Daily News Analysis

Zionist Muslim Masked With Academic Credentials

Mohamed Ousman

Safar 13, 14472025-08-07

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Zionist Muslims are hosting a supposedly pro-Palestine event in South Africa.

It is unfortunate that visiting Palestinians often get tangled with people whom they either do not know well or they knowingly lend credibility to such zionist Muslims.

Alhamdulillah, sincere Muslims are not going to attend this event except to expose the pro-zionist inclinations of some of the panelists.

One such panelist wrote an article in July 2013 titled “Why I distance myself from Al-Quds day” which was immediately picked up by the sectarian clergy-class to embark on their sectarian crusade across South Africa.

A prominent member of the Islamic Movement appealed to her to withdraw her statements because they are naive.

She has refused to do so.

Below, we reproduce a detailed response initially sent to QS on July 27, 2013 at 10:29

Assalaamu alaykum Sr. Quraysha,

There are many people who in the past found it convenient to promote and use the platform of Al Quds Day but in some instances the passage of time has burnt them out, others who used the platform of Al Quds Day developed a career around the suffering of the Palestinians and others after having become influential have sold out to the petro-dollar, yet others have been impacted by sectarian inertia and are now shying away.

These people were never convinced in the depth of their hearts about Islamic solidarity, unity and brotherhood and now the pressure is too much. And some are just confused.

There are many ways to respond to people who choose to distance themselves from Al Quds Day, with the very many flaws and inaccuracies in their justification. But what I really want to do is provoke thought.

Even before that, it is important to clear the air. Hence, for the record, we support the opposition driving change which is the real opposition of the Syrian people even though by now the cause of the Syrian people has long been hijacked and stolen by zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed mercenaries.

This is a complicated situation and many people with superficial understanding are merely complicating it further.

What I would also like people to think about is the initial two civil wars in Islam.

In the Battle of the Camel, the causalities according to some historians were 20,000, others said they were 10,000.

Whatever the actual number, it was a very high loss of precious Muslim lives that were ended at that battle front in a few days!

In the Battle of Siffin, the casualities were 70,000 Muslims (give or take some thousand depending on the historian you are reading), in a few days.

That’s about 90,000 in a few days. So if we are comparing 90,000 in a few days to 90,000 in a few years, the events 1,400 years ago would serve as a more compelling basis to distance one’s-self from Islam in its state formation?!

But that would be the wrong approach!

We believe that those historical events are thoughtful events that took place in our history that we should think about.

Our intellectual absence from those events will cause us to repeat them all over again.

Response to QS

My comments are in italics and insha'Allah I hope we can have a dialogue/discussion…

QS: “I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole”–M Malcolm X.

Having attended the Amec Parliamentary Portfolio Seminar for 2 days in which the issues in the Middle East were covered extensively and with significant transparency, I have decided not to support Al-Quds Day which is an Iranian initiated and driven project.

[To begin with, this project initiated by the Islamic leadership in Iran is something to be proud of. The unflinching support by the Islamic Leadership in Iran has not only cost the Islamic state in Iran in terms of internal divisions with Nationalists opposing its policy to liberate Palestine but also with sectarian Shi’is opposing it because “Palestine is not Iran and there are no Shi’is there”.

That is not to mention the international isolation and the financial and other resource costs associated with it that would be eliminated if the Islamic State just dropped its support for the Resistance to zionist occupation.]

QS: This is not a decision based on furthering or entrenching sectarian divides but is a decision that requires taking a principled stand against injustice.

[This could have fooled me. The evidence will be presented as we continue to go through this piece by piece, unless, of course, people entrench sectarianism unwittingly, un-intentionally and un-consciously.]

QS: That's because justice is never negotiable, you either fight FOR it or you oppose it. We cannot be fence-sitters.

[A factual statement in the absence of a thorough understanding of the broad realities, just the same approach that detractors of Islam use to hammer Islam when they take ayaat and ahadith out of their textual context and realities.]

QS: Nor can we be pro this or that; we have to be pro-justice, because loyalties to people, regimes, ideologies and acquaintances are easily bought and traded.

[A precursor to taking any position is knowledge—un-biased, neutral, well interrogated information. This appears to be missing in reaching the position adopted.]

