As I posted before, I feel the Messiah’s (as) martyrs in Afghanistan are a big reason why the nation is in the unending cycle of violence it can’t seem to pull itself out of.
There were two Ahmadi martyrs of Afghanistan but the one of Sahibzada Abdul Latif Shaheed is a particularly interesting story that highlights man’s obstinacy in refusing a Divine message/messenger.
I would copy and paste but the PDF doesn’t provide that option so just read directly from it:
In the book, “Ahmadiyyat: Renaissance of Islam” by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, widely known Pakistani diplomat and esteemed lawyer, pgs: 93-104 in the PDF file (83-94 in the book) describes the story of this martyrdom.
This has also been recorded in the book by the Promised Messiah himself in his book: “Tadkiratush-Shahadatain”
The following is a continuation of a debate/discussion between Andre and myself on his Forum at this link
We are discussing who the conspirators are, how far back it goes, some possible spiritual solutions and the viability of Civilizations.
His words are indented in quotes, my responses follow the quotes.
Yes, they hide behind the Jewish religion like these people hide behind all religions, and all other institutions of power. No one has said that the Jewish elite are “scapegoated” (though the Jewish population often is), merely that they are a part of a machine.
That’s not what you and your homie have been saying. You’ve said many times that the “jewish managers” as you call them, have been put in front of us by “them” deliberately so we’ll “blame the jews.” Look at the policy makers in all these western countries and say that’s just a conspiracy against ‘jews’ by ‘them’ and it’s so we’ll “blame the jews” so “they” can hide.
You haven’t listened to him. He explains who they are. He doesn’t usually talk about “royalty”, but that seems to be a favorite strawman of yours when it comes to this subject. He talks about a priesthood, and aristocratic bloodlines, that have always acted through the Mystery religion, which is presently manifesting in the massively variant incarnations of Freemasonry and ultimately is the religion behind all religions. You should listen to the man before you attack him. One or two shows is not enough to understand the subject matter, it is too complicated. I am certain you “don’t have time for that” - well then don’t attack him
Fine, I’ll admit I’ve only listened to about 7 or so of his hour long shows. Everythin has an opportunity cost, you know that. But, seeing as how he’s your favorite and a slight on him alone can catalyze a several paragraph attack from you, can you please tell me who is he naming, individuals and families, as belonging to this “preisthood?”
Give me some and any link to the audio in which he makes the claims would be absolutely appreciated.
Well, it’s wintertime man, and I need some cash for that. I am working all the time. There are still plans.
Good luck. You know I’m a cheerleader.
I don’t believe in evolution. We are what we are. Each individual is to evolve spiritually, living in his natural environment. There is absolutely no reason to believe man was “made” to “advance” toward anything.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe evolution occurs. Every moment you blink, something, somewhere in the universe has changed. That’s all evolution is. Every 7 years you regenerate new cells that make you look completely different. That’s evolution as well. Closing yourself off and saying nuh uh isn’t going to stop it. Every day someone, somewhere comes up with a new way of doing things or makes something new or makes a process more efficient… Doesn’t make a bit of difference whether Andre in Ohio whines about it or not.
We were never meant to be subjugated. This is a fact. “Scientific progress” only exists in large societies, and large societies always end up subjugating the individual, simply because there is no other way to keep people from killing each other in the completely unnatural urban setting.
So you’re decrying the scale of what occurs? There wasn’t genital mutilation in tribal, ‘primitive’, cultures? No war? No sacrifice to the gods? No one man with 50 women and 200 hundred children? No homosexuality? No pagan worship? All those things are natural for man buy flying on a plane is ‘evil’ and ‘unnatural’?
Whatever dude. There is no civilization that was ever good. There was a divine utopia before any of this crap. It is the nature of the psychopath to conquer his surroundings. It is the nature of man to exist peacefully within them
When? Before language? Back when everything was an undifferentiated whole? Back during the time of collective consciousness and no soul/conscience? What about mankind’s animal stage makes you reminisce?
Your enemy is change. And change is hardwired into the universe. It was not like everything was the same then all of a sudden the mean, preisthood, “they” decided to shake shit up.
