Signs of Failure of Newest US Aggression on Yemen

Alwaght- While the US claims its airstrikes in Yemen have degraded the military capabilities of Ansarullah resistance movement, pieces of evidence suggest continuation of the offensive power of Sana'a and failure of the new round of US aggression in the Red Sea that is meant to provide a cover to the Israeli regime which is subjected to maritime blockade by Yemen in solidarity with Gaza. 

At the same time, with Secretary-general of Ansarullah Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi saying that the movement is going to unveil new military capabilities in the future, new surprises may be expected under "blow for blow" equation. 

The aggression outcomes and Trump's claims 

With the US air campaign nearing its second week, no considerable results have been achieved as Trump and his administration officials claim. The core aim of the campaign was to secure Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and Sea of Oman. But not only the Americans are far from this aim, but also they have failed to guard depth of the occupied territories against Yemeni missile and drone strikes. 

On the other hand, the US has also defined targeting prominent political and military leaders of Ansarallah as one of its objectives behind its attacks. In this regard, not only was it unable to assassinate or weaken Yemeni military leaders, but also it is experiencing the bitter taste of defeat once again, at high costs and without forming an effective coalition.

In the middle of these setbacks, Trump is still boasting of what he calls success of air campaign and keeps deploying new naval ships to the region, something suggesting that the White House is more focusing on psychological warfare and display of power than real field achievements. The deployment of USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier and the attempt to drag Arab countries into the conflict were only part of these policies. On the first night of the attack, about 50 air and naval attacks were carried out, with the illusion of destroying Ansarullah's offensive and its deterrent power at once. However, two weeks later, with more than 300 to 400 air and naval attacks recorded, with an average of 30 to 40 attacks per day on the provinces of Sana'a, Sa'ada, Al-Hodeidah, Marib, Al-Jawf, Amran and Dhamar, the Yemeni attacks continue deep into the occupied territories. In fact, evidence shows that the situation is going against American predictions.

US failed to defend Israel 

An examination of the field developments can make it clear for us that Washington has suffered high financial and reputational costs. Actually, this campaign has failed to salvage the Israeli navigation and now even the American naval vessels are targets to Yemeni missiles. On the other side, Yemeni strikes have reached depth of the Israeli regime and the Israeli pressures on Washington bear witness to failure of the US attacks. 

While the White House claims to have weakened Yemen's military capabilities, the reality is that the Yemeni weapons stockpiles remain undamaged and ready for operations. The Ansarullah leader has stressed on the development of military capabilities and has implemented the equation of escalation for escalation or balancing the level of conflict.

Blind attacks and US moral collapse 

In his speech on Quds Day, Ansarullah chief ridiculed the US claims, adding that Washington is covering up its military failures by striking civilian places in Yemen. 

The Pentagon tried to deny attacking residential areas, but evidence shows that since the beginning of the war, densely populated Yemeni areas have been targeted, including neighborhoods in the capital Sana'a, industrial plants in Hudaydah, livestock farms in Al-Jawf, and even cancer hospitals in Sa'ada. These actions have not only tarnished the moral reputation of the US government and military, but also show that the alleged objectives of these attacks are completely contradictory to its human rights slogans.

Failure in psychological warfare 

Along with launching the attacks, the US intended to intimidate the Yemeni people with a "shock operation." But to its frustration, the Yemenis with "million rally" the next day brought this strategy to its failure. 

The US initially claimed that the invasion would last “a few days or weeks”, but after numerous setbacks, it avoided stating a specific time frame. In addition, the disclosure of documents and correspondence about the plans for this invasion, through American publications, has created a new security scandal for the Trump administration.

On the contrary, by targeting American aircraft carriers, the Yemenis have been able to challenge American military hegemony amidst global astonishment and disbelief, and have shown their strength and defensive strength against the most severe attacks, effectively placing themselves in the media and public opinion of the nations of the region as an emerging regional power. This steadfast stance in support of the oppressed Palestinian people will certainly strengthen Ansarallah’s regional position.

