By Ryan Jones
Sep 13, 2005
For Muslims ?holy war is a religious duty ... to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or force,? The Jerusalem Post quoted from the writings of respected 15th century Arab historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in its Tuesday editorial.
In 1406, Ibn Khaldun noted that Islam is the only religion ?under obligation to gain power over other nations.?
While the West bends over backwards to sugarcoat Islam as a religion of peace, it was in obedience to that quest for religious dominance that Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar entered the desecrated synagogue of the former Gaza Jewish community of Kfar Darom Monday.
Four of the nearly two dozen synagogues Israel left standing in Gaza were burned by ?Palestinian? mobs earlier in the day, and at least one was bulldozed by the Palestinian Authority.
Accompanied by an entourage of flag-waving Hamas members and supporters, Zahar proceeded to lead a Muslim prayer service, thanking Allah for Islam's victory over the Jews of Gaza.
?Our resistance has succeeded in ending? the Jews' presence here, Zahar was quoted as saying by The Washington Post. Hugely popular with the ?Palestinian? masses, Hamas is expected to become the second largest parliamentary faction in January's Palestinian Legislative Council election.
Many in Israel, meanwhile, said the scenes of Muslim intolerance and unbridled desecration from Gaza proved the Judeo-Christian world was embroiled in a religious battle with Islam.
?The burning of synagogues by Arab rioters proves again that this is a religious war, based on a hatred for Judaism, and not merely political hostility,? leading rabbis from Judea and Samaria said in an official statement.
They said the only way to win this war was ?by connecting to the Torah, Land and Nation of Israel.?
National Religious Party MK Gila Finkelstein noted that more than desiring their own state, the ?Palestinian? Muslims ?want to destroy every Jewish trace? from this biblical land.