The Israeli occupation authorities have systematically and deliberately worked to destroy the Palestinian environment. The occupation has manifested in the confiscation of all aspects of Palestinian life, aimed at eliminating all its components and forcing Palestinians to leave on their own when the conditions for life cease to exist. Despite the dismal Zionist bet on the departure of Palestinians, they have astonished the world with their steadfastness and attachment to the land of their ancestors, despite the dwindling and even complete lack of resources for life in many villages and towns, especially those that have become isolated from their Palestinian surroundings due to the walls of annexation and apartheid.
The book "Assassination of the Palestinian Environment: Ethnic Cleansing," authored by Mustafa Saad El-Din Qaoud, addresses the relationship between occupation and the Palestinian environment, focusing on how Zionist policies have impacted the destruction of the Palestinian environment as part of the ongoing ethnic cleansing project against the Palestinian people.
The main summary of the book:
The book links environmental destruction to the ethnic cleansing carried out by the "Israeli" occupation. It indicates that the destruction of the environment is part of a strategy to displace Palestinians from their lands and eliminate their presence in the occupied territories.
The book discusses how the occupation has targeted Palestinian natural resources such as agricultural land, water, and forests, as well as military barriers that hinder mobility and prevent Palestinians from accessing their resources.
The book explains that settlement is one of the most prominent causes of the destruction of the Palestinian environment, as the establishment of settlements on Palestinian land has led to the destruction of agricultural and natural ecological systems.
The book discusses the negative effects of occupation on the environment through pollution and the extraction of natural resources such as groundwater, which have come under the control of the occupation at the expense of the Palestinians.
In the end, the book highlights the methods of Palestinian resistance aimed at protecting the environment and countering the practices of occupation that target Palestinian land and resources.
The book presents a comprehensive picture of how the occupation utilizes the environment as a tool in the process of ethnic cleansing, and calls for the necessity of focusing on defending the Palestinian environment as part of the overall resistance against the occupation.
The Killing of Minister Nizam al-Mulk by the Assassins (485 AH)
The Assassination
In 485 AH, one of the boys of the Al-Batiniya Squad, known as the Assassins, managed to kill Nizam al-Mulk Abu al-Hassan Ali bin Ishaq. He was a minister to Sultan Alp Arslan and then a minister to his son Malakshah for about thirty years. The assassin fatally stabbed him, and he fell dead2.
Ramadan War (1393 AH / 1973 AD)
The War Begins
In 1393 AH, the Tenth of Ramadan War began. Egypt and Syria fought against the Zionist entity to recover the lands that were occupied in the 1967 setback5.
Defeat of the Crusaders in Mansoura and the Capture of King Louis IX (648 AH)
The Battle
On 10 Ramadan 648 AH / 12 December 1250 AD, the Muslims defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Mansoura, where King Louis IX was captured. A large number of Louis IX's soldiers were killed and captured8.
The Forces
The Battle of Mansoura took place between the French Crusader forces led by Saint Louis IX, King of France, and the Egyptian Ayyubid forces led by Prince Fakhr al-Din Yusuf bin Sheikh al-Shuyukh. The Egyptian army was led during the reign of the righteous King Najm al-Din Ayyub, Fakhr al-Din Yusuf bin Sheikh al-Shuyukh, Faris al-Din Aktay, the leader of the Bahri Mamluks and the commander of the Battle of Mansoura, and Rukn al-Din al-Zahir Baybars.
The Outcome
The battle resulted in a major defeat of the Seventh Crusade, and after that, a new campaign was not sent to occupy Egypt. The defeats of the Crusaders began to continue after the Battle of Mansoura, until the Levant was completely liberated later from the Crusaders.
The Conquest of Sicily in 212 AH
The Conquest
Sicily was conquered by the commander Asad bin Al-Furat bin Sinan during the reign of Caliph Al-Ma'mun on the 9th of Ramadan 212 AH. Asad bin Al-Furat, may God have mercy on him, was a scholar, a knight, a brave and courageous hero.
The Battle
The owner of Sicily marched to him with a hundred and fifty thousand men. A man said: I saw a lion with a banner in his hand reading Surah Ya-Sin, then he charged with the army and defeated the enemy. I saw blood flowing down the channel of the flag and on his arm, and he fell ill while he was besieging Syracuse.
Musa bin Naseer Completed the Conquest of Andalusia (93 AH)
The Campaign
In 93 AH, June 18, 712 AD, Commander Musa bin Naseer undertook a campaign to complete the conquest of Andalusia. He completed the conquest of Seville and Toledo.
Battle of Zalaca (479 AH)
The Battle
In the year 479 AH, corresponding to December 17, 1086 AD, Youssef bin Tashfin, commander of the Almoravid armies, defeated the Franks, led by Alfonso VI, in the Battle of Zalaca. Alfonso escaped with only nine members of his army.
Historical Context
Some sources indicate that the Battle of Zalaca took place on Friday, 12 Rajab 479 AH, October 23, 1086, CE.
Alparslan Assumed Power (455 AH)
Assumption of Power
Alparslan assumed power after the death of his uncle Tughrul Bey on Ramadan 8, 455 AH / September 4, 1063 AD. There had been some disputes about assuming power in the country, but Alp Arslan was able to overcome them.
Leadership and Policies
Alp Arslan, like his uncle Tughrul Bey, was a skillful and daring leader. He adopted a special policy that relied on consolidating the pillars of his rule in the countries under the influence of the Seljuks before looking to subjugate new territories and annex them to his state. He was also eager to wage jihad for the sake of God and to spread the call of Islam within the neighboring countries, such as the countries of the Armenians and the countries of the Romans.
Conquests and Jihad
The spirit of Islamic jihad was the driving force behind the conquests carried out by Alp Arslan, which gave them a religious character. The leader of the Seljuks, Alp Arslan, became a leader in the defense of Muslims, keen to support Islam and spread it in those lands. He raised the flag of Islam flying over many areas of the lands of the Byzantine state.
Battle of Manzikert
Sultan Alp Arslan (the Lion-Hearted), who opened the gates of Anatolia to Turks in 1071 by defeating the Byzantine army, is remembered for his heroism and war strategies. His victory on Aug. 26, 1071, on the plain of Manzikert (Malazgirt), accelerated the decline of the Byzantine Empire and led to more Turks settling in the region, paving the way for both the Ottoman Empire and the modern Republic of Turkey.
Educational and Cultural Renaissance
Sultan Alp Arslan would not have achieved all these achievements without the efforts of his great vizier Nizam al-Mulk, who was not only a brilliant vizier and a skilled politician but also a preacher of science and literature. He established schools known as the “Nizamiyya Schools,” paid them salaries, and attracted senior jurists and hadith scholars to them, led by Hujjat al-Islam “Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.”
Legacy and Death
The status of Alp Arslan rose after his brilliant victory, and he became feared in the Islamic East and the Christian West. However, Sultan Alp Arslan did not enjoy much of what he achieved and continued his conquests. He was killed a year and a half after the Battle of Manzikert at the hands of one of the rebels against him, when he was forty-four years old, on (10 Rabi` al-Awwal 465 AH = November 29, 1072 AD). He was succeeded by his son Malikshah, who had military and cultural achievements in the fifth century AH.
Al-Zahir Baybars Siege of Acre (665 AH)
The Siege Begins
On the 8th of Ramadan in the year 665 AH / 1267 AD, the siege of the city of Acre began under the leadership of Al-Zahir Baybars. He was informed that while he was in Damascus, a group of Franks attacked Muslims at night and hid while wearing Muslim clothes.
Baybars' Response
Sultan Baybars led a special detachment that managed to seize them after they were setting off from Acre. The Franks residing in Acre tried to strike the Muslims, so Baybars ordered the elimination of its garrison and the demolition of its walls if its people did not comply with loyalty to the Islamic system of the state.
Inauguration
On Ramadan 7, 361 AH - June 26, 972 AD, the Al-Azhar Mosque was inaugurated, and the first prayer was held in it. The muezzin's voice emitted from the minaret of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Azhar has a scientific and religious status among all Muslims in the east and west of the earth.
