Voice of British Muslim Women

Ayesha Naseem, Blackburn

Ever since the start of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip following the violence of Hamas on October 7th, the Israeli officials have been citing references from the Bible, which mention the rights of Israelites on the city of Jerusalem and the state of Israel, to justify their war.

However, after the merciless killing of more than 20,000 Palestinians, over 10,000 of whom are children in this war with no end in sight, it is important to cite the same sacred scriptures and their teachings on the rules of war.

In Leviticus of the Old Testament, it is said: ‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbour, as he has done, so shall it be done to him— fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him […] You shall have the [a] same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.’ [1]

Exhibiting and promoting the values of compassion, it is stated in the Torah:

‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy, and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’’ [2]

These words clearly reject recompense that is disproportionate, indiscriminate, and as relentless and persistent as the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and its population.

The Holy Qur’an also enjoins the teachings of justice and compassion while simultaneously rejecting recompense and retaliation that targets innocent civilians.

Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an: ‘…The recompense of an injury is an injury the like thereof; but whoso forgives, and his act brings about reformation, his reward is with Allah.’ [3] Explaining the basis of this verse, the Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him) writes: ‘The real object underlying the awarding of punishment to the guilty person, according to Islamic teaching, is his moral reformation. If forgiveness is calculated to do him some moral good, he should be forgiven. He should be punished, if punishment is likely to lead to his reformation; but the punishment should in no case be disproportionate to the offence committed.’ [4]

Even when Islam permits recompense, it specifically emphasises that it should be limited and in no way indiscriminate or disproportionate. In Chapter 22 of the Holy Qur’an, the permission to fight was explicitly given because at that time with no recompense, religion faced the threat of eradication from the world. The Holy Qur’an then says that ‘…if Allah did not repel’, no church, mosque or synagogue would be safe. [5]

Early Muslims were not only given permission to defend the existence of Islam but were also responsible to safeguard and defend religions, scriptures, and places of worship of all people. The rules and the conditions to fight a war did not end there, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) instructed Muslims that under no circumstances were civilians like men who were non-combatants, women, children, the elderly, the disabled or even the plants and animals for that matter, to be harmed.

It is extremely regrettable that the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 7th has been anything but proportionate. Not only have an enormous number of defenceless civilians been killed while millions more have been displaced, but Israeli forces have also bombed refugee camps, UN schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, synagogues, libraries, universities and even graveyards. What’s worse is that I am not referring to only recent past events. It is still ongoing as I type this.

This is not a war between Islam and Judaism. No matter how much politicians and media weaponize religion, this will never be about religion. Power relations and lack of justice provokes war, not religion.

In the end, I finish with the words of prayer of the fifth and current worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) who said in a recent Friday Sermon: ‘May Allah Almighty create the means to seize the oppressors and bring relief to the oppressed Palestinians.’ [6]  

References

[1] Leviticus, 24:19-22

[2] Zechariah 7:8-10

[3] The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 42, Verse 41

[4] Five-Volume English Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, Volume 4, pp. 2839-2840.

[5] The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 22, Verses 40-41

[6] https://x.com/pressahmadiyya/status/1735696163246928068?s=20