US deterrence instruments turned into a challenge 

Dispatch of a new aircraft carrier to the Red Sea not only has not changed the equations, but also increased the vulnerability of the American fleet to the Yemeni hypersonic missiles and drones. In the past, the US beside Saudi Arabia and other aggression countries launched hundreds of strikes on Yemen, but failed to bring Sana'a to its knees. So, larger military fleet will make no difference. 

The US was hopeful to embroil the Arab countries into its war on Ansarullah, but it failed to do so, and this is one of the signs of its failure in Yemen. 

Israel bombs key Syrian military sites in 'warning' to Turkiye

As Israel continues to steal Syrian territory in the south, officials have raised the possibility of a 'confrontation' with their allies in Ankara  

News Desk - The Cradle

The Israeli air force launched over a dozen airstrikes on various cities in Syria on 2 April, targeting the Barzeh scientific research center just outside Damascus, the Hama military airport in western Syria, and the T4 airbase near Palmyra.

Casualties were reported after the attacks in Damascus and Hama, with Israeli drones still hovering above the cities. Israeli army radio reported that the “primary goal” of the late-night blitz was to "send a warning to Turkish President Erdogan."

The claim by the army-run Israeli outlet comes on the heels of reports that Ankara is preparing to take control of the Tiyas Air Base in Syria’s central governorate of Homs, also known as the T4 airbase.

“Turkey has begun moving to take control of the T4 air base, located near Palmyra in central Syria. A Hisar-type air defense system will be deployed to T4 to provide air cover for the base. Once the system is in place, the base will be reconstructed and expanded with necessary facilities. Ankara also plans to deploy surveillance and armed drones, including those with extended strike capabilities,” UK-based Middle East Eye (MEE) revealed on Tuesday.

Turkiye reportedly plans to equip the T4 airbase with a “complex defense system” with short, medium, and long-range capabilities against jets, drones, and missiles.

In March, Turkish daily Turkiye reported that Ankara is planning to establish two new military bases in Syria to train the new Syrian armed forces. 

According to the report, the Turkish military will train the Syrian army and pilots to establish an air force. The tentative agreement stipulates that Ankara will house 50 F-16 warplanes at the two new bases until the Syrian Air Force is operational and completed.
Tel Aviv bombed the T4 airbase twice in recent weeks, claiming it destroyed “strategic military capabilities.”

In the hours after former Al-Qaeda commanders seized power in Damascus in a Turkish and Gulf-backed coup last December, Israel bombed Syria hundreds of times, destroying most of the country's military assets.

Tel Aviv has also expanded its illegal occupation of large swathes of southern Syria, announcing plans to remain there indefinitely.

Coinciding with Tuesday's escalation, local sources reported an Israeli incursion of armored vehicles into the Al-Jabaliya Dam forest in the western Deraa countryside.

"Any significant Turkish military presence, especially in strategic locations like Palmyra, could be perceived as a threat to Israeli security interests,” an unnamed senior official in the Israeli army told The War Zone last week.

“Personally, I believe we are closer to a conflict, given the emergence of a radical jihadist regime in Syria and the high likelihood that Erdogan, facing concerns over his regime’s stability, might choose escalation despite conflicting interests,” adding, “It could become a ‘do or die’ scenario for him.”

Where Do You Belong, Dunya Or Akhirah? Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

There’s a couple of ayat in the nature of these developments that have been taking place recently that soothe the heart and relax the temper and show the way. The first ayah, Allah (swt) says,

وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٲلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ‌ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

And We are going to test you with a small/insignificant amount of fear, hunger, by a deficiency or a lack of money, persons or lives and agricultural outputs or produce and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 155)