Palestine and Syria

QS: Since the Iranian revolution, for more than 30 years the Iranians have made vocal statements against Israel but have not done much. Iran claims to be a defender of Islam and Muslims, but has chosen to openly support a vicious dictator and together with Hizbullah has sent its soldiers to Syria to participate in the brutal massacre of civilians; to date more than 120,000 Sunni Muslims have been killed by Asad and this has been achieved with the aid of the two foreign forces.

[The Islamic State in Iran has been the principal backer of the Islamic Resistance. In the years of Hamas isolation, it underwrote the entire government expenditure, it has provided military training and technology to Hamas and Hizbullah. There is public acknowledgement of this. The Islamic State has done everything short of direct military involvement. It has raised the awareness of people and Muslims worldwide to the plight of the Palestinians in order to make Muslims realise it is a responsibility of all Muslims—a direct challenge to those who tried and are still trying hard to make it a National issue or an Arab issue and those who are trying to take it away from the sphere of “religion” all together.

The statement that 120,000 Sunni Muslims were killed by Asad is another indication of poor information and lack of knowledge on this matter. I don’t know how many people follow the statistics, compile the numbers from different sources and track them over time, but in the initial months, when 11,000 casualties were reported, 4,500 of these casualties were from the Army, not the FSA.

That indicates two things among others:

1: a very high number of soldiers being killed doesn’t really indicate an “un-armed” opposition and,

2: He obviously didn’t do all the killing. As time passed, the figures have steadily increased on both sides. The use of the word “Sunni” here is the very first entrenchment of a sectarian divide. Besides, the Imam was a strong supporter of the Palestinian quest for liberation from zionist occupation decades before the success of the Islamic Revolution, not what is inaccurately described as the ‘Iranian’ Revolution.]

QS: I fully acknowledge the supply of weapons to extremist forces (and not the Free Syrian Army) by the Arab regimes that are determined to protect their own illegitimacy by doing everything possible to prevent the rise of the Free Syrian Army because an Islamist Sunni government in Syria will lead to the downfall of these regimes soon thereafter.

[That is only part of the issue, the other part is to isolate the Islamic State in Iran further and to pave the way for an attack on it should it still not budge from its Islamic policy of supporting the oppressed people in the world everywhere. I am in the process of writing another piece, but I’ll let you in on its general theme. Remember, in Islam, Muslims are brothers. The extremely difficult and painful issue to deal with is what does it mean to have an Islamic State with an ally that has not been treacherous towards it while there is a global Muslim population that is detached from it and a sizeable component of Muslims that are out-and-out hostile to it and don’t even recognise it as an Islamic State?]

QS: But, in the case of Syria , my position is that weapons given to an unarmed population fighting against a brutal dictator is welcome.

[See my previous comments on the casualties. I think it is accurate to say that the zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed opposition is well-armed, short of planes, tanks and warships.]

QS: Also, the Arab regimes and their fighters are NOT slaughtering civilians and I have never heard them claim to be the defenders of the Muslims and Palestinians against the US and Israel with the same kind of rhetoric employed by Iran. If one supports the oppressed Palestinians, then by logic one must defend against the injustice perpetrated by Asad against the oppressed Syrians as well.

Since Asad signed a ceasefire with Israel more than 30 yrs. ago, Syria has never violated the ceasefire. Basically, the Syrian regime has been a “good neighbour” to Israel even when Israel bombs Syrian territory and civilians every now and then.

Furthermore, what happened in Bahrain and what the Sunni regimes did is wrong and despicable; we cannot support any injustice, anywhere. In Bahrain , Iran said a Sunni minority cannot rule a Shia majority, yet in Syria, Iran supports a 15% Alawite minority to suppress an 85% Sunni majority.

[Perhaps it’s a good time to start listening and researching—you can look up the Makkah massacre in 1987 when hujjaaj were slaughtered in the Haram, you can look up the uprising of Utaybi in the ‘70’s, you can look up the slaughter of the Ikhwan by King Abd Al Aziz in the ‘30s, The slaughter of the Ikhwan by Nasser in the ‘60’s, the Hama massacre by Bashaar’s father in the 80’s who also pursued Hizbullah, the Lebanese Massacre of Palestinians. These are all on the watch of Arab regimes. The case of the Saudi regime is the most pertinent because they make broad claims to being the custodians of Islam and the only true Muslims. On the contrary, we haven't had the Islamic Leadership exclude people from the fold of Islam even though there are some scholars who do so, but it is NOT the Islamic state of Iran's position and policy. I think you have missed the position of Iran in this conflict resolution altogether. They have always called for dialogue of all in the broadest sense, but regime change in Syria is where the “chips” are placed.]

