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Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk
Name
Khalil
-
Profession
Question
Do you think the new Palestinian cabinet is determined to stopping the military resistance of the Palestinian people?
Answer
What I know is that this is what is expected of it. I know too that some members of the cabinet, including the appointed Prime Minister and his Interior Minister (both of whom where named and imposed by Israel and the U.S.A) may try their best to carry out this mission, which is the first stage in the Road Map. However, I doubt very much that they will be successful.
Name
Ahmad
- Canada
Profession
Question
What is really the hidden agenda of Abu Mazen government?
Answer
There is no hidden agenda. The agenda is open and declared. This new government is expected to pave the way for the resumption of peace negotiations with the Israelis. To do so it must bring to and end any form of Palestinian resistance to occupation. As in previous cases, the Israelis and their U.S. allies insist that nothing can be looked into or talked about until Israel's security is first guaranteed. What Israel has failed to achieve is being assigned to a Palestinian group whose legitimacy derives from the U.S. sponsored peace process and whose credibility derives from their ability to suppress their fellow Palestinians.
Name
Rachid
- Germany
Profession
Question
Ich lebe in Deutschland und ich möchte ein Hauß kaufen mit Bankkredit.
ist das erlaubt im ISLAM.
Danke.
Answer
I am very sorry I do not understand German. If you could kindly re-submit your question in English I should be most grateful.
Name
Nissan
-
Profession
Question
Is it possible the Palestinian authority will witness a transmission in terms of civil liberties and democracy especially in dealing with the opposition parties?
Answer
I am not very sure what the questioner means. If he/she means to ask if the Palestinian authority will bring about democratic transition, the answer is 'very unlikely'. This is not what the Road Map is about and this is not what Abu Mazen or Dahlan and their likes are capable of. This government, and this entire arrangement, is security-based and security-motivated. This is the exact opposite of what democracy is about: the right of the people to choose their government, their right to bring such elected government to account, the rule of law, equality before the law and respect for a set of universal inalienable human rights and civil liberties. Democracy would include tolerance of opposition and in its modern form multi-partism. None of this is on the menu of the new proposed settlement.
Name
Anwar
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
How much harmony do you expect between Abu Mazen and Hamas?
Answer
The man did invite Hamas for talks before he officially became 'prime minister'. The purpose was to convince them to cause no trouble for him. However, Abu Mazen is not only facing Hamas in his 'impossible mission' but many other factions including the armed wing of the Al-Fath. Whatever happens, it does not serve the Palestinian cause to have the Palestinians clash among themselves. Statements bearing this type of cautioning have been released by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. In any case, the Palestinians have been through similar crises before, and I expect they will manage this one and pass through it.
Name
Mahmoud
- China
Profession
Question
By appointing Abu Mazen, and shrinking Arafat role, isn't that a sign toward all Arab regimes that have to disappear no matter what they have been doing to America very obedient agents?
Answer
Indeed. You are 100% right. The current U.S. Administration has proven beyond doubt that no regime in the Arab or Muslim region is immune to change or overthrow. Perhaps some may benefit from this lesson, including those who have offered the U.S. considerable assistance and showed profound loyalty over the past decades. Such assistance and such loyalty will do them no good if their relations with their own people are not sound. Like Saddam, they will face formidable power of America on the one hand and the resentment of their own people on the other.
Name
Abdulkarim Najah
- Lybia
Profession
Question
Can Abu Mazen be accepted by the armed Palestinian resistance groups?
Answer
If his job description includes, as stated in the Road Map 'disarming them, hunting them down and incarcerating them, as well as dismantling their infrastructure, one would not expect them to accept him.
Name
Jackson
-
Profession
Question
What is the stance of the new government towards intifada and martyr operations?
