Press Release
Supporting of Gaza is Not Through Speeches and Festivals, O Scholars!
(Translated)

On Thursday, September 26th, the activities of the Scholars of the Ummah Initiative to Support the Flood were launched on the occasion of the first Hijri year since the operation of Al-Aqsa Flood in a massive public festival in the city of Istanbul. The festival witnessed the participation of a large number of Muslim scholars in person or via recorded speeches, in addition to hundreds of Turks and members of the Arab communities residing in Istanbul. The attendees prayed two rak'at and supplicated the Qunut supplication, as they raised their hands in supplication to Allah, asking for the support of the people of Gaza and the lifting of the siege on them.

We are certain that the tragedy of our people in Gaza has stirred the sentiments of all the sons and daughters of the Ummah at all levels, and there is no one among them who has not expressed his feelings of solidarity, expressions of sadness and emotions of grief over the state of our oppressed people in Gaza, which melts hearts with grief and pain. Anyone who follows the popular movements in all parts of the Islamic countries discovers and realizes the extent of the cohesion, communication and solidarity of the Ummah and the support of its sons and daughters with whatever means available to express their anger and console our people in Gaza, the West Bank, and now in Lebanon.

Likewise, the demonstrations witnessed in the streets of Europe and America in protest against the genocide and the horrific acts of killing and violence practiced by the Jewish entity with all insolence and arrogance, which is not deterred by an international court or a Security Council resolution, nor affected by a boycott, nor deterred by a threat or denunciation.

It has become clear that the Ummah, with all its demonstrations, gatherings, festivals and speeches, has not supported Gaza in the slightest, and has not deterred the oppressor to stop his aggression and retreating from his intention to destroy, displace, kill and expel. A whole year has now passed, and not a single day has passed without demonstrations or festivals. What is strange is that all this evidence has not dissuaded Muslim scholars around the world from holding such a conference and taking the initiative in coordination with the Association of Palestinian Scholars, with a bright and shining goal, but one that is vague and devoid of a way to achieve, which is “unifying Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian cause”! What makes matters worse is that they are still begging and calling for material and moral support for the Palestinian people. Their speeches have not been devoid of forms of denunciation of the suffering that the people of Palestine in Gaza have been experiencing for nearly a year. Some of them have dared in their speech to focus on the need to continue the struggle against the occupation, and some of them have stressed the importance of expanding the circle of support and resistance!

O Honourable Scholars: If the weakness that has afflicted the people is due to their ignorance and has thrown them into the abyss of love for this Dunya and hatred of death, despite that, some of them have come out and demonstrated, protested, raised their voices and showed their solidarity. Perhaps this is the most that some people can do from the workers, employees, engineers, doctors, housewives and mothers. This situation that they have reached is the result of the policy of gagging mouths that was preceded by the policy of keeping people in ignorance, accompanied by the policy of blackout and ambiguity. As a result, fear and weakness have spread among the people, so you do not see them taking the necessary and influential action in society and on the international level.

There is no doubt that this influential work is entrusted to scholars and jurists. It is the duty of raising awareness on how to take an influential action that leads to the desired result, which is changing the situation, supporting the weak, and lifting injustice from the oppressed. Hence, the surprise was that your rhetorical festival did not go beyond what is known about the necessity of supporting and aiding Gaza. It was astonishing that the festival was limited to moral activities that are of no benefit and of irrelevant demands, and statements of denunciation and condemnation that have become rejected as people are accustomed to hearing them from corrupt regimes!

O Honourable Scholars: You are the inheritors of the prophets. The Ummah places its trust in you and expects actions from you, not just words, and that you lead it to righteousness and revive it with what Allah has given you of knowledge and understanding, and fear and piety of Allah. It is incumbent upon you to speak the truth, not fearing the blame of a blamer or the tyranny of an oppressor. You know that the obligation from Allah of jihad is not an obligation on the people of Gaza, the West Bank, or Lebanon only; rather, it is an obligation upon the entire Islamic Ummah until the obligation of sufficiency is fulfilled, and that the Ummah is sinful in its entirety - except for those who engage in serious work - and you bear the greater burden and responsibility. So, do not be like the one whom Allah gave His verses and then he abandoned them, nor like those who were entrusted with the Torah but did not carry it! Do not forget that Allah will ask you about the knowledge He has given you while you read the words of Allah (swt):

[وَقِفُوهُمْ إِنَّهُم مَّسْئُولُونَ]

“And detain them, for they must be questioned.” [As-Saffat: 24]

O, Scholars, you should have:

- Explained who was the cause of the occupation of Palestine and the displacement of its people, and revealed the cooperation of international and UN organizations in continuing the occupation, and that there is no benefit expected from addressing them to lift the injustice from the people of Gaza.

- Exposed the rulers of Muslims and other conspirators and collaborators, and revealed to the Ummah their treachery and collusion, and even their joy at the victory of the Jews and the elimination of the Mujahideen.

- Explained to the Ummah that the effective movement is the one that leads to changing the political situation, uprooting the rulers, and unifying the Ummah in a political unity that restores its glory, not just unity of efforts to support the cause of Palestine.

- Become leaders of the Ummah in confronting the oppressors who support the Jewish entity and those who have shackled the Ummah, gagged its mouths, and imposed upon it a collar of humiliation and submission, so that the Ummah rises with you and shows Allah what pleases Him, and it is eager and yearns for that.

- Declared jihad, and do not be satisfied with the declaration until you start it with the valiant armies of Muslims, and do not be satisfied with calling the youth for Jihad as you do, for the youth are prepared but are not equipped, while the armies stationed in the barracks are more deserving of your address because they are trained and ready, and there is no doubt that many of them are physically, spiritually, materially and morally ready for sacrifice and redemption. But the stumbling block is the corrupt regime that they obey, which prevents them from moving, so it was incumbent upon you to put them before their responsibilities and demand their nusrah (material support).

- You have a lesson, O scholars, in the great scholar Al-Izz bin Abdul Salam and the virtuous Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, and other scholars of the mujahideen Muslims who did not remain silent about injustice and corruption, and struggled in the way of Allah with the right struggle, and you read their biographies and know their virtues in supporting Islam and being victorious for the Muslims.

And we remind you of what the Lord of Glory says in Surat Al-Saf:

[إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفّاً كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَانٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ]

“Surely Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ˹solid˺ ranks as if they were one concrete structure” [As-Saf: 4].

The Central Media Office
of Hizb ut Tahrir