Foundation and Name
It was created by Jawhar al-Siqilli during the reign of the Obaidi ruler al-Muizz Li Din Allah. There is a difference of opinion regarding why it was so called, but it is more likely that it was named after Fatima Al-Zahraa, may Allah be pleased with her.
Purpose and Transformation
The initial goal of the Obeidis in building Al-Azhar Mosque was to spread the Shiite sect in Egypt. However, Egypt returned to the Sunni sect during the reign of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, and Al-Azhar has since been one of the largest beacons of the Sunni sect all over the world.
Turgut Reis Liberates 7 thousand Muslim Prisoners
The Liberation Campaign
On the 7th of Ramadan, August 17th of the year 1553 AD, the Ottoman naval commander, Turgut Reis, seized the island of Corsica and the city of Catania in Sicily. After exterminating its garrison, he freed seven thousand Muslim prisoners.
Handing Over Corsica
Turgut Reis then handed over Corsica to the French. However, the French could not keep it for long against the Spaniards, who controlled the island in the same year.
An Attempt to Assassinate the Emir of Kuwait (6 Ramadan 1405 AH)
The Attack
On the sixth of Ramadan 1405 AH / May 25, 1985, at exactly nine-quarters of that morning, the convoy of the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah - may God have mercy on him - was attacked by a car bomb. While he was on his way to his office in the Seif Palace, a car parked at the middle sidewalk of the road tried to break into his convoy. This led to its explosion, including explosive materials, and the burning of a number of convoy cars and other nearby cars.
Casualties
The accident resulted in the death of three martyrs. Two of them were from the Emir's bodyguards, and the third was a passer-by, in addition to the perpetrator. As a result of the explosion, a large number of people were injured, including 12 passers-by.
Conquest of Sindh (6 Ramadan 63 AH)
The Battle
On the 6th of Ramadan 63 AH, May 14, 682 AD, Muhammad bin Al-Qasim defeated the armies of India at the Indus River, and the country of Sindh was conquered. This was at the end of the era of Al-Walid bin Abdul-Malik.
The Caliphate's Orders
When Al-Walid bin Abd al-Malik succeeded to the caliphate, al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi entrusted Muhammad bin al-Qasim with the invasion of India. He marched to it in the year 98 AH, besieged the Dibel gap, forcibly opened it, and built a mosque there.
Continued Conquests
Muhammad bin Al-Qasim continued his conquests in this country, until he reached the Indus River and met Dahir, the king of Sindh. Daher and his army fought fiercely on the backs of elephants, which ended with the killing of Daher and the defeat of his companions.
Thus, Muhammad bin Al-Qasim was able to extend his conquests throughout the entire country of Sindh.
Lydda Massacre (5th Ramadan 1367)
On 5th Ramadan 1367 AH, July 11, 1948, to relieve the besieged city of Jerusalem from military pressure, Zionist forces launched a large-scale military operation. Known as Operation Dani, it aimed to occupy the cities of Lydda and Ramla.
The Defense of Lydda
Despite their limited capabilities, Lydda's defenders showed great resistance. Yet, two days later, Zionists succeeded in occupying the city. On the third day, they perpetrated a brutal massacre against its Arab residents.
The Massacre
Although some residents sought refuge in the Dahmash Mosque, Zionists didn't spare them. More than 400 Arabs were killed, and the survivors were forced to seek refuge outside their city.
Battle of Bir al-Ghabi, Libya (5th Ramadan 1342 AH)
This battle is considered one of the most important battles of the Libyan jihad against the Italian occupation. The Italians were following the movements of the Mujahideen Sheikh Omar al-Mukhtar and were waiting for the first opportunity to eliminate him and extinguish the struggle launched by him and his companions the mujahideen against the occupation.
The Ambush
During his return from Egypt and his crossing of the Libyan border, seven Italian armored cars ambushed him in one of the villages of Bir al-Ghabi - about 80 kilometers south of Tobruk. The Mujahideen clashed with them and shot them, and that was on April 23, 1923, 5th Ramadan 1342 AH.
