The Grand Imam: Attacking Gaza and Lebanon exposed both the international community and hypocrisy in dealing with the Middle East.
The Grand Imam: the Zionists are aggressors and I believe that Allah Almighty gives them time to apply to them the Prophet’s (PBUH) saying: “Verily, Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape”.
The Grand Imam: the world political decision makers do not want peace or upholding the vulnerable in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Grand Imam: the world today is led by a heartless, insensitive group.
The Grand Imam: our Arab and Islamic world has failed to prepare itself for facing the contemporary challenges and preoccupied itself with the sectarian challenges and seditions, casted by its enemies.
The Grand Imam: if Palestine and Lebanon were destined to have 1% of what the occupying entity has of arms and weapons, that entity would not have dared to deal in such inhumane way.
Prof. Ahmad at-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, received Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, Head of the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services, accompanied by the delegation from the South African Council of Churches and American Churches. The delegation was headed by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, the Executive Director of “Churches for Middle East Peace” and Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. The meeting came to discuss forming a faith leaders’ alliance to call for establishing the Palestinian state.
In such context, the Grand Imam stated that the Palestinian issue along with attacking Gaza and Lebanon showed the world a new phenomenon that may be called “Political schizophrenia”. His Eminence explained that the main feature of this phenomenon is the international hypocrisy of the major powers, where at some time they demand halting the attack on Gaza, cry women and children martyrs of Gaza, and at the same time their persistent insistence on supporting the Zionist entity with arms and weapons to carry on its terrorist aggression against the innocents. His Eminence pointed out as well that such international hypocrisy reminds us of the Arabic proverb: “to kill someone and present solace and condolences at the same time”.
Further, the Grand Imam underlined that those practicing international hypocrisy do not want, in any way, achieving fair peace or defending the vulnerable in Gaza and Lebanon. His Eminence stressed that those parties have lost any feelings towards the weak; their conscience is actually dead and they drag the world backward to restore the era of slaves and enslaving policies. Prof. Ahmad at-Tayyeb underscored that the civilization of the modern age tries to exclude the heavenly religion and to keep it away from Man’s life. He added that the world today is led by a heartless, insensitive group.
Moreover, the Grand Imam added: “I believe that Allah Almighty is just and that the Zionists and their supporters are aggressors. I am convinced that Allah Almighty gives them the time in order to apply to them the Prophet’s (PBUH) saying: “Verily, Allah gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He does not let him escape”. I am not in a state of evading responsibility and blaming it all on the international community; yet, what I see is that our Arab and Islamic world has greatly failed in preparing itself to face such contemporary challenges, and preoccupied itself with the sectarian challenges and seditions, casted by its enemies. If the Palestinian and Lebanese had had 1% of the arms and weapons the Zionist entity has, that entity would not have dared to deal in such inhumane manner”.
On his part, Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki commended the leading role played by His Eminence the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in fostering interfaith dialogue. He said that “our mission as religious leaders is to call for peace and tolerance and to work together for the sake of putting an end to the oppression the Palestinian people are suffering. Ongoing communication and coordination between religious leaders worldwide must continue, especially in regard to the issues that affect the whole humanity”.
On their parts, the delegation of South African and American Churches expressed their pleasure to meet the Grand Imam of al-Azhar and their aspiration to support His Eminence’s stance concerning forming a faith leaders’ alliance to establish the Palestinian state. Additionally, the delegation demonstrated their willingness to form a religious front to gather the different religions to call for halting the attacks against Gaza and Lebanon. The delegation emphasized that such front will stand up to the violations practiced by the occupying entity of killing innocent women, children and men, destructing the infrastructures, houses and places of worship in Gaza, taxing mosques and churches in the West Bank for the purpose of tightening control on it; such aggressive procedures come within the framework of the Judaization policies practiced against Palestine.
In the same vein, the delegation stressed that the main aim of forming such alliance is to counteract the oppressive policies against the Palestinians, which forms a massive challenge facing the process of ceasing the attacks against Gaza and Lebanon. Indeed, such abusive policies hinder the entry of humanitarian aid; hence, challenging the biased policies supporting the occupying entity is a must. Without such policies, the occupying entity would not have committed that huge amount of crimes, genocides and daily massacres.
It is worth mentioning that the delegation included Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) and Rev.Khader El-Yateem, the Executive Director for Service and Justice at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