This ayah tells us (that), Allah, in His inimitable words, says that, indeed, we are going to be subjected to some very hard trying times and issues. Those who are familiar with the construct of the language, the verb nablu’wannakum has 2 emphasizers on it: the laam before it and the noon after it. Some people who live in life thinking that they are not going to be affected by the challenges in life read the Qur’an (and) they read this ayah and they pass along as if it doesn’t relate to reality. So in times like this when we go through the types of impediments and obstacles and challenges that we are going through, one of the first things that should be repeated in our thinking minds is, the meanings of this ayah. And then listen to the wording of the ayah. Allah, Most Exalted be He, says,

وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ

And We are going to test you with a measure, with a semblance of fear… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 155)

Allah (swt) didn’t say wa la’nablu’wannakum bi al-khauf, and We are going to put you to tests with fear, by fear. No! He says,

وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ

And We are going to test you with a proportion of fear… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 155)

There are people who are obsessed (and) they feel fear all the time and this is not in the spirit of our character. If we are Qur’anic Muslims (or) if we are divine Muslims (or) if we are prophetic Muslims, we know that anytime this issue of fear comes along, it is a passing issue. And some people they exhaust themselves before something fearful happens! Before it happens, they begin to fear! What’s this fear about? Nothing has happened! OK- there’s a danger coming next week, (or) next month, (or) next year - why are you fearing before the event even happens?

There are two Qur’anic words, (I think that maybe you’re familiar with (or) maybe you’re not; I don’t know), one of them is khauf (fear), the other one is gham. And some people they just combine the two and make it seem like they are the same words. Khauf/fear is (when) you’re afraid of something you know but gham is when you are afraid of something you do not know. And you’ve read and repeated and listened to, (who knows how many times), Allah says,

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Indeed Allah’s awliya’ harbour no fear nor do they grieve. (Surah Yunus verse 62)

How many times has this occurred in your reading of the Qu’ran? Many times! One of the ayat,

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

There’s no fear on the awliya of Allah; they have no fear in them. (Surah Yunus verse 62)

Al huzn has to do with the past - the immediate past or the distant past and fear has to do with the future - the immediate future or the distant future.

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

So, Allah’s people (people belonging to Allah) have no fear on them and they have no fear in them. (Surah Yunus verse 62)

Another ayah, there are two ayat that, (I guess,) immediately come to mind,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

O You who are committed to Allah, be patient for Allah is with those who are in this position of patience, and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

The ayah begins by,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا

O You who are committed to Allah… (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

Allah is calling on alladhina ‘amanu. Allah calls on different segments of mankind in the Qur’an. He says, Ya Bani Adam, Ya Ayyuha an-Nas, Ya Ayyuha ar-Rasul, Ya Ayyuha al-Kafirun. When Allah says, Ya ayyuha alladhina ‘amanu in the overwhelming majority of ayaat in the Qur’an what is going to follow is some responsibility. Allah is expecting from alladhina ‘amanu to behave in a certain manner. There is some type of assignment that is to follow. So Allah doesn’t give this assignment to those who are before iman! Allah never says to an-naas to fast!

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ

You who are divinely committed, fasting has been assigned to you... (Surah Al Baqarah verse 183)

As an example. He didn’t say yaa ayyuha an-naas kutiba alaykum as siyaam. It is this rank of iman that makes us responsible for certain obligations. So in this ayah, Allah is saying,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

You who are divinely committed, ask help by sabr and by salat, and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

All of us pray and in our Fatiha, we say

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

It is You, Allah, Who we comply with or conform to and it is You Who we ask for help and assistance. (Surah Al Fatihah verse 5)

In this ayah, ask yourself, if you are reading the Fatiha every day, many times, you don’t say na’budu Allaha wa nasta’inu bi al-sabr?! We say,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

It is You, Allah, Who we comply with or conform to and it is You Who we ask for help and assistance. (Surah Al Fatihah verse 5)

(In) the other ayah Allah is telling us, to seek help by patience, not to seek help by Him. This is the equivalent of what we mentioned in the previous khutbah, (I guess it was last week or the week before), (where) Allah subhanah says in one ayah,

وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّه

... protect yourself against Allah... (Surah Al Hashr verse 18)

