Wednesday, February 28, 2024

What’s The Truth? الحَقّ

We know that the word حَقّ appears more than two hundred times in the Quran, and the majority of the time, it's related to the meaning of "truth," primarily referring to the Quran, Allah’s word, and the messengers. Additionally, Allah is also referred to as “The Truth,” اُلْحَقُّ. So it’s easy to understand the meaning of truth from that perspective. Many other times, it also refers to the words for justice and obligation, which are all clear to us. If you go for linguistic meaning of it, it’s defined as: Fact or trueness or the state of being true. - reality; rightness; truth; certitude; certainty; correctness.
(https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/الحق/)

Interestingly enough, Allah has also used the same word when describing His creation, such as the Sun, earth, heavens, universe, etc., with the same word. What does it truly mean when Allah says that He has created the Earth and Universe in “الحق” - with Truth? 

Before I leave you for your own research, let’s share some facts about our solar system and the universe. If the Sun were smaller or bigger than it is today, we wouldn’t have the solar system that is inhabitable for life on earth. If the Earth were smaller or larger than it is today, then we wouldn’t have life on Earth as we see it now. We wouldn’t have life on Earth if the Earth were closer to or further away from the Sun, or if the size of the orbit or the placement of Earth compared to Jupiter and Saturn were different, or even if the speed of other galaxies or stars were different. There are 5 constants in the universe that have to be just the exact values that they have now, and if they were different, then we wouldn’t have a universe that's livable for us. What are those?


1. Gravitational constant (G)

2. Planck constant (h)

3. Speed of light in a vacuum (c)

4. Fine-structure constant (α)

5. Cosmological constant (Λ)


Those five constants are often referred to as needing precise values for Earth to be habitable: 


So essentially, we are in the universe, solar system, and on a planet that’s created just right for us. Not with more or not with less than what we need. Doesn’t it give you goosebumps?


Now when I go back to the Quran again, as Allah said many times in it that the Quran is the Truth, then I take it as - the Quran has the truth that’s just right for us - no more or no less. It’s the source of our guidance that’s stated in the beginning of the Quran:


Al-Baqarah 2:2


ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَۛ فِيهِۛ هُدًى لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ


“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah -“


The signs are everywhere if we just care to see.


Isn’t it giving you now a much broader meaning than we are typically used to?


Let’s now read some of the ayat so that you can indulge in the beauty and magnificence of the Quran, the Truth."


Al-Baqarah 2:176

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ نَزَّلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِى ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۢ بَعِيدٍ


“That is [deserved by them] because Allah has sent down the Book in truth. And indeed, those who differ over the Book are in extreme dissension.”


Al-An'am 6:73

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ وَيَوۡمَ يَقُولُ كُن فَيَكُونُۚ قَوۡلُهُ ٱلۡحَقُّۚ وَلَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُ يَوۡمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِۚ عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ


“And it is He who created the heavens and earth in truth. And the day He says, "Be," and it is, His word is the truth. And His is the dominion [on] the Day the Horn is blown. [He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed; and He is the Wise, the Acquainted.”


Al-An'am 6:141

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَ جَنَّٰتٍ مَّعۡرُوشَٰتٍ وَغَيۡرَ مَعۡرُوشَٰتٍ وَٱلنَّخۡلَ وَٱلزَّرۡعَ مُخۡتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُۥ وَٱلزَّيۡتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَٰبِهًا وَغَيۡرَ مُتَشَٰبِهٍۚ كُلُواْ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثۡمَرَ وَءَاتُواْ حَقَّهُۥ يَوۡمَ حَصَادِهِۦۖ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓا۟ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ


“And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakah] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.”


Al-A'raf 7:8

وَٱلۡوَزۡنُ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ٱلۡحَقُّۚ فَمَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ


“And the weighing [of deeds] that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales are heavy -  it is they who will be the successful.”


Yunus 10:5

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ ضِيَآءً وَٱلۡقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعۡلَمُواْ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلۡحِسَابَۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ يَعۡلَمُونَ


“It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.”


Al-Hijr 15:85

وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَأٓتِيَةٌۖ فَٱصۡفَحِ ٱلصَّفۡحَ ٱلۡجَمِيلَ


“And We have not created the heavens and earth and that between them except in truth. And indeed, the Hour is coming; so forgive with gracious forgiveness.”


