Palestinian Resistance: Lessons for Rohingya

Qutub Shah

RB Opinion

August 11, 2014

Before Israel started its offensive on Gaza strip, it didn’t think Gaza to be more than a tasty bite of McDonalds and that it could erase Gaza from the map of Palestine easily, there were even many voices inside the Zionist Entity sounding the need to re-occupy Gaza and clear Gaza of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other resistance factions. This idea led the Israeli PM to make a hasty decision to launch aggression on Gaza. But this time Palestine looks different! 

Here, what I am going to point out to you are the facts that make Palestinians different. 

1. Lack of Accurate intelligence 

Due to the lack of accurate intelligence in the forces of Zionist occupation about Gazan military capabilities and their location, Israel got lost in the current offensive. This eventually caused them to carry out frenzied attacks like a mad dog, targeting children and innocents in schools, orphanages, hospitals and public places deliberately to frighten the population. Absurdity has overstepped all bounds a member of the Knesset, Ayelet Shaked, announce in public that mothers of all Palestinians must be killed and an Israeli sniper, feeling proud of killing children, tweeted “I killed 13 childrens today and ur next***** muslims go to hell*****.” 

Previously, Palestinian territory was a playhouse for Israeli intelligence and they were able to spread spies and agents into every Palestinian faction, corner, organization and fighting body. But the Hamas government that formed in Gaza, though it doesn’t succeed completely to eliminate the phenomenon, was successful to chase a large number of Israeli spies and agents from its land. 

This was the actual methodology of our Prophet as he was very sensitive and cautious of the then hypocrites. 

I don’t want to waste your time narrating the negative role played by the unpaid agents of Myanmar government among us and from us and against us through the ages. 

2. The Lowest illiteracy rate 

According to The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics "PCBS" report, the illiteracy rate in Palestine is one of the lowest rates in the world. Other sources say that the illiteracy rate of Palestine is about one percent (1%) only. There is no family in Palestine without at least a postgraduate or a bachelor’s degree. Their endeavor in this field was witnessed dramatically by the Guinness World Records as it set Eqbal Asa’d, a Palestinian refugee girl from Bekaa Valley, Southern Lebanon, as the youngest doctor in the World, who got her Bachelor degree in Medicine with Honors at the age of 16. 

To me, this is the main factor that makes Palestinian different. 

If we revise our past and present, we can easily observe that in order to destroy a society, it is enough to destroy it intellectual and moral foundation first and vice versa. This was the infrastructural policy of Buddhist aggression on Rohingya. 

Be reminded that the initial point of Prophetic mission of changes was ‘Read’. Here is the experience of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 

But, the efforts that we make in educating the new generation are not quite enough as the most oppressed minority. Unfortunately, in our society, it is only slightly that we care about education. Let me give you an example by taking a short U-turn in the history of our struggle for freedom. For instance, within the now mostly defunct RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organization), there were divergent views among its leaders on giving formal or informal education to the workers other than physical exercises, according to a higher ex-official.

Nowadays, even many Rohingya leaders who provided educational, social and political scopes among the refugee community in southern Bangladesh, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have changed their direction toward relief services, leaving behind services that empowered future generations. 

3. Sacrifice in the cause of freedom

The secret that makes Al-Qassam Brigades dare to say to Israel, “No ceasefire without adhering to our legitimate demands,” is the sincerity and loyalty to their native land and people. Soldiers of Al-Qassam have given the Muslim world an example of sincerity and loyalty, as all the men in Al-Qassam Brigades are volunteers working at their own expenses, for no pay. This is the unique example in the world. There is not a single family in Palestine that didn’t sacrifice with one or more of its members in the cause of freedom. 

Collecting donations and raising funds is not their organizational concern, unlike other organizations. 

Actually, the sense of ‘sincerity in actions’ is among those things that the Quran tries to inculcate into Muslim minds through several verses, saying, “Work hard in the cause of Allah with your wealth and lives.” 

4. Brilliant Military tactics

In the current Israel-Palestine war, the latter has proved that Palestinian leaders are not ‘just hot preachers’ on platforms like other Arab or Muslim leaders, who conquer the world in speech. Their mouth is not larger than their ability; their stick is not taller than their body. Enthusiasm is not their method. They never utter nonsense. 

Let’s see. Israeli Air Force is very strong and sophisticated, and it has well-trained professional pilots. Their weapons are very up-to-date; neither Arab nor, even, the developed countries other than USA own the same weapon and military aircrafts as Israeli Air Force does. 

Though this, the precise and skillful military tactics of Palestinian resistance defeated Israel and Israel becomes a FARCE in front of the world. 

In conclusion, as both issues: Arakanese issue and Palestinian issue are running parallel to each another in almost all dimensions; we should learn lessons from the Palestinian resistance. 

“So, learn a lesson, O ye with eyes!” (Quran 59:2)

The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect RB editorial policy.