Arab Information Center

Name : The Palestinian Problem: Unassailable Facts and Fundamental Principles
Author : Dr. Muhsen Muhammad Salih, an expert in Palestinian studies and modern Arab history
Published in the series : Jerusalem Treatises (number 4)
Publisher : Arab Information Center, al-Giza, Egypt Year : 2002

General Description

The book boasts of bringing the reader the basic facts of “the Palestinian problem” and its specific political and ideological contexts. It was published as one of the AIC's series called Jerusalem Treatises. “The Palestinian problem,” the theme of this as well as other AIC publications, is depicted as “ the most pressing problem for [all] Arabs and Muslims ” and as part of the broader issue of dealing with attacks on the Muslim people.

The introduction was written by Dr. Muhammad ‘Amara , a well-known Egyptian Islamic scholar and publisher. He has issued many books about Islam (including radical Islam) and Arab nationalism. Dr. ‘Amara provides a brief survey of Islamic history from a radical Islamist point of view. He describes the founding of “the Zionist authority on the land of Palestine” by imperialists [sic] “ a racial cancer, an alien growth which interrupts the territorial integrity of the [Muslim] Ummah [nation] and threatens any enterprise of regeneration and unity for both Arabs and Muslims…” (p. 6) He describes the “ Zionist peril” threatening the Islamic world and states that the Palestinian problem has become a symbol of the broader conflict between Muslims and all the enemies of Islam. (p. 8)

Following are excerpts from the book:

From the chapter “Palestine Throughout History :” The Islamic viewpoint presented by the author describes Palestine as “ the place from which the dead will rise, the innermost heart of the entire Islamic territory ( Dar al-Islam ). Whoever lives there views himself as a warrior in the jihad for the sake of Allah…” (p. 11)

From the chapter “The Jews Have No Right [at All] to the Land of Palestine :” “According to research done by the Jews themselves [sic]… more than 80% of all the Jews alive today have no historical connection with [Muslim-Arab] Palestine…” (p. 13); “The continued existence of the Jewish-Zionist entity is dependent upon the promise of the weakness, schism and backwardness of the Muslim countries bordering it; the opposite equation is that an uprising of the nation [of Islam], its unity and strength, are dependent upon the destruction of the Jewish-Zionist enterprise which eats away at [the nation of Islam's] heart.” (pp. 15-16)

From the chapter “Jewish Expansion in the Region :” “The arrogant behavior of the Jews regarding the [Muslim] land [of Palestine] is a fact that no one contends… The Jews invested a great effort in taking over al-Aqsa mosque [in Jerusalem]… They dug four tunnels which pose an immediate threat to the continued stability of the mosque's structure. They also formed 25 Jewish terrorist organizations aimed at destroying al-Aqsa [mosque] and rebuilding their temple in its place.” (p. 22)

From the chapter “Palestine, Homeland for Muslims and Christians :” “The enforcement of conditions [by] the oppressive victor (i.e., Israel) which steals from a weak people (i.e., the Palestinians) may bring about ‘an arrangement' [quotation marks in the original text], but it will never bring peace. Therefore, the jihad for the liberation of Palestine will continue to be an obligation . The [continued] existence of the Zionist entity in Palestine in the heart of the Muslim world … will be a burning fuse threatening to explode world peace and cause the Third World War… The Muslims will never accept a [foreign] entity in their midst… indeed, they will work to remove it [from the world] just as they did to other [political entities in the past]. Otherwise, let the great powers know that the injustice they caused by inventing that entity will bring death and destruction to all mankind. Therefore, it would be better for that entity to be dismantled before the time of horrors arrives. ” (pp. 35-36)

From the chapter “The Islamic Worldview about the Extent of the Conflict :” “ Islam must be the [military] base [ al-quaeda in the original text] for the liberation [of Palestine] and the destruction of the Zionist enterprise . That is because Islam… has the greatest ability to mobilize the masses and to concentrate its resources, and because history , whether the conquest of Jerusalem or its liberation from the Crusaders and the Mongols, proves the [final] success of the Islamic solution. ” (pp. 36-37)

From the same chapter, the main features of the Islamic solution to the Palestinian problem are (pp. 37-39):

	Islam should be adopted as an ideology through behavior, way of life and political rule in accordance with the precepts of Allah .
	A well-trained, proper, qualified Islamic leadership is the only one capable of coping with and destroying the Zionist enterprise .
	The conflict with the Jewish-Zionist enemy should be expanded to include the entire Muslim world , and it should not be limited to the Palestinian issue or to Arab nationalism. That is because the liberation of Palestine has become the personal obligation of every Muslim .
	The Palestinian people should be supported and given aid and training in every way possible because they are is the front line of the Muslim nation. That must be done to enable them to cling to their land and continue their steadfast resistance and jihad against Israel .
	An effort to revitalize [Muslim] civilization should be sought… so that all Muslims will be able by themselves to fund both the jihad [against Israel] and the financial burden of the liberation [of all Palestine] .
	Overcoming the Jewish-Zionist enterprise in Palestine and its collapse are not only possible, but a certain fact … The Zionist movement which conquered Palestine is the last remnant of traditional west European imperialism which has otherwise disappeared, and it is doomed sooner or later to depart from Palestine [as well]. (pp. 38-39)