The Battle
The Italian forces retreated a little to a nearby resort, then returned quickly, and were distributed tightly. The soldiers began to come down and put the wools in front of them to protect them from bullets. All the attacking Italians, with the exception of one armored vehicle, managed to escape, while three of the Mujahideen were martyred.
In light of the ongoing Israeli occupation and its attempts to alter the demographic reality in Palestine, the Arab refusal to displace Palestinians emerges as a central issue that reflects a commitment to the historical and humanitarian rights of this people. This rejection is not only rooted in national and historical dimensions but is also based on legal and ethical foundations that reinforce the right of Palestinians to remain in their land and to return to it.
In this context, we present five main reasons that drive Arabs to reject any attempts to uproot Palestinians from their homeland:
The Arabs reject the displacement of Palestinians because they believe that Palestinians have the right to return to their lands from which they were displaced following the Nakba of 1948. They believe that this right is part of humanitarian justice and the fundamental rights that peoples should enjoy.
The issue of the displacement of Palestinians contradicts the preservation of Palestinian national identity, and Arabs believe that the Palestinian people have a long history and culture that is deeply rooted in their land. Their displacement reinforces the occupying state's attempts to obliterate this identity.
The Arab rejection reflects a refusal to the attempts of the occupying state to cancel or manipulate the rights of Palestinians, including the right to establish an independent state on their lands. They emphasize that the displacement of Palestinians constitutes a violation of fundamental rights and leads to deepening injustice against them.
The Palestinian people are not alone in their plight, and the Arab world feels a responsibility towards the Palestinians as part of the Arab nation. Arab support for the Palestinian cause reflects this solidarity.
The expulsion of Palestinians contradicts the fundamental principles of international law, especially the United Nations Charter, which emphasizes the right of peoples to self-determination. Therefore, Arabs condemn any attempts to evict them or uproot them from their lands.
Recovery of Antioch from the Crusaders in 491 AH 1268 AD
The Islamic Conquest of Antioch
Antioch is one of the cities of Levant that was covered by the Islamic conquest during the reign of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him. This city remained in the hands of the Muslims until the Crusades began against the lands of Islam in the year 491 AH.
Crusaders' Occupation of Antioch
Antioch was one of the first cities that the Crusaders were keen to occupy, due to its position controlling the roads located in the northern regions of the Levant. After its occupation, Antioch became the Crusaders' impregnable fortress in the north of the Levant, and it remained under their rule for nearly 170 years.
Baybars' Campaign to Recover Islamic Cities
When al-Zahir Baybars assumed power in 658 AH, he decided to recover the Islamic countries from the hands of the Crusaders. Baybars expelled the Tatars from the Levant, and began to conquer other cities one after the other. He conquered Caesarea, Arsuf, and Safed, then took Karak and Jaffa, and bombarded the castle of Acre.
The Siege and Conquest of Antioch
Baybars paved the way for the conquest of Antioch by isolating it from neighboring cities and cutting off all supplies. He divided his army into three teams: one headed to the Swedish port to sever the connection between Antioch and the sea, another headed north to block the passages between Qalqilya and the Levant to prevent supplies from Lesser Armenia, and the main division, led by Baybars, headed directly to Antioch.
Baybars laid a tight siege around Antioch and was able to enter the city on Ramadan 4, 666 AH / September 24, 1268 AD. The fall of Antioch is considered the greatest conquest the Muslims achieved against the Crusaders after the Battle of Hattin.
The Death of the Ottoman Caliph Abdul Hamid II
Early Life and Ascension
Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the son of Sultan Abdul Majeed I, the Ottoman, was born in the year 1258 AH. He assumed the caliphate in the year 1293 AH / 1876 AD, taking over the state while it was burdened with internal and external problems.
