History of Israel

We Muslims know that Israel was forcibly created in 1948 on our blessed land (Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasa). The establishment of Israel represents one of the greatest injustices of modern history – the displacement of an indigenous Muslim population from lands they had inhabited for over thirteen centuries. This catastrophic event, which we call the Nakba (catastrophe), saw more than 750,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes and over 500 villages completely destroyed.

The roots of this tragedy began in the late 19th century with the Zionist movement, which sought to create a Jewish state in Palestine despite the fact that Muslims and Christians made up over 95% of the population. In 1917, the British Balfour Declaration promised "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine without consulting the people who actually lived there. This foreign power had no right to give away Muslim lands to others – an act that violated every principle of justice in Islam.

Between 1922 and 1947, the British Mandate facilitated mass Jewish immigration into Palestine, dramatically altering the demographics of our homeland. When the United Nations proposed partitioning Palestine in 1947 (giving 55% of the land to the Jewish minority), Palestinians rightfully rejected this unjust plan.

When Israel declared its independence in May 1948, Zionist militias had already begun a campaign of ethnic cleansing. The infamous Deir Yassin massacre, where Zionist forces killed over 100 Palestinian villagers including women and children, was just one of many atrocities designed to terrorize Palestinians into fleeing.

From an Islamic perspective, Israel represents a modern form of colonization (isti'mar) that violates the Quranic principles of justice and respect for people's rights to their homes and lands. Allah says in the Quran:

"And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you to consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:188)

After 1948, Israel continued its expansion. In 1967, it occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories. This occupation brought the rest of historic Palestine and our holy sites under Israeli control, including Al-Aqsa Mosque – our third holiest site in Islam.

Israel constantly attacks our religious rights in Jerusalem. Al-Quds (Jerusalem) holds special significance in Islam – it was the first qibla (direction of prayer) before Makkah and the site of the Prophet's Night Journey (Isra' wal-Mi'raj). We Muslims believe Al-Quds is an Islamic trust (waqf) that we must protect.

As Muslims, we must understand Israel not through its propaganda but through its actions, which contradict every Islamic principle of justice, mercy, and respect for human dignity. When we oppose Israeli policies, we are not opposing Jewish people – many righteous Jews themselves condemn Israel's actions. Rather, we are standing against oppression (zulm) as our faith requires us to do.