Open Statement to the Arab Summit
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
﴾… And those who gave shelter and aided - it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.﴿ (Al-Anfal: 74)
Your Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses: Arab Presidents, Kings, Princes
Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you
We are sending this statement to you as you are preparing to hold the anticipated Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, at the time when your brothers in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Third Holy Mosque, are exposed to an extermination war in full view of the world and with the support of a Western alliance that calls to mind the image of Crusade alliances. We write this to you as you and all your peoples watch the comprehensive destruction of Gaza: its homes, camps, hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches; with the killing of its women and children and bombarding it using tons of bombs and explosives on a daily basis, to forcibly displace its residents, eliminate the resistance, and liquidate the entire Palestinian cause.
We write this statement to remind you of the duty of support entrusted to you as leaders, while your peoples are eager to support their brothers in Palestine, but they are facing difficulties that impede this. In fact, the duty of support primarily lies with the rulers before the peoples. The prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No (Muslim) man will desert a man who is a Muslim in a place where his respect may be violated, and his honour aspersed without Allah deserting him in a place here he wishes his help; and no (Muslim) man who will help a Muslim in a place where his honour may be aspersed, and his respect violated without Allah helping him in a place where he wishes his help.”
Your Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses
We confirm that the war waged by the Zionist occupation army on Gaza does not target only Gaza, nor does it target the liquidation of the Palestinian cause only. Rather, it targets the “Arab national security” and changing the geography of the entire region. The Zionist entity’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that they will change the features of the Middle East, posing a clear threat to you and your people. The military buildup lurking near our coasts reveals the historical conflict between the Western powers and our Arab world. In fact, this is the West that planted the Zionist entity in the heart of our nation and made its security and strength ahead of the security and strength of all the Arab armies combined.
We also stress that what the Palestinian resistance did on October 7 in Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” is a legitimate defence of an occupied homeland, against the terrorism of the Zionist entity, its settlement course, murder and captivity. The resistance is part of a national liberation process that seeks a free and independent Palestinian homeland with the Holy Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.
We demand adoption of a unified Arab position, considering the Palestinian popular resistance as a national liberation movement struggling to liberate its land, like all global liberation movements; and therefore it cannot be identified as terrorist.
Your Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses
As we hail the uprising of our peoples and the free peoples of the world who rose up to support our brothers in Gaza; and as we hail the countries that hastened to withdraw their ambassadors from the Zionist entity, we call on you to make collective decisions to completely sever relations with the Zionist enemy, halt the path of normalization, and to tighten the political siege on the enemy until its aggression is deterred, and be prompted to return the rights to their owners.
We look forward to you making bold decisions that will push back injustice and deter aggression. The first thing we ask is to hail the struggle of the Palestinian people to gain their rights, and to bless the resistance movements as they are national liberation movements struggling against an occupying enemy that is usurping their land and opposing the international legitimacy resolutions. We also call for supporting the resistance in all forms of support, and making decisions that would end the humanitarian catastrophe that befell the Palestinian people of Gaza, through working to stop the war, lift the siege, open the crossings permanently, and provide the urgent essential assistance.
We also call on the participants in the Arab summit to reject the American intervention and the imposition of guardianship over the Palestinian issue, as the Arab and Muslim countries have strong cards and tools that can enable them to challenge American pressure.
We also demand the restructuring and activation of the Arab Boycott Office, warning companies and individuals that deal with the Zionist entity, establishing “Gaza Fund”, setting contribution percentages for each country, with the aim of reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and assisting its people, as well as making a decision by the Arab League to prosecute the Zionist entity before the International Criminal Court for the crimes of genocide it has committed in Gaza; and prosecuting Netanyahu as a war criminal.
Your Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses
We address you, hoping that you will live up to the expectations of your peoples, so do not let them down or ignore their demands. This is your opportunity to register a whitewashed page in the record of history, which will be always remembered by all.
﴾…And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.﴿ (Al-Hajj: 40)
The Muslim Brotherhood
(Friday, 26 Rabi’ al-Thani 1445 AH / 10 November 2023)