Internal and External Challenges
At home, he faced the confrontation of secular and Freemasonry movements. Abroad, Russian threats appeared strongly in the form of two successive wars. He also had to confront the British occupation of Egypt, Sudan, and Cyprus, and the French occupation of Algeria and Tunisia. Additionally, he dealt with fierce revolutions in the Balkans, especially in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro, with open and blatant incitement from the Russians.
Achievements and Reforms
Sultan Abdul Hamid II ruled for more than thirty years, during which he faced countless enemies at home and abroad. He saved the state from collapse after the war with Russia, suppressed the Cretan rebellion, defeated Greece, trained the army on modern fighting methods, opened various schools and universities, expanded urbanization, and established the Hijaz railway from Damascus to Medina, which was 1327 km long.
Confronting Jewish Attempts to Buy Palestine
One of the most important works of Sultan Abdul Hamid, in addition to establishing the Islamic University to confront Westernization, secularism, and Freemasonry movements, was his courageous response to the desperate attempts of the Jews to buy Palestine. This led to his eventual removal from office in 1327 AH / 1909 AD, orchestrated by the Dönmeh Jews in cooperation with international Zionism and the National Union and Progress Movement.
Exile and Death
Sultan Abdul Hamid II died in exile in Paris at the age of 76. He spent 20 years in exile after the abolition of the caliphate and his expulsion from Turkey in March 1923. He was buried in Medina in the land of the Two Holy Mosques.
Death of Lady Fatima Al-Zahra:
On the third of the month of Ramadan in the year eleven of the Hijra, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her), passed away and was buried in Al-Baqi at night. And that was six months after the death of the Prophet ﷺ.
Ali ibn Abi Talib married her after the migration and four months after the Battle of Badr. She gave birth to Hassan, Hussein, and Um Kulthum, who later married Umar ibn al-Khattab.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would visit his daughters after their marriages, bringing them joy and happiness. Among his practices with his daughters after their marriages was visiting them, inquiring about them, and intervening to reconcile them with their husbands if there was a problem that he was aware of. He did this in a way that ensured the restoration of harmony within the family if it served their interest. He visited Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) after her marriage and prayed for her and her husband, asking Allah to protect them and their offspring from the accursed Satan.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said about his daughter Fatima: (Fatima is a part of me, and whoever makes her angry, makes me angry.") Sahih al-Bukhari 3767
The fall of the Abbasid Caliphate at the hands of the Buyids and the entry of Jalal al-Dawla into Baghdad:
The Buwayhids, who were Persian Daylamites from northern Iran, occupied them for almost a century, from the mid-4th century to the mid-5th century AH (Islamic calendar). The Buwayhids were Shia, advocating for their sect and firmly controlling the Abbasid state, Iraq, and Persia.
Under the rule of the Buyids, the situation of the caliphs worsened, and the country suffered from deteriorating political and economic conditions.
The Abbasids became increasingly frustrated with the Buyids, so they sought the help of the Seljuk Turks, the rising Islamic power in the region. What "Toghrul Beg" did was enter Baghdad with his army and put an end to the Buyid state in the year 1055 AD. At that time, a great upheaval occurred, in which the markets were burned, and looting and killing became rampant.
The Mustansir takes over Al-Andalus following his father
He is the ninth prince of the Umayyad state in Andalusia. His era was a continuation of the period of the Umayyad state's prominence in Andalusia.
His era is characterized by the flourishing of science and literature in Córdoba to a great extent. He was the most book-loving of the Umayyad caliphs and would send men with huge sums of money to acquire rare books for Al-Andalus. He established the Library of Córdoba, which contained up to four hundred thousand volumes.
Education experienced a great renaissance during the reign of Al-Hakam. Literacy spread among the people, whereas the highest-ranking individuals in Europe, except for the clergy, were often illiterate. Al-Hakam established a school to educate the poor for free, and he founded the University of Córdoba, which was one of the most famous universities in the world at the time. Its main hub was the Great Mosque, where all sciences were taught and the greatest scholars were chosen to teach.
The great Spanish scholar, Fendith Bidal, says: "The Andalusian caliphate reached the peak of its splendor during that era, extending its peaceful sovereignty over all of Spain, thereby ensuring public tranquility