The Case for a Larger Israel
Arab and Islamic States may never love Israel. It is
more important that they fear and respect it until Quranic
inspired pleas for Israel’s demise are totally and publicly
discredited. The final peace, if there is to be one between Israel
and its neighbors, must be understood in a moral context, but
it will also have to rest on the peaceful understanding and
dissemination of the Quran by Islamic religious leaders.
CHAPTER
16
THE CASE FOR A VIABLE ISRAEL
IN THE QURAN
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose—
William Shakespeare, from The Merchant of Venice.
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W
hether or not Israel is thriving, there will be no final
peace until Israel’s acceptance is Quranic based.
There is a great deal in the Quran that can be read
to inflame hate against Israel. Every day, many Arabs and
Muslims are taught that spilling Jewish blood is their Islamic
obligation, and that rewards will flow to them in heaven for
doing so.
But there is also a case for a viable Israel in the Quran.
Of course, any Muslim who wants to make the case must not
fear for his or her life, or the case will not be made. Such a
case will not be made until there is an open debate regarding
the path and purpose of Islam. In other words, it will not
happen without democracy that allows for the exchange of
ideas without the risk of death or incarceration. Ultimately,
the case will need to be understood, accepted and made by
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Muslim Clerics. Despite American attempts to democratize
Arab and Muslim States in the Middle East and beyond,
it is extremely unlikely that the case will be made in this
generation.
It is a simple case. According to the Quran, it is
the duty of Muslims to correct injustice in the world. The
treatment of Israel and of Jews must be painted as Injustice.
The map lines between Arab States, and the map lines of
Israel drawn by the British and French in the 1920s must be
painted as Injustice. Below is a reference to several passages
from the Quran which speak of Jews with respect, and from
which the case can be made.
Day, and that according to the Quran, it is acceptable to
follow other faiths. It is acceptable to God for a person to be
either a Christian or a Jew.
[
[2:47]
O Children of Israel, remember My favor
which I bestowed upon you, and that I blessed you
more than any other people.1
This verse can be used to teach Muslims that Israel
is a legitimate power in the world according to God (Allah),
and that according to the Quran, Jews have favor with
God. Jews, as a People, are entitled to whatever land God
is understood to have given them. For instance, in Joshua
1:4, God promised Joshua territory from Lebanon to the
Euphrates River.
[
[2:62]
Surely, those who believe, those who are
Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone
who (1) believes in God, and (2) believes in the Last
Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their
recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to
fear, nor will they grieve.
This verse can be used to teach Muslims that not all
non-Muslims must be converted to Islam before the Last
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[
[4:135]
O you who believe, you shall be absolutely
equitable, and observe God, when you serve as
witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents,
or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor,
God takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased
by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard
(this commandment), then God is fully Cognizant of
everything you do.
This verse can be used to teach Muslims that being
a true believer of Islam requires one to be equitable even if
it means going against one’s own immediate interests. The
Quran requires Muslims to be equitable with Israel, even if
it is not in a person’s interest to do so.
[[5:20-5:26] Recall that Moses said to his people,
“O my people, remember God’s blessings upon you:
He appointed prophets from among you, made you
kings, and granted you what He never granted any
other people. O my people, enter the holy land that
God has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you
become losers.” They said, “Oh Moses, there are
powerful people in it, and we will not enter it, unless
they get out of it. If they get out, we are entering.”
Two men who were reverent and blessed by God said,
“Just enter the gate. If you just enter it, you will surely
prevail. You must trust in God, if you are believers.”
They said, “O Moses, we will never enter it, so long
as they are in it. Therefore, go--you and your Lord-and fight. We are sitting right here.” He said, “My
Lord, I can only control myself and my brother. So,
allow us to part company with the wicked people.” He
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said, “Henceforth, it is forbidden them for forty years,
during which they will roam the earth aimlessly. Do
not grieve over such wicked people.”
accordance with God’s revelations, and do not follow
their wishes if they differ from the truth that came
to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and
different rites. Had God willed, He could have made
you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the
test through the revelations He has given each of you.
