THE biggest threat to Islamic countries is from within.
Failure of the state to give exemplary punishments to traitors, who betray their motherland and connive with enemy in times of war, has created and nurtured several Mir Jaffers. Remnants of the Unionist Party continue to haunt Pakistan’s political landscape. In the recent ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, several prominent military commanders have been killed because of Mossad recruits working inside Iran. Hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed by IDF. Muslim majority states should exhibit tolerance for political dissent, but not for traitors. Pakistan has had more than its fair share, such as the retired officer, who was involved in OBL case, yet managed to leave this country. There should be no sympathy for such people, who are willing to betray their motherland for a foreign nationality and a few million dollars. No country can survive if it has tolerance for such tyrants.
Adolph Hitler was a narcist and a fascist, who wanted to dominate world. His downfall followed, when Russian troops played a crucial role in defeating his troops in Berlin War in May 1945. Empires have fallen when they have embarked on brutalities, expansionism, bombing cities and towns relentlessly without any show of remorse, or respect for human lives. The Nazi Empire, despite its immense firepower and superiority in weapons lasted just 12 years from 1933 to 1945. As compared to them, the Ottoman Dynasty existed from 1299 to 1922, while the Roman Empire lasted from 27 BC with reign of Augustus Caesar to 1453 AD. These empires showed tolerance and respect for customs and religious practices of countries, under their occupation. Roman troops invaded vast territories, put down rebellion, but never indulged in ethnic cleansing on a scale that is being witnessed in Gaza and the West Bank. Such barbarity was adopted by Egyptian Pharaoh Empire, whose rulers considered themselves as gods in ancient Egypt, during their tyrannical rule from 1070 BC to 1550 BC. Holy scriptures of all three monotheistic faiths (Jews, Christians and Islam) are testimony to the fate that befell Pharaoh. Nazi Germany embarked on limited ethnic cleansing of innocent Jews during their brief 12year rule. No empire has survived which adopted ethnic cleansing as a state policy. It is shocking to witness brutal massacre and killing of unarmed innocent Palestinians living in the land of their ancestors for thousands of years, based on Zion version of history.
What we are witnessing in Gaza is a plan to displace over 2.1Million Palestinians and convert it into a real estate Mediterranean Riveria. Over 61 thousand innocent human beings have been butchered, including 40000 women and children, whose sole fault is that they were born in this land. Such a preposterous and inhumane “Real Estate Plan” has few parallels in recorded history. It is unfortunate that such brutalities are occurring after WW11, despite condemnation by vast majority of 149 member states of UNGA, with just 12 against, including Israel and USA, with 19 abstentions including India. Both Netanyahu and Modi have made hatred of Muslims part of their political strategy. There is an old Latin saying “Whom the gods would destroy, they first go mad”. We are witnessing this sheer madness, where killing of unarmed citizens, including children is justified by so-called champions of democracy and free world, as Israel’s right of defence. One wonders, what threat can the most well-equipped military, armed to the teeth with latest weapons, funded by major countries in the West, such as USA, UK, France, Germany etc., face from unarmed Palestinians, living in the most congested place on earth, denied food, water and all other basic necessities including medicines etc. All hospitals, schools, universities have been systematically destroyed in Gaza, with help of USA.
Such behaviour is unbecoming of a super power, whose founding fathers had men like Abraham Lincoln. Between 7th October 2024 to April 2025, Israel has dropped over 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza Strip which exceeds the WW-11 collective bombings in Dresden, Hamburg and London. All buildings, schools, hospitals, UN relief centres in “One Kilometre” Strip have been bulldozed to form a Buffer Zone. Nazi Germany dropped 18,300 tons on London between 1940 and 1941, while the Allies dropped 8,500 tons on Hamburg in summer of 1943, 3,900 tons on Dresden in February 1945. The Palestinians of Gaza do not have a regular Army, Navy or Air Force, but just a “rag tag’ resistance group, armed with crude pipe bombs and will to defend their homeland. Over 2.1Million Palestinians are living in a 25mile long stretch, measuring just 141Sq miles, with a coastline just 24 miles long.
The whole of Gaza is the size of Philadelphia which has a population of 1.55Million. As compared to this, Israel has an area of over 8,019 Sq Miles, stretching almost 263 miles from north to south, excluding areas it has occupied, such as 2,270 sq miles of West Bank, 27 sq miles of East Jerusalem and 441SqMiles of Golan Heights. As of 2013 the total population of Israel is 8Million, comprising 76% Jews, 16% Muslims, 2% Christians, 2% Druze etc. It is an apartheid state which considers only Jews as first-class citizens and continues to expand; obsessed with their vision of Greater Israel which includes parts of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, etc.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
(mtrqa213@gmail.com)
