Saturday, March 3, 2012

Sheikh 'Abdallah Nimr Badir: Some Hypocritical Israeli Arabs Benefit from the Zionist State while Inciting against It


Sheikh 'Abdallah Nimr Badir: Some Hypocritical Israeli Arabs Benefit from the Zionist State while Inciting against It
In a recent article, Arab-Israeli sheikh 'Abdallah Nimr Badir, from the village of Kafar Qasem, wrote that some Israeli Arabs, especially Islamists, enjoy the freedoms and rights that Israel grants to its citizens, yet at the same time incite against the state and denounce Israeli Arabs who take part in institutions such as the Israeli Labor Party. The article, published in the Israeli-Arab weekly Al-Sunara, was a response to an article published a few weeks ago in the same paper by Sheikh Kamal Khatib, deputy of Israeli Islamist movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah, in which he criticized Israeli Arabs who take part in Israeli politics.
The following are excerpts from Sheikh Nimr's article.[1]
"Whoa there, Sheikh [Kamal Khatib]... [Some] dubious writers [allow themselves to] proclaim who is headed for Paradise and who is headed for Hell, who is virtuous and who is not. They appoint themselves God and hand out certificates of pardon and salvation as though they are [the source of all] deliverance and victory. They think that they and the other members of their movement and party are the best of people, the most free of blame and worthy of Paradise. Stuff and nonsense! Such foolish behavior is itself a betrayal of the divine message, [and could] lead to civil war...
"It is the 'Zionist state' that pays these people their salaries, and grants them the right to serve as judges, parliament members, administrators, [public] representatives, overseers, mayors, village elders and imams. It is [the Zionist state] that allows them to travel around the world. [Yet despite this], some of them seize every opportunity to incite against the 'Zionist state.' This is puzzling. Why do the authorities allow these people to incite against the state, and then pay their salaries at the end of each month...?
"The Zionist media, including the Arab media within it, glorify these people, to the extent that they have become regular denizens [of these media outlets] who [constantly] incite against the 'Zionist state,' whereas not a single Zionist opposes them. The Palestinian cause and [the struggle for] Al-Aqsa have become their own private domain, which nobody else has a right to enter. Claiming that the entire nation is in peril, they brandish slogans [like] 'Al-Aqsa is in danger' and 'we will save you, O Al-Aqsa.' Yet, as far as I have seen and heard, not one of them has ever died defending the sanctity of Al-Aqsa. 
"How long will we continue [listening] to these misleading writers and speakers of false slogans, who deceive us and hide the [true] facts? They all live in this Zionist state and carry [Israeli] identity cards. All of them, including these questionable writers, queue at the gates of the Zionist institutions – be it municipal councils, political parties, or civil associations – asking for aid... And it has been proven unequivocally that these writers meet with the state's decision makers, asking for [various] privileges and high-level appointments for themselves and their associates...
"And what do you [writers] do in return for these favors? You and Allah know [the answer] better than anyone else. Whom are you deceiving and whom are you opposing with these slogans [of yours]?... All of us obey the Zionist state and depend on it for our living, especially on Social Security, which gives you and your old parents the means to live in dignity. Were it not for the [Social Security] Law, we would have seen our parents and grandparents living in degrading poverty and in terrible health...
"What do you demand of the Zionist state, today and always? On the economic level: equality, a dignified life, [proper] infrastructures for every village and city, an expansion of zoning plans [to make room] for the next generation, jobs for university graduates, industry parks for the Arab population, and a reduction of the unemployment rate.
"As for the political level, I have never heard these dubious writers state in public that they want to destroy the 'Zionist state' or throw its Jewish citizens into the sea, though their articles and publications do imply this... Everyone clearly agrees that the occupation must be removed from the Arab, Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese lands, and that a Palestinian state must be established on the June 4, 1967 borders, dividing historical Palestine into two states for two peoples. All [the Arabs], both Islamists and secularists, have recognized the existence of the 'Zionist state'... The majority has accepted this, especially among the Arabs and Palestinians. So where will the solution come from, if not from the Zionist state? Whenever someone writes [an article] attacking [Arabs] who are members of Zionist parties, it makes me laugh, because such articles are a certificate of integrity and honesty for [these party-members], and because some of them have proved that they [indeed] defend their [fellow] Arabs...
"Some among us have already liberated Al-Aqsa on the TV networks and in [various] festivals, and have liberated Palestine in their articles... But this is all talk... [It is time for you to] stop your arrogance..."
Endnote: 
[1] Al-Sunara (Israel), February 3, 2012. Sheikh Khatib's article was published in Al-Sunara on January 27, 2012.

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6139.htm

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