You shall compete in righteousness. To God is your
final destiny - all of you - then He will inform you of
everything you had disputed.
This series of verses can be used to teach Muslims that
God and the Quran recognize that Israel belongs to the Jews.
Clerics can rightly preach that the Quran requires Muslims to
recognize Israel as a legitimate entity. It can be used to teach
Muslims to apologize for killing Jews and kicking them out
of the land God had promised them over 3000 years ago.
It can be used to teach Muslims that they have violated the
Quran by being disrespectful to Jews and Israel. It can be
used to teach Muslims that the world must again sympathize
with Israel—not as a victim, but as an entity mistreated, and
which thus led the international community in 1920 to grant
them a future State of a viable size in the first place.
The Quran also instructs to honor previous
scripture.
[[5:44] We have sent down the Torah, containing
guidance and light. Ruling in accordance with it were
the Jewish prophets, as well as the rabbis and the
priests, as dictated to them in God’s scripture, and as
witnessed by them. Therefore, do not reverence human
beings; you shall reverence Me instead. And do not
trade away My revelations for a cheap price. Those
who do not rule in accordance with God’s revelations
are the disbelievers.
This verse can be used to teach Muslims that the
Quran affirms God’s words of the Torah.
[
[5:48]
Then we revealed to you this scripture,
truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and
superseding them. You shall rule among them in
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This verse can be used to teach Muslims that multiple
faiths are God’s plan and that Muslims must compete with
Jews and Christians in righteousness. It would be righteous
of Muslims to share the vast lands of the Middle East with
Israel. It would be righteous to allow Israel an amount of
land that would make Israel a self-sustaining viable State.
The Quran also teaches that non-Muslims may be
befriended; only “certain” Jews and Christians cannot be.
[[5:51] O you who believe, do not take certain
Jews and Christians as allies; these are allies of
one another. Those among you who ally themselves
with these belong with them. God does not guide the
transgressors.
[
[5:57]
O you who believe, do not befriend those
among the recipients of previous scripture who mock
and ridicule your religion, nor shall you befriend the
disbelievers. You shall reverence God, if you are really
believers.
These verses when read together can be used to teach
Muslims that the Quran does not condemn all Christians and
Jews, only those who ridicule and mock Muslims because of
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Islam, and those who are disbelievers. Many Christians and
Jews may be befriended, and it is proper to do so.
Since Judaism does not seek converts, recognizes
other religions and teaches a philosophy of live and let live,
this truth can be taught to Muslims. Judaism is for Jews.
Islam is for Muslims. Today, in too many cases, Muslims
are taught that Jews drink the blood of Muslim children.
Muslims must be truthfully educated that Jews are not fighting
with Muslims over religion. Jews do not fight Muslims for
following Islam.
If a complete case for a viable Israel can be based
on the Quran, Israel must not be seen as the evictor of
Muslims from their homes. One of several arguments must
be successfully made by Islamic Clerics: 1) The Quran
is referring to eviction of the larger Muslim group, not
individual houses. In other words, Muslims at large may
make peace with Israel if Muslims improperly evicted from
their homes are compensated; or 2) Most Muslims were not
actually evicted by Israel: they fled. As Khaled Al-Azm, the
Prime Minister of Syria in 1948 said in his memoirs, “Since
1948 we have been demanding the return of the refugees to
their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged
them to leave;”2 or 3) The Quran requires every Muslim to
be equitable and understand that the Quran says that God
made it clear that any home built in Israel belonged to Jews.
Homes built in Israel did not belong to Muslims to begin
with; or 4) The Quran requires every Muslim to be equitable
even against his or her own interest, and that the larger equity
requires that leaving homes lived in before 1948, whether
or not evicted from them, is the equitable thing to do. God
loves the equitable; or 5) Equitable compensation should be
accepted for any home from which an eviction is shown.