In another ayah, He says,

فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱلنَّارَ

... protect yourself against the Fire (or) guard yourself (or) have a shield between you and Allah’s justice. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 24)

And Allah’s Justice requires the penalty of the fire. So we understand now how we can combine ittaqu Allah and ittaqu al nar. Here, Allah (swt) is saying,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ

You who are divinely committed, ask help by sabr and by salat, and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

And then in the other ayah we are asking Allah Himself

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

It is You, Allah, Who we comply with or conform to and it is You Who we ask for help and assistance. (Surah Al Fatihah verse 5)

which means nasta’inu bi Allah is nasta’inu bi as-sabr because part of Allah’s Mercy is this sabr. Some of us just don’t have it, unfortunately, even though Allah is educating us with His Words and with His Guidance. Now we’ll try to distill these meanings to make it easier to understand.

An average person like you and me approaches one of Allah’s awliya’…

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

So, Allah’s people (people belonging to Allah) have no fear on them and they have no fear in them. (Surah Yunus verse 62)

These two individuals know each other, so the person with the question asks the wali’, “Am I from the people of this world or am I from the people of al-Akhirah? Where do I belong? I want to know who I am? Which people I belong to: the people of dunya or the people of Akhirah?” And then the answer came that Allah’s Mercy is such that it is not up to one individual to judge another individual. In other words, (I’m explaining what he’s saying), “you’re coming to me to ask me to define you? With Allah’s Mercy (or) because of Allah’s Mercy, the definition of you, belongs to you. It doesn’t belong to me.” A person is his best judge. No one can judge you better than you can judge yourself. No one can understand you better than you can understand yourself. An ayah in the Qur’an that reinforces this meaning, (the wise man didn’t say this, I’m interjecting here to explain this).

بَلِ الْإِنسَانُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ

Rather man has a perception of himself and what he does. (Surah Al Qiyamah verse 14)

Al-insan, you and me, have a baseera, an insight to our own selves, better than anyone else. And this person, the wise man, the wali’, the scholar, the arif goes on and he says, (the scholar is telling the person who asked the question), “you can cheat people. You can, maybe, trick other individuals, but can you cheat yourself?! Can you trick yourself?!” And the person now is entering an area that he never thought of before. That’s right, I can probably deceive someone else, but I can’t fool myself. Therefore, it is up to you to understand whether you are the element- whether you belong to the people of the dunya or whether you belong to the people of al-Akhirah. “Now, let me give you something that will help you understand who you are. I don’t understand who you are; only you have what is necessary to understand who you are. If a person comes to you and he asks you for something; how would you feel towards that person? Another person, the following day, comes to you to give you something; how would you feel towards that second person who gave you something?” He’s helping him out, understanding his own self. There’s a pause (and) silence to give you time to review your own self. How do you feel? This is when you can go deep down inside your own self (and) measure who you are (or) have an internal feeling for who you are. It’s human nature. All of us have this human nature that if someone gives us something, we are happy. If someone takes away something from us, we don’t feel good about it. That’s part of this nafs al-ammarah. A nafs that is possessive. It wants. We speak in many of our khutbahs about the ultimate in this, which is power and wealth; that’s the ultimate of what you want to gain. So after this silence, you go inside yourself, you go into your heart, you go into your thoughts, and you feel out your own self. So the sage, the wali, tells the inquirer “if you feel comfortable with a person giving you something (or) providing you with something…” Whatever that thing is. It could be a prize, it could be a check; whatever it is. “If you feel satisfied and comfortable and relaxed and happy with that, you belong to the people of the world. When a person comes to you and asks you for something and you give him whatever that is that you have - it doesn’t matter (if it’s) a small amount (or) a large amount, and you feel happy about that (and) you are comfortable with that, then you belong to the people of al-Akhirah.”

