Grand Mufti's Jerusalem trip re-engages Palestinian rights


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It has long been a recognised principle among Muslim scholars that the beauty of the Islamic tradition lies in its flexibility and responsiveness, its ability to adapt to new circumstances and situations. This is in accordance with the paramount values of Islam.

Centuries of writing and guidance testify to the fundamental notion that the jurist who is the most truthful to the spirit of Sharia is the one who is intimately familiar with, and so remains responsive to, the reality of historical evolution and geographical diversity, as well as the particularities of people's situations, customs and expectations.

It is in light of this well-established principle that we feel it is now time that the Muslim umma take seriously the need to revisit the long-standing boycott on visiting Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation, most prominently the sacred city of Jerusalem. For decades now, the issue of Jerusalem has been one of the most important problems confronting the umma, given both its sanctity to Muslims, as well as its symbolism of an ongoing and illegal occupation, which has imposed severe difficulties on its Arab population - both Muslim and Christian.

There is no doubt that the issue of Palestine remains a pre-eminent concern of Muslims around the world, deserving of our most serious consideration. Nothing can distract the Muslims from our unmitigated support for a just, peaceful and enduring resolution of this problem, which restores to Palestinian people their land, respects their rights to their sacred spaces, and guarantees their safety and security.

These are goals that are widely agreed upon by nations around the world; indeed, they constitute the inviolable rights that are due to Palestinian people by virtue of their very humanity. The obligation for Muslims outside of Palestine is to continue to support them in this quest.

In the past, it has been thought by some Muslim scholars that this could be accomplished by refusing to visit the sacred city of Jerusalem, or other parts of Palestine, because to do so would constitute an acceptance of Israeli occupation. The truth is that the situation for Palestinians has only deteriorated over the past four-and-a-half decades under Israeli occupation.

At every step, Israel has sought to weaken, marginalise and isolate Palestinian people from their neighbours and indeed from the rest of the international community. This is the underlying logic that moves Israel to oppose statehood for Palestine in the United Nations, to demolish homes arbitrarily, and to build a grotesque wall that separates Palestinians from family members, sources of income and other basic necessities. These are but a handful of obvious examples, but the list is endless.

In view of this strategy, do we not owe it to ourselves as Muslims to reconsider how we ought to deal with our Palestinian brothers and sisters? Should we seek to further isolate them in accordance with Israeli plans and hopes? Or, should we instead seek to strengthen and deepen our relationship with them by demonstrating our solidarity, and our legitimate rights to the holy sites in Jerusalem?

Israel continues to devour more and more Palestinian land; to disenfranchise, displace and impoverish increasing numbers of Palestinians; and to assert greater control over the Muslim holy sites. This is the result of a 45-year occupation, which persists unabated, unaffected by the call of Muslim scholars to avoid visiting the Holy Land. So, is it not time that we reconsider this view without being accused of impropriety or of normalising relations with the Israeli state?

Indeed, some of the greatest scholars of Islam - 'Izz b 'Abd Al Salam, Abu Hamid Al Ghazali, Taqi Al Din ibn Taymiyya - lived in Jerusalem during the occupation of the Crusaders. During this time, they never dared to prohibit other Muslims from visiting Jerusalem and its sites. Nor were they ever accused by their contemporaries of working for the other side, or of normalising relations with it.

To the contrary, when Al Ghazali visited the Aqsa mosque under the occupation of Crusaders, he found it still full of intellectual activity, with over 360 study circles populating its courtyard.

Indeed, it is for the purpose of advancing the pursuit of knowledge, and in his capacity as a scholar - not as an Egyptian official - that Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa visited the Aqsa mosque earlier this month. He was invited by the Royal Aal Al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought to inaugurate the Ghazali Chair for Islamic studies in Jerusalem. His visit was authorised entirely under the auspices of the Jordanian government, which is currently charged with the supervision of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

Thus, Dr Gomaa required no approval from Israeli authorities, and his visit cannot be considered in any way a conciliatory move towards the state of Israel, which continues its transgressions towards the Palestinian people to this day. Indeed, the Mufti's full support and strongest resolve is with Palestine and its people, and it is with a view to expressing solidarity with them and easing their suffering that he calls for a more nuanced understanding of the situation today.

Dr Ibrahim Negm is a senior adviser of Dr Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt

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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

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Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

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