Majlis e Ulama e Shia Europe An Organisation of Shia Scholars And Communities
It is the season of the Hajj pilgrimage and masses of Muslims have gathered around in Mecca. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the symbolic House of God, whether men or women, white, black, yellow, and, rich or poor and from different races and holding various nationalities have come to the Holy Ka’ba to perform the obligation of Hajj.
Allahomma Labbaik is being chanted by the faithful. It means “Here I am O God.” This is a magnificent display of the solidarity of the Islamic Ummah. But have the followers of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah upon him and his progeny) succeeded in benefiting from this politico-religious rituals in resolving the problems of the Islamic world, as emphasized by God Almighty in the Holy Qur’an in Ayah 97 of Surah Maidah :
“Allah has made the Ka’ba, the Sacred House, a maintenance for the people, and the sacred month and the offerings and the sacrificial animals with garlands; this is that you may know that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and that Allah is the Knower of all things.”
Today the Islamic world is facing increasing problems the resolving of which requires unity of Muslims. Parallel to the growth of Islam in the world and a rise in the awareness of Muslims in the recent years, the western governments have increased their attacks against Muslims. These governments blame Muslims for every incident such as the suspicious events that rocked New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.
The US and the British have attacked and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq under various pretexts. By occupying Iraq the White House attempts to loot the national resources of this country, the oil in particular. Of course, America has not sufficed to the occupation of Iraq and it pressures and threatens the other Islamic states that are not in line with the expansionist policies of Washington. Meanwhile, the White House officials by citing the plan of the Great Middle East are seeking to mould the Middle East states in political, cultural and economic terms according to their interests and as they desire.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei regarding the so called Greater Middle East Plan of the US, says: “Actually this plan is aimed at totalizing all the profits existing in the Middle East for the power-seeking arrogance of America.” They are not content with the influence and the hegemony they have but they want an absolute one. The Great Middle East Plan can be considered part of the western globalization under which the western governments intend to impose their decadent values on the third world in the name of democracy.Among the other threats against the Islamic world is the spectacular rise in the anti-Islamic propaganda by the western media.
The propaganda is presented in the form of films, books, news reports and even games through the TV, radio, newspaper, video and the Internet. Thus, in the recent few years, the unfounded charges against Islam and Muslims have increased intentionally. On the other hand, the Muslims in western countries are pressured and harassed to give up their beliefs. The example of these measures can be seen clearly in America, France and Germany.
The problem of occupation of Palestine is a deep and heart-rending wound. The Zionists backed by the west, America in particular, are engaged in killing Palestinians. Every day a number of Palestinians are martyred and wounded and their homes are razed to the ground.In view of these problems and hardships, the Muslim world ought to properly recognize and fulfill its responsibilities. Actually, one of the causes why the western colonialists dominated over the Islamic states is the discord among Muslims. If the Muslims unite they can drive the domineering enemies out of the Islamic lands.
Certainly, the unity of Muslims will be materialized once they comprehend its need. Unity is possible only through awareness, Islamic vigilance and recognition of the enemy. Muslims should properly understand the tricks of the enemies and should have precise information of their own facilities to counter them. According to experts most of the present day problems of Muslims stem from their distance from the life-inspiring teachings of Islam.
Hence, the Islamic Ummah should become conscious of the useful solutions of Islam for the progress of the society and turn to the meaningful and justice-seeking values of Islam and shape its unity around this axis. If such an auspicious unity is shaped in the Islamic world, the Islamic states in view of the plentiful resources, the strategic location and the massive population will appear as a great power on the international scene. In this way the great Hajj pilgrimage is an appropriate opportunity for embarking on the issues of the Islamic world.
The least effect of this great gathering is the awareness of Muslim thinkers and observers of the real situation of the Islamic states. During the Hajj, the Muslims can hear the real news of their countries from their Palestinian, Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish and Indonesian Muslims and embark on exchanging views. The pilgrims to the House of God can also benefit from the millions-strong presence of Muslims in Hajj and talk about countering the dangers threatening the Islamic world.
We conclude today’s edition with a statement from Ayatollah Khamenei regarding deliverance from unbelievers. He says:”The holy Qur’an invites all Muslims to express disavowal of the idols and the infidels. Undoubtedly, today the arrogant powers especially Satanic power of America and the corruption it imposes on Muslim states, is the biggest idol and should be properly confronted.”