Now, if Allah comes asking you,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ

Allah has made a trade agreement with people that He will buy from them their lives and their possessions, and He will give them al-Jannah… (Surah At Tawbah verse 111)

What is more precious to give than someone’s life and someone’s belongings? What is there that you can give that is more valuable than that? Indeed, if you give that, then you are from the people of al-Akhirah- that’s where you belong (and) that’s where your heart and your self always were located even though your body is in this world. This is where we are physically- we are here in al-dunya. This person who asks the sage is not asking him where does my body belong? He’s asking him “where does my life belong? Where does my eternity belong?” And he helped him out. He gave him the answer. What do we say about a person who has given his life to Allah? He didn’t give something simple and how is the reception of Allah for those who given what they have for Him – the ultimate being one’s life?

I will repeat these two ayat in which this type of character belongs,

وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٲلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ‌ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

And We are going to test you with a small/insignificant amount of fear, hunger, by a deficiency or a lack of money, persons or lives and agricultural outputs or produce and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 155)

The other ayah,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

O You who are committed to Allah, be patient for Allah is with those who are in this position of patience, and in the course of all of this, break good news to those who are patient in these type of circumstances. (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

Sabr is your incapacity to do what has to be done. That’s when as-sabr fills in.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

You who are divinely committed, ask help by sabr and by salat... (Surah Al Baqarah verse 153)

And the Prophet of Allah (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him), in this context, the hadith says,

حفت الجنة بالمكاره، وحفت النار بالشهوات

أخرجه مسلم، كتاب الجنة وصفة نعيمها وأهلها

Al-Jannah is laced (or) is surrounded with things you, (meaning what your physical body) really don’t like to do, and the Fire is laced or surrounded with things you, (meaning what your physical body), wants (or) loves to do.

Dear committed brothers and dear committed sisters, ayyuhul mu’minoon, ayyatuhal mu’minaat…

Allah (swt) has blessed us with having the required perseverance with the evil out of Arabia. When the Prophet of Allah (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him and his) spoke highly of al-Shaam and al-Yemen,

اللهم بارك لنا في شامنا ، اللهم بارك لنا في يمننا

صحيح البخاري

and he repeated that.

فقالوا: وفي نجدنا يا رسول الله

صحيح البخاري

And those who are listening, asked, well, how about our Najd? And he was silent. And they persisted, they wanted to know, how about our Najd?!

وهناك يطلع قرن الشيطان

صحيح البخاري

He said out of Najd, will appear the generation of Satan. We’ve been fortified with this divine, guiding patience towards that generation of as-Shaitan.

We’ve been following in previous khutbahs, some of the judicial decisions concerning the detainees and the prisoners in that Kingdom. One of these patience-requiring developments (is that) in the past few days a prominent scholar, Salman al-Awdah, has gone on, (what you may call), abstinence from meeting even with his own relatives and other people. You know there are prison visits (where) you can visit a prisoner. He said “I don’t want to see anyone.” That is because he had prepared (or been) writing his own defense on his own papers and then these wardens in the prison came and they dispossessed him of his own defense (on) his own papers and as a gesture of objection he doesn’t want to see anyone. The last we heard, he was supposed to appear in court towards the end of November. What we heard recently, it’s been postponed until the end of January, I guess it’s the 30th of January. This keeps on repeating itself and the Muslims- some, not all Muslims, obviously, and not just Muslims, (but) some committed Muslims- want to have good relations with Saudi Arabia!?

In the past few days that Saudi Satanic regime said that it has apprehended a dangerous terrorist in one of the cities in the eastern part of that land of Al-Qatif. Then the Saudi ministers have a meeting and in that meeting they call on the international community to guarantee the stability of the area. Brothers and sisters, after all of these years anyone, anywhere, who has any confidence in that ghost called the international community is not living in the real world. We remember (how) every time (when) Yasser Arafat was in a crisis or in a tight spot, he would yell out, saying the international community and international law, and international this, and international that and we’re still being fed that same rhetoric, and that same copout, and that same excuse.