An-Nahl 16:102

قُلۡ نَزَّلَهُۥ رُوحُ ٱلۡقُدُسِ مِن رَّبِّكَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِيُثَبِّتَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَهُدًى وَبُشۡرَىٰ لِلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ


“Say, [O Muhammad], "The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe and as guidance and good tidings to the Muslims."”


Az-Zumar 39:5

خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ يُكَوِّرُ ٱلَّيۡلَ عَلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ ٱلنَّهَارَ عَلَى ٱلَّيۡلِۖ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَۖ كُلٌّ يَجۡرِى لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّىۗ أَلَا هُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفَّٰرُ


“He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.”


Ash-Shura 42:17

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَۗ وَمَا يُدۡرِيكَ لَعَلَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَرِيبٌ


“It is Allah who has sent down the Book in truth and [also] the balance. And what will make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near.”


Finally, the Surah Al-Haqqah covers the ultimate “truth” of this life and that hereafter. The entire surah covers it with examples including what happens when we follow the truth or when someone denies that truth.


Al-Haqqah 69:2

مَا ٱلۡحَآقَّةُ


“What is the Inevitable Reality?”


Al-Haqqah 69:51

وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَقُّ ٱلۡيَقِينِ


“And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.”

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Let loose your imagination


How can I understand the long life of a human, say, of a hundred years,

When I haven't lived through that long life yet?

How can I experience the vastness of the earth,

With the depth of its oceans and the spread of its lands,

When I haven't traveled to every corner of the earth?

How can I perceive the largeness of the solar system,

When we haven't figured out how to send life to our neighboring planet?

How can we grasp the majestic beauty of our galaxy, the Milky Way,

With billions of stars and planets,

When my eyes aren't even capable of seeing its entirety?

How can I distinguish our galaxy from other galaxies, counted in billions,

When the light from those unrevealed galaxies hasn't touched me yet?

How can we even comprehend this universe, with billions of galaxies ingrained in it,

When the reckoning of the galaxies is even unfathomable?

The more I strive to sense this very existence with finite human words, the more I feel lost to grasp the infinite greatness of it.

You don’t grab a snowflake to feel it!

The very existence of us will destroy the existence of that delicacy.

It's all about letting your imagination loose and

Indulging in the unrevealed greatness of the majestic mystery!

—————————————
Written on 3 March 2017

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Surah Yusuf in a freezing morning


These were captured from my Fajr walk with Quran. One hour walk on a freezing morning while listening the amazing story of the surah Yusuf.

It’s a story of rivalry, betrayal, evil, thriller, love, upright character, perseverance, suffering, hope, forgiveness, payback, repentance and finally, happily ever after!

Most importantly surah Ysusf’s story is full of all kinds of lessons that transcends the time, space and cultures. It’s an all-time storytelling for humanity. Each and every ayah of the surah brings forth trove of lessons to learn. 

Alhamdulillah.

Note: it was really cold and freezing in the morning. The rocks in the lake are frozen with ice!



Tuesday, February 20, 2024

لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِيْ الدِّيْنِ

We know that Islam has forbidden compulsion in religion. Most of us know that aya - لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِيْ الدِّيْنِ  But very few of us know these two ayat, where Allah told prophet Muhammad (sw) that Allah didn’t forced all human to believe in one God so the prophet (sw) is not in the position either to compel others as the guidance is from Allah alone and whoever doesn’t use reason Allah won’t guide them. What a beautiful religion Islam is! Allahu Akbar!


Sunday, February 18, 2024

Educate and stand against genocide- even if one person at a time

Today I was in this H Mart grocery store to buy some fish and grocery. In their fruit section, they are selling these Israeli fruit.

I took this picture and went to the customer service. I failed to explain the young lady at the counter that why selling Israeli product is helping the genocide. She has no clue about what’s going on in the Middle East. A regular, unaware of the world, person. 

Then came the manager. She seems to have some knowledge on what’s going on in that part of the world. 

I explained her that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine and has killed 28,000+ human lives including 11,500+ children in 4 months. So they shouldn’t support Israel by selling their product that strengthens their economy to bomb more children. 

