Abu Dharr
Hizbullah has won a stunning victory over Israel in its first all-out military conflict with the zionist state. Between its formation in the early 1980s and its victory in 2000, when Israel was kicked out of most of occupied Lebanon, Hizbullah was in resistance mode. But this time, Hizbullah performed at a far greater intensity than that of a resistance movement or a guerrilla force. This time Hizbullah took a firm stance against the advancing Israeli army and stopped it in its tracks, preventing it from capturing vital areas and advancing as far as the Litani River. It set an example of a military response to zionism and its Israeli war machine that demonstrates how committed Muslims should fight when they step up to their responsibility to pursue a jihad.
Hizbullah and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine offer us an opportunity to see things beyond their media projection. Thanks to the 34 days of heroic Hizbullah combat, any Muslim who is watching events closely can ascertain the following:
The cascade of events in the last five weeks offers dozens of such insights for those who have the vision and wit and read them.
As for the implications that are intended to erode our Islamic commitment and resolve, we have the following:
Regarding the relationship between Hizbullah and Islamic Iran. Yes, there is a relationship, a strong and enduring relationship; there is nothing to hide or be ashamed of about that. And it is only the beginning; there should be stronger relations betweenHizbullah and Hamas, Hamas and Islamic Iran, Islamic Iran and Venezuela, Venezuela and Brazil, the oppressed people in Latin America and the oppressed people in the Muslim world, and so on, until there is a strong anti-zionist and anti-imperialist bloc in the world. The victory of Hizbullah in Lebanon has brought this hope a step closer to achievement. The record speaks for itself: ifHizbullah, in a period of just six years, can defeat Israeli aggression and occupation twice, why can other movements and states not do the same?
At a time when the Israeli-American elites are trying to Balkanize the area around Israel to ensure its security Israel, Hizbullah has managed to antagonize and polarize Yahudi factions against themselves. The failure of the Israeli-zionist military machine to defeat or destroy Hizballah, as they said they would do going into this war, will damage Israel's strategic value to the United States as an ally it can turn to in time of need. No one wants to say so, but relations between Tel Aviv and Washington have slumped.
To the end of the war, Hizbullah was succeeding it hitting Israel with hundreds of rockets every day. The only surprise for Muslims must be that only Islamic Iran and Syria are supporting Hizbillah. Where are the rest of the Muslim leaders and countries that are so vocal against the zionists?
These five weeks will sink deep into the Muslim psyche. Muslims have seen how the Galilee was set on fire, and how over a million zionists fled the northern areas of Israel to cower in shelters, or to leave the country altogether. This is heartening, demonstrating the essential cowardice of the people on whom the zionist enterprise depends.
Any Islamic movement, if it is not thinking now of how to acquire weapons, position itself, and begin a military campaign against the zionist enemy, is hardly an Islamic movement. An Islamic dream, maybe; an Islamic ambition, perhaps; but not an Islamic movement. Gone are the days when Israel could punch its way through half of Lebanon, all the way into the heart of Beirut. Gone are the days when the Israeli “defence forces” could slice through the Palestine Liberation Organization, expelling them to Tunisiaand other places. Gone are the days of Arabian armies waiting like sitting ducks to be knocked out by the IDF's American-supplied munitions, in a six-day war (1967) or in a surprise attack (1973).
Now, all the armies and militaries in the Arab countries are worthless. Even if they want to fight, their military plans are a generation behind the Israelis’, their weapons are a couple of generations behind, and they rely on American or European “feeders” to replenish their arsenals.
Hizbullah has honored and heartened the Muslims and other oppressed peoples of the world by its jihad. Israel's very survival is now unlikely, thanks to Hizbullah's sacrifices and steadfastness. And the leadership of Sayyid Nasrallah has brought the beating hearts of all Muslims (Sunnis and Shi‘is alike) together.
We must not forget that Yahud will turn their greed for vengeance against Hamas and our Palestinian family. For those who think in terms of “Sunnis”– if you want to compete with our Shi'i brothers and sister, have your “Sunni” bulwark (Saudi Arabia) match the support that Hizbullah has received from Islamic Iran to wage this war against the zionist khanazir (scorpions), as the Qur’andescribes them. But let us rise above such sectarian poison; Hizbullah is an Islamic movement representing and striving for all Muslims, and it is competing where it counts. Hamas is Islamic in spirit and outlook, and it will live up to its Islamic responsibilities in times of war if it is no longer beholden to Arabians who themselves are beholden to Americans who themselves are beholden to the Israelis themselves.
“Fa-qatilu awliya'a al-shaytan – inna kayda al-shaytani kana da‘ifa” – ‘Combat the allies of Satan: for indeed, the conspiracy of Satan is vulnerable.’ (al-Qur'an 4:76).
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