Clerics can also teach that Jerusalem is for the Jews
and Christians, as Mecca is for the Muslims. Alternatively,
they can teach that Jerusalem is more holy to Jews and
Christians and that being equitable requires Muslims to
[[5:69] Surely, those who believe, those who are
Jewish, the converts, and the Christians; and of them
who (1) believe in God and (2) believe in the Last Day,
and (3) lead a righteous life, have nothing to fear, nor
will they grieve.
Again, this verse, like verse 2:62, can be used to
teach Muslims that not all non-Muslims must be converted
to Islam before the Last Day, and that according to the Quran
it is acceptable to follow other faiths. It is acceptable to God
for a person to be either a Christian or a Jew.
[[60:8] God does not enjoin you from befriending
those who do not fight you because of religion, and
do not evict you from your homes. You may befriend
them and be equitable towards them. God loves the
equitable.
[[60:9] God enjoins you only from befriending those
who fight you because of religion, evict you from your
homes, and band together with others to banish you.
You shall not befriend them. Those who befriend them
are the transgressors.
Once again, these verses can be used to teach Muslims
that the Quran allows Muslims to befriend Christians and
Jews. It affirms that Muslims are to be equitable with people
who do not fight them because they follow Islam. It affirms
that God loves equitable people, whether or not they are
Muslim. It is clear however that the Quran does not allow
Muslims to befriend those who fight Muslims because of
their faith, or those who evict Muslims from their homes.
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forego a claim to it.
Today, it is argued by many Muslims that the AlAqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the 3rd holiest site of Islam, and
that the holiest of Jewish sites upon which it has been built,
the Temple Mount, cannot be shared with Jews. They are
taught that the Jewish Temple did not exist on the Temple
Mount, which they call Haram el-Sharif. But there is an antiJerusalem strain within Islam that can be taught in its place.
For starters, Jerusalem is never mentioned in the
Quran. Not even once. Learned Muslims living in the years
following the Crusades knew that the great publicity given
to writings that extolled Jerusalem’s sanctity—Hadiths that
supplemented the Quran—resulted from political urgency
surrounding the Countercrusades. They treated the idea of
Jerusalem’s holiness with distrust. One of the most prominent
adherents of this anti-Jerusalem view was one of the most
influential religious thinkers in Islam, Ibn Taymiya (12631328). He dismissed the sacredness of Jerusalem as deriving
from Jews and Christians, and from the Umayyad Dynasty’s3
tribal rivalry with the Muslims in Mecca.4
The Clerics who aspire for Muslims to feel true peace
toward Israel might convey the following to their faithful.
The Muslim “claim” to Jerusalem is untrue. It is based on
Quran chapter 17, verse 1, which says: “Most glorified is
the One who summoned His servant (Muhammad) during
the night, from the Sacred Masjid (of Mecca) to the farthest
place of prostration, whose surroundings we have blessed,
in order to show him some of our signs.”
Mosques of course are where Muslims prostrate
before God. The Arabic translation of “the furthest Mosque,”
is Al-Masjid al-Aqsa. But at the time of Mohammed’s death
in 632, the building that would become the al-Aqsa Mosque
was still a Christian Church. It was not until 638 that the
Muslims captured Jerusalem from the Christians. In or around
711, or about 80 years after Mohammed died, the Omayad
Caliph, Abd El-Wahd, refurbished the Church and converted
it into a Mosque by adding an onion-like dome on the
building. He then named the structure the Al-Aqsa Mosque
to tie it to the Quran, and thus glorify it.5 It is beyond reason
to suggest that Mohammed was summoned to this particular
spot and thereafter ascended to heaven from a nearby rock.
The sanctity of that Mosque is a hoax on Muslims.
In the Quran, Muslims are called to pray facing
Mecca. Clerics might look to early Hadiths that suggest that
Muslims specifically pray facing away from Jerusalem. Not
coincidentally, those who pray in the al-Aqsa Mosque pray
with their backs to the Temple area that Jews face in prayer.6
This fact can be used to show that Jerusalem wasn’t meant
to be holy to Muslims; Jerusalem is for other faiths, Mecca
and Medina are for Islam.