QS: Are the lives of the Syrian people a tit for tat for the Bahraini uprising? That is even more despicable.

[This is just a bad outburst!]

QS: Furthermore, the Palestinians, specifically Hamas has distanced itself from Iran and Hizbullah because of their participation in and support for the brutal Asad regime. This decision was not taken lightly and Khaled Mishal stated that the finger of one child in Syria is dearer to the Palestinians than any dollars the Iranians wish to offer Hamas. Furthermore, if Iran was so sincere in supporting the Palestinians, when Hamas refused to participate in Iran’s PR stunt in Tehran, why did Iran persist in all efforts to weaken Hamas and try and overthrow Hamas leaders in Lebanon?

[Hamas has publicly acknowledged the support of Iran for Palestine, post the Syrian uprising during the latest Israeli aggression. The important point that people will miss is that Qatar and Saudi Arabia have intensified efforts to wean away Hamas from the militant and principled position vis a vis Israel. With the Arab Spring, many people, some Hamas officials included, have fallen for this. Only Allah knows when they will realise this mistake. If they choose to follow suit with the Saudi-Qatari program that the PA has fallen for, may Allah save them from the agony of that mistake. In the interim, the Islamic State has chosen to spread its support among more principled positions without isolating Hamas. (I’m very sorry to say and I seek your pardon- but these comments to malign the Islamic state in the quest to liberate Palestine are straight out of the zionist/imperialist script!) For now, Hamas and others should take lessons from what is happening in Egypt.]

QS: About two months ago, Sheikh Rai'd Salaah; the most eminent Palestinian leader in Jerusalem told Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to create a new Al Quds day on a different day so that the Sunni world could follow that, clearly indicating that the Palestinians have distanced themselves from Asad and Iran.

[Please provide your sources, I have not come across this. I am human and could have missed it. Anyway, it would be interesting to see if any of these states in the zionist/imperialist orbit have the guts to even do that, and even then to, this is a reaction to the ground-breaking decision by the Islamic Leadership in Iran, to lift the awareness and subsequent involvement of Muslims, and other peoples, beyond sectarian lines. Let them react, it won’t last long!]

QS: One cannot claim support for one injustice (the Palestinian conflict) while perpetuating and supporting another injustice, through reinforcements to a brutal dictator to murder innocents (Syrian conflict).

[See my previous comments on a factual statement in the absence of a thorough understanding of the broad realities.]

QS: I thus distance myself from all Iranian activities and celebrations that claim to be defending injustice in Palestine while perpetuating injustice in Syria .

[I guess that semi-sentence is all that is correct in the entire piece—it’s your choice to be part of or to distance yourself.]

QS: While Iran claims to be crying for Palestine , the Palestinians are crying for the Syrians and they themselves have distanced themselves from the Iranians and Hizbullah and certainly from Al-Quds day.

[I’m very sorry to say and I seek your pardon, but these comments to malign the Islamic state in the quest to liberate Palestine are straight out of the zionist/imperialist script!]

QS: In balancing justice against awareness, for any cause, I choose justice.

[You have the right to choose. In making a decision though, we ought to choose information and knowledge before making a choice.]

Some sources to seek understanding

There are some excellent points in the below presentations; people would make a good start if they were to access these…

Unity and the crisis in Syria with Imam Muhammad Al Asi on ITV 11-12-2011

Imam Muhammad Al Asi speaks to PressTV on the situation in Syria 02-19-2012

Imam Muhammad Al Asi speaks to PressTV on Syria paying the price for standing against Israel 10-25-2012

The coming war front in Syria by Imam Muhammad Al Asi on The Ugly Truth 05-15-2013

Tribute to an Islamic Leader - Imam Khomeini Part 3 by Imam Muhammad Al Asi 06-09-2012 5533 to the end

Tribute to an Islamic Leader - Imam Khomeini Part 4 with Q & A by Imam Muhammad Al Asi 06-02-2013 from 1605 to the end.

