Jewish and Muslim prayers for Gaza

The following seems to speak for itself.

1. A Jew's prayer for the children of Gaza  By Bradley Burston

 

If there has ever been a time for prayer, this is that time.

 

If there has ever been a place forsaken, Gaza is that place.

 

Lord who is the creator of all children, hear our prayer this accursed day. God whom we call Blessed, turn your face to these, the children of Gaza, that they may know your blessings, and your shelter, that they may know light and warmth, where there is now only blackness and smoke, and a cold which cuts and clenches the skin.

 

Almighty who makes exceptions, which we call miracles, make an exception of the children of Gaza. Shield them from us and from their own. Spare them. Heal them. Let them stand in safety. Deliver them from hunger and horror and fury and grief. Deliver them from us, and from their own.

 

Restore to them their stolen childhoods, their birthright, which is a taste of heaven.

 

Remind us, O Lord, of the child Ishmael, who is the father of all the children of Gaza. How the child Ishmael was without water and left for dead in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba, so robbed of all hope, that his own mother could not bear to watch his life drain away.

 

Be that Lord, the God of our kinsman Ishmael, who heard his cry and sent His angel to comfort his mother Hagar.

 

Be that Lord, who was with Ishmael that day, and all the days after. Be that God, the All-Merciful, who opened Hagar's eyes that day, and showed her the well of water, that she could give the boy Ishmael to drink, and save his life.

 

Allah, whose name we call Elohim, who gives life, who knows the value and the fragility of every life, send these children your angels. Save them, the children of this place, Gaza the most beautiful, and Gaza the damned.

 

In this day, when the trepidation and rage and mourning that is called war, seizes our hearts and patches them in scars, we call to you, the Lord whose name is Peace:

 

Bless these children, and keep them from harm.

 

Turn Your face toward them, O Lord. Show them, as if for the first time, light and kindness, and overwhelming graciousness.

 

Look up at them, O Lord. Let them see your face.

 

And, as if for the first time, grant them peace.

 

With thanks to Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman of Kol HaNeshama, Jerusalem

Amen - and protect our children too. Both the little ones in Beersheba and Sderot, and the bigger ones who are inside Gaza defending us - Jews, Druze, Muslim and Christian citizens of Israel.  

 

2. A Muslim Sermon for Gaza

 

Here is a sermon by the Imam Safwat Higazi, presented on Al-Aqsa TV on December 31, 2008. It expresses the refined humanitarian sentiments of the Muslim Ouma, as represented by the Islamists. It is clear that every peace loving, decent and progressive person must side with these lofty sentiments, right? (Translation: MEMRI ).

Safwat Higazi: "Being killed is nothing new to us. It is what we desire and hope for. It is martyrdom, by Allah. This is Allah's victory coming to us. It is Paradise with the first drop of blood of the martyr.

...

"I refuse to accept condolences or consolation over a martyr. It saddens me immensely when I see on TV a Palestinian woman from Gaza crying and wailing over her martyr. By Allah, I never see such things among the people of Palestine, the people of Gaza. We always see the mothers and wives of the martyrs in Palestine wailing for joy, and preparing another martyr, another man, to raise the banner.

....

"Being killed is nothing new to us. Martyrdom is nothing new to us. You threaten to kill us?! By Allah, you are threatening us with what we desire more than anything. You are threatening us with what our souls yearn for.

....
"By Allah, I wish I could carry my gear, carry my gun, and be among you. I wish I could stand among the youth of the Al-Qassam Brigades, passing them one of their missiles, wiping from their faces the dust of a missile that was launched, or crying 'Allah Akbar' along with them. By Allah, I wish I could do that...."


"You [in Hamas] are the ones upon whom Jesus, son of Mary, will descend, preaching the religion of the Prophet Muhammad in your land. You are paving the way for the war foretold by the Prophet Muhammad: 'Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind stones and trees, but the stones and trees will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' You are the ones preparing the ground for this, preparing the ground for the return of the Caliphate in the path of the prophets

...

"Allah is with us, and there is nobody with them. Allah is our God, and there is nobody with them. We say to them: We are not equal. Our dead go to Paradise, while your dead go to the Hellfire. We say to them: The Qassam rockets will serve as Ababil birds.[ Ababil - In Qur'an. red clay bricks dropped on the army of elephants sent by the king of Yemen to attack Mecca in 571 CE. ] Indeed, they are Ababil birds. We say to them that while our martyrs celebrate in Paradise, your dead find themselves in the Hellfire. We say to you: Dispatch those sons of apes and pigs to the Hellfire, on the wings of the Qassam rockets."

...
"Jihad is our path - jihad for the sake of Allah, in all its forms. This is our strategic option, and not peace. Even 'if they incline toward peace...' Yes, in that case, we will incline toward peace. If peace is made with us - yes, we will make peace as well, out of strength and honor. However, jihad and resistance will remain our strategic option. Why? Because the Prophet Muhammad told us this. It makes no difference what kind of peace it is - they will never reconcile with us. They will ostensibly reconcile with us, but will they make real peace? Never."

....
"The [Jews], who are as smooth as a viper, and who lick their lips as [does] a speckled snake, will never live with us in peace and harmony. They deserve to be killed. They deserve to die. They are the ones at whom the Qassam rockets should be fired. You should not care if you hit a man, a woman, or a child. Just like they killed your children - kill their children. Just like they killed your women - kill their women. Just like they destroyed your mosques - destroy their places of worship. Destroy... everything over
there."

All in favor of the Caliphate vote "Aye."

 

Ami Isseroff