A PARABLE OF ISRAELI INJUSTICE

TWO BROTHERS FROM GAZA

Abdu and Muhammad were twins who lived with their father in occupied Gaza during the Intifada (uprising.) They were a poor family who had small two room house in a tiny village. On one of the saddest days of their lives, their mother had died while giving birth, her death bringing joy in the new life she brought into the world and tremendous grief to her family for their loss. Though they were poor and without their mother, their small family was rich before ALLAH; they had their strong belief in Him and they had each other.

Today, this small family was faced with a different kind of grief and sorrow. The Muchabarat said that there were three serious crimes their father had committed. The charges against him were chanting with others, “We want justice,” placing stones on a nearly deserted road, and waving a Palestinian flag. These crimes were reported by a former friend of his, who was now a regularly paid informer of the Israeli government. This former friend was forced into supporting himself by reporting on others; he was threatened by his own imprisonment if he did not cooperate in his job as informant.

Their father pleaded that he was innocent, but the Muchabarat said that they were certain of the truth of the charges against him. They told him he would not receive a trial because there were so many other criminals like himself being taken into custody that there was no time for a trial.

As he was being led to the police wagon for his trip to prison, he pleaded with the officer to allow him one last brief conversation with his grieving older sons. When the Mukhabarat officer saw the tears in the father’s eyes, and in the eyes of his children, his own heart was touched with compassion. Yet, he knew that he himself would be seriously disciplined by his superiors if he let the man talk to his sons. Nevertheless, because once a young Palestinian had been so kind to his pregnant wife when she was injured getting off a bus in Jerusalem, he decided to risk getting into trouble with his superiors and to return this kindness to a Palestinian. He told the grieving father to take two minutes to talk with his sons. But he also sternly warned him that he would be watched closely. Because the father’s hands were already in handcuffs, the officer knew he could easily catch him or wound him if he attempted an escape.

The father, after weeping on the shoulders of the two older boys, looked into their desperate eyes and gave each of them the following instructions, “Since your mother is with ALLAH and I am being taken to prison, there is much responsibility on your shoulders. You both must take care of your three brothers. I trust you both to seek ALLAH’S help in providing for your brothers and guiding them. Please promise me also that you will do everything you can to protect them and to keep them from any harm.”

Both Abdu and Muhammad hugged their father as they promised from their hearts that they would obey his requests. The younger boys, who were standing nearby, nodded their agreement. As the father was being led to the awaiting police wagon, he turned to his five boys and said with great emotion, “ALLAH be with you.” The boys, in their deep sadness and in their fear for their father, only mumbled their reply. Flashing through their minds were reports of the mysterious deaths of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Some were reportedly shot under extremely questionable circumstances. Others strangely died from what their friends thought were only minor injuries. Still others, though they had been in good spirits when taken into custody and would be heroes when they were released, were reported to have suddenly committed suicide soon after being taken by the Israelis. Even if their father survived these dangers, they wondered if at his age he would be able to survive the dreaded Israeli “group sun torture.” What would it accomplish for their father to spend months or even years in prison? Did any person outside of Palestine care what happened to a Palestinian?

A few days later, Abdu and Muhammad were walking home after they had put some stones on their remote village road. They had done this largely symbolic gesture for five reasons: they were protesting the Israeli occupation of their land; they were protesting because some of their relatives had land stolen from them by the Israeli government; they were protesting Israel’s continued building of illegal settlements on the West Bank; they were protesting the fact that Israeli soldiers had broken the windows of their home; and they were protesting their father’s imprisonment because they knew he had stayed out of all protests and was totally innocent. Also, in placing stones on the road they proclaimed that they were not robots, animals, or insects, but instead, human beings who could still make decisions. In fact, one of the few things they had to laugh about was the fact that the Israelis thought they put these stones on the road only to block their vehicles. How could they think this? The only time they came out to this remote area was to arrest someone. Then, it only took the soldiers a few seconds to remove the stones.

As they came around an apartment building near their home, Abdu and Muhammad’s muscles tightened and their hearts filled with fear and rage. There was the dreaded police wagon with two Muchabarat leading their three brothers toward it. Neither of them wanted to believe what their eyes told them was true. The evil Muchabarat were again at their home in which they had suckled at their mother’s breast. They were actually taking away their frightened and helpless brothers.

Because the Muchbarat were busy with their brothers, neither Abdu nor Muhammad was seen. If they were quick and quiet, they could still escape.

Abdu’s mind raced with ideas. He remembered his weeping father’s instructions. If only he had watched his younger brothers more carefully this would not be happening. Yet, if his father heard that he and his brother were also arrested, it would break his tender heart. The answer was now obvious to Abdu. ALLAH in his great mercy had provided him an opportunity to escape. He thought his father would be pleased. He quickly and silently slipped back around the building and out of their sight.

Muhammad’s mind also raced with a multitude of conflicting ideas and questions, “Why is this happening? How can ALLAH allow such injustice? The land of this village has been owned for years by our relatives. Now these dreaded foreigners are making life miserable for all of my friends and loved ones. Why doesn’t ALLAH send them away?

However, he quickly reminded himself that now was not the time for such thoughts or questions. There was a terrible problem to solve and it must be solved quickly. What would my father want me to do? No sooner than he asked himself the question, he knew the answer. ALLAH was with him. ALLAH would help him to rescue his brothers.

