When it became clear that the Egyptian presidential runoff offered a stark choice between an Islamist and a liberal, Israel and the United States were restless for fear of the victory of an Islamist. Though they held two meetings with a delegation of the Muslim Brotherhood, the results of the meetings were not announced and it was not known whether or not they were meaningful. Here, the embarrassing question is: Why are Israel and the West afraid of Islam? Is the real reason for this fear what they call “Islamic terrorism” or is it because of religious hostility as a result of Jewish superstitious myths that are believed by some poor Jews and Christians? While the children of Israel are spreading these myths, a Jewish rabbi has spoken out about Islam and has said that it is the religion of the future. He spoke about the three major religions of the modern world and their ability to survive and about which one would eventually prevail, and become the religion of the future. In the beginning, the rabbi speaks about Christianity, saying that it does not provide a clear governing system. The case, he says, is similar with Judaism. Both of them have become politicized. There are several Christian democratic parties. As far as Israel is concerned, it is governed by Jewish religious parties. This means, he says, that Christianity as a religion that provides a spiritual base for the people has died. As for Islam, the rabbi said, it has a strong ideology that can withstand changing developments in the world. Islam grew up in a way that was different from the emergence of Christianity. It had a real and living leader to whom the Qur'an was revealed. There is not an iota of doubt in this. This was not the case with Christianity. There are differences of opinion about the growth of the religion even among its followers. However in Islam, he said, it is very clear that there was one Prophet (pbuh) to whom the Qur'an was revealed and he established a religious society, and on the basis of this a new society was developed with new teachings. Today, the rabbi said, we live in an era when rampant atheism is engulfing the world and when Christianity prevails only in certain heritage buildings and little remains of Judaism by virtue of it having fallen under the influence of Zionism. Hence, in the present world, nothing prevails except Islam. Muslims are in constant contact with their Creator. As far as a Christian is concerned, if he goes to church every Sunday, then it is good. As for a Muslim, he kneels down to pray five fixed times a day. The rabbi said: “When I traveled to Europe, there was a quiet prayer corner at the airport. When the time of prayer came, I went there. Then, two Muslims also came. I stood to perform prayer while the other two spread out newspapers and knelt down while praying. This is Islam and it has many implication. A man performs prayers five times daily and these prayers are not long.” The rabbi continues: “I had access to the prayers of Muslims and looked at what is written in the Qur'an. It is not long, but is very serious and profound. While performing prayer by bowing, kneeling, and reciting from the Qur'an, within a few minutes, a man is actually addressing Almighty Allah. This is an important thing and this has great implications. Hence, Islam, as a whole, is the religion of the future.” If the world is heading precipitously toward disaster, the rabbi said, it is because the state of Israel does not have the right to exist. Disaster is inevitable unless there is an elimination of this state, which is, in fact, the origin of evil. If it were eliminated, I think, after 70 years, more people in the world would embrace the religion of Islam, because this religion is true and strong and can lead people in the right direction. “Yes,” he adds, “there are some problems between Shiites and Sunnis, and there is disagreement between them in some matters. Now, this is understandable, but I hope that if the origin of evil (i.e., Israel) was eliminated, then such problems between them would disappear. Then most people on the earth would become followers of Islam. Today, this is clearly visible.” The rabbi concludes: “They (Muslims) have begun to spread and grow to the extent that a European country has banned the construction of new mosques. The future of the world is in Islam and this is the truth provided the prevailing problem was put to an end.” This is what the rabbi said about Islam. He endorsed the Prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) and the truthfulness of the Qur'an, and he explained how Islam is the religion of future and will prevail in the world. Throughout the Egyptian presidential election campaign, Israeli armored forces were standing on the Egyptian-Israeli border, and the American Sixth Fleet violated the sanctity of Egyptian territorial waters. Only after the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, did the Israeli forces withdraw, but I am not sure where the US Sixth Fleet is?– Hassan Tahsin is an Egyptian writer and political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected]