That’s wonderful. They look happy. So do these people:
Well DBS has been caught twice now employing Israeli military…
LMFAOOOO!!!
wow, that was funny as hell. I have no attachment to DBS like you do with Watt yet DBS has exposed a hell of a lot more criminals than Watt has with a fraction of the promotion and constant lies about him such as the one posted above. And I don’t defend him, I just promote some of his work, I think he’s a boneheaded egotist drunkard myself sometimes.
More attempts to degrade and belittle? Who would have thunk it?
Touche. Your modus operandi. That medicine taste bitter, no?
The Rothschilds profited at Waterloo. I thought we all knew that.
But werent they just workin for the ‘aristocratic preisthood’ like good little pawns?
They are all cousins. Get a book about the Norman invasion. No historian denies this. But it is insane to believe these people took over Europe without an army, and for some reason let the ancient rulers who trace their lineages back to Babylon keep their titles, and everyone just gets along great. This is not historical. But you are stuck on it, and won’t let go, because it forms some basis for your ideology. There is no reason to discuss it, it is basically arguing over religion. Anyone who reads this can make their own call.
You’ve got an ideology of your own made up largely of your heros Jones and Watt. The only ideology I follow is Islam and you woefully misunderstand both the orthodox version and the one I follow, which is creepy since you’re a ‘muslim’ (or were)
Yeah, technology was created to oppress us. It has never done anyone any good, ever. This is very simple and plain for anyone to see. If you can’t, it is your indoctrination and belief in the system that is familiar to you that blinds you. Everything was better before any of this existed. Period.
Technology was never created. It has always existed. It is not an end. It’s a means to an end. It isn’t intrinsically good or bad however I will concede that it has been used more for negative than positive in the past century. This era was also prophecized about. God simply opened up SOME secrets of the universe for man to explore with his endowed capacity, mostly to spread the message of the Messiah, peacefully, to forever eradicate the claim that Islam was spread by the sword.
Also, talking about “technology” and “self-sufficiency” in the same breath is oxymoronic. Think on that.
Wow. How about that right there is MORONIC? I know you hate when I mention this but this is relevent so I’m gonna go ahead. The present Khalifa of our community was an agricultural engineer/scientist prior to this position.
Check it out:
First experiments had revealed that wheat could not grow in Ghana. But Sahibzada Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib continued relentlessly. Another Ahmadi Muslim, Mr Qasim Ahmad, joined him in this series of experiments. The efforts of this team of Ahmadi agriculturalists finally paid dividends. The first successful experiment of planting, growing and nurturing wheat as an economic crop in Ghana was exhibited at an international trade fair and the results were submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture of Ghana. It stands as a great credit to his personal efforts in these experiments that successive presidents of Ghana have commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim community for these highly successful experiments which revolutionized the country’s economy and paved the way for self sufficiency
So by not acceptin the belief that wheat could not grow, he utilized TECHNOLOGY to do scientific EXPERIMENTS, which eventually led to a solution, which paved the way for SELF-SUFFICIENCY for a country.
“Yea, that’s EVIL. The aristocratic preisthood sent him to do just that!”
you can read more about him here:
http://www.alislam.org/khilafat/fifth
As far as getting rid of the central banks, I am assuming you still believe in the institution of money, but are probably not silly enough to talk about the “gold standard”.
Money is a means of exchange. Again not intrinsically good or bad but it must not have value in and of itself, nor should its production be monopolized, nor should it be created from thin air, nor should it operate on usury.
Barter would still work, so would sticks like they had in Britian for centuries before central banking.
Anyway, you are proposing a world governmental system?
Nope. Anarchy tempered with wide adherence to Divine Law OUT OF VOLITION.
Read up on how Umar (the second khalifa of the first Caliphate) ran everything, you’ll enjoy it, it’s enlightening stuff…
Europe certainly was 98% slaves
link? Keep in mind that’s not a disagreement, just asking for a reference to validate a claim.
They were bought and sold with the land. Moving into the 1700’s they were all working in factories and dying at the age of 25. It was not good at all. Never was.
Europe & the West isn’t even the majority of mankind. Although it’s the place ripe with subjugation and subversion. Go back 300 years, what was happening then? Why? What are some names of those responsible for that?
Chalking up everything to man’s creation of cities and metropoli is an oversimplification unjustified by your esteemed intelligence.
