Palestine

During the time while this book was being written, the Middle East was once again the scene of conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Israeli army have been ruthlessly bombing civilian settlements, shooting children, and trying to make the already tormented Occupied Territories more uninhabitable. Some Palestinian radicals, on the other hand, are attacking Israeli civilian targets and spreading violence with their terrible suicide bombings aimed at innocent women and children.

As Muslims, our heartfelt wish is for the anger and hatred on both sides to die down, for the bloodshed to stop, and for peace to come to both lands. We oppose both the Israeli killing of innocent Palestinians and the radical Palestinians bombing of innocent Israelis.

In our view, the most important condition for this ongoing conflict to end and for real peace to be established is for both sides to acquire and then implement a genuine and honest understanding of their respective beliefs. The conflict between these two peoples has assumed the form of a "religious war" between Jews and Muslims, though, in fact there is absolutely no reason for there to be such a war. Both Jews and Muslims believe in Allah, love and respect many of the same prophets, and possess the same moral principles. They are not enemies; rather, they are allies in a world in which atheism and the hatred of religion are widespread. Based on this fundamental principle, we call on the Israelis (and all Jews) to realize the following facts:

Muslims and Jews believe in one Allah, the Creator of the universe and all things therein. We are all Allah's servants, and to Him shall we all return. So why hate each other? The holy books we believe in are superficially different but in essence the same, for they come from the same Allah. Therefore we all abide by them. So why should we fight one another?

Muslims and Jews love and respect many of the same prophets. The Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaq (Isaac), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), or Dawud (David), peace be upon them all, are at least as important for Muslims as they are for Jews. The lands where these holy figures lived and served Allah are at least as holy for Muslims as they are for Jews. So why drown these lands in blood and tears?

That is where the solution to the Palestinian tragedy and other conflicts in the world lies. The deaths and suffering of so many innocent people remind us every day what an urgent task this is.