Well, what about God and Palestine? You might think that this is a topic on Palestinian nationalism, but it's not. This topic will address the question posed by many Jews, Zionists, Muslims and Christians: who did God give the land of Palestine to?
As a Muslim, I am a strong opponent to Zionism, the belief of establishing sole Jewish sovereignity over the land of Palestine, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as creating a Jewish majority over the region. Zionism is a Jewish belief, and while not all Jews are Zionists, not all Zionists are Jews. For example, there are Christian Zionists, who believe that the creation of the State of Israel was a fulfillment of God's plan, and that He will come down as Jesus as the State of Israel expands "from the Nile to the Euphrates", the land that "God gave them" (them as in the 12 tribes of Judah, or the Jews: "God's Chosen People"). Surprisingly, there are also Muslim Zionists, who refer to several verses in the Quran that cite that the Jews have a "sacred right" to the land of Israel (according to them).
Jewish Anti-Zionists claim that their only salvation is when the Messiah comes down and establishes the State of Israel, which will be a Halakha (Jewish theocracy), in the end of times, and that a secular government over stolen land is not what they consider as representative of the world Jewry. Christian Anti-Zionists, citing similar reasons, also cite the idea that the Children of Israel broke God's Covenant several times. Muslim anti-Zionists like myself cite the same reasons as the Christians in that the Children of Israel have lost their sole right to this land, and to the fact that God Himself is not a racist, and would never give a single piece of land to one group of people, whether they be Muslim, Christian or Jewish.
So, who did God give Palestine to anyways?
Answer: Humans.
God did not give Palestine to Jews, nor Christians, nor Muslims. Granted, the mosques of Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock make Jerusalem sacred for Muslims, but there are other sites like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Wailing Wall that make it Holy to Jews and Christians as well. But is it only for the people of these religions? There is no mention in the Quran of this land belonging to anyone, and these verses, with the proper translation and commentary, prove that indeed God gave the land of Palestine to human beings, just like He gave this Earth to human beings in the beginning of Time.
History is immutable: we can't change what happened. Most of Palestine is under Israeli sovereignity, and there are first-generation and second-generation Israelis who were born there, and have lived their lives there to claim this place as their home. However, if the Palestinians are granted the Right to Return, and pre-1967 borders with the eviction of all settlements from the West Bank or a one-state solution is established, then peace will be achieved. But for the sake of the topic, Palestine is for human beings. It's not for any religious group alone.
Salaam, from
Saracen
As a Muslim, I am a strong opponent to Zionism, the belief of establishing sole Jewish sovereignity over the land of Palestine, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as creating a Jewish majority over the region. Zionism is a Jewish belief, and while not all Jews are Zionists, not all Zionists are Jews. For example, there are Christian Zionists, who believe that the creation of the State of Israel was a fulfillment of God's plan, and that He will come down as Jesus as the State of Israel expands "from the Nile to the Euphrates", the land that "God gave them" (them as in the 12 tribes of Judah, or the Jews: "God's Chosen People"). Surprisingly, there are also Muslim Zionists, who refer to several verses in the Quran that cite that the Jews have a "sacred right" to the land of Israel (according to them).
Jewish Anti-Zionists claim that their only salvation is when the Messiah comes down and establishes the State of Israel, which will be a Halakha (Jewish theocracy), in the end of times, and that a secular government over stolen land is not what they consider as representative of the world Jewry. Christian Anti-Zionists, citing similar reasons, also cite the idea that the Children of Israel broke God's Covenant several times. Muslim anti-Zionists like myself cite the same reasons as the Christians in that the Children of Israel have lost their sole right to this land, and to the fact that God Himself is not a racist, and would never give a single piece of land to one group of people, whether they be Muslim, Christian or Jewish.
So, who did God give Palestine to anyways?
Answer: Humans.
God did not give Palestine to Jews, nor Christians, nor Muslims. Granted, the mosques of Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock make Jerusalem sacred for Muslims, but there are other sites like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Wailing Wall that make it Holy to Jews and Christians as well. But is it only for the people of these religions? There is no mention in the Quran of this land belonging to anyone, and these verses, with the proper translation and commentary, prove that indeed God gave the land of Palestine to human beings, just like He gave this Earth to human beings in the beginning of Time.
[17:70]Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.After Adam ate from the Forbidden Tree,
[7:24]God said: "Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood,- for a time."In that sense, we as humans are God's Chosen Creation. For sure, we have our own beliefs, but to say that Palestine is for one religious group only would be a crime. Palestine is for the original inhabitants of the land: the Palestinians and the Jews who lived there at the time before the Diaspora of the Palestinians. However, I don't oppose immigration to the Holy Lands on part of Jews as long as Christians and Muslims have the same right. The Jews are not special, and do not deserve this land for themselves and themselves alone. But then again, who will have jurisdiction and sovereignity over these lands? Will it be the Jews, or the Christians or the Muslims?
History is immutable: we can't change what happened. Most of Palestine is under Israeli sovereignity, and there are first-generation and second-generation Israelis who were born there, and have lived their lives there to claim this place as their home. However, if the Palestinians are granted the Right to Return, and pre-1967 borders with the eviction of all settlements from the West Bank or a one-state solution is established, then peace will be achieved. But for the sake of the topic, Palestine is for human beings. It's not for any religious group alone.
Salaam, from
Saracen
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