Friends and enemies

We live in a world and era in which our friend has become our enemy and our enemy has become our friend. It is also true that every argument or perception that is put forward will have its counter argument.

Be that as it may, many people often have a short memory and tend to measure developments and positions based on snapshot moments. We want to move away from that and measure the contributions of people over a broader time span.

We want to try and look at consistency in action and policy and behavior; we want to look at people without a phobia and without a conspiratorial mindset.

For the record, we support the opposition driving change which is the real opposition of the Syrian people even though the course of the Syrian people has long been hijacked/stolen by zionist/imperialist/Saudi backers.”

Since this is a complicated situation, many people with superficial understanding are merely complicating it further.

For the record, most senior commanders in the Syrian Army are Sunnis! Many Sunnis are fighting this war NOT because they are defending Bashar Al Asad, (who we are not supporters of), but because they are fighting to defend their land and the Syrian people from zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed mercenaries fighting on behalf of the enemies of Muslims.

Hizbullah is forced to enter this conflict to protect the supply line and continue the resistance against zionist/imperialist policy. Hizbullah is not fighting all over Syria. They were in Qusayr, which is on the Lebanese border. Qusayr is strategic for the future survival of the Islamic Resistance in Palestine.

Position of zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed opposition

To understand how the legitimate struggle of the Syrian people has been derailed, let me pass on some information.

1. In an interview with one of the seniors of the opposition, Burhan Ghalioun said “if we come to power, we will sever relations with Iran, and Hizbullah will not be the force it is, and we will negotiate on the Golan Heights issue.”

2- Another senior member of the opposition, Farid Al Ghadiri went as far as appearing in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and said “if we come to power, we will normalize relations with Israel.”

3- The opposition’s demand is, Bashar must go! Why are they saying they will accept an (interim) Presidency of Farouk Al Shara‘a? Bashar is only the leader of the country that is led by the Baath Party? Why are they happy with Baath Party politicians? Farouk Al Shara‘a is a Sunni, the vice President and a Baath Party official! The reason they want the individual Bashar out is because he is a supporter of the Palestinian resistance to Israel and Hizbullah.

4- Remember, the 1973 war? Egypt and Syria were supposed to be fighting alongside each other. Skipping a lot of detail and intrigue, this war was a smoke screen and catalyst to the later on peace treaty that Egypt signed with Israel.

When the UN imposed a ceasefire, Egypt accepted. This acceptance caused Syria to adjust its war strategy. Because two fronts were now reduced to only one, Syria under Bashar's father, Hafez, had to accept the ceasefire.

In terms of its international obligations the Syrian/Israeli front had to be demilitarised. In upholding that ceasefire agreement, an international obligation, Syria kept the border quiet dubbed “the safest in the world”. Syria could not, (probably still cannot), open the front due to its international obligations, thus, its support for the resistance groups opposing Israel. (There are other nuances and subtleties like Hafez pursuing Hizbullah in the '90's etc. But with Bashar, the support for Hamas (pre the uprising) and for Hizbullah was unflinching.)

Remember, this opposition does not represent the Syrian people. A key question is: do you think the Syrian people want to recognise Israel?

If you have access to a Syrian, please double check this and you will be shocked!!! Majority of the Syrian population have a Sunni/Sufi orientation from the Naqshabandi silsila.

You happen to be interacting with a person who lived in Syria and when we were there, rarely did we come across these Salafi types, but there were a few.

The question is, if the opposition is so entrenched in the Syrian population, why don't we hear any Sunni/Sufi voices?

Besides, these Salafi types were so obnoxious, they would come late to salah to avoid jama‘ah because they always doubt other peoples’ Islamic credentials or imaan, they would not join the jama'ah prayers, they would hold their own jama'ah, in essence, detached from the Syrian people. How does that keep you in a bind with the people?

5- By the way, Bashar himself is Sunni from an Alawi family lineage, information you also won't come across easily.

