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Israel's Jihad Is Mine

(Times of Israel) Qanta Ahmed - While Gaza and the Muslim Arab world continue to claim victory in the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, for the sane observers among us, there is only the defeat of morality in the desecration of a great religion. While most Muslims laud Hamas and scorn Israel, for me, an observing Muslim, Israel's war against Hamas remains my struggle - my jihad. While Muslims define Israel as the enemy, we ignore Assad, and diabolically laud Hamas. Hamas is never sated - each year it devours ever more Palestinians, regardless of age or gender. If Israelis lose fewer citizens than the Palestinians in these conflicts it is for the same reason Israel exchanges more prisoners for each captive soldier: quite simply Israel values human life more than does Hamas, which relishes ground operations taking place among densely populated civilian areas. Coloring their fascism with Islam, Hamas claims religious legitimacy to openly seek destruction of the Jewish state and eradication of the Jewish people. Hamas does not represent me, or other believing Muslims. Yet instead of condemning Hamas, and recognizing them as imposters among us, the Muslim world celebrates them, even as Hamas violates the most profound Islamic principle: the sanctity of life. As a Muslim, my loyalty is with Islam, and therefore explicitly with justice for all humanity, a humanity that must include Jews. To be loyal to Hamas is to abandon Islam. It is Muslims who must take the first steps to expose Hamas as the ruthless nihilists they explicitly announce themselves to be. Dr. Qanta Ahmed is Associate Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York (Stony Brook).
2013-01-15 00:00:00
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