He ran toward the two Muchabarat, totally surprising them. They could not believe what was happening. He was wild with rage. As they both grabbed at him, he shouted to his brothers, “Run from here!” As they ran, one officer took out his gun and started to fire at the fleeing boys. Muhammad, in desperation, grabbed his arm. The officer swore, jerked away, and then quickly turned and shot Muhammad near his heart.

All of the neighbors were deeply sad and angry as they watched the Muchabarat Muhammad’s lifeless body into their car. It as a terribly serious crime to have struggled with the Muchabarat, I appeared to them from what they had observed that Muhammad was either dead or would soon die or spend his life in prison.

The neighbors were full of grief as they told his stunned brothers how Muhammad had probably given his life in order to save them. None of them could truly believe that ALLAH would allow someone as good as Muhammad to die at the hands of those who by their actions appeared to be so greedy, uncaring and ruthless. What happened had shocked their neighbor’s sensibilities. Despite the evil intentions of their temporary conquerors, they each knew in their own hearts that they would continue to trust in ALLAH.

Amazingly, the nearly fatal wound of Muhammad not only healed but also healed more quickly than anyone expected. It was as if ALLAH had guided the hands of the Israeli doctors and nurses as they treated him. Also, no one at the hospital realized the strength of Muhammad’s will. Neither did they understand how strongly ALLAH was with him, and therefore they did not guard him closely.

On the third day, he secretly dressed in some soiled hospital clothes which were about to be thrown away. Now he appeared to be one of them.

Though he was still quite weak, with strength from ALLAH, Muhammad miraculously escaped from the prison hospital. As he slowly walked down the hallway past the prison and hospital staff, he looked into their eyes. Most of them were sad and fearful. Suddenly, he had a new understanding. He had always thought that it was these people who had kept his own people in prisons of barbed wire and under cruel suppression. Now he understood that though whole Palestinian families live in one prison-like room, and multitudes were in locked Israeli prisons, they were free. Many were the maimed and murdered, yet they were free. The spirits given them by ALLAH were bruised, but not conquered. They had a freedom that these people did not understand and could not defeat.

Yes, many of these so-called conquerors did have their new apartments. Still, they did not live in homes. They had locked themselves in prisons. Daily they choose to return to personal prison cells of arrogance, prejudice, fear, and hatred, though there are many brave Israelis who refuse to live in such poverty.

As he continued walking, Muhammad wondered how people’s greed and arrogance could cause them to become so twisted in their thinking that they would think that injustice which disgusts ALLAH, instead pleases Him. Some of these new settlers actually considered it pleasing to ALLAH when Israeli authorities allowed them to terrorize unarmed villages at night. They thought that the terrified screams of the children, the weeping of the women and the humiliation of the men because they were unable to prevent the shame that was heaped upon their families, were all things that pleased their GOD. Muhammad was deeply grieved that many thought that their GOD loved only them and had a deep hatred for Palestinians.

Muhammad now understood that many of the cruel blows that crushed the bones of his people were meant for someone else. They were meant to crush someone who had once hated Jews but who was not now there to receive their punishment.

“Oh, father,” he whispered in his wounded heart as he thought of his innocent, loving father suffering in prison, “why do the innocent so often suffer at the hands of the guilty? Oh ALLAH,” his wounded heart cried, “they don’t know what they are doing to your people.”

It had appeared to all of Muhammad’s neighbor’s that he would die or spend years in prison. It also appeared to his brothers that this would be his fate. It appeared to the Muchabarat and their superiors, as well as his doctors that he would most certainly die or remain in prison. In Muhammad’s darkest moment, even he had thought that ALLAH had deserted him.

Neither the Muchabarat nor the people for whom they worked truly killed or captured Muhammad. ALLAH took him away from their worst intentions. It appeared to them that their actions had succeeded, but they did not know ALLAH. ALLAH is great. ALLAH is wise. ALLAH gave him new life. They neither killed nor captured him.

As the Jews continued to look at Muhammad, as he walked, it was as though they experienced a partial blindness. They did not recognize him as the man who defeated the Muchabarat and even defeated death. Neither did they understand that hidden beneath their soiled clothing now worn by him was a deep wound, caused by the faults and misdeeds of man. Though this man carried a wound that would never fully heal, they thought he was just an ordinary doctor or intern on his way home after a hard day’s work. They were blinded to his compassion. They had no understanding of his fierce hatred of cruelty and injustice.

Muhammad still lives.

Day after day he secretly helps and guides his brothers. He also helps any person who will admit his own need of his help. Without the authorities realizing it, he has even offered to provide guidance toward the total liberation of his people.

It seems to many who know Muhammad well that ALLAH is so pleased with his attitude and actions that he has enabled him to become a mighty force in the lives of his people. Some even say that by2 their opportunity to observe his mercy and wisdom, they experience a deeper understanding of the purposes and will of the Almighty ALLAH.

And I ask you, which brother would be more worthy to be the Messiah of the Glorious Qur’an?

Would it be the brother who made a quick decision to avoid death? Or, would it be the brother who was willing to die, in fact who appeared to die, but, because of ALLAH’S Wisdom and Might, remains alive?

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ALLAH loves every person. When abuse of person’s beloved GOD continues, the MOST HIGH speaks judgment through his prophets.

“The LORD takes his place in court and rises to judge the people. The LORD judges the elders and leaders of his people.

‘It is you who have ruined my vineyard and the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor?’ declared the LORD, The LORD ALMIGHTY.” (ISAIAH 3:13-15)