Last Nights Rally: Islamic or Fitna?

By Dr. Ali White It is with a profoundly heavy heart that I write this report. As you are aware, I yesterday passed on to you all a notice from an eminently religious source, urging you to attend a rally yesterday evening in Arncliffe Park, to protest about Israels inhuman war against Lebanon. Due to the origin of the notice advertising this event, one might reasonably assume that it would be a halal, indeed Islamic, event. How mistaken I was proven to be. I humbly apologise to anyone who attended last nights fitna-inthe-park, who was there only due to the notice I circulated. May Allah (swt) forgive me for this deed. You might be shocked by these statements. If so, please read on, and I will explain myself. Arriving at last nights event, the very first thing that struck me was the deafening recorded music and singing blaring out of loudspeakers. I know through my professional studies that each genre of music in the Middle East has a very particular purpose. The music being pumped out last night was of a markedly martial (i.e., military) style and is used to evoke nationalist (kufr) emotions. I checked with a pious native Arabic-speaker on the meaning of the words being sung, and my suspicions were confirmed: it was indeed nationalist ranting. I then noticed that many participants were clutching not flags or banners emblazoned with the Shahadat that Rasul Allah (S) carried into battle, but Lebanese flags. One man was even wearing one. Perhaps, you might say, the events organisers had no control over what some participants might do. But, then, how do you explain the Lebanese and Australian flags fixed firmly to the front of the podium by rally organisers? If our pious Ulema did not do this themselves, they certainly made no objection and were enthusiastic to speak under their shadow. The speeches were replete with misinformation and miseducation. Respected and highly eminent Ulema told us that Australias abandonment of Australian Lebanese visitors in Lebanon was not the Australian way. Really? Was not this country founded on the genocide of its indigenous inhabitants a genocide that still continues today? Has this country not fought in virtually every Western war against Muslims since the late 19th century? What part of racist and anti-Muslim does our pious Ulema not understand? We were told repeatedly that the UN must do something to stop the bloodshed in Lebanon and Palestine. But the UN has repeatedly covered itself in the blood of innocents, from the time of its foundation onwards. And anyone who follows the news knows that the US has managed to block almost every motion even mildly critical of Israel including in the present Lebanon conflict. Last nights speakers also apparently failed to condemn any proposal for the UN to insert foreign imperialist troops in Lebanon, to disarm the Muslims and finish Israels job in a manner acceptable to Western democratic public opinion even though this proposal has been seriously mooted in some quarters. And the speakers urged the Australian Government to pressure Israel to act peacefully. Obviously, no-one can abject to the idea that Israel cease killing Muslims. But it is serious misguidance to suggest that Muslims should believe that either the Australian or the Israeli governments will listen to such appeals, let alone act upon them. Lions and tigers are more likely to turn vegetarian before that happens! These governments are firmly, fanatically, based on mans law kufr and are

therefore engaged in the front line of the global War on Islam. How shameful it is for our learned speakers to even hint that they can change their spots! As far as Im aware, not one speaker last night mentioned the criminal culpability of the Arab rulers in the Muslim lands surrounding Palestine and Lebanon. Given that these rulers have each killed more Arabs (including Palestinians) than Israel, it was a strange omission. In the present situation, when these criminal rulers all refuse to lift a finger to assist our sisters and brothers in Palestine and Lebanon, it was a shocking omission, in fact. Muslim sisters and brothers: It is very clear that our Deen expressly prohibits the fitna of nationalism in all its forms. (If you do not know this, or if you disagree, please read the article I sent out yesterday.) Our Ulema are all very aware of this, as are many ordinary Believers. Yet events have shown that this is often very abstract agreement, in practice. For as soon as the enemies of Islam threaten some of us, we run not for the Holy Quran and the Seera for support and guidance but to our national flag! May Allah (swt) have mercy on us! O you Muslims! What has become of the Ummah of Rasul Allah (S)? Fourteen hundred years after the death of Muhammad (S) and then the massacre of his immediate descendants (as) at Karbala, is this what we have come to? If our Holy Prophet (S) were at last nights rally, do you think he would be carrying a national or tribal flag? Indeed, when did he ever do this? SubhanAllah! In fact, you already know the answer to these questions: the only banner Rasul Allah (S) ever carried was the banner of Shahadat. Why are we ashamed to follow his Sunnah today? If Islam is the only solution, we should not be afraid to say this. Do we really believe this? Then why do we not embody this belief in practice where it really counts? Leaving our Deen has NEVER gained the Muslims anything. Unity with non-Muslims on the basis of nationalist fitna is illusory and can do no good. If we are Muslims, we must pledge our sovereignty to Allah (swt) ALONE and place our complete trust in Him ALONE. To hell with the kufr flags of the kafirs nation-states for that is where they belong and will end up! My dear sisters-and-brothers-in-Islam: stand up for your Deen and Allah (swt) will not desert you. And defend your Deen from those who would lead it into the fitna of nationalism and pacifism. If you, dear brother or sister reading this, regard the above as extremist, I would respectfully request that they first answer my arguments from Quran and Ahadith. For Allah (swt) knows best. 20 July 2006