| Fadlullah: We are afraid that “the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions” paves the way for religious normalization with the enemy |
His Eminence, the Religious Authority Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, warned against turning the inter-faith dialogues – the last of which was the conference held in the Kazakhstani capital – into chances to normalize ties with the enemy. He noted that the United States is looking for enticing religious titles to return to the heart of the Islamic world. He warned that the meeting of the official Muslim figures with the Prime Minister of Israel, a few months following the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, represents a very negative message to the Palestinian people. The message is to the effect that these figures do not mind getting closer to the enemy, even though it confiscates the largest area of land since 1967, for the interest of its settlement activities.
In a statement he made, the Sayyed said: Is it not shameful that the Muslim religious figures are not moving to prevent sedition in the Islamic world, while they are completely ready to meet with Zionist officials, speak to them, shake hands with them, and listen to their speeches? He expressed his fears that these steps would represent the first steps towards religious normalization with Israel and its rabbis who consider the Arabs as bugs and snakes. He also called on the Arab and Muslim peoples, the Sunni and Shiite movements, to unite.
The following is the text of the statement:
Recently, the calls for international conferences under the name of “Inter-faith dialogues” have been on the rise, after the world has become addicted to the terms of “the clash of civilizations”, “the struggle of nations” and some other terms and titles that have always been in line with the policies of the superpowers which have once been called “decision-making countries.” Consequently, the world has become under the umbrella of the “unipolar system” in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. But this system, whose global dominance and hegemony have started to collapse after the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, has been looking these days for new enticing titles that return it to the heart of the Islamic and Arab arena. To achieve this purpose, it does not mind manipulating the religious title to the farthest extents. This system also wants the Zionist entity to enter this arena as well, a few months following its brutal war on Gaza, and at a time when Amnesty International affirms that this entity has perpetrated war crimes in Gaza.
Based on our Islamic concepts and principles, we welcome any dialogue among different religious groups and human beings. The Holy Quran, which in itself is a book of dialogue, calls for respecting the others’ values, and the Sunnah asserts that people are classified according to their piety, aside from any ethnical or racist criteria. However, in view of the so many conferences held recently, the last of which was the “The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions”, which was hosted by the Kazakhstani capital, we would like to present a series of facts for our people, so that they become aware of what is going around them.
First, this conference comes after the Inter-faith dialogue held in the United States, which aimed at forcing the Zionist entity into the heart of the Islamic world and eliminating any hatred or hostile sentiments the Arab and Muslim peoples have toward this entity and its leaders. Thus, the American political establishment had provided the appropriate climates and capacities and circumstances for this conference to succeed, for the purpose of engaging Israel in the Arab world through the handshaking between Israel’s president and the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and through attending in the same place with the president of an Arab and Muslim country that has represented the cradle of Islam, a country that has witnessed the start of the Islamic march through Mecca to the entire world.
Second, “The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions” was held upon a candid call by an Arab official figure to normalize ties between Israel and 57 Muslim states. The normalization of ties is what the United States is looking for, in order to show that the Arab and Muslim states are willing to go far in their relations with Israel, even though this was at the expense of the Palestinians. The Arab and Muslim political and religious figures who attended the conference along with the president of Israel, addressed a decisive message to the Palestinian people, to the effect that they do not mind being at such close distance from the butcher Shimon Perez who slaughtered children in Qana and Palestine.
Third: It was obvious that the purpose behind holding these conferences has nothing to do with religions. Otherwise, why would a Zionist political figure occupy a prominent position in this dialogue, with this figure addressing the Arab and Muslim religious leaders during the conference and mocking the Arabs by talking about toppling the three “nos” that were made during Al-Khartoum’s Summit following the 1967 war? Therefore, we would like our people to realize that the enemy, whose utmost ambition was to see his rabbis – who consider the Arabs as bugs and snakes – taking photos next to official Muslim religious figures, is now thinking of how to invade the Islamic and Arab institutions in Mecca Al-Mukarrama and Al-Azhar among others.
Fourth: It is really shameful that Islamic figures are meeting with Zionist leaders in a direct or indirect way, without even refusing direct or indirect normalization with Israel which has recently announced its intentions to establish a Jewish State for the Jews in the Arab and Muslim Palestine. This state would be established at the expense of the Palestinian people, as those who remained inside Palestine would be kicked out, and the refugees would be banned from returning to their homeland. Is it not shameful that instead of working hard to bridge the chasm inside the Islamic reality and prevent any inter-Islamic feud, these Muslim figures are willing to meet with the Zionists, speak to them, shake hands with them, and listen to their speeches that mock the Arab and Islamic reality in a way or another?!
I am hereby addressing the Arab and Islamic people, the Sunni and Shiite movements, especially those concerned about Islam, to be cautious because their way of dealing – whether intentionally or unintentionally – is aimed at recognizing the Zionist enemy and normalizing religious ties with it, before achieving political normalization at a later stage. Therefore, this stage is more dangerous than the previous ones. It requires from us to work on the following two tracks: To continue facing the enemy and unite the ranks of the nation and repudiate confessional sedition through which some external sides seek to access our arenas and impose normalization. Normalizing ties with Israel is a prelude for defeat and surrender, which the free men in the nation should work hard to prevent with all means within reach.