And then, the ex-ambassador of that kingdom to Washington was here this week. He flew in. That’s the same ambassador who, on his watch, one of his countrymen was chopped to death in their diplomatic mission, their consulate, in Istanbul. Well this guy comes to this country (and) no one’s speaking about apprehending him for being an accessory to an international crime that they have tried to whitewash away. And he meets with the Secretary of State and what do they tell us they are discussing? They’re discussing peace and stability in the area, meaning in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula- in that general geography. Do they think we have not grown up?! We are still babies?! They’re discussing peace and stability?! They’re discussing the aftermath of this extrajudicial assassination that they have been trying for some time now and they finally executed it.

Then we have Saudi Arabia now (proposing another council). On the eastern part of that Kingdom from hell they have the GCC (the Gulf Cooperation Council) made up of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain. Now, on their western flank, on the Red Sea, they are proposing another council to be made up of 8 nation-states: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. This is not their plan. This is not their strategy. This is something they are told to do!

In this past week, ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen into that trouble-making Kingdom that has poisoned the Muslims from one side of the world to the other.

Just in the past 24 hours, Spain said that it has uncovered the most serious financial crime in its history. They found that some weapons dealers in Spain were paid (I guess it was in the past 8 or 10 years) over Euros100 million as bribes by the Saudis, included among them was the Saudi military attaché in Spain. And these Saudis want the Muslims to believe there is something holy about them! There is something hellish about them, not holy!

And then, due to this “Saudization” policy, (we spoke about it previously, at least a few times), they want jobs there to belong to Saudis, not to Pakistanis, or Egyptians, or Nigerians, or other non-Saudis. They want “Saudization” of the labor force. Towards that end, a notice went up this past week that they need 20,000 Saudi taxi drivers, and then preferably females. This is in their notice and they mentioned a couple of female taxi drivers taking mu’tamirin and hujjaaj in Makkah and here and ther, etc.

What else do we have as a consequence or a result of that Saudi Kingdom poisoning the Muslim peoples? In that general area, we have in the past solar year, 2019, 29,000 Zionist Yahudis who have illegally (and) offensively gone into al-Masjid al-Aqsa- 29,000 in this past year. Why doesn’t this become a major news item? Why does this not circulate in the Muslim public mind? You know we have some people who are in charge of the media. Why don’t they flash this type of information periodically to the Muslims of the world? Why is there silence?!

The Speaker of the House here, Pelosi, says “she doesn’t think, as a consequence of what the President did, there’s going to be more stability and more peace in that tormented region of the world, in the Muslim East. This doesn’t come from a Muslim, it doesn’t come from a radical, it doesn’t come from some type of leftist or whatever you want to call those who disagree with American foreign policy. Another official who used to be in the White House before the current occupant of the White House, in the Obama administration, says that the assassination that took place last week in Iraq is going to set that area on fire.

A foreign minister, (I don’t want to mention the name), in an Islamic Republic, said that they are pursuing an international legal channel… Here we go again! It reminds me of the late Mr. Arafat pursuing international legal channels as a consequence to the assassination that took place last week.

The Pentagon has cancelled military exercises in Morocco. If the Middle East, (as they call it), is more stable now than it was before, then why are you cancelling a military exercise on the high seas, or strictly among the militaries of two allied countries? It goes to show you their own contradictions.

And last but not least, I want to make a remark- during the funeral ceremonies that took place this week in the Islamic Republic, the Imam in the Islamic Republic, (some Muslims up until this day don’t have what it takes to just combine those two words: the Imam and the Islamic Republic)… You know, leaders of countries speak the language of their people. People in Iran speak Farsi and obviously he spoke Farsi. But in addition to that he spoke the language of the Qu’ran- he also spoke in Arabic. You think about this for a small moment and compare it to the decision makers, the leaders, the presidents, the kings in other Muslim countries. If there’s an interview or there’s some type of speech they want to give they’ll speak in Arabic. Many of them will read. They can’t speak from their mind because they don’t have a mind! They’ll read a script in Arabic and then show off- they take pride- by saying something in French, or in English. Here they are! This is the language of the Qur’an and the Prophet and they show off by throwing in a word or a sentence in another language and here we have an Imam who speaks, obviously, the language of his own people but if he dare go to another language, it is the language of Allah and His Prophet.