Throughout history wherever there have been stone structures there has been a tiny elite group ruling over the masses of slaves. This is the issue here, Khan. Whether it is the Jews or whoever else doing it, what could possibly be the difference? We need to deal with the fact that all thoughout history, human beings have been slaves. That is the issue.
History is ripe with examples that don’t fit this gloomy dark picture you’ve indoctrinated yourself with. You’re repeating Watt in text form.
Maybe Maitraya can give it to us now?
Theosophic new-age play on “messiah?”
Nah, they just bit Buddha and fronted like they had something special.
Krishnamurti gave them the finger after they pulled him out the village and made him their star.
You want a world government ruled by God.
LMAO@world government. You trying to fool the lazy lemming with semantics?
Yeah, that’d be fine.
Time travel is not real though, Stephen Hawking is a joke, and this is where we are. I think we need total decentralization of everything, and we need to retreat into nature. This is probably not possible without massive cataclysm. So everything is very ominous.
I agree with all that, it’s only ominous if it is to be resisted. Cataclysms are inevitable and CYCLICAL… should happen in your lifetime if you choose to stick around long enough.
It would be all good and well if God decides to come make some heaven on earth. I would support that. But we must be realistic.
You can’t see what I see. that’s not a problem though.
Things are opening up accordin to prophecy but you laugh at that kinda stuff the same way the atheists have tried to programmed us to scoff.
Yeah, saw that coming. The posterboy for the “peaceful Islamic dictatorship”. I don’t know that much about it, but I am pretty sure everything had fallen but Grenada by 1100-something
There are pockets of this almost everywhere from 700-1700…
We really need to study when the advent of written language occured and why because that will explain a lot about history and the nature of man.
Anyhow, I have a hard time believing it was this heavenly place, especially considering the way it is marketed, but I do believe that Islam provides the legal outline for a society most likely to keep a ruling elite from establishing total dominance. You know Andalusia was cut off from the empire though, and that was the only reason it wasn’t locked down like the rest of the Muslim world generally was.
Vagueries, ambiguities and more semantics.. Just study it to critique it if you have to, why assume? I mean I respect those who at least shout “dhimmi” in that they went and learned (or were taught) that word and what it supposedly meant.
Honestly though, I couldn’t live under Sharia law. Have you read it? I can agree that this type of structure is needed to run a massive society, but wouldn’t you rather just be free?
Sharia is for willing participants, if you had followed what I’ve been saying you would have seen that. When sharia was enacted people who stole would FEEL GUILTY and return what they stole and turn themselves in AND ASK FOR PUNISHMENT, such is the nature of man when volutarily ruled by Divine Law. Besides sharia is not a form of governance, take the time to digest through this:
http://www.alislam.org/books/shariah
No one’s gonna stop that if that’s what someone wants. Islam is about peace, not conquering. I’m thinking if you’re that dude two centuries from now you’re feeling kinda awkward and you just conform, not that you’re gonna be forced to at spear-point.
Doesn’t that make more logical sense?
What? Naked hunter-gatherer tribal pagan worshipping nomadic cultures?
Not to me. Islam doesn’t fight those things physically anyway. Ideas that are true spread with holistic, intrinsic momentum.
This is where your entire belief system is most obviously utterly erroneous.
They would not risk staging a nuclear war. It just wouldn’t make any sense. Why would they do it? The whole world is already completely locked down.
So then why microchip everyone and have microchipped slaves running the most complicated data-mining ever on it if everything is on lock down?
Have you not paid attention to Pike? 3 world wars. What about Freedman and Fagan? 3 world wars. You think a few missiles and bunker busters will convince mankind to submit to “them?” You think they are naive enough to believe he will without total destructive war? Have you not read their plans?
The biggest thing we have on our side is their arrogance in thinking they can do these things. Why not stage it? How else can you get the muslims to bow to you?
Actually, I think one time you said you believed the show about Russia and China being enemies of the west. This is silly, as we all know, communism was set up by the west, and there is no reason they would ever have given up control. Plus Russia and China are both UN member states, China being the “model state”. And I know you think these people running things are “drunk at the wheel”, but to suggest that we would have sent all our production capacity to China without knowing for a fact that they were totally on board with us is just silly. Even if in some fantasy world this could all be true, there would never be a nuclear war, because China could just stop sending goods and completely shut down everything in a matter of weeks.