Her initial reply was- “that should be American government’s concern and as a grocery store, what can I do? It won’t make much impact”. 

I agreed with her that we can’t stop the genocide alone. I further explained her that as a human being and as a parent, how would she feel if that was her child being bombed indiscriminately and massacred. I showed her a news article on genocide from my phone. Then I reminded her the analogy of the Vietnam war and asked her if she would be complicit to the killing of innocent Vietnamese in 1960s. She agreed that she wouldn’t support that. 

Then I asked her if she can at least talk to their Headoffice to stop selling Israeli product in their store.

I finally told her that I like coming to H Mart but when I see the store that I shop sells product from the country that’s engaging in an ongoing genocide, that may force me to change my mind. 

She assured me that she will talk to their headoffice about this product if they can do anything. 

Even if nothing comes out from this effort but at the very least they are now better educated about the truth about Israel’s genocidal act in Palestine. While we do all other big ticket items to stand for justice, we also need to educate individuals surrounding us on apartheid Israel’s act of genocide to change the public opinion. One day Palestine will be free, InshaAllah. Every effort counts.

Request to you all: please do not remain silent or complicit to the ongoing genocide. You may or may not be able to change it alone but if you stand for justice then at least you can be on the side of the solution - not on the side of problem.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Justice will be served, InshaAllah

Allahuakbar.

https://www.youtube.com/live/FRsprNTNiNM?si=Jeb1feLfsOYyBzOj

Alhamdulillah. Thank you South Africa! Humanity hasn’t been lost even though it appears to be in the political and government system of this country.

‎وَمَكَرُواْ وَمَكَرَ ٱللَّهُۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡمَٰكِرِينَ

“They plan and Allah plans. Allah is the best planner.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered against Israel that a plausible genocide is in progress and it will take the case to decide. Most importantly, it has ordered (by up to 16 votes to 1) Israel to stop immediately to prevent further damage of Palestinian people who are in the verge of exterminated and “genocide”. People had done their part and all power is on Allah. May Allah use this verdict to serve justice to this injustice of our lifetime.

Alhamdulillah. Israel had handed out publicly, in the heights of their arrogance, all the proofs on a recorded media. Israel and the USA both are signatory of this Genocide Convention and it would have no choice but to accept or leave the convention to become isolated from other nations in the world. The justice would be brought to them, slowly but surely, InshaAllah.

#ThanksSouthAfrica

#FreePalestine


https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192

Monday, January 22, 2024

গণতন্ত্র নাকি নির্বাচন? নাকি উন্নয়ন? নাকি অধিকার? নাকি শুধুই একটা "কোদাল"?

গণতন্ত্র নাকি নির্বাচন? নাকি উন্নয়ন? নাকি অধিকার? নাকি শুধুই একটা "কোদাল"?

আরেকটি নির্বাচন চলে গেল। আপনার-আমার মতো অনেক মানুষই নিজেদের কপাল চাপড়িয়ে হাহাকার করে উঠে গনতন্ত্র হারানোর কষ্টে। আড্ডা ও ফেইসবুকে আরেকটা পোস্ট তুলে দিয়ে দেখানোর চেষ্টা করি আমাদের ভেতরের চরম হতাশাটাকে। বাংলাদেশ যেন আরো-একবার গণতন্ত্রের অভীষ্ঠ লক্ষ্যে পৌঁছে যাবার সূবর্ণ সুযোগ হারালো। যেন এই নির্বাচনটা ঠিকঠাক হলেই আমাদের অবস্থা হয়ে যেতো রুপকথার সেই রাজ্যের মতো- "...অতপর তারা মহা সুখে শান্তিতে বসবাস করিতে লাগিলো"। আমরা কখনো ভেবে দেখেছি কি যে আমরা আসলে কী হারালাম? গণতন্ত্র, নাকি একটা নির্বাচন? ব্যাপারটা আসলে অনেক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। চলেন, দেখি ব্যাপারটা আসলে কী।

