Istanbul – The activities of the “Ummah’s Scholars Initiative to Support the Flood” were launched on the occasion of the Hijri year anniversary of the Battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” through a massive public festival in the city of Istanbul.
The festival witnessed – yesterday, Thursday – the participation of a group of scholars from the Islamic world in personal presence or with recorded speeches, the most prominent of whom were the preacher Zakir Naik, the Mufti of Libya, Sheikh Al-Sadiq Al-Gharyani, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hassan Al-Dado, in addition to hundreds of Turks and members of the Arab communities residing in Istanbul.
The attendees prayed two rak’ahs and said the supplication of Qunoot, raising their palms in supplication to God, calling for the support of the people of Gaza and the lifting of the siege on them.
Many institutions of Muslim scholars around the world are organizing this initiative in coordination with the Palestine Scholars Association, with the aim of uniting Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian cause, calling for material and moral support for the Palestinian people, and denouncing the suffering that the Palestinians in Gaza have been experiencing for nearly a year.
In their speeches, the speakers focused on the necessity of continuing the struggle against the Israeli occupation, stressing the importance of expanding the circle of support and resistance.
“Blowing is a legal obligation.”
The head of the Palestinian Scholars Association, Nawaf Takruri, stressed that the passage of one year since the “Al-Aqsa Flood” represents “an incentive to continue the struggle against the Israeli occupation, which has only achieved more killing and destruction in Gaza over the past year.”
Takruri explained that the occupation, after failing to achieve its goals in Gaza, is trying to open new fronts in Lebanon, which requires full preparation to confront it everywhere.
Takruri also called on young people around the world to follow in the footsteps of the Gaza mujahideen, stressing that the coming battle must move to all parts of the earth.
For his part, Turkish Sheikh Ihsan Can Uşak praised Gaza’s steadfastness, saying, “The people of Gaza wrote a new history and proved to the world that a Muslim, when he is with God Almighty, does not submit to tyrants, but rather makes them kneel.”
He continued: “We extend our greetings from the land of the caliphate to our people in Gaza, and we affirm that the test is not daily or annual, but rather extends throughout life, just as the companions waited patiently for 13 years until victory came to them.”
In his speech, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hassan Al-Dado stressed the importance of continuing the effort, giving, supplication, and demonstrations “like a never-ending flood,” explaining that the Islamic nation must remain preoccupied with what befell its brothers in Gaza and Lebanon, and stand by them in these difficult times.
Sheikh Al-Dado pointed out “the danger of getting used to seeing massacres committed by the enemy over the course of an entire year,” calling for the rejection of silence in the face of these crimes. He also stressed that the martyrs had sacrificed their lives for this cause, and that the nation must not let them down, but rather continue to follow their path until victory is achieved.
“Humanity is slaughtering itself”
In this context, the former head of religious affairs in Turkey, Mehmet Gormaz, said, “The Gaza war is not just a war against Gaza alone, but rather it is the world’s war against Gaza, and the world’s siege of it and the annihilation of its people.”
He believed that humanity “is slaughtering itself and its meanings on the doorstep of Gaza, where a full year has passed since the massacres committed against the Palestinians without the world taking action or taking actual steps to stop this massacre.”
Gormaz concluded his speech by saying: “What is happening in Gaza is a difficult struggle, but from it a new future for humanity will be born, and this will be the decisive separation between those who stand with truth and goodness, and those who stand with evil and injustice.”
For his part, Islamic preacher Zakir Naik said in a recorded speech during the festival that what the people of Gaza are doing is an obligation of sufficiency on behalf of the Islamic nation, which makes their virtue great for the entire nation.
He added that history witnessed many genocides, but they were not this horrific, as they broke all moral and humanitarian rules. He stressed that what is happening in Gaza should be a lesson for every Muslim about how the people of Gaza adhere to the teachings of Islam and remain steadfast despite suffering, and learn patience from the mothers of martyrs and from the steadfastness of children.
Naik pointed out that the steadfastness of the people of Gaza was the reason for many people to embrace Islam, while millions around the world began to learn about the teachings of the Islamic religion.
He drew attention to the fact that millions took part in demonstrations in Europe in solidarity with Muslims in Gaza, which reflects the shift that this suffering has brought about in global consciousness.
Calls to unify ranks
The head of the International Organization for Supporters of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sheikh Muhammad Al-Saghir, said in his interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that this festival represents the official launch of the initiative of the nation’s scholars to support the flood, which comes with the one-year anniversary of the mass massacres carried out by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. .
Al-Saghir praised the important role played by Islamic institutions and associations, led by the Palestine Scholars Association, which took upon itself the responsibility of organizing this initiative in light of the urgent need for everyone to be a supportive voice for the people of Gaza.
Sheikh Al-Saghir also stressed that this initiative aims to unify Islamic efforts and enhance practical and media support for the cause of the Palestinian people, stressing that such events contribute to highlighting the suffering of Gaza and exposing the occupation’s practices to the world.
For his part, the Turkish preacher Fatih Guncekti said in his interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that it is the duty of Muslim scholars, and still is, to live up to the responsibility placed on them, to move and stand alongside the Muslims in the Gaza Strip. He stressed that this festival is part of a series of activities and steps taken previously to support the people of Gaza financially and morally.
Gunchakti stressed the importance of educating the Islamic nation about the dangers it faces if silence continues regarding what is happening in Gaza, stressing the necessity of religious awareness that informs Muslims of their duties towards their brothers in the Gaza Strip.
He also called on Islamic governments, which he described as weak, to take urgent action to stop the massacres, bring in humanitarian aid, and begin the reconstruction of Gaza.
Scientific and relief programs
The initiative’s activities will continue until October 7th. It includes scientific conferences held on September 27 and 28, during which legal fatwas related to the nation’s role in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” will be discussed, in addition to sessions focusing on the role of scholars in supporting the Palestinian resistance.
On September 29, an international event will be held in which female scholars and preachers from various Islamic countries will participate to highlight the importance of women’s role in supporting the Palestinian cause. September 30 will be devoted to talking about the importance of the economic boycott of Israel and its role as an effective tool in confronting the occupation.
The initiative continues to organize relief and humanitarian campaigns on the first and second of October, to support the people of Gaza in light of the worsening humanitarian crisis. The third of October is devoted to supplication and supplication, as the two rak’ah prayers will be performed in mosques and squares in solidarity with Gaza.
The initiative concludes its activities on October 7, commemorating the first anniversary of the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, by organizing a global strike and collective fasting, in addition to millions of marches and vigils in many Islamic countries, to demand an end to the Israeli aggression and support for the Palestinian people.