This khutbah was presented by Imam Muhammad Asi on the occasion of Jum’ah on 10 January 2020 on the sidewalk of Embassy Row in Washington D.C. The Imam previously led the daily and Jum’ah prayers inside the Masjid. His speeches were revolutionary and thought provoking, and eventually irritated and threatened the Middle-East Ambassadors who control the Masjid. Finally, the Imam, his family, and other Muslims faithful to the course of Islam were forced out, into the streets. This khutbah originates from the sidewalk across the street from the Islamic Center, currently under seige.

TaqwaFear

Iran seeks stronger ties with regional countries

President

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stressed Tehran's willingness to expand and strengthen relations with regional states.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a phone conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday afternoon, extended his congratulations on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr to the UAE leader and the people of his country. He expressed hope that the blessings of the holy month of Ramadan and Eid would further strengthen unity and solidarity among Islamic nations.

"We are committed to further strengthening our relations with neighboring and Islamic countries," President Pezeshkian stated, emphasizing Iran's desire for deeper regional cooperation.

"We eagerly look forward to Your Excellency’s visit to Iran for in-person consultations and discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the conversation, calling it a reflection of the strong ties between neighboring nations.

"I am very keen to visit Iran as soon as possible," he stated. "As I mentioned in a previous meeting, I believe that together, we can build and strengthen bridges of communication between our two countries to serve our mutual interests and secure a brighter future for our nations."

Kuwait not to let its soil be used for attacking other states

Emir of Kuwait

TEHRAN, (MNA) – In a phone conversation with the Iranian President, Kuwaiti Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said that his country will never allow any act of aggression to be launched from its territory against other countries.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Wednesday afternoon, held a phone conversation with Kuwaiti Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. During the call, he extended his congratulations on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr to the Emir and the people of Kuwait. He expressed hope that the holy month of Ramadan and Eid would strengthen unity and solidarity among Islamic countries.

"We consider all Islamic nations as our brothers based on Quranic teachings, and we attach great importance on fostering good relations with our neighbors, as emphasized in Islamic teachings and narrations," Pezeshkian stated.

The Iranian president further stressed that Iran is fully prepared for any form of cooperation to expand relations with Kuwait and other neighboring countries in various fields to deepen and solidify the bonds of brotherhood and good neighborliness. "Regarding the issue of reducing tensions, the Islamic Republic of Iran will act solely based on justice and fairness. We will neither exceed the path of justice nor accept anything beyond fairness and equity," he added.

Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for his part, extended Eid greetings on behalf of himself, the Crown Prince, and the people of Kuwait. He expressed satisfaction with the warm and friendly relations between the two countries and stated, "Kuwait seeks to further strengthen its ties with Iran and welcomes the constructive and positive messages and efforts of Your Excellency in fostering deeper relations with neighboring and friendly countries."

The Kuwaiti Emir affirmed that Kuwait values its friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and highly appreciates the growing ties between Iran and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) countries, which are based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Highlighting Kuwait's firm stance on peaceful resolutions to regional and international disputes, the Emir emphasized that Kuwait does not and will never allow any act of aggression to be launched from its territory against another country since this position is deeply embedded in our constitution and will remain unchanged under any circumstances.

Modern-day Barbarians

Zafar Bangash

The world has always been a dangerous place, especially for the weak and vulnerable, but it has become much more violent in recent years. Concepts such as international law, freedom and human rights are often invoked, but these are meaningless expressions used by the predatory exploitative powers to advance their own nefarious agenda.

Two individuals in particular stand out for their criminal conduct: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. It is diffcult to tell them apart in terms of who is more dangerous. Both are obnoxious to the core and extremely cruel.