এটা ঠিক যে, নির্বাচন এবং নির্বাচনের মাধ্যমে প্রতি কয়েক বছরে সরকার পরিবর্তন করা কে গণতন্ত্রের একটা ভিত্তি হিসেবে বিবেচনা করা হয়। যেমনটি আমরা পশ্চিমা বিশ্বে দেখতে অভ্যস্ত। কিন্তু অনেক সময় আমরা নির্বাচনটাকেই  সম্পুর্ণ গণতন্ত্র বলে ভুল করে ফেলি। তাই নির্বাচন না পেলে আমরা গনতন্ত্র হারিয়েছি ভেবে বিলাপ করতে থাকি। আমরা কি আসলে নির্বাচন চাই নাকি গনতন্ত্র চাই? আমাদের কি গণতন্ত্র দরকার নাকি গণতন্ত্রের মাধ্যমে অনেক কিছু অর্জন করা দরকার? আমাদের লক্ষ্যটা আসলে কী?

নির্বাচনটা অথবা গনতন্ত্রটাই যদি মূখ্য উদ্দেশ্য হয়ে যায়, তাহলে সেটাকে তুলনা করা যায় অনেকটা এরকম- একটি গ্রামে গোসল, কাপড় ধোয়া, সাঁতার কাটা ইত্যাদি নিত্যদিনের ব্যবহারের জন্য একটা পুকুরের দরকার পরলো। কয়কজন জ্ঞানী মানুষ ওদেরকে জানালো যে কোদাল দিয়ে খুব সহজেই একটি পুকুর কাটা যায় যেখানে লোকজন পানি জমিয়ে রাখতে পারবে ওইসব নিত্যকর্মের জন্য। তো এখন লোকজন যদি পুকুর কাটা শুরু করার পর, কোদাল ঠিক মতো ব্যবহার করা হলো কিনা তাই নিয়ে লেগে যায় আর পুকুর কাটাকে ভুলে যেয়ে ওই কোদালটাকেই, যেটা শুধুই পুকুর কাটার সামান্য একটা উপকরণ বৈ কিছুই না হওয়ায় কথা, সেটাকেই একমাত্র লক্ষ্যে পরিণত করে, তাহলে কেমন লাগবে? আমাদের অবস্থা হয়েছে অনেকটা সেরকম। পুকুর টুকুর খ্যাতায় যাক! আমার দরকার সেই কোদাল! অন্য আর কোনো যন্ত্র হলে চলবে না। আমার সেই কোদালই চাই। বুলডোজার দিলেও না!

এতো ভুমিকা-ভনিতা করে বলার কারনটা খুলে বলি। 

বাংলাদেশের জনগণ আসলে কী চায়? আমরা আসলে কি চাইছি? নাগরিকদের জন্য মৌলিক অধিকার (খাদ্য, শিক্ষা, চিকিৎসা ইত্যাদি), ধর্মের স্বাধীনতা, বাক স্বাধীনতা, সরকারের জবাবদিহিতা আর সামাজিক ন্যায়বিচার- তাইতো চাইছি? তাই না? গণতন্ত্রকে আমরা ওইসব নাগরিক অধিকার গুলি অর্জনের বাহন বলে মনে করি। পশ্চিমা বিশ্বের দিকে তাকালে আপাতদৃষ্টিতে তাই মনে হয়। কথাটা অনেকে ক্ষেত্রেই অসত্য না। তাই আমরা সামনে পিছনে কোনো দিকেই না তাকিয়ে গনতন্ত্রের জন্য জান-কোরবান করে যাচ্ছি। আমাদের সকল সমস্যার একমাত্র সমাধান মনে করে। সেটা কি আসলেই সত্যি? গণতন্ত্রই কি একমাত্র "কোদাল"? আর কোনো "কোদাল" কি নেই? অথবা বুলডোজার?  গণতন্ত্রের মাধ্যমে যদি আমরা পূর্বে উল্লেখিত লক্ষ্যগুলো অর্জন করতে পারি তাহলে ভালো। খুবই ভালো। কিন্তু গণতন্ত্র কী বা কোথা থেকে এলো তা নিয়ে আমরা কখনও গভীরভাবে চিন্তা করেছি কি? অথবা কেই বা আমাদেরকে বলে দিলো যে প্রতিটি দেশ পরিচালনার সর্বসময়ের একমাত্র "কোদাল" হল গনতন্ত্র এবং গনতান্ত্রিক নির্বাচন পদ্ধতি? আর কোনো তন্ত্র-মন্ত্র কি নেই?  সেটা বলার আগে আসেন একবার দেখি গনতন্ত্রের নামজারী-