Answer
The stance if very clear. Abu Mazen and the leading figures in his cabinet believe that the intifada has been a great disaster for the Palestinians. Their opinion vis-a-vis the 'martyrdom operations' is even worse. No wonder, they have been entrusted with the task of bringing the intifada to an end and to dismantle the infrastructures and capabilities of those who organize or perpetrate the 'martyrdom operations'. Last month I wrote an article about this. You may find it on my website, or perhaps the Islamonline website. If not, send me an e. mail and I shall e. mail it to you. My e. mail is 'info@ii-pt.com'
Name
Omar
-
Profession
Question
If the Palestinian armed factions refuse to withdraw their weapons, will Abu Mazen incite a civil war?
Answer
He would be crazy to do so. No, I do not expect him to do so because he'd be turning against the bulk of the Palestinian people. What I expect will happen is that he will realize, quite soon I hope, that what he agreed to do is simply not accomplishable. He will just give up like Yassir Arafat did before.
Name
Mohammad
- United States
Profession
student
Question
As-Salaamu alaykum my dear brother in Islam. I wanted to ask you to help clarify what is now known as "Wahabism". I usually don't like to engage in debates and/or arguements about the different groups within Islam. But I'm wondering whether it is true or not that Wahabism was not approved of in its time by the majority of the Sunni scholars at that time? Is it really one of the sources of extremism? These are the kinds of questions that especially non-Muslim people are asking me so I'd greatly appreciate your help in clarifying the idea and problems with Wahabism. JazakAllahu Khayran.
Answer
Although this is not the topic of today's session, I'd like very briefly to say to you that Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahhab was a revolutionary during his time. He is indisputably one of three revivalists in the 18th century the other two, none of whom ever met the other, where Shah Wali Allah Al-Dahlawi in the Indian sub-continent and Osman dan Fodio (Bin Fudi) in the West African lands. His mission was primarily to clean Islamic culture and practice from the impurities that had crept into them. To think of Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab in any other way is manifestly unjust and ignorant. One may have different opinions of those who claim to follow him. Some are excellent, some are not as good. But the campaign against Wahhabism, especially in America, is highly politicized and is the product of the desire to evade the real issue with regard to why the attack on the 11th of September took place.
Name
Rafiq
- Palestine
Profession
Question
I think the first priority in Abu Mazen cabinet is to open more prisons for the opposition parties? Do you think this will happen? Are we going to witness an internal Palestinian clash?
Answer
Curtailing and incarcerating opponents is one of his responsibilities according to the Road Map job description. We all pray that a Palestinian internal clash will not take place. The Palestinians have been through such crises before and I am sure they pass through this one too.
Name
Mona
-
Profession
Question
What do you mean by the Road Map?
Answer
This is the name given to the plan formulated by the Quartet: the U.S.A., UN, European Union and Russia and was released by the U.S.A. officially only after Abu Mazen was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of Palestinian by the Palestinian Legislative Council. The Road Map talks of stages between now and 2005 starting with guaranteeing Israel's security, Israeli withdrawal to the status quo before 28 September 2000 and ending with the declaration of a Palestinian state next to the Israeli state. The full text and amendments of the Road Map are available on the net. Just search for it and you'll get it.
Name
Majid
- Somalia
Profession
Question
How do you assess Abu Mazen speech and his call for disarming?
Answer
He tried to reassure too many parties in one speech. He might have succeeded in winning the confidence of the U.S.A. and Israel, but there are many who believe he had a very bad start with the Palestinians. All the talk about improvements in the Palestinian situation is not taken seriously because it all depends, if at all deliverable, on how much Abu Mazen delivers in the security side of the equation. Any thing expected of Israel in the Road Map is conditional and dependent on what the Palestinian side offers and accomplishes.
Name
Tawfiq
- United States
Profession
Question
Does the majority of Palestinian ready to continue to struggle and carry out more military action as well as martyr operations? Will the new Abu Mazen cabinet work in favor of the Palestinian people or they will act like all other Arab governments?