6- Also something you will not come across easily is that when Hafez, his father, died, Bashar did not want to assume power. He refused! He had to be talked into it. This effort to convince him that it was in the interest of Syria and its people's unity was led by the business elites and the ulama, mainly Sunni.

(People could argue that there was suspicion because of the secret intelligence having penetrated deeply into society and people were scared to speak against him; it could be true but then the question arises, if the Syrian intelligence truly was that penetrative why were we not picked up, and trust me, we were very inciteful when criticizing Bashar.

The few people we really found agreement with was the very rare “Salafi” adherents that we came in contact with).

7- You may even visit the statements of the late Grand Mufti Ahmed Kaftaro, (one of the institutes I studied at). See the statements of the late Shaykh Muhammad Saeed Ramadhan Al Buti (who was considered, arguably, the number one Aalim in the world in Sunni circles on issues related to usul ad deen or the foundations of Islam) who was killed by the zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed rebels. You may even refer to the statements of Shaykh Wahba Az Zuhayli (who is considered, arguably, the number one Aalim in the world in Sunni circles on issues related to usul al fiqh or the foundations of jurisprudence.)

8- Refer to the poll that was taken by Qatar-Doha Debates to take the pulse of the Syrian people towards having Bashar in power even before the uprising built up the way it has. Even in terms of that independent Qatari poll, the majority supported Bashar.

9- This current zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed opposition is against Bashar but works closely with the likes of Rif‘at Al Asad, the butcher of Hama (1982).

10- People who revere the Sahaba (ra) oppose the Shi'is yet they have nothing to say about those who desecrated the grave of the Sahabi, Hujr ibn Adi? They sometimes falsify information and say Imam Khomeini said he will exhume Abu Bakr and Umar (ra) and drag them through the streets but they are so silent when these zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed opposition exhumed the body of a Sahabi? Remember, the Fatimis (classified as Shi'a) ruled over Muslims for hundreds of years and they didn't desecrate the graves of the Sahaba?

11- Sectarian ulama under Saudi sponsorship don’t condemn King Abdullah who is financing sectarianism yet he married one of the sisters of Rif‘at Al Asad’s wife who is beyond doubt an Alawite. These donkeys carrying books, quickly say “a few million people in Syria were heretics because they were Alawites” but they couldn't and still can't say the rotten king Abdullah from the rotten family of Saud is married “to an Alawite or is married to a heretic?!”

Regrettably, (I say regrettably because personally I don't support Bashar as he is a non-representative leader at the broadest/overall majority level but he does represent more than himself), lots of Syrian people honestly support him, hence the government did not collapse so quickly as many outsiders were predicting/expecting.

We used to have many debates on a daily basis with so many different Syrians about the government of Bashar. They would always defend him.

The people I am referring to are lay man. I was a student in Syria, studying at three institutes. I interacted with young and common people at universities, hawzahs, masjids and madrassahs.

I travelled by taxi wherever I went so these are the types of people I refer to.

I used to teach English at a fourth institute where I interacted with professional/ambitious youngsters. I also taught English informally to other students; these are people who I refer to.

When you walked through the markets and visited people's houses, they always had portraits of Bashar, even key rings and stickers on their cars and doors etc.

These top ulama had tens of thousands in their madrassahs and also many khateebs learning from them.

They used to make du'a for him in the khutbahs. That was what actually triggered us to oppose Bashar, but we opposed him on the basis of wanting an even more representative people’s government.

The current opposition opposes him in seeking to install a zionist/imperialist friendly regime.

As you would have gauged by now, there are so many dynamics that are being hidden from the masses. If anything, Muslims are being used and are victims of the divide and rule policy again!!!

If I can have one point stick, it is simply that there is an alternative to Asad and the zionist/imperialist/Saudi-backed rebels.

If you wish to contribute to the coming bright future of Muslims, try to diffuse the internal divisions from reaching life threatening levels...

As we turn against each other, only our enemies stand to benefit!

Please listen to this...

Understanding the Arab Spring Part 3 by Imam Muhammad Al Asi 07-07-2012 South Africa

Yours brotherly, His Eternally

“And yet you can see how those [muslims] in whose hearts there is a disease vie with one another for their [ideological Jews’ and Christians’] good [political] company…” (The Ascendant Qur’an, Surat Al Maa’idah verse 52)

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