They aren’t ready for that yet. I’m sure people in Germany and Britian didn’t think they were natural enemies circa 1895. You haven’t been paying attention to 20th century history if you don’t think they set up huge blocs to fight one another and reap the benefits like parasites of all warring parties.
Think about it. This is not complicated. Explain to me why there would be a nuclear war. I am totally baffled by this, as I know quite a bit about things, and I see nothing close to a logical way of explaining this scenario you have laid out
They need a 3rd world war. Wars subjugate populations. They are the best means of destroying humans (depopulation) They cause depressions, famine, huge problems for generations. They re-structure the world, they have people clamoring for solutions and peace. They enrich the financiers and consolidate power, they make humans more acquiesent to dictators.
Damn, you’re making me sound like a psychopath. Tell me why NOT a nuclear war. How can you bring that type of destruction without nukes given proliferation and modern warfare? Israel bombed lebanon for a WHOLE FUCKING MONTH and only killed 1200 or so innocent humans. Any other option is totally inefficient. And if you’re not aware of the 3 world wars model then you’ve been “drunk at the wheel”
You are thinking about it the wrong way. It is about efficiency. Read the Republic. That is their handbook
You read it first. Then I’ll re-read it.
I see no evidence to support what you are claiming, and I am not ready to adopt this on faith alone. It’s fine if you want to, that is your right as a sovereign individual, but I fail to see how you can expect anyone else to.
No one is forcing you to but if you think spiritual progress can only happen after “evidence” then you’re living one elaborate lie. Faith is where the ladder of spiritual progress begins. But do you, I’ll do me.
I am opposed to any kind of world government and world religion, no matter how benevolent it claims to be.
wonderful.. you probably won’t be around to see it anyway so why worry about it? and i never claimed world government, that’s just how you were programmed to react to the thought of a globally united mankind.
I am on the side of the people, and the Great Spirit that created men to be free and to live in peace with nature, free of all chains.
In order to submit only to the Great Spirit and live peacefully in the Utopia the Great spirit designed.
one has a national budget in the tens of thousands of $$$, the other operates on peanuts and proof.
see for yourself, who’s more effective?
OR
a video doctored with laughs where a real incisive response is conspicuously missing?
or immediate, direct, forceful, and CORRECT response right on the spot?
hmm..
the writing is on the wall.
Huzur gave a discourse on Salat in his Friday Sermon today. Huzur cited verse 46 of Surah Al Ankabut. The translation reads:
“Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe Prayer. Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest virtue. And Allah knows what you do.” (29:46)
Huzur said we are indeed most fortunate to have accepted and believed in the true and ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that is, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). However, this acceptance puts huge obligations on us to make endeavours to spiritually attain the station that was granted to the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). If this is not our objective then we have not fully understood the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Huzur said each individual of the Community should realise that he/she will be truly worthy of the Divine promises made to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) with regards his community when he/she will try and purify themselves. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that the use of the plural aakhareen (the latter-one) in verse 4 of Surah Al Jummah signifies that the one to come in the latter-days will not be alone, that he will be given a community who will attain the spiritual station of the earlier ones.
Huzur said Salat is the primary source of purifying the self, as the verse recited at the beginning signifies. The verse speaks of reciting the word of Allah, to spread it to others and to observe Salat, for Salat, when it is observed with its due requisites is a source of purifying the self. Huzur said it is the responsibility of each Ahmadi to focus on observing Salat, to observe each Salat at its prescribed time. The five daily prayers are the milestone from where the spiritual journey begins; it is the seed that has the potential of spiritual growth. If one is negligent with Salat, virtues are suppressed in the manner that weeds suppress the growth of a field. It is our task to make the roots of this worship so strong that it safeguards us from all evil. Indeed it is for us to observe Salat and establish it first, it is as a consequence of observing it sincerely that Salat safeguards us in return. Each Ahmadi should self-examine and see if we are fulfilling our dues to be abids (worshipper of Allah) as well as conducting ourselves with high morals and courtesy with people.