Answer
The talk of majority and minority in the Palestinian situation is figurative and relative. Unless people are asked about their opinions all we have to rely on are general trends and un-imperial data. What is sure, however, is that the current arrangement, including the appointment of Abu Mazen and his cabinet, is far from being an expression of the wish or desire of the Palestinian people. We also know that the Palestinians do express sympathy and support for those who carry out attacks against Israeli targets perhaps mostly because of the dire restrictions imposed on the Palestinians by the Israelis. If the U.S.A. is truly interested in seeing a settlement in the region the first step would be to force Israel to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinians and not to pressure some Palestinians to do on behalf of Israel the job its entire security and defence apparatuses have so far failed to do. Increasing the suffering of the Palestinians will only make them more supportive of resistance and military action.
Clearly, the primary objective and responsibility of Abu Mazen and his cabinet is to provide security for the Israelis. Therefore, their success as far as the U.S.A. and Israeli are concerned will be judged on the basis of what they achieve in the security domain and not what they do in order to serve the Palestinian people. And how they can serve the Palestinians if they have no mandate and no resources to do so; and worse still how can they do so if they are not the type of people who are not qualified to do so and are not interested in doing so?
Name
Edward
-
Profession
Question
How will Abu Mazen deal with the resistance factions: Hamas and Jihad if they choose to continue with their armed resistance?
Answer
In theory he is supposed to stop them, imprison their activists and dismantle their infrastructures. This is what the Road Map stipulates. However, in practice, this will be almost impossible to achieve. It was tried before and it failed. It remains to be seen if he can come up with a magical approach to performing this formidable task, which both the Israelis and Yassir Arafat failed to undertake.
Name
Nafie
- Sweden
Profession
Question
Is the election for the new government going to be through the constitutional council or through a general survey?
Answer
Which government? Do you mean in Palestine? If so, the cabinet has been simply voted in confidence by the members of the legislative council.
Name
Shahina
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
How do you assess the relationship between Abu Mazen and Abu Ammar? Are they going to be in a clash with each other in the future?
Answer
The relationship is quite bitter. Yassir Arafat was forced to relinquish some of his powers and delegate them to Abu Mazen something which he never thought was likely to happen while he was still alive. It would seem to me that so long as Abu Ammar is alive and kicking, Abu Mazin will not find things easy. Many of the people he will need to rely on consider Abu Ammar their spiritual father.
Name
Fatih
-
Profession
Question
Do you think the new Palestinian cabinet headed by Abu Mazen is simply like the Karazi of Afghanistan?
Answer
There are striking similarities. I think the joib is much tougher in the case of Abu Mazin.
Name
Nafisa
-
Profession
Question
Why did Arafat choose Abu Mazen only after American pressure?
Answer
Abu Mazen was the choice of the Americans and their partners in the Quartet. His best qualifications are that he is the father of Oslo, the architect of peace with the Israelis. His opposition to all forms of resistance against occupation and his denunciation of the Palestinian uprising are well-known. His seniority also is of importance, for he belongs to the same generation of Yassir Arafat. However, he enjoys little, if any, popular support or sympathy among the Palestinians.
Name
S.A
-
Profession
Question
Was Abu Mazen a main tool in orchestrating Oslo accords that were meant to uproot the intifada?
Answer
He is said to have been the father of Oslo or the guru of peace making on the Palestinian side. He is someone whom the Israelis and their supporters have more confidence in than any body else.
Name
Rajaa
- Belgium
Profession
Question
What do you think the obstacles would be in front of Abu Mazen cabinet?
Answer
The most formidable obstacle would be getting the Palestinian people to support his main task in all of this, namely disarming the Palestinian factions, curtailing them and dismantling their infrastructures. This is almost impossible to do so long as the Israelis occupy Palestinian towns, villages and camps and so long as Israel's provocative policies of assassinations, house demolishing and road closures, etc. continue.
Today, the Palestinians are more aware than ever of what they want and what they must pay for it. It will not be easy to silence them or to delude them.