গনতন্ত্রের শুরু হয়েছিল কয়েক হাজার বছর আগে। গ্রীস দেশে। গ্রীকদের গণতন্ত্রের রূপটা ছিল এরকম- কেবলমাত্র নগরবাসী- প্রশিক্ষিত পুরুষদেরই ভোটাধিকার ছিলো। সেই পুরষ-নাগরিকদের বাধ্যতামূলকভাবে দেশের পরিচালনা ব্যবস্থায় যুক্ত থাকতে হতো। কোন অশিক্ষিত-অপ্রশিক্ষিত বা গ্রামবাসী পুরুষ, কোন মহিলা অথবা ক্রীতদাস- কেউই কিন্তু সেই গনতন্ত্রের অংশীদার ছিল না। স্পয়েলার-এলার্ট (সংবিধিবদ্ধ সতর্কবাণী): আমেরিকার প্রথম গনতন্ত্র কিন্তু শুরু হয়েছিল এভাবেই - শেতাঙ্গ-পুরুষ নাগরিকরাই শুধুমাত্র ভোট দিতে পারতেন- মহিলা, বাচ্চা, দাস, অথবা কোনো অশেতাঙ্গ পুরুষ সেই গনতন্ত্রে অংশগ্রহণ করতে পারতোনা। এটা কি আজকের দিনের মতো গণতান্ত্রিক শোনাচ্ছে? অবশ্যই নয়। এটাকেতো পুরুষতান্ত্রিক অসাম্য সমাজ ব্যবস্থাই মনে হতে পারে। তদুপরি, অ্যারিস্টটল-প্লেটো, যাঁদেরকে পশ্চিমা সভ্যতার ভিত্তি-দার্শনিক ধরা হয় তাঁরা নিজেরাই উল্লেখ করেছেন যে গণতন্ত্র মূলত হচ্ছে আম-জনতার শাসন, যেটা অনিবার্যভাবেই একটা দেশকে স্বৈরতন্ত্রের দিকে নিয়ে যায়। অবাক হচ্ছেন তাই না? এটা কি জানেন যে আমেরিকার প্রথম প্রেসিডেন্ট, জর্জ ওয়াশিংটন, নির্বাচিত হয়েছিলেন জনগণের ভোট ছাড়াই? শুধু তাই নয়, এখনও আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্ট নির্বাচিত হন পরোপরোক্ষভাবে- যেটাকে বলা হয় "ইলেক্টোরাল কলেজ"। সেই জন্য লক্ষ লক্ষ ভোট কম পেলেও একজন এখানে প্রেসিডেন্ট নির্বাচিত হয়ে যায়। ডোনাল্ড ট্রাম্প ২০১৬ সালে আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্ট নির্বাচিত হয়ে ছিলেন তার প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী প্রার্থী হিলারি ক্লিনটনের চেয়ে আটাশ লক্ষ ভোট কম পেয়ে। হ্যাঁ- কম ভোট পেয়ে। বিশ্বাস না হলে নিজেই যাচাই করুন (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election)। এটা নতুন কিছু নয়- এটাই আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্ট নির্বাচন ব্যবস্থা। এটা বুঝতে হলে আপনাকে আমেরিকার রাষ্ট্রের ব্যবস্থা ও তার ইতিহাস পড়তে হবে। সে এক বিরাট ইতিহাস। তাহলে কে আমাদেরকে সেই গনতন্ত্রের "কোদাল" ধরিয়ে দিলো আর আমরা শেষ চল্লিশ বছরেরও বেশি সময় ধরে গনতন্ত্রের "কোদাল" চালিয়েই চলছি? তিহাত্তুর-উনাশি-ছিয়াশি-আটাশির সরকার-দলীয় নির্বাচন, নব্বইয়ের অন্তর্বর্তীকালীন সরকারের মাধ্যমে "সূক্ষ্ম কারচুপির" নিরপেক্ষ নির্বাচন, পঁচানব্বইয়ের তত্ত্বাবধায়ক সরকারের মাধ্যমে অবাধ-নিরপেক্ষ নির্বাচন, দুই হাজার সালের নির্বাচন, দুই হাজার আটের মিলিটারি-নির্বাচন, এরপর আরো কতো নির্বাচন! আমরা দেখেও দেখি না! দুই তিনটা ভালো নির্বাচন তো আমরা পেয়েছিলাম, তাই না? কোনো নির্বাচনই কেন আমাদেরকে গনতন্ত্র অথবা এর আগের বলা নাগরিক অধিকারগুলো দিলোনা? আমরা কি দেখেও দেখি না! আমাদের কি সময় হয়নি একটু গভীরভাবে চিন্তা করার? আমাদের কি সময় হয়নি গা-ঝাড়া দিয়ে উঠার?

