clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

I the Palestinian and my friend the Turk

January 23, 2014 at 4:35 am

One of the most spectacular gifts that any of us may be granted by God during our lives is that you become acquainted with a brother not born of your mother, and with whom you have no ties save for feelings of friendship and love; a brotherhood wholly unmarred by worldly benefit. This is because fraternity in God is the outstanding account which is of real benefit to the individual during this life. It is the gift bestowed by God upon His Prophet when He says, “…It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers and brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together.” [8:62-3].


Brothers are those whom we get on intimate terms with during the journey; who make the course of this life paved with pain easier on us; those with whom we spend the most beautiful times exchanging beneficial ideas and sincere brotherly feelings thus filling our souls with faith in God. When such friends are from another country and speak a different tongue, then the benefit is multiplied if that friendship makes you feel like you have been extended in some way. Thus, you now have roots that extend in geography and history and you feel you are a part of huge worldwide nation with a single religion, history and destiny; that all the ethnic, national and political divisions are artificial ruses of the devil with which he seeks to sever what God has commanded should be joined together; and that the destiny of this nation is to unite and integrate, and not to divide and splinter…

This week, I had an appointment with a precious gift. This gift came in the form of a Turkish brother I met without previous appointment – brother Abdul Hakim Sunaqiya from the deep-rooted and historic city of Istanbul. I became acquainted with him when he visited the Gaza Strip to participate in the Global Jerusalem March. I met him for the first time and we exchanged ideas for just a few minutes before the ties of fraternity and love were quickly and firmly established between us…

I hosted him in my home far removed from the atmosphere of official hotels, as the intimate atmosphere of the home melts the ice, breaks down the walls of constraint and strengthens the bonds of fraternity…

We spoke about our common causes. I asked him about Turkey -its people, history, culture and political reality. He in turn became acquainted with our way of life and living; he breathed in the Gaza air redolent with the fragrance of martyrs, walked along its streets and met with its people.

This meeting has strengthened in both of us a sense of the unity of the Worldwide Muslim Community and the unity of its fate. From him I learned beautiful words that expressed a full spirit, he said: The Arabs should unite. Why doesn’t Egypt unite with Sudan? These borders that divide between Arab countries are artificial boundaries brought about using a ruler. If they were natural boundaries imposed by geographic conditions, they would have tortuous, however they are straight boundaries. Surely lines established using a ruler should be erased using a rubber…

The assertions of my Turkish friend reminded me of the painful realities of the Muslim Community. However, it also imbued me with a positive spirit and filled me with confidence in the inevitability of this community’s return to its historic roots and its reconciliation with itself…

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.