Only then will we be among those who fulfil the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that Salat alone is the virtue that dispels satanic weaknesses and that Satan wishes man to stay away from Salat because he knows it is Salat that would purify man. Fasting [during Ramadan] comes once every year and Zakat is for the well-off to observe, however, Salat is for everyone and should be observed, seeking Allah’s bounties for the treasures of Allah are always brimful all that is needed is the certainty that one is standing before an All-hearing, All-Seeing Being Who can provide in a spilt second if He so wishes. Just as a soldier would never surrender his best weapon in a battlefield Salat is the most excellent weapon for a believer and a believer should safeguard it at all costs.
Citing verse 239 of Surah Al Baqarah (2:239)
“Watch over prayers, and the middle Prayer, and stand before Allah submissively.”
Huzur said various commentators have interpreted the term ‘middle prayer’ differently; it is an instruction in principle and ‘middle prayer’ can be applied to different people in accordance to their leanings towards worldly matters or their laziness that may make them negligent towards observing Salat. It can be the specific time for different people during a day when their attention diverts elsewhere by satanic enticements. If we can overcome this then consider that we safeguard our Salat and in turn Salat will indeed safeguard us. It is a continuous effort. This indeed is the condition of true obedience and one that brings about purification.
It is incumbent on each Ahmadi Muslim to honour the pledge they have taken after taking their bai’at - to demonstrate perfect obedience and endeavour to tread the path which gives the strength to contend with Satan, which strengthens the core of one’s belief and one experiences one’s prayers meeting acceptance in the heavens.
Huzur said sometimes two Salats are combined, at times it is due to a valid reason but at other times people simply make it a norm. Huzur said Allah has indeed fixed a time for each Salat as verse 79 of Surah Bani Israel states:
“Observe Prayer at the declining and paling of the sun on to the darkness of the night, and the recitation of the Qur’an in Prayer at dawn. Verily, the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn is specially acceptable to God.”(17:79)
Huzur read a most eloquent extract from the noble writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) elucidating the significance of the timings of the five daily Prayers. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) explains it with reference to a worldly phase man goes through. The time of Zuhr, when the sun, having reached its zenith has begun its decline, is likened to a time in a person’s life when he is faced with difficulty and is in a state of meekness, is anxious and in despair and makes all kinds of attempts in his restlessness, at this juncture we should reflect on our spiritual state and seek God’s help. Then, as the person’s anxiety is changed into the reality of perhaps receiving a warrant or a court summon and subsequently endures cross-examination to prove his innocence is a time likened to time of Asr; this is the time when a person should remember Allah and pray for protection from making mistakes and seek forgiveness. The scenario then changes to the court passing judgment against the person. This increases the person’s anxiety and despair. The time of Maghrib is likened to this situation when a person reflects over the day he has just spent and notices having done nothing commendable. So he turns to Allah and seeks forgiveness. The scenario then changes and the court passes the verdict, declaring the person guilty and the punishment begins. The time of Isha is compared to this, when the night is dark and nothing is visible. This time should make a believer take stock of all that he did during the day and should be mindful that the ensuing night is spent away from satanic enticements, lest one is led towards spiritual destruction. Eventually, as in a worldly scenario a prisoner is relieved upon release, a believer is pleased to receive the time of Fajr. It is as if the time of ‘ease after hardship’ (94:7) has arrived, therefore a believer should not be indolent about offering this Salat and in order to take care of one’s spiritual condition should abandon the comfort of one’s bed to observe Fajr. Indeed, each Ahmadi should endeavour to observe Salat on time as it is stated in verse 104 of Surah Al Nisa (4:104)
Huzur prayed that may Allah enable all of us to observe this most significant commandment. We cannot be really useful in the mission of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) who had come to continue the task of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) if we do not purify ourselves and we cannot purify ourselves unless we safeguard our Salat. Indeed the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) called the ‘spiritual pleasure’ experienced during Salat the earthly Paradise.
Next Huzur commented on the rather sad and regrettable news that Danish newspapers have reprinted a cartoon of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in reaction to three people arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the man who drew the original caricatures. Huzur said they have thus demonstrated their petty mindedness. When the authorities have apprehended the perpetrators then why do they seek to hurt the Muslim ummah? Huzur wondered at the fairness of those who claim to be the standard-bearers of fair play. However, Huzur said there is Allah, the Best of judges; Who is Mighty and Who will demonstrate His justice. He alone is sufficient for those who commit such odious acts.
