:  my TEDx talk — an agnostic Jew on what’s really in the Quran — given at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall on 10/10/10.
I think I’m saying some important things here that need to be much more widely known, especially at this point in time.  So if you like this talk, as the live audience clearly did — there was much more laughter than I’d expected, which is why I only just made the TEDx nine-minute limit, and the standing ovation kind of took me by (grateful) surprise — please don’t hesitate to forward it to all who you think will be, might be, or simply should be interested.
And yes indeed, I would love to hear your comments, whichever way they trend!

Anwar blasts APCO's involvement in domestic politics

PETALING JAYA, Dec 17: Speaking to the press a day after being slapped with suspension from parliament, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim blasted US-based image consultant firm APCO Worldwide for getting involved in domestic politics and in parliamentary proceedings.

“What is this APCO? Our parliament? To the extent it cannot be questioned? Why does APCO involve in the country’s politics.

"APCO should not be involved with UMNO. They have to answer, and be more responsible, thanks to them, four members of parliaments were suspended without due process,” he said.

Yesterday, speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia's bid to suspend Anwar and three other MPs, Karpal Singh, Sivarasa Rasiah and Azmin Ali, caused a ruckus when Pakatan Rakyat MPs protested Pandikar's chairing of the session due to his membership in the Rights and Privileges Committee which recommended Anwar's suspension. The motions to suspend Anwar and the three others were in the end passed without debate, after PR MPs staged a walkout.

Earlier, the Committee said Anwar ought to be suspended for six months over his statement that APCO - a company with links to Israeli politicians - got the inspiration for the 1Malaysia slogan from the 'One Israel' slogan not long ago.

Vindicated

Anwar said news reports had furnished details about APCO’s advice to Prime Minister Najib Razak on his '1Malaysia' concept.

“There was no denying from Najib. APCO denied it was involved with Israel. I provided the document to prove the Israeli government had links with APCO. So what’s the issue?

"The issue is (that) it turns out that UMNO who alleged someone as Jewish agents is the one who signed the agreement,” said Anwar, in apparaent reference to frequent accusation by UMNO leaders that he was a "Jewish agent".

“I repeat, for the last 12 years I have been accused of being a Jewish agent. UMNO uses this campaign in all the kampungs. But I now proved that they are not only using a Jewish company but also a company that has a headquarters in Israel," Anwar added.

Obama Surrenders Palestinian Rights

Ramzy Baroud / Al-Ahram

The Middle East policies of US President Barack Obama may well prove the most detrimental in history so far, surpassing even the rightwing policies of President George W Bush. Even those who warned against the overt optimism that accompanied Obama's arrival to the White House must now be stunned to see how low the US president will go to appease Israel -- all under the dangerous logic of needing to keep the peace process moving forward. Former Middle East peace diplomat Aaron David Miller argued in Foreign Policy that, "any advance in the excruciatingly painful world of Arab-Israeli negotiations is significant." He further claimed: "The Obama administration deserves much credit for keeping the Israelis, Palestinians, and key Arab states onboard during some very tough times. The US president has seized on this issue and isn't giving up -- a central requirement for success." But at what price, Mr Miller? And wouldn't you agree that one party's success could also mean another's utter and miserable failure? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly spent eight hours with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu only to persuade him to accept one of the most generous bribes ever bestowed by the United States on any foreign power. The agreement includes the sale of $3 billion worth of US military aircraft (in addition to billions in annual aid packages), a blanket veto of any UN Security Council resolution deemed unfavourable to Israel, and the removal of East Jerusalem from any settlement freeze equation (thus condoning the illegal occupation of the city and the undergoing ethnic cleansing). But even more dangerous than all of these is "a written American promise that this will be the last time President Obama asks the Israelis to halt settlement construction through official channels." Significant. Achievement. Success. Are these really the right terms to describe the latest harrowing scandal? Even the term "bribe", which is abundantly used to describe American generosity, isn't quite adequate here. Bribes have defined the relationship between the ever-generous White House and the quisling Congress to win favour with the ever-demanding Israel and its growingly belligerent Washington lobby. It is not the concept of bribery that should shock us, but the magnitude of the bribe, and the fact that it is presented by a man who positioned himself as a peacemaker (and actually became certified as one, courtesy of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee). Equally shocking is the meagre return that Obama is expected to receive for hard earned US taxpayers' dollars. According to the Atlantic Sentential, this will be "a measly three month extension of the settlement moratorium that originally expired in late September." Acknowledging from the onset that these are mere "midterm manoeuvres", Noah Feldman, writing in The New York Times, asks the question: "Can Obama succeed where so many others have not?" He preludes his answer with: "Israel and the Palestinian Authority will not, of course, make things easy." Seriously, Mr Feldman? Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, whose mandate has already expired, must be living the most humiliating and difficult moments of his not so distinguished career. At one stage he had hoped that the advent of President Obama would spare him and the PA further embarrassment. Imagining the president would side with his "moderate" position, he placed all his eggs in the Obama basket, even bidding against the democratically elected government of Palestinians in the occupied territories. He went as far as to halt an international investigation into Israeli crimes in the recent Israeli war on Gaza so that not to frustrate Netanyahu's government or upset pro-Israeli sensibilities in the US Congress. True, Abbas tried to appear as a confident and self-assertive leader at times. He asked for a chance to think about the resumption of peace talks, conditioned his acceptance on Israeli actions that never really actualised, and finally sought the help of the Arab League, a beleaguered and muted organisation without any political mandate. How did Abbas and his PA make things "difficult" for the US, Mr Feldman? Would any self-respecting government agree to concessions that are made on its behalf without the opportunity to offer its own input? This is exactly what the PA has repeatedly done under Abbas. Still, many Israelis are not happy with the barter. Caroline B Glick, writing in The Jerusalem Post, described the freezing of construction in illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank as "discriminatory infringement on the property rights of law abiding citizens [that] is breathtaking." She had the hubris to consider the pitiable moratorium as equivalent to "land surrenders". As for the major F-35 deal, it is "simply bizarre", she argued, for after all, "Israel needs the F-35 to defend against enemies like Iran." Mind-boggling. The US generously hands Palestinian rights to Israel on a silver platter, and the far-right mentality, which now governs Israeli mainstream politics and society, still finds it unacceptable. But aside from this arrogant Israeli response, and the US media's attempts to find the positive in Obama's latest scandal, one question must be raised. What happens now that Obama has finally shown he really is no different from his predecessors; that the United States has lost control of its own foreign policy in the Middle East; and that frankly Netanyahu has proved more resilient, more steadfast, and more resourceful than the US president? Shall we go on making the same argument, over and over again, or has the time finally arrived for Palestinians to think outside the American box? Can Arabs finally seek other partners and allies in the region and around the world who understand the link between peace, political stability, and economic prosperity? It may perhaps be time for them to further their relationship with Turkey, to reach out to Latin America, to demand accountability from Europe and to try to understand and engage China. The latest US elections have showed that the Obama hype has run its course in the US itself. One can only hope that Palestinians, Arabs and their friends will realise -- before it's too late -- that hype will never help them.