During a recent football match, Football (soccer) player Frederick Kanoute lifted his jersey to display a shirt expressing support for Palestine.
Kanoute lifted his Sevilla shirt over his head after scoring in the team’s 2-1 Copa Del Rey win over Deportivo La Coruna to display a black T-shirt on which the word “Palestine” was printed in several languages.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, announced Wednesday that he would not attend New Year ceremonies in the central square of Madrid to show his great sadness over Israel’sviolent crimes.
“You will find it impossible to join people and laugh after you see what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” 28-year-old Casillas said in an interview with the Fars News Agency.
The heavy assault on Gaza was also denounced by the Spanish professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal, on the same day.
“I keep telling myself it is against humanity if you don’t help children in the Gaza Strip,” Nadal, 23, said.
With these gestures these athletes sent a message to millions of their fans around the world: whatever your position or role in this world there is always a way to support peace and express your refusal for what you perceive to be unacceptable acts of aggression.
Despite the fact that the United Nation’s adopted resolution 1860 (2009) in response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip and the heavy civilian casualties, Israel continues its military campaign against Gaza’s militant who are resisting the occupation and siege of their homeland enforced by the Israeli army. This, after more than two million Palestinians democratically elected the Hamas party, which Israel considers unacceptable.
As of Monday, the 17th day since the attack started, media report he death toll as follows:
- 950 killed (including 305 children aged between newborn and 12 years of age, 95 women, 23 paramedics, 56 elderly, 4 news reporters and journalists)
- 4,100 wounded (400 critically)
It was reported by Norwegian doctors who volunteered to treat wounded Palestinians that there have been marks on some bodies pointing clearly to the use of internationally prohibited weapons such as phosphoric white bombs and radio-active uranium.
Since the beginning of Islam, Muslims did not participate in any conflict or war out of thirst for blood, nor out of love for fighting or assaulting innocent individuals, rather it was to resist an assaulting force. In his bid to limit the shedding of innocent blood, It was recorded in history that Prophet Muhammad never started a war; he is described as the Prophet of Mercy in the Quran. When there were attacks on Muslims, he was the first one to lead the resistance and fight back any invasion as this was a legitimate right acknowledged by God on many occasions in the holy Quran:
“Sanction (to fight) is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed Able to give them victory; (39) those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah”
(Al-Haj: 39)
“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loves not aggressors.”
(Al-Baqara: 190)
In Islam, human relations are to be based on peace and coexistence. War is used as a last resort to rectify misguided actions after exhausting all means of wisdom and peaceful advice. Furthermore, should war be an unavoidable event, it should be accompanied with ethical values and human constrains such as not engaging with anyone but the fighters nor engaging with an escapee soldier in addition to treating prisoners with charity and humanity.
This ethical and human tendency in war is obvious in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. When he sent an army to fight enemies he always said:
“March in the name of god, don’t kill any elderly nor a baby nor a women, don’t overreact and always be charitable for god loves charity”
(Prophet Hadith)
He also often said
“never kill hermits” (Prophet Hadith)
Muslim scholars unanimously agree that anyone who kills a women, boy or monk will be punished under Islamic laws.
These ethical values were the guide of all the Muslim caliphs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad, such as when the first Caliph ( Abu Bakr) instructed his army leaders while marching to battle:
” I am ordering you with ten orders: you will meet people claiming they are hermits so leave them for their worship, never kill a women, never kill a boy, never kill an elderly, never cut a fruitful tree, never cut or burn a palm tree, don’t destroy any building, don’t cut any goat or cow except to feed, don’t be a coward and don’t overreact”
(Standard Islamic rules of engagement)
During the Omayyad, Muslim Caliph (Waleed Bin Abd Al Malek), and his army leader (Muhammad Bin Kasim al Thakafy) wrote to their victorious army in India:
“Don’t kill anyone but the armed warriors, whoever is holding swords while running away, take him to captivity, whoever asks for safety and declares obedience then set them free and never enter safe houses”
During the middle centuries, Saladin illustrated one of the best examples of good treatment of prisoners. He used to offer the elite a good lifestyle while in captivity, providing them with clothing and food. He also dressed the top leaders in special furs and ordered decent fur for others, as it was very cold at that time.
In terms of war ethics, and within the traditions of the empires, history puts Muslims on the highest level of nobility and humane treatment of the defeated. In his book La Civilisation Arabe, the French historian and sociologist Gustav Le Bon affirmed that “the world had never known a conqueror more merciful than Muslims”.
By: Dr. Taha Fares