বাকিটা পরের পর্বে। ইনশাআল্লাহ।

Friday, January 12, 2024

The Irony of humanity!



In the tragic theater of history, did not the Jews, post-World War II, sow the seeds for the birth of the ICJ?


Yet, how did Israel metamorphose into a genocidal force?


A repugnant spectacle unfolds in Gaza, an unparalleled horror etched in human chronicles!


Behold the unprecedented trifecta - speed, intensity, and destruction - a symphony of devastation in the blink of time!


In a mere 90 days, 23,000 Palestinian souls extinguished,


8,000+ innocent children ruthlessly snuffed out.


Maimed bodies, numbering over 50,000, silently bear the scars of relentless assault.


Women, and even the unborn, spared not in this heinous Israeli chapter in the book of humanity’s crimes.


Beneath the rubble, thousands lie, perhaps already departed.


Entire livelihoods crushed by the genocidal juggernaut.


Reflect on World War II - the Holocaust claimed 6 million Jewish lives in six long years.


Now ponder this: Israel, in mere proportion, has surpassed that toll on Palestinian existence.


Were there 16 million souls in Gaza, given 6 more years, Israel might orchestrate a massacre exceeding 7 million!


Hitler obscured his genocidal intent, but Netanyahu and his cohorts embraced it unabashedly.


Ministers, soldiers - all joined in the disgusting dance of celebration.


A live-streamed spectacle, a grotesque display of arrogance at its zenith!


Why not, when Joe Biden and Anthony Blinken provide weapons and guard the realm, nurturing the very genocide they condemn!


Oh, the irony! A once-victim now the perpetrator in this tragic tableau of history.

Israeli Genocide in Gaza: chronicle of Evidences…13 more

Evidence#6: Israeli Minister of Finance: 

On 8 October 2023, Bezalel Smotrich stated at a meeting of the Israeli Cabinet that “[w]e need to deal a blow that hasn’t been seen in 50 years and take down Gaza.”




Evidence#7: Israeli Minister of Heritage: 


On 1 November 2023, Amichai Eliyahu posted on Facebook: “The north of the Gaza Strip, more beautiful than ever. Everything is blown up and flattened, simply a pleasure for the eyes … We must talk about the day after. In my mind, we will hand over lots to all those who fought for Gaza over the years and to those evicted from Gush Katif” [a former Israeli settlement].460 He later argued against humanitarian aid as “[w]e wouldn’t hand the Nazis humanitarian aid”, and “there is no such thing as uninvolved civilians in Gaza”. He also posited a nuclear attack on the Gaza Strip.


Evidence#8: Israeli Minister of Agriculture: 


On 11 November 2023, Avi Dichter in a television interview recalled the Nakba of 1948, in which over 80 percent of the Palestinian population of the new Israeli State was forced from or fled their homes, stating that “[w]e are now actually rolling out the Gaza Nakba”.


Evidence#9: Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee: 


On 7 October 2023, Nissim Vaturi ‘tweeted’ that: “[n]ow we all have one common goal — erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth. Those who are unable will be replaced.” 


