PA Mufti response to PMW’s exposure of his hate speech: Maintain Ribat (religious conflict/war) in Jerusalem
On Jan. 9, 2012, the principal PA religious leader, Muhammad Hussein, delivered a speech presenting the killing of Jews by as a religious Islamic goal. The following is the Mufti’s response to PMW’s report on the speech and Netanyahu’s subsequent condemnation of it, in the official PA daily:
Headline: "Netanyahu attacks Mufti of Jerusalem: 'He is following the path of his predecessor, Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, architect of the annihilation of the Jews"
"The right-wing Israeli organization 'Palestinian Media Watch' published an excerpt of the speech delivered by [the Mufti] Sheikh Hussein a few days ago at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the Palestinian revolution, including expressions which were not uttered by the Mufti, such as 'descendants of apes and pigs' (i.e., PMW did not attribute this to the Mufti, but Israeli media outlets misquoted PMW’s correct rendition of the Mufti’s speech). In the excerpt, taken from the speech which was broadcast on the 'Palestine' satellite channel, Sheikh Hussein is seen talking about a respected Hadith of the Prophet [Muhammad]. He says, 'The reliable Hadith, found in two reliable books – Al-Bukhari and Muslim – says: The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight against the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones and trees, and the stones or trees will call out: Oh, Muslim, Oh servant of Allah – there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree [which will remain silent]. It is therefore no wonder that you see Gharqad [trees] surrounding the [Israeli] settlements and colonies.'
Speaking to Al-Quds, [the Mufti] Sheikh Hussein rejected the Israeli attack… In an exclusive statement to Al-Quds in response to the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to instruct the Attorney General to open an investigation against him [Hussein] on grounds of incitement and Antisemitism, [Hussein] said: 'There is no doubt that all of this turmoil is part of the campaign against Jerusalem, its inhabitants, and its leaders; it is aimed at diverting attention from the actions of the Israeli government and its branches in Jerusalem and in the Palestinian territories – especially the incessant excavations, [the destruction of] the Mughrabi Gate bridge, and the destruction of more Palestinian homes.'
Sheikh Hussein stated, 'What is ridiculous is that they accuse me of 'Antisemitism'. It doesn't make sense that a person would attack himself. We, the Palestinian people, are part of the Semitic peoples, so how is it possible that a person would attack himself?'…
He said that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are being constrained and are being prevented from entering Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He emphasized resolve and maintaining Ribat (religious conflict/war) in Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He added, 'We are doing our work in the best possible way for the sake of our people. This is the holy city, and none of these [Israeli] actions will deter us.'
Earlier, the Mufti of Jerusalem emphasized that what he had said 'was just a respected Hadith of the Prophet, which appears in the Al-Bukhari and the Muslim collections of hadiths.' He added, 'I don't think a person should be punished and put on trial for a respected hadith which he quotes.'"
Headline: "Netanyahu attacks Mufti of Jerusalem: 'He is following the path of his predecessor, Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, architect of the annihilation of the Jews"
"The right-wing Israeli organization 'Palestinian Media Watch' published an excerpt of the speech delivered by [the Mufti] Sheikh Hussein a few days ago at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the Palestinian revolution, including expressions which were not uttered by the Mufti, such as 'descendants of apes and pigs' (i.e., PMW did not attribute this to the Mufti, but Israeli media outlets misquoted PMW’s correct rendition of the Mufti’s speech). In the excerpt, taken from the speech which was broadcast on the 'Palestine' satellite channel, Sheikh Hussein is seen talking about a respected Hadith of the Prophet [Muhammad]. He says, 'The reliable Hadith, found in two reliable books – Al-Bukhari and Muslim – says: The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight against the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones and trees, and the stones or trees will call out: Oh, Muslim, Oh servant of Allah – there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.' Except for the Gharqad tree [which will remain silent]. It is therefore no wonder that you see Gharqad [trees] surrounding the [Israeli] settlements and colonies.'
Speaking to Al-Quds, [the Mufti] Sheikh Hussein rejected the Israeli attack… In an exclusive statement to Al-Quds in response to the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to instruct the Attorney General to open an investigation against him [Hussein] on grounds of incitement and Antisemitism, [Hussein] said: 'There is no doubt that all of this turmoil is part of the campaign against Jerusalem, its inhabitants, and its leaders; it is aimed at diverting attention from the actions of the Israeli government and its branches in Jerusalem and in the Palestinian territories – especially the incessant excavations, [the destruction of] the Mughrabi Gate bridge, and the destruction of more Palestinian homes.'
Sheikh Hussein stated, 'What is ridiculous is that they accuse me of 'Antisemitism'. It doesn't make sense that a person would attack himself. We, the Palestinian people, are part of the Semitic peoples, so how is it possible that a person would attack himself?'…
He said that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are being constrained and are being prevented from entering Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He emphasized resolve and maintaining Ribat (religious conflict/war) in Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He added, 'We are doing our work in the best possible way for the sake of our people. This is the holy city, and none of these [Israeli] actions will deter us.'
Earlier, the Mufti of Jerusalem emphasized that what he had said 'was just a respected Hadith of the Prophet, which appears in the Al-Bukhari and the Muslim collections of hadiths.' He added, 'I don't think a person should be punished and put on trial for a respected hadith which he quotes.'"
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