But these teachings won’t be preached in
“mainstream” Islam anytime soon. In 2006, even with
coalition forces stationed to protect a newly democratized
Afghanistan, senior Muslim clerics demanded the execution
of an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to
Christianity. Afghan cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered
a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the
Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001 said
this: “Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow
God to be humiliated. This man must die.”7 Luckily, Western
disgust was such, that coupled with the need for Western aid
in Afghanistan, this man’s life was spared on a technicality.
One needn’t go as far as converting from Islam
to fear for his or her life. Muslims who only put forth
progressive understandings of the Quran are put to death.
Without doubt, widespread Muslim tolerance of Jews
in Israel will not come easy. Consider the thinking of the
Sudanese Islamic theologian Mahmud Muhammad Taha,
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put to death in 1985. Taha’s view was based on the accepted
division of the Quran into two parts: Suras (Chapters) from
when Mohammed was a prophet living in Mecca, and later
Suras from when Mohammed was the ruler of Medina. Suras
from the Mecca period tend to be cosmological. Suras from
the Medina period contain many specific rulings. These
rulings eventually served as the basis for the Shari’a, or
Islamic law.8
Taha argued that the specific Quranic rulings of the
Medina period applied only to Medina, not to other times
and places. He pushed for modern-day Muslims to set these
aside and live by the broader principles from the Mecca
period. According to Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle
East Forum, “Were Taha’s ideas accepted, most of the Shari’a
would disappear, including outdated provisions concerning
warfare, theft, and women. Muslim communities could then
more readily modernize.”9
If only Islamic religious leaders today would embrace
this worldview as true Islam. If only the more progressive
among them could do so without fear. If only doing so
was perceived by many Clerics to be in their personal
best interest, the best interests of Muslims, and true Islam.
Fostering democracy, and redefining borders to better reflect
the will of different groups in the Middle East to achieve
self-determination is moral because it benefits individuals
and humanity. Educating, or even cajoling more Clerics to
see a deeper and more positive meaning in Islam would go
a long way toward ending the contempt so many Muslims
feel towards Jews, Christians, the United States and Israel.
Teaching anyone of any faith to find an attitude of “live and
let live” within his or her faith is moral. It is not, as some
moral relativists would suggest, an arrogant imposition of
Western values on other cultures. Free speech and tolerance,
whether or not they are Western values, are moral for all
humans. There is nothing wrong, and everything right with
favoring their adoption in all countries. There is every reason
to adopt them as true Islam.
The case for a viable Israel can be made in the Quran,
though without democratic reforms in the Arab and Muslim
States, even broaching the idea that the case should be made
by religious leaders in the interests of promoting the material
and spiritual welfare of Muslims, will not occur.
It is in the world’s interest that Israel becomes a
self-sustaining viable State, and it is equitable that Israel
becomes a self-sustaining viable State. Though it cannot
be anticipated that the Quranic case will ever be made, it is
worthy for those living Islam to hear that it can be. And even
if the case is never made—that is, it is never perceived as
true Islam or in Islam’s interest to make it—Israel must be
independently viable anyway.
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CHAPTER
17
HOW LARGE NEED ISRAEL BE TO BE
VIABLE IN THE LONG RUN
—HOW IT CAN HAPPEN
❆
W
hat is the fair plot size of land for a People that do
so much good for the world?
In Genesis 15:18, the Bible says that God promised
Abraham’s offspring land from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the Euphrates. God’s promise is reiterated to
Joshua in Joshua 1:4. “Your territory will extend from the
wilderness and the Lebanon, and from the Great River, the
River Euphrates—the whole Hittite country—and up to the
Mediterranean Sea on the west.”1
This plot size is the dream of fringe religious groups
in Israel, but is proclaimed to be the end goal of Israel by
Hamas spokesmen who claim in ignorance that the two
blue stripes on Israel’s flag represent the Nile River and the
Euphrates.2
Regional equity, based on current population levels
of Arabs and Jews, would mean an Israel over ten times as
large as it is now. Even an Israel this size would make it
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