Huzur said it was our task to explain to these people, which we have done thoroughly. We explored all the avenues, we wrote articles in response, wrote to newspapers, met with the specific newspaper people, now we entrust the matter to Allah. As for ourselves, we need to try and put the blessed model of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in practice more than before. We have a Lord Who the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) identified for us and our Lord loves the Prophet more than anyone else; Our Lord will indeed exhibit His Power. Our task is to take our hurt and turn to Him and profusely invoke blessings and salutations on the Prophet (Durud). We should pray more than before, we should try and purify ourselves more than before, we should invoke blessings on the Prophet more than before. These are the aspects that will cause them to fail and will be triumphant for us.
Huzur concluded on a prayer: ‘O Allah these people are being hurtful in presumption of their power. Remedy it, for You are All Powerful.
I don’t support “suicide bombings” or “martyr missions” but this had to be said:
Palestinian revenge was inevitable
By Ahmed Yousef
Feb 14, 2008, 15:47
Last week’s bombing in Dimona was the first martyrdom operation committed by Hamas in more than five years. For some time, we have been warning the world that the relentless pressure on our people would eventually tell. In the last two months, more than a hundred people have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, including many civilians, women and children.
Thirty people have died in the last month for lack of medical care brought on by the embargo. Only two weeks ago, we saw the appalling sight of over 40 women and children seriously injured when an Israeli F-16 dropped an enormous bomb in the middle of the densely populated Gaza City, a few meters from a wedding party. This kind of atrocity, piled onto the daily death toll, has finally tested the patience of Palestinians, and after lengthy restraint, revenge was inevitable.
To many in Israel and the West, this act of resistance will be judged in isolation. They will no doubt say that it justifies the inhumane embargo on the people of Gaza and the arrests of more than 500 people and daily torture of innocents in the West Bank by both Israelis and the puppet government imposed on us by the U.S.
What they seem to forget is that just in the last two years, 2,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action and thousands more injured. The cold-blooded fact is that the ratio of Palestinian deaths to Israelis is now over 40 to 1.
The Hamas-led government has consistently called for a long-term cease-fire. For nine months before the election that brought us to power we observed a unilateral ceasefire, ensuring that no rockets were fired from Gaza by our movement. We observed this policy during the first six months in government, despite the fact that our words and actions were summarily dismissed by the Israelis and their U.S. allies.
If the people of Sderot want to know why rockets continue to land around them, they should ask their own government why it has continually rejected our calls for a cease-fire and continued its policy of daily incursions and reckless targeting that put the whole population at risk.
We have tried consistently to create some kind of reconciliation with Fatah. But every attempt has been ignored by Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. The threat by Israel and the U.S. to cease negotiations if he cooperates with the lawfully elected Hamas government has led to political impotence in Ramallah. This makes our citizens deeply cynical about the peace process. It makes them feel that Israel is simply exploiting the situation and Abu Mazen.
The cranes and bulldozers are still busy in the settlements on our land in the West Bank. Neither is there any sign that the numerous checkpoints that are crippling our economy and social life are being dismantled. While Abu Mazen and Olmert talk of a final agreement, the apartheid wall continues to be erected on land that should be part of any future Palestinian state.
If our people can see no genuine and realistic political or economic horizon and their attempts to establish a genuine truce are consistently rejected, it is inevitable that they will turn to resistance as the only outlet for their anger and frustration. What happened at Rafah recently is a sign of what is likely to happen on a much larger scale if people can see no end to the relentless pressure and aggression that is part of our daily life here in Gaza.
While in the past we acknowledged the right of Abu Mazen to negotiate on behalf of our people, we believe that he has forfeited this mandate, as he no longer commands the respect of the majority of our people. Given the facts on the ground and the total mistrust that now prevails on all sides, we believe neither Israelis nor Palestinians are ready for final-status negotiations. It would be disastrous if the international community were to try to impose this, especially while we remain divided as a Palestinian people.
We have consistently suggested that the best solution to our problems is a long-term cease-fire that provides both sides with the space and opportunity to address our differences in an atmosphere of calmness and normality. We can have little optimism for the immediate future when it is impossible to see any clear light at the end of the tunnel that we are now forced to inhabit.
The writer is a senior political advisor to the foreign minister in the Hamas government