Ahmadis and the State of Israel

Now that British rule has been brought to an end, the opponents of Ahmadiyyat have invented a new charge that the Ahmadis are the agents of Israel.

In this context it is worthy of note that the first voice raised against the establishment of Israel was the voice of the Ahmadiyya Community, yet its opponents feel no compunction in charging it with being the agents of Israel. When the question of Palestine was raised in the United Nations, Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, a devoted Ahmadi, was enabled by divine grace to deliver a powerful speech on 9 October 1947 in the Committee of the United Nations Assembly that was dealing with the problem, in which he put forward the case of the Palestine Arabs with great ability. The Nawai Waqt of October 12 1947 commented:

The special correspondence of Reuter has reported that after the speech of Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, the Pakistani delegate, the Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations dealing with the question has been confronted with an awkward situation. Till the delegation of the United States declares its position with reference to the problem, other delegations are not prepared to speak. The United States delegate is not ready to speak till President Truman and the Secretary of State, Mr. George Marshall, and the U.S. delegation itself agree upon a united stand. The Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Herbert Evatt, of Australia, expressed his uneasiness at the debate appearing to have arrived prematurely at its end. The U.S. delegate remained sitting silent as if his lips had been sealed. Such a situation is unprecedented in the United Nations. The Pakistani delegate expressed the view of other delegations when in his annoyance he suggested that as leading delegates were reluctant to speak the general debate on the question of Palestine might be closed.

The same organ wrote:

The speech delivered by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, leader of the Pakistan delegation, in the Committee of the UN General Assembly on the question of Palestine was most outstanding in every respect. He spoke for one hundred and fifteen minutes. When he finished his speech an Arab representative said that this was the best speech on the case of the Arabs and that he had not so far heard any such outstanding statement of their case.

Muhammad Zafrulla Khan devoted the greater part of his speech to arguing against the partition of Palestine. During the course of his speech the faces of Arab representatives shone with pleasure. At the end of the speech the delegates of Arab countnes shook him by the hand and felicitated him on his glorious speech. A British delegate sent a message to Zafrulla Khan that his speech was outstanding and that he would request to be furnished with a copy of it so that he might study it with great care.

This historic speech of Ch. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan presented the true aspects of the problem of Palestine before the United Nations and the delegations of several member countries made up their minds in pursuance of it to vote against the partition of Palestine, but thereafter some of them changed their minds under pressure from the great powers.

On 9 December 1947, Ch. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan delivered an address on the subject of Palestine in the Government College Lahore which was reported in the Nawai Waqt of 11 December in the following terms:

Ch. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, leader of the Pakistan delegation to the Assembly of the United Nations, spoke at length on all aspects of the problem of Palestine. He condemned the resolution of the UN General Assembly recommending the partition of Palestine as entirely unjust. Speaking at the Government College Lahore, he expressed great regret that the United States Government procured the recommendation of the United Nations in support of the partition of Palestine by exercising undue pressure on some of the small Powers, members of the United Nations. He said that Palestine had been made a pawn in the election politics of the United States. He pointed out that in the proposed Jewish State to be set up in Palestine, not only will a large Arab minority be subjected to Jewish domination but the economy of the country will pass under international control which would be an illegal development.

He explained that on 26 November it was certain that the resolution could not be carried and its supporters were convinced that it would be defeated) but that at the last moment the voting was unnecessarily postponed to 28 November so that pressure could be exercised on some of the member states that they should give up their opposition to the resolution and vote in support of it. He mentioned that on 28 November the representative of Haiti met him after the voting and with tears literally running down his cheeks made his apology that he had not been left free to vote in accordance with his original instructions. Several other delegates confessed that they had been compelled to vote in support of the resolution under great pressure.

In view of the powerful advocacy of the Arab cause by Ch. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, not only on this occasion but on every occasion when the question was subsequently raised in the United Nations, can any just person charge the Ahmadiyya Community with being the agents of Israel?

The problem of Palestine entered on a new phase after 1 December 1947 when, through the joint efforts of the United States and the USSR, the General Assembly most unjustly adopted its resolution recommending partition of Palestine. Hazrat Mirza Bashirud Din Mahmud Ahmad Sahib, Khalifatul Masih II, Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, wrote two strong articles revealing the background of the partition of Palestine. The first of these was published on 28 November and the second on 11 December 1947. In these articles he established clearly that Jewish settlement in Palestine had been carried out under a conspiracy to which the USSR, USA and Britain were parties. He pointed out that these great powers appeared to be opposed to each other in pursuit of their political objectives but that they were united in their hostility towards the Muslims and that they had no sympathy with the Arabs and Muslims. He urged the Muslims to stand upon their own legs and that they should put forth every effort to do so.

These revolutionary articles of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II made a great stir in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab Countries. 'The Syrian radio broadcast a special summary of them and thus conveyed their purport to all corners of the Arab world. Leading Arab newspapers like the Al-Yaum, Al-Akhbar, Al-Qabas, Al-Nasr, Sautul Ahrar and AI-Urdon etc. published extracts of these articles and unanimously praised and upheld the stand of the writer.

In June 1948 Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II delivered an address in Lahore in which he strongly urged the Muslims to unite so as to rescue Palestine from the grip of the Zionists. With reference to this address the AI-Shura of Baghdad in its issue of i8 June 1948 observed:

An address by Mirza Mahmud Ahmad

We have received a tract which has been published in Baghdad in which a powerful address off Hazrat Mirza Mahmud Ahmad, Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Qadian, is set out which he delivered in Lahore after the setting up of the so-called State of Israