Unusual op-ed speaking against violence in official PA daily, quotes Ghandi: “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is stronger than the strongest weapon of destruction invented by man”
Headline: “The agents of Jihad and the agents of resistance – the term is different, the interests identical”
Excerpt of an op-ed by Anwar Rajab
“Parallel to the strengthening of the role of the Islamist terror organizations and the spread of their terror activity… a group has appeared that we can call ‘the agents of Jihad,’ who define themselves as clergy…
They can be found all over Facebook and on unknown satellite channels. Some of them find a foothold for themselves in newspapers and websites and are invited in the hour of need to some satellite channel. Others have found themselves a more spacious place in the official media, whether textual or visual, of one state or another in a way that serves its )i.e., the state's) strategy: To make use of religion in general and the concept of Jihad in particular…
Since we are in Palestine, the holy land, with all of the aura around it and its religious symbolism… our [Palestinian] cause and the Jihad for it have become the most sought after merchandise, and the shortest path to achieving their goals and their personal and partisan benefit, without considering the results of their religious rulings. One example of this is Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Yusuf Qaradawi and his religious ruling, in which he permitted the use of suicide operations as one of the methods of Jihad in Palestine. After several years, and following the disasters that befell us as a result of this religious ruling, he ruled that they are not permitted, on the pretext that Palestinians now have other ways to fight… Not disconnected from the group of ‘the agents of Jihad,’ another group lives among us that is different from them in form and name, but identical in essence and content, and they have the same interests and benefits: ‘The agents of resistance.’ While the first [group] covers itself with the cloak of religion, this one used Palestinian nationalism as a slogan to market itself. Externally, these people appear without beards, exchange the robes for ties, and use the term ‘resistance’ as a synonym for the term ‘Jihad’…
Instead of the weapon of the accusation of heresy, they use the weapon of the accusation of treason. They are exposed at the height of their extremism when they adopt the method of armed resistance at any time, any place, and by all means, without [taking into account] political considerations, as in their eyes these are considerations of ‘defeatism, normalization, abandonment , and treason.’ They run amok out of anger… if a politically rational person adopts a viewpoint advocating popular resistance by all peaceful means, and this is as an alternative option meant to save our people from additional tragedies…
Whoever adopts an idea fights to defend it and therefore suffers many accusations and skepticism, because he understands that this serves the interest of his people and its cause, even if it does not match the popular public mood – for example the idea of ‘the [PA] Committee for Contact with Israeli Society’ – he is the one who has chosen the most difficult path, but also the most sincere and the one most at harmony with itself.
Regarding this, we mention the saying of Mahatma Gandhi: ‘Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is stronger than the strongest weapon of destruction invented by man.’”
Excerpt of an op-ed by Anwar Rajab
“Parallel to the strengthening of the role of the Islamist terror organizations and the spread of their terror activity… a group has appeared that we can call ‘the agents of Jihad,’ who define themselves as clergy…
They can be found all over Facebook and on unknown satellite channels. Some of them find a foothold for themselves in newspapers and websites and are invited in the hour of need to some satellite channel. Others have found themselves a more spacious place in the official media, whether textual or visual, of one state or another in a way that serves its )i.e., the state's) strategy: To make use of religion in general and the concept of Jihad in particular…
Since we are in Palestine, the holy land, with all of the aura around it and its religious symbolism… our [Palestinian] cause and the Jihad for it have become the most sought after merchandise, and the shortest path to achieving their goals and their personal and partisan benefit, without considering the results of their religious rulings. One example of this is Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Yusuf Qaradawi and his religious ruling, in which he permitted the use of suicide operations as one of the methods of Jihad in Palestine. After several years, and following the disasters that befell us as a result of this religious ruling, he ruled that they are not permitted, on the pretext that Palestinians now have other ways to fight… Not disconnected from the group of ‘the agents of Jihad,’ another group lives among us that is different from them in form and name, but identical in essence and content, and they have the same interests and benefits: ‘The agents of resistance.’ While the first [group] covers itself with the cloak of religion, this one used Palestinian nationalism as a slogan to market itself. Externally, these people appear without beards, exchange the robes for ties, and use the term ‘resistance’ as a synonym for the term ‘Jihad’…
Instead of the weapon of the accusation of heresy, they use the weapon of the accusation of treason. They are exposed at the height of their extremism when they adopt the method of armed resistance at any time, any place, and by all means, without [taking into account] political considerations, as in their eyes these are considerations of ‘defeatism, normalization, abandonment , and treason.’ They run amok out of anger… if a politically rational person adopts a viewpoint advocating popular resistance by all peaceful means, and this is as an alternative option meant to save our people from additional tragedies…
Whoever adopts an idea fights to defend it and therefore suffers many accusations and skepticism, because he understands that this serves the interest of his people and its cause, even if it does not match the popular public mood – for example the idea of ‘the [PA] Committee for Contact with Israeli Society’ – he is the one who has chosen the most difficult path, but also the most sincere and the one most at harmony with itself.
Regarding this, we mention the saying of Mahatma Gandhi: ‘Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is stronger than the strongest weapon of destruction invented by man.’”