Weep not for them. Rather weep for yourself. Weep not for those who live in open prisons -the prison in Gaza; the prison in Nablus; the prison in Shatila; the open prison in East Jerusalem. I refer to the open prison officially launched in 1947 by the United Nations. That is the only open prison in the whole world. The prison was launched when Israel was implanted unto the heartland of Palestine. It was launched when land was taken away from those who have (Palestinians) and handed over to those who do not have (the Jews).
Weep not for Jerusalem. Rather weep for the Muslim world. Weep not for those who live in open prisons. Authority to open the “open prison” was issued by Britain in November 1917. The author of the authorization was Sir Arthur Balfour. Balfour was then the British Foreign Secretary. Britain was then the super power of the world. It was at that time more powerful than the Ottoman Turks who had by then began to lose control of the totality of the Muslim world. In December 1917, Britain seized the control of Jerusalem from Ottoman powers. In 1922 Britain received what became known as the Palestinian mandate. If you desire to know how the Balfour declaration gave fillip to the establishment, rather the implantation of the state of Israel on Palestinian lands ask the ashes that have become the remains of Sir Balfour; if you desire to know the past in the present, ask history.
Thus it came to pass that in order for the state of Israel to become a reality inhabitants of the land of Palestine were given one of the three options. The first was voluntary evacuation from their land, the land of their fore-fathers. They were told to migrate in peace since, according to Jewish perspective of history, the land of Palestine did not originally belong to the Palestinians; “it has always belong to the Jews from time immemorial”, Jewish historians would aver.
The second option was no less sanguine – forceful ejection and possibly death. This option has been the easiest of the three not for the helpless Palestinians since 1917 but for the Jewish occupiers and their allies from the Western world. Since 1917 till date, millions of Palestinians have been martyred in defense of the holy land. Million have been orphanated; millions have had their head put on the scaffold for no other reason other than that destiny birthed their souls and body not in Kano or Lagos but in Shatila, Nablus or Jerusalem.
The third option for the Palestinians has been life on the margins of life. It is a life I metaphorically refer to as the open prison. In the latter, Palestinians could continue to live under occupation. They have a choice to live on the margins of life in the blockaded parts of the occupied territories. Indeed millions have continued to live on the margins of life; life in Gaza, in Nablus. Such has been life in Shatila. Such has been life in East Jerusalem. These towns and cities are the open prisons of the 21st century. There are no larger and bigger prisons in the world than the open prisons in Palestine.
Weep neither for Jerusalem nor for Muslims in the open prisons in Palestine. These prisons are under constant watch of the enemies of the Prophet; the traducers of Prophet Isa (a.s). Weep not for those prisoners. Those prisoners in the open prison of Palestine are ironically “free”. They are the very aged and bearded Muslim and Christian-Palestinians. Not for once since 1947 have they been free; not for once since 1917 have they eaten food of their choice. Children of Palestine are children of stone. They are naked – children of Nablus; hungry children of Gaza. They die of hunger by the day; they run, constantly and helter-skelter from the bullets of the occupiers; bullets made in America; bullets that sinews the occupiers from terror; the terror planted by the occupier; on the occupied land of Palestine. Weep not for Palestine; grief not over Jerusalem.
“Look at that woman. She is the widow of the brother, the martyr. He was born the day his father was killed. His father was killed by the occupier. He has also been killed by the occupier”. Weep neither for Jerusalem nor for Muslims in the open prisons in Palestine. Weep instead for those who live in closed prisons; the closed prisons in Arabia and Asia; the closed prisons in Africa and Latin America.
Weep not for Jerusalem; nor for Muslims in the open prisons in Palestine. These are subjects whose state of grief furnishes fleets of happiness. They attend burial prayers with enthusiasm; they regret the birth of new souls in the season of occupation. This is because death is beautiful in the open prison; the name of the new born in Shatila is death; life in Gaza is grim.
Weep for Muslims who are consorts of the enemy of Islam; weep for Saudimerica in constant tussle with Iranorussia. Weep instead over the conflict between Islam and Muslims; weep instead over the conflict between those proclaiming La and those who, on a daily basis, shout Illa.