Trump is a convicted felon while Netanyahu faces corruption and fraud charges from which he is trying to wriggle out by perpetrating a genocide of the Palestinian people. He is also an indicted war criminal and faces arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Terrorising and killing innocent people is their speciality. In short, they fit the definition of barbarians perfectly.

The ancient barbarians, despite their terrible reputation, do not come close to the modern-day barbarians in terms of the death and destruction they have wrought. Ancient barbarians fought with swords and spears. So, their impact was limited.

Contemporary barbarians use missiles, bombs, planes, drone and even chemical and nuclear weapons to wipe out entire populations. Contemporary barbarians kill on an industrial scale and do not even blink an eye for committing such horrendous crimes. Since 2001, the US has murdered more than 32 million people, according to Professor Gideon Polya.

The two leading modern-day barbarians are not alone. They sit atop systems that are by nature exploitative. Theft of others’ lands and their resources, robbery and killings are routine for them. In fact, their very existence depends of such crimes. They wage wars killing innocent people because they can do so.

Neither Trump nor Netanyahu emerged in a vacuum; they are not aberrations. They are representatives of systems that do not consider other people as humans.

What is called the United States of America is land stolen by Europeans from the Indigenous people. The latter had welcomed them and even given them shelter and food. In return for such kindness, the Europeans perpetrated a genocide of these people.

What might have been a population of perhaps 400 million is reduced to at best two to three million people today. They are confined to reservations where the basic amenities of life barely exist.

The European colonial settlers’ westward expansion was at the expense of Mexico. Large parts of western United States belonged to Mexico but through wars, these were forcibly taken away and occupied.

The zionist marauders’ occupation of Palestine and the expulsion and/or genocide of the Indigenous Palestinian people has followed a similar trajectory. Their policy, like that of the Americans, is the same. Those opposing their genocide are branded as terrorists. Those who point to zionist crimes and speak out against them are branded as “terrorist sympathizers” and “anti-semites”.

Imagine white Europeans—from East and West Europe—and North America claim to be ‘semites’ while they continue to murder the actual semitic people—the Palestinians—in huge numbers. The most conservative estimate puts the number of Palestinians killed since October 2023 at more than 50,000. The actual figure is much higher, perhaps four times.

The entire infrastructure of Gaza has been destroyed including hospitals, schools, universities and libraries. The zionists are even preventing food and medicines from being delivered. This is collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza.

Why are they indulging in such barbarism? The zionists claim that God promised them the land of Palestine. Was this promise in perpetuity and did they fulfill the covenant that had led to such a promise more than 2,500 years ago?

The Qur’an tells us that God saved the Bani Israel from the Pharaoh’s army by taking them across the Red Sea. He then commanded them to enter Palestine. They flatly refused telling Prophet Musa (as) who was leading them, that he and his Lord can go into Palestine. They would stay put until those people in Palestine, whom they viewed as very powerful, are banished from there. For their refusal to abide by God’s command, they were punished by making them wander the desert for 40 years (Surah al-Maida, ayats 20-26).

Why would God make a promise to hustlers and thieves when the vast majority of them do not even believe in Him? Their abominable immoral conduct specifically excludes them from God’s covenant. It is inconceivable that God would favour racists, bigots and thieves. Anyone who discriminates against other people based on race, ethnicity or language cannot be considered part of the human family.

So, what should the rest of humanity do to confront such barbarism? Speaking out against such crimes is the starting point. While much of the world is aware of these crimes, a constant reminder is necessary to ensure this remains front and centre of every discourse.

Boycott of their products is the next step. Trump’s tariff threats against other countries have already aroused much anger against him and the US. There is push back. Similarly, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the zionist entity is having an effect.

Those on the frontline of resisting US-zionist barbarism must be supported in whatever way possible. Those making sacrifices in this struggle must not be abandoned or made to feel isolated. This struggle is as much psychological as it is physical.

A better world is possible provided people of conscience everywhere rise up and fulfill their obligations.