Evidence#10: Israeli Army Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (‘COGAT’):

On 9 October 2023, in a video statement addressed to Hamas and Gaza residents, published by COGAT’s official channel, Major General Ghassan Alian warned: “Hamas became ISIS and the citizens of Gaza are celebrating instead of being horrified. Human animals are dealt with accordingly. Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza, no electricity, no water, just damage. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”


Evidence#11: Israeli Army Reservist Major General, former Head of the Israeli National Security Council, and adviser to the Defense Minister: 


On 7 October 2023, Giora Eiland, describing

the Israeli order to cut off water and electricity to Gaza, wrote in an online journal: “This is what Israel has begun to do — we cut the supply of energy, water and diesel to the Strip . . . But it’s not enough. In order to make the siege effective, we have to prevent others from giving assistance to Gaza … The people should be told that they have two choices; to stay and to starve, or to leave. If Egypt and other countries prefer that these people will perish in Gaza, this is their choice.” On the same day, he asserted in a national newspaper that “[w]hen you are at war with another country you don't feed them, you don't provide them electricity or gas or water or anything else . . . A country can be attacked in a much broader way, to bring the country to the brink of dysfunction. This is the necessary outcome of events” in Gaza. He has repeatedly asserted the benefits for Israel of the creation of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that “Israel has no interest in the Gaza Strip being rehabilitated and this is an important point that needs to be made clear to the Americans”, and that “[i]f we ever want to see the hostages alive, the only way is to create a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza”. He has indicated that water should be targeted, noting that water in Gaza “comes from wells with salt water unfit for consumption. They have water treatment plants, Israel should hit those plants. When the entire world says we have gone insane and this is a humanitarian disaster — we will say, it’s not an end, it’s a means.” In a Times radio interview on 12 October 2023, he reiterated the army should: “[C]reate such a huge pressure on Gaza, that Gaza will become an area where people cannot live. People cannot live, until Hamas is destroyed, which means that Israel not only stops to supply energy, diesel, water, food … as we did in the last twenty years … but we should prevent any possible assistance by others, and to create in Gaza such a terrible, unbearable situation, that can last weeks and months”. Giora Eiland has repeatedly been given a media platform to call for Gaza to be made uninhabitable, declaring “the State of Israel has no choice but to make Gaza a place that is temporarily, or permanently, impossible to live in.” In an interview on 6 November 2023, he suggested that, “if there is an intention for a military action at Shifa [Hospital], which I think is inescapable, I hope that the head of the CIA got an explanation of why this is necessary, and why the US must ultimately back even an operation like this, even if there are thousands of bodies of civilians in the streets afterward. Further he proposed that “Israel needs to create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, compelling tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in Egypt or the Gulf . . . Gaza will become a place where no human being can exist.” Echoing the words of President Herzog, he has repeatedly underscored that there should be no distinction between Hamas combatants and Palestinian civilians, saying:


“Who are the ‘poor’ women of Gaza? They are all the mothers, sisters or wives of Hamas

murderers. On the one hand, they are part of the infrastructure that supports the organization, and on the other hand, if they experience a humanitarian disaster, then it can be assumed that some of the Hamas fighters and the more junior commanders will begin to understand that the war is futile . . . The international community warns us of a

humanitarian disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this,

as difficult as that may be. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer . . . It is precisely its civil collapse that will bring the end of the war closer. When senior Israeli figures say in the media ‘It's either us or them’ we should clarify the question of who is ‘them’. ‘They’ are not only Hamas fighters with weapons, but also all the ‘civilian’ officials, including hospital administrators and school administrators, and also the entire Gaza population who enthusiastically supported Hamas and cheered on its atrocities on October 7th.”


Evidence#12: Israeli Army reservist “motivational speech”: 


On 11 October 2023, 95-year old Israeli army reservist Ezra Yachin — a veteran of the Deir Yassin massacre during the 1948 Nakba — reportedly called up for reserve duty to “boost morale” amongst Israeli troops ahead of the ground invasion, was broadcast on social media inciting other soldiers to genocide as follows, while being driven around in an Israeli army vehicle, dressed in Israeli army fatigues: “Be triumphant and finish them off and don’t leave anyone behind. Erase the memory of them. Erase them, their families, mothers and children. These animals can no longer live . . . Every Jew with a weapon should go out and kill them. If you have an Arab neighbour, don't wait, go to his home and shoot him . . . We want to invade, not like before, we want to enter and destroy what’s in front of us, and destroy houses, then destroy the one after it. With all of our forces, complete destruction, enter and destroy. As you can see, we will witness things we’ve never dreamed of. Let them drop bombs on them and erase them.”


Evidence#13: Head of the Israeli army’s Air Operations Group: 


On 28 October 2023, Lieutenant colonel Gilad Kinan described the Air Force as “work[ing] together with all the bodies in the IDF when the goal is clear — to destroy everything that has been touched by the hand of Hamas”.


