An Islamic preacher who recently appeared on official Palestinian Authority television made all the usual angry remarks that Muslims often make concerning Israel’s right to exist, particularly in the context of its claim to Jerusalem.In other words, according to Ibrahim, Muslims believe that once they've conquered a city or territory, once a city or territory has been exposed to Islam, it's forever destined to be Muslim. It cannot ever be reconverted or reconquered.
His comments may suggest to the casual Western listener that “by rights,” and as a matter of universal justice, Jerusalem belongs to Muslims.
However, the comments are laden with religious and historical references and observations that only Muslims might understand, and of which none accord with Western notions of universal rights and justice.
This is especially evident in the cleric’s assertion that Jerusalem “is a religious, Sharia, and historical right of the Muslims, and of no one else but them.”
Why is Jerusalem a “religious” right for Muslims? Because Islamic tradition teaches that one night in the year 610, Muhammad -- miraculously flying atop a supernatural horse-like creature (al-Buraq) -- visited and prayed in it.
Why is Jerusalem a “Sharia” -- or legal -- right for Muslims? Because according to all interpretations of Islamic law, or Sharia, once a territory has been “opened” to the light of Islam, it forever belongs to the House of Islam, or Dar al-Islam.
This leads to the third, and most telling “right”: that Jerusalem is a “historical right of the Muslims” because in the year 637, Muslim Arab armies “opened” -- that is to say, conquered -- Jerusalem.
This only applies, of course, to lands and peoples conquered by, and converted to, Islam. Anything conquered by say, Jews, in their numerous wars against their Arab neighbors must be handed back to Muslims, but anything conquered by Muslims belongs to Muslims forever.
How convenient. How unpersuasive.