We are still living the atmosphere of Ashoura, and inspiring the principles of this movement, as explained and practiced by Imam Hussein, who represents Islam in its purity.

On the political level, Imam Hussein talked about the Muslim ruler who should exemplify the Islamic just and dedicated ruler that should lead the Muslims in every Muslim country.

He also talked about the responsibility of all Muslims to confront the ruler if he deviates from the straight Islamic path, considering the movement of change as the duty that Allah wants the Muslims to perform. This is what we aspire from his speech in Makkah, before he left for Karbala. He explained to the people what it takes to be a ruler in Islam so that they could judge for themselves if the ruler at that time, Yazid, was a just Islamic ruler or not. He also said, in response for the call of the governor of Medina asking him to pledge loyalty for Yazid: we are the family of prophethood whom the Quran was revealed to, while Yazid was a dissolute man who drinks wine and kills innocent people despite Allah's prohibition. And ended by saying: A man like me does not pledge loyalty to a man like him.

The speech of Imam Hussein was based on the Prophet's tradition (Sunna) because he was carrying the Messenger (p.)’s. Message and seeking to reform his grandfather's nation. He started by saying "O people, the Messenger of Allah has said: whoever sees an oppressive ruler one that has no legitimacy-whether in his qualifications or in his behaviour- Who, permits what Allah has forbidden- This was Yazid who killed in the first year of his reign Imam Hussein, his family and his companions. And then in the second year attacked Medina , and for three days he allowed his soldiers to kill men, rape women and steal properties. Then, on the third year he bombed Makkah – reneging on his oath-since ruling is a covenant between the ruler and the ruled to be just and guide people to their rights and duties, as the Commander of the Faithful Ali bin Abi Talib focused on when he became a caliph, violating the Sunna of the Messenger(p.) of Allah and dealing with the servants of Allah oppressively and does not try to stop him by word or deed, it will be incumbent on Allah to treat him as he treats the first, since the one who is satisfied with the deeds of others is similar to the one who participates in their deed. He would be committing two sins, that of satisfaction and that of participation.

The Imam went back to the Prophet to lay out the justifications of his movement against tyranny, as well as its supporters. He said that those people who believe in and act under the legitimacy of Yazid's ruler have adhered to the obedience of Satan and abandoned that of the Most Merciful one. They have manifested corruption, transgressed the limits, dealt with the "nation’s revenuers" as their own property, permitting what Allah has forbidden and forbidding what He has permitted.

Those people are the unjust rulers whom the Prophet wanted the nation to change. And who is more worthy of leading this change than Imam Hussein? The Imam, thus, upheld the responsibility of affecting change, a responsibility that should be held by all Muslims in all ages when they see deviation and injustice, especially… these days where the international Arrogance is imposing unjust rulers, who violated the Sunna of the Prophet (p) turning each Muslim country into a jail for all people.

As we aspire the lessons of Ashoura, we have to refuse the unjust rulers whom the Messenger(p.) has talked of and initiate change since whoever among us sees an evil he has change it with his hands. And if he can't, then by his tongue. If he cannot, then by his heart, and this is least possible. We have to refuse the unjust rulers by our minds and our tongues. We also have to refuse all the leaders in the Muslim countries that support the unjust rulers, especially that certain Muslim leaders are attacking those who call for practicing Islam in our nation, claiming that many countries of the world will cut the relations with their countries if they institute Islamic law. It is as if they are saying, we have to base the political systems in our countries, on what the International Arrogance wants, and leave Islam for the Eids or religious occasions.

Thus, the main lesson of Ashoura is that we have to refuse all rulers and leaders who deviate from the straight path of Allah and His Messenger. This is why we celebrate the occasion. We ought not cry here and laugh to the unjust there, or hit our heads with swords, while we have our reservations on hitting the heads of our enemies who occupy our land…

If Imam Hussein were present now, he would have stood up as he did in the year 60H, and talked to us saying the same things he said to these people.

Imam Hussein is not for a certain stage only; he is for Islam in all ages. Therefore, the Imam is not the martyr of Karbala. He is the martyr of Islam while Karbala is the place he was martyred in.

He lived Islam throughout his life. He lived it with all people and not only his family and companions, but also with those who came to kill him saying: “If you do not have a religion and if you have no fear of the Hereafter, then be free in this world". He wanted even the deviators to be free and not to be slaves of the unjust. This is what we ought to aspire in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and all Muslim countries to be the makers of our decision and future.

To be with Hussein (a.s.) is not to go back to history to the time of Yazid, but to live that history in the present; initiate change and stand against wronging and deviation. Yazid was only one individual but now we have the international arrogance and the international unbelief and all those who work with them and who want to act as slaves to America, Israel and their supporters.

Let us rise to the level of Hussein (a.s.) and Ashoura, and leave these choking corners that make us cry with cold tears instead of warm ones, and which make us spill our blood meaninglessly. Imam Hussein is the rescue ship. He is the Imam of the Message. He is for all people and for all life. Let us walk to him and bring him to us to follow his path when he said. The swindler son of swindler had left me to choose between death and humiliation, but there is no way humiliation could find route to us. God, His Messenger(p.) and our pride would neither wish us nor let us obey those vicious mean people .This is the call of Imam Hussein; let us rise to the level of responding to it.

The Second Sermon

In the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

The Americans are planning to stay for a long time in the region. They are consolidating their bases to control the unstable security conditions under the pretence of fighting terrorism, while their actual goals are unfolding. They include facing the downtrodden nations, as in Somalia, benefiting from Yemen’s strategic position to besiege the Gulf region and further stabilize the relations between the regional states. They also use Iran as a scarecrow and try to incite Arab countries against a presumed Iranian role.

It is interesting too that the NATO leadership has certain difficulties in financing its operations, especially in Afghanistan, and had tried to make the Gulf states finance the American plan in Iraq in anticipation that the Congress will refuse to earmark the necessary funds.

President Bush continues, every now and then, to threaten Iran, and accuse it of hostile activities against American troops. He talks suspiciously about - and implicitly refusing -Iran's attempts to strengthen its economic and military relations with Iraq. America also has some reservations concerning the normalization of relations between Syria and Iraq and establishing economic and security cooperation between the two countries. In short, America does not encourage any good relations between Iraq and its neighbouring countries.

It is interesting that the same statement of President Bush, who plans to kills the Youth Fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon and threatens the Iranians in Iraq, talks about the problems in Lebanon between the opposition and the government. But he does not study what is happening in our country. He rather hastens to become one of the internal parties in that he accuses the others of causing the problems. Because America uses Lebanon as a front that enables it to further its influence in the region and implement its political and security projects that aim at protecting Israel and its occupation of Iraq on the one hand and continuing its war on terrorism on the other hand. This is what we notice in the way the Americans pressurize the Palestinians and instigate civil strife there to topple the legitimate government and circumvent the attempts to form a national unity government that could solve a lot of problems in the Palestinian front.

Although the Americans have shown some reservations against the Israeli use of cluster bombs in Lebanon that killed several Lebanese and prevented them from working in their farms, it did not talk about the use of depleted uranium. It even intends to sell its Israeli ally smart bombs that Israelis will use in their next war on Lebanon that they are planning for to kill more Lebanese civilians of children, women and the elderly, and destroy their cities, villages and bridges.

We want the Lebanese to remember the Israeli (July) war that America took part in the planning of, so that they will understand that the tragedy that fell on their country was an American Israeli one, and that America who promises financial aid to Lebanon is the one who destroyed the Lebanese economy although the war was executed with Israeli hands.

That is why there is no chance to improve the Lebanese political and security conditions. Instead America intends to prolong the crisis and prevent any solution that might come from an Arab or local initiative. What the Americans want is to prevent the Lebanese from achieving any victory by establishing a national balance in the aftermath of the military victory the Resistance achieved against the Israeli enemy.

This will put an end to the optimism waves that appear every once in a while… The plan is to destroy Lebanon politically without opening the way for destroying it by means of war.

We would like, firstly, to salute the Martyr Mujahid on his operation in Ilat that constitutes a forceful cry against those who are fighting internally in Gaza. We would like to say to them that all arms should target the enemy, and not any of the Palestinians’ parties, especially that the Palestinian reality does not have an authority for the occupation country is the actual ruler, whether by his aggressions, blockade or detention.

We say to everybody: The top priority should be given to the battle with the Zionist enemy and that there should be no gun except that of the Resistance. Everybody should focus on reproducing the Intifada.

Iraq continues to bleed daily as a result of the brutal bombing, and missiles that is landed on civilians and visitors, especially in Ashoura which was a revolution of right, freedom, pride and dignity all people and not one of the parties or the other…

And we say to some officials including some religious scholars who talk about the crimes in one place and not another in a way that incites sectarianism… They have to know that the tragedy hits all Iraqis; Shiites and Sunnis alike. They have not to look at things through one eye, but rather keep both eyes open and adopt a national and Islamic mentality that views the entire people with the same just approach.

Lebanon has lived the experience of a limited strife that some wanted to extend and cover all of Beirut and then reach the Christian area…

We appeal to all parties to have mercy on Lebanon that represents in its culture and pluralism, and the atmosphere of freedom the jewel of the crown in the region. Don't let the international or regional players turn it into a tool for implementing the agenda of others, especially on the regional level, Beware of an internal Islamic strife, an internal Christian strife or even one that will entail all of Lebanon who is already living an economic crisis.

We call on the security and judicial authorities to punish the killers and trouble-makers that ignited strife, so as to prevent the resorting of some to personally avenge the death of their relatives.

The safety of this country depends on the position the security forces take in defending the country and not this or that party. The independent judicial authorities that are neither intimated nor allured should also play their role.

Justice is the basis of rule, and all Lebanese should fear Allah and uphold their responsibilities towards themselves and their country. They have to be aware of the nature of the current crisis which is not sectarian, but it has to do with the political differences in the ruling of the country viewing the government and the constitution, which should be dealt with as citizens and not in the field of sectarianism.

I urge all Lebanese to rebel against all those who incite strife, and fear Allah and stop being moved emotionally by sectarian accusations. That is if you want this small country in size but big in its meaning and civilizational pluralism.

Do not let backwardness destroy the value and meaning of the country.

To avoid such a fate, do check the sources of information, and use an open and calm discourse.