Turkish President Erdogan visited London this week to gather support for his re-election campaign. As expected, he put on a great show of his Islamic credentials, which amounted to no more than secular and individualistic platitudes. He then attempted to appear as a great statesman commenting on how the Muslims suffer from imperial greed, and that European countries were not truly democratic, due to their xenophobia and selective support for human rights. He had the audacity to complain of the destruction of Syria for imperialist economic gain, while he was the one who assisted the Americans in that destruction. Then he announced that America’s plan to move its embassy to Al-Quds did not have wide support and that Muslims will always consider it as the capital of Palestine.

Such are the empty words from the leader of the secular Turkish government. This is the leader who actually cooperated with the Zionist occupation economically and militarily. The plan of America has been known to him for months, yet he speaks as though there is nothing more that can be done, other than to surrender while disliking it in our hearts.

With more than 50 Palestinians murdered by the Zionist occupying forces, and over 1200 injured, the true meaning of the peace process is abundantly clear. Many of the casualties have been shot in the back, it has been reported.

The violence against Palestinians has been increasing over the past weeks, as demonstrations have been protesting the 70th anniversary since the British Mandate ended and Palestine was handed over to the Zionist occupiers in May 1948.

As Muslims who are concerned about the great injustice in Palestine, we should be clear that the calamity did not begin in 1948. It was the British who first occupied Palestine, ruled over it, and finally created the Zionist entity there. They further guaranteed the survival of this feeble occupation by ensuring that the neighbouring Arab regimes, who were under their influence, took no serious action to end this great injustice. Now with America’s interference in the region, the worst of the Arab and Muslim leaders have continued to do nothing to end the occupation, but rather they have acted to recognise it by supporting the Peace Process, which aims to establish a Palestinian entity alongside the Zionist one. So feeble will the proposed Palestinian entity be, it does not deserve to be called a state. Its security, economy and political life will be wholly dominated by its occupying neighbour, so it can never be considered independent, and offer peace and security to the Palestinian people.

The American delegation is expressing its pride at what it has achieved in recognising Al-Quds as the Zionist occupier’s capital, while the British government states that it “remains firmly committed to a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital.” Both in fact, offer nothing but misery and continued oppression.

The 57 members of the OIC could only offer that it is “an attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people, which undermines the standing of the United Nations and rule of international law,” but could not muster the courage to refer to Allah’s shariah ruling on the matter.

For Muslims to support such a surrender is a great sin, which could not happen without the likes of Erdogan and other leaders with Islamic clothing deceiving the people over this matter; pretending that they care, while working to convince the people that surrender is the only option.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ

“And of the people is he whose speech pleases you in worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the fiercest of opponents.” [Al-Baqarah: 204]

Islam does not permit for any part of Muslim land to be surrendered to the occupier, whether that land is in Al-Quds, its surroundings, or in Kashmir. Whatever is offered of peace negotiations and independent states, we should reject these as nothing more than deceptive and impractical ploys, which aim at nothing more than the official recognition of the occupation itself.

Muslims must continue to work for the one true solution for the occupation of Palestine, which can only be ended with the establishment of the Khilafah on the way of Prophethood.

Yahya Nisbet,
Media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain,
15th May 2018