Evidence#14: Commander in the 2908th Battalion of the Israeli army: 


In a video posted online on 21 December 2023, Yair Ben David said that the Israeli army had “entered Beit Hanoun and did there as Shimon and Levi did in Nablus,” and that “[t]he entire Gaza should resemble Beit Hanoun”, referring to the city in northern Gaza which has been entirely devastated by the Israeli army..The biblical passage in issue reads: “On the third day, when they were in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s sons, brothers of Dinah, took each his sword, came upon the city unmolested, and slew all the males”.


Evidence#15: Israeli Army Colonel, Deputy Head of COGAT: 


speaking in a video filmed in Beit Lahia — one of the areas of Gaza which appears to have suffered particularly severe levels of destruction — and broadcast on Israeli television on 4 November 2023, Colonel Yogev Bar-Sheshet stated: “[w]hoever returns here, if they return here after, will find scorched earth. No houses, no agriculture, no nothing. They have no future;” another Army Colonel recorded in the same video, Colonel Erez Eshel (Reserve), also commented that: “Vengeance is a great value. There is vengeance over what they did to us … This place will be a fallow land. They will not be able to live here”.


Evidence#16: Israeli soldiers in uniform 


(H)ave been filmed on 5 December 2023 dancing, chanting and singing “May their village burn, May Gaza be erased”;482 and, two days later, on a separate occasion inside Gaza on 7 December 2023, dancing, singing and chanting, “we know our motto: there are no uninvolved civilians” and “to wipe off the seed of Amalek”. Notably, the second video of soldiers chanting that there are “no uninvolved citizens” in Gaza and that they will “wipe off the seed of Amalek” was filmed on 7 December 2023. By that date, 17,177 Palestinians in Gaza had been killed — an estimated 70 per cent of whom were women and children.

7-8 December 2023 was particularly devasting for Palestinians, with 350 people killed in the space of 24 hours — approximately one Palestinian in Gaza killed every four minutes.


Evidence#17:


This genocidal rhetoric of governmental and military officials is also widespread and commonplace amongst non-cabinet members of the Israeli Knesset (‘MKs’) who have repeatedly called for Gaza to be “wiped out”, “flatten[ed]”,486 “eras[ed]”, and “[c]rush[ed] . . . on all its inhabitants”. Parliamentarians have publicly deplored anyone “feel[ing] sorry” for the “uninvolved”

Gazans, asserting repeatedly that “there are no uninvolved”, that “[t]here are no innocents in Gaza”, that “the killers of the women and children should not be separated from the citizens of Gaza”, that “the children of Gaza have brought this upon themselves”, and that “there should be one sentence for everyone there — death”. Parliamentarians have stated “[w]e must not forget that even the ‘innocent citizens’ — the cruel and monstrous people from Gaza took an active part . . . there is no place for any humanitarian gesture — the memory of Amalek must be protested”, and that “[w]ithout hunger and thirst among the Gazan population, we will not be able to recruit collaborators”. Parliamentarians have also called for “mercilessly” bombing “from the air”, calling for the use of nuclear (“doomsday”) weapons, and a “Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48”.


Evidence#18:


Similar genocidal rhetoric is also commonplace in Israeli civil society, with genocidal messages being routinely broadcast— without censure or sanction — in Israeli media. The media reports call for Gaza to be “erase[d],” turned into a “slaughterhouse”, that “Hamas should not be eliminated” but rather “Gaza should be razed”, on the repeated claim that “[t]here are no innocents… There is no population. There are 2.5 million terrorists”. One local official, reportedly called for Gaza to be “desolate and destroyed” like the Auschwitz Museum, “demonstrating the madness of the people who lived there”. Former MKs have called for a level of destruction akin to that of Dresden and Hiroshima, asserting that it would be “immoral” for the Israeli army not to show themselves to be “vengeful and cruel”. In an Israeli news interview, one former MK called for all Palestinians in Gaza to be killed saying:


“I tell you, in Gaza without exception, they are all terrorists, sons of dogs. They must be exterminated, all of them killed. We will flatten Gaza, turn them to dust, and the army will cleanse the area. Then we will start building new areas, for us, above all, for our security.”


#StopGenocideInGaza

#FreePalestine


https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf