In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

 

FOR HAMAS – THE SUREST WAY TO SUCCESS

 

[Shamim A Siddiqi, New York]

 

In the recently held Parliamentary Elections of January 24, 2006, Hamas secured a landslide victory by capturing 76 seats in the house of 132 with every right to form its own independent government in Palestine. The USA and the European countries accepted the results as fair and free will of the people but are not prepared to accept the would-be government of Palestine unless Hamas recognizes the “illegitimacy” of  Israel on the legitimate land of Palestinians and gives up its armed struggle to overthrow it. Otherwise, all the sources of funds will be denied to them even their own tax money that Israel is collecting around 40 millions every month on transfer of goods and services in transit through the State of Israel will not be delivered to them.

 

While the sword of fiscal “death” is hovering over the head of the would-be Palestinian government, its President, Mahmoud Abbas invited Ismael Haniya, the second top most leader of Hamas on February 21 to form the government and he had accepted the invitation. Since then, he has  five weeks to form the government and put up the team of his ministers with a bit “relief” that the “sustenance” to the government will continue till the date Hamas government takes the oath. All the financial aids will come to an end along with it. However, the leadership of Hamas is determined and had categorically refused to accept the conditions for aid from the Trio: the USA, the Euro-countries and Israel. This game of intimidation and applying coercive means does not end here. The Foreign Secretary of the USA Dr. Rice is currently out on tour, visiting different Muslim countries to “convince” them not to give any financial support to Hamas government till it accepts the conditions as spelled out by the aforesaid Trio. This is an open game of coercion on the part of the USA.. On the face of what the USA is advocating it negates its very propaganda “stunt” of democracy. Can any thing be more hippocratic than these open diplomatic maneuverings  to “kill” the  Palestinian government in the “womb” before its takes its birth?

 

However, there are a few signs of “hopes” that have emerged from the dark clouds of threats and intimidation. It confirms that human conscience, somewhere, is still alive though “diplomatically”. President Putin of Russia has the courage to declare openly that he did not consider Hamas as a “terrorist” organization and he would invite its leadership for dialogues. A delegation to that effect will be going to Moscow on March 3, 2006 under the leadership of its exiled leader Khalid Meshal who is in Syria. Simultaneously, he has become the rowing ambassador of Hamas, visiting Muslim countries seeking help and financial support. I hope it would work. The first sign of hope is the negative attitude of all the Muslim governments where Dr Rice visited and tried to convince them not to support Hamas. All reacted perhaps with one voice that they would continue to support the Palestinian government and that they would give it chance to realize the realities on the ground in order to adjust with the condition gradually.

Hamas is different from Al-Fatah of President Abbas and, as such, has more options than that are visible to the adversaries opposing its existence tooth and nail. Hamas is an ideological party and it is allegedly “opposing” the existence of Israel on ideological grounds. It is a benevolent institution and working day and night for the welfare of its people. It has faith in God and is blessed with immense invisible blessings that are forthcoming on its ranks and files.  Contrary to the secular attitude of lateYasir Arafat and now Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas stands for the emergence of an ideological state/society in Palestine based on the Qur’an and Sunnah and that is the main “reason” it is being opposed by the aforesaid Trio by all means. But by securing success through ballots, they, by the mercy of their Lord, have thrown a challenge before the entire West. So, in all sincerity, they are determined to stand by it. If it tries to build an Islamic society in Palestine with whatever “meager” resources it has at its disposal,  Allah’s Nusrah  will come to their help and rescue with abundance of Barakah [blessings].

 

Along with it, they should now try their utmost to rebuild the character of their people on the lines Islam envisages and inculcate in each of them a trustworthy character to serve as model not only for the Jews and Christians in their neighborhood but for the entire materialistic society of Europe and America. Their astounding success in Elections was from Allah. They should now struggle hard to inculcate in the Palestinian people the requisite character of a Mumin that can die but never bends to Batil.

 

If the Hamas Government takes positive steps in the lines pinpointed above, I am sure, they are bound to get positive response from the Muslim Ummah. Both moral and material help will, Insha Allah, pour in the land of Qudus to the extent that they would never need any financial help from any secular government in future.

 

If they start working as an ideological party, world will watch this miracle of twenty first century with amazing results soon that how a modern state is build up from scratch and it is benevolent for its people, for its neighbors and for the humanity at large. President Putin rightly said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization and that has been endorsed today by the last Soviet President Gorbachev, accusing the USA of unilateralism in world affairs. Hamas has to prove it by action and deeds. I know and history has the record that Palestinians are very hard and fighting people against all odds. This is the test of their leaders. They have not only to build themselves from scratch on the lines Rasulullah (S) built the first Muslim society in seventh century AD but to build the most modern Islamic state in twenty first century equally from scratch.. It was Allah’s Nusrah {help) that made it possible at that time. The same help is in waiting for Hamas to repeat that miraculous performance of their time.

 

However, simultaneously, while maintaining their firmness about the Israeli state, they have to be benevolent in their treatment with Jewish people and their “forced” state in their midst. They will have to give up the shedding of bloodshed of innocents even if the Zionist state out of its arrogance behaves otherwise. Palestinians have to set the most accomplished moral example of Islam: fighting the evil designs of “others” with good behavior and benevolent treatment with the result - “Lo! Your enemy had become your bosom friend” [Ref: Verse # 34 of Chapter 41 of the Qur’an] This the character of the Mumin and the ideological state of Palestine by Hamas will prove its worth in its conflict with Jews and Israel. This is the tradition of Islam and Muslims when they were supreme in the world. Hamas will have to prove that Muslims are still worth the same. It would serve as model for this millennium and for ages to come. Hamas in this process will lose nothing but get the gains of both the worlds. Thus, they will win the sympathy and support of all the Islam loving people of the world. It is just possible that if Hamas works out its detailed program on lines envisaged above, world history will write a new chapter of “freedom and dignity of human rights”. A small step by Hamas in the heart of Muslim world will replenish the fresh blood of hope and Khair [goodness] for mankind.

 

 

Shamim A Siddiqi

February 27, 2006