FRIDAY SPEECH August 31, 2001

One of the issues the Glorious Quran wanted every Muslim, as well as the Muslim community; to learn and follow is how to deal with all who are against Islam…

When Islam started, the infidels confronted it and tried their best to stop and defeat it. Then the Jews stood against Islam, and plotted against the prophet. They even tried to assassinate him, although there was a pact between them in which they were considered a part of the community and having the same rights and duties of Muslims.

Then there were challenges from the other people of the Book, and the Muslims after the prophet had to engage in several wars, with the hypocrites who pretended to be Muslims entering into alliances with infidels, the Jews, and all the enemies of Islam. Then the Muslims had to deal with many nations with their Islamic march in the whole world. These social, political and cultural developments brought many hostilities with several parties seeing that their interests are in conflict with those of the Muslims.

Then, we reached our present age in which the arrogant allied with all unbelievers in all religions to weaken Islam and Muslims and conquer them so as to put their hands on the Muslims’ resources, especially oil... And they now have dominated the oil industry whether in exploration, production or marketing.

Thus, the Muslim countries were prevented from becoming industrial nations so as to remain consuming ones. Since if they start to produce what they need, the industrial countries will lose these vast markets, especially if they can produce better and cheaper products.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the West and the International Arrogance that constitute the so-called NATO alliance, began to look for an enemy that justifies the continuity of the alliance that was instituted to confront the Soviet Union. The then UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, proclaimed that the enemy is Islam, and so did NATO’s Secretary General. For militant Islam which they refer to as fundamentalist Islam is the force that stands against the arrogant’s interests in its countries and allies with all the weakened and deprived in the other countries, considering freedom from arrogance and colonialism to be its major cause. Thus NATO started to fight the Muslims politically, economically and militarily wise.

It prevented the Muslims from uniting whether the Shiites and Sunnis, or the internal unity of each sect, for this the only way they can dominate us.

Moreover, helping the Jews in occupying Palestine, and destabilizing the whole region, by a Satanic alliance between the West and Zionism are a part of these plots so that Israel will hinder the unity of the Arab world whose vast majority are Muslims. For Israel helps all factions that fight Muslims anywhere, and it lately sent experts to help India in its fight against the Muslims in Kashmir.

This is the atmosphere; the Muslims had lived in the past and the one they still experience. The Glorious Quran tries to draw the Muslims’ attention to that they have to be armed with knowledge, vigilance and awareness, so as not to enable their enemies, whether the unbelievers or the arrogant, to marginalize their policies and turn them into satellites. Islam tells the Muslims that when they have to deal with unbelievers or arrogant they have to be careful and not let them know any of their secrets, because you can be deceived by what their intelligence agencies portray as right or good, while it is truly evil. This is what had happened in the so-called ”The Arab Upheaval” when Britain wanted to fragment the Ottoman Empire… What did Britain do? It tried to incite Arab nationalism promising the Arabs to help them gain their freedom. When Sharif Hussein believed them and revolted against the empire, Britain exiled Sharif Hussein and took over the whole region, giving the Americans a certain share in Higaz and Najd.

That it is why the Glorious Quran calls the Muslims, individuals and communities alike, to be cautious and vigilant in dealing with those who conspire against them, and stop being naive.

This is what some of the Muslim world fell in when they sought the help of America and Israel in the fight against their brothers.

We know that these states are not charity organizations and that when they help some of us, it is with the aim of weakening and conquering all of us.

God (SWT) says in His Book

” Let believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful-he that does this has no connection with Allah unless you guard yourself against them.

It is clear that God (SWT) considers those who befriend unbelievers or help them or even fight with them to be of no relation with God (SWT) whatsoever, which is one of the most serious threats. For God (SWT) will not bestow His mercy on them.

The Quran exposes the hypocrites’ plots

” Believers, do not make friends with any men other than your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is clear from what they say, but more violent is the hatred which their breasts conceal”.

It is evident from the context of this verse that we should not trust non-believers with our secrets-and we notice some of our intelligence agencies are coordinating with their intelligence agencies which is absolutely forbidden as we are not supposed to trust them. Moreover, they will only try to stir difference among the Muslims.

God (SWT) then tells us about their true feelings, but he also ensures us that if we are patient, resort to planning, and have a strong will –power, we will not be affected by their plots.

God (SWT) wants us to be the vigilant nation and always try to get beyond appearances into the real intentions and goals, especially as the international, regional and local intelligence agencies who serve but one master, have quite an experience in the ways of creating dissension and stirring up strife. Keep your eyes wide open, so that you wont have confidence in those who do not deserve it, or you want love those who are plotting against you.

God (SWT) wants us the best nation ever that enjoins good and forbids evil. To do that, we should believe in God (SWT) and stay vigilant and aware of all that is going around us. We should learn to preserve all our social, political and military secrets. But we love to talk without any reservation. This is the problem we have to face. Imam Ali (A.S) says:” The fool’s heart is behind his tongue, while the wise man’s tongue is behind his heart” Therefore, be of the wise who do not utter a word before knowing the consequences, and do not be like the fools who say the first thing that comes to their minds.

Worshippers of Allah (SWT) be pious, and vigilant to learn about all those who are trying to plot against you especially the international arrogance and the Jews who want to secure their hegemony over all our resources.

In its twelfth month, the Intifada continues to confront the enemies’ incursions in its territories. It has been able to make him pay and inflict casualties, despite all its American arms. America meanwhile, waits until after accomplishing its military plans, to warn only against permanent occupation that violates the signed agreements. At the same time, it does not forget to tell the Palestinians to stop what it calls violence.

And although the international players have tried to control the situation so that it will not reach dangerous proportions, and although the Europeans and Russians have warned Israel, it continues its aggressions, with the Arab confused and unable to produce any effective stand that goes beyond verbal condemnation.

The stage demands that the Palestinians should plan for a counter war. And since Israelis as it is said, have crossed all red lines, the Palestinians too should stop at no red line. Moreover, since the Israelis do not respond to the calls to stop their aggression, the Palestinians should not take the American position into consideration, since the final result is determined at the battlefield... The Palestinians should reject the Mitchell project, since the American -Israeli plan is based on the concentration on one detail after another, so as to forget the fundamental issue of liberation, independence, the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as it capital and the return of the refuges.

America is trying to blur the real political picture of Palestine, and this made her have a reservation against participating in the Anti-Racism conference in South Africa, having first succeeded in preventing the Conference from discussing the issue of the racism of Zionism, since any discussion of the Israeli racial practices will embarrass the Americans who claim to be the champion of human rights, as it stands against the Palestinian right for freedom and independence, and defends Israel brutal campaign against them.

We call upon the Arab and Muslim states, as well as the African states that suffer a lot from racism, to turn the conference into a political demonstration that rejects the American-Israeli stand against the Palestinian Intifada, because standing with freedom in one place strengthens the freedom causes in all other places. The Palestinian people should continue their war and deepen the Israeli impasse and face the American position. While the Arab and Muslim peoples bear the responsibility of economically boycotting America, and hurting its interests in the region so that America and its partners will come to learn that standing against the Intifada will make them lose their positions in this world ...If some parties are talking about America’s power in the world, nations too have a lot of chances to weaken this power by the decisive stands they take.

In this occasion, we as an Arab Muslim people –reject the American call to Syria to control the activities of Palestinian organizations based in Syria, while it did not call upon Israel to withdraw from the Golan or to stop assassinating Palestinian leaders. If America wishes to preserve its interests in the region, it should stand with the rights of nations in freedom, especially the Palestinians.

On another level, America has announced that it supports Azerbaijan in the border dispute with Iran over the Caspian resources, thus trying to undermine Iran’s attempt to solve the matter peacefully as a dispute between Muslim brothers.

Furthermore, the American-British bombing of Iraq that is killing civilians constitutes yet another American aggression.

The American Embassy is Lebanon is taking, on its part, another biased stand .It calls for calming down the situation in the South forgetting that Israel is performing daily aggressions with its warplanes that continue to patrol the Lebanese skies. America also has raised the issue of the village of Ghagar, whom the Lebanese – the Resistance included- have the right to enter from the Lebanese side.

The US ought to have told the Israeli occupier to withdraw from the Lebanese territories for this the only solution for the problem.

On the internal front, I welcome the return of calm to the internal political discourse, and I call for calming the tension and resorting to objective thinking concerning the critical situation in the region and its effects on Lebanon. The Government should be united in confronting the political dangers, since political instability aggravates the economic crises.

Further more, statements that call us to feel good about our economy, play a positive role, for we need such optimism to clear the political atmosphere that created a state of panic that was reflected on the economy and on our national currency. We have lost a lot as a result of these political games, and we can’t lose any more, for the country is on the verge of an economic catastrophe.

The issue of Imam Musa Al-Sadr is still a bleeding wound for all Lebanese and Muslims.

Libya, that is responsible for his brutal abduction, holds the responsibility of unveiling the truth of the matter, since all its allegations are untrue. I call for the follow-up of this case, because the absence of the Imam in the way it was conducted represents a big burden on the conscience of the Lebanese and Muslims.