Cemal Inam, Thornton Heath
Anyone who has tuned into the news over the last month or so knows that the Israel and Palestine conflict has been at the forefront of the headlines. The Israel and Palestine conflict is not new; rather it has been going on for 73 years and has involved citizens from both sides fighting for the right to occupy Jerusalem, known as the Holy Land for both Muslims and Jewish people.[i]
Since Islam is a religion of peace, what does it have to say about conflict and how to solve it?
In a recent virtual meeting on 19th June with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Kababir, Israel, His Holiness, Mirza Mansoor Ahmad, the current worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was asked how the Palestinians can live in a country which is in conflict with them. [ii] His Holiness highlighted that in the Holy Qur’an it is commanded for a Muslim to follow the law of the land. This is clearly shown where it says ‘O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey His Messenger and those who are in authority over you…’ (4:60). Therefore, it is important for Palestinians who live in Israel to abide by the law of the country. However, His Holiness emphasised that if they are unable to abide by these laws because they believe the laws to be unjust, if possible, they have the option to migrate.
However, His Holiness also highlighted the importance of airing one’s grievances to the authorities and governmental representatives to inform them of injustices. Therefore, in certain situations a Muslim’s main goal becomes to strive to make the authorities understand that injustices never succeed.
Although Islam encourages Muslims to raise their voices against injustices it discourages and forbids them from creating disorder and causing damage to property. His Holiness highlighted that these actions do not have any impact on bringing about peace and can actually harm the general population in the long run.
When His Holiness was asked how one goes about solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine, His Holiness said that it is important to establish an independent Palestinian government which is not suppressed by the hardships that they face from the Israeli government. Thus, it is important for Palestine to be recognised as a nation state by intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) such as the UN in order to establish peace. Furthermore, His Holiness emphasised the importance of prayer and asking Allah for help. He added that if the Palestinians truly unite and form a solid connection with Allah the Almighty then the situation will improve.
Recognising a country on an international platform has been proven to be an effective method in establishing peace in a region. Without this solution, states cannot be stable and can experience several economic costs. For example, Somaliland is a state but is not recognised by the UN as a country.[iii] Despite the state having a strong government with regular democratic elections they do not have any international value. They have limited access to developmental and humanitarian assistance that the UN provides and they are unable to access loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
In addition, Kosovo, another state which despite being declared independent in 2008 has yet to obtain recognition from some countries and the UN, this causes Kosovo to miss out economically. Kosovo does not have any access to essential business services such as postal delivery and money transfer as these services are usually only available for countries who are recognised by the UN. This can have negative impacts on businesses in Kosovo as it can increase their time and costs.
Therefore, without universal recognition by the UN, Palestine has limited access to humanitarian and developmental resources. One of the most significant things that Palestine will miss out on is the ability to hold other nation states, government officials and those in authority to account by international law. Without international law Palestinians are unable to reach justice and therefore will not experience peace. [iv]
To conclude, Islam encourages Muslims to raise awareness of the injustice that they experience and the injustice that prevail in other countries. However, it forbids Muslims from damaging property and creating disorder as nothing comes out of it. If and where possible, people should migrate. To solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Palestine needs to establish for themselves a stable government in order to become independent from Israel and be recognised by the UN.
[i] “Israel-Gaza violence: The conflict explained” 16 Jun. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396. Accessed 23 Jun. 2021.
[ii] “This Week With Huzoor – 18 June 2021 | MTA.” 18 Jun. 2021, http://www.muslim-television.com/id/JwaGU0azE6wZMxN_k-HWjSCzUlTupJSQ/Week-Huzoor/Week-Huzoor-18-June-2021. Accessed 23 Jun. 2021.
[iii] “How do you start a country? – BBC News.” 10 Oct. 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-40803430. Accessed 23 Jun. 2021.
[iv] Lauterpacht, H. “Recognition of States in International Law.” The Yale Law Journal, vol. 53, no. 3, 1944, pp. 385–458. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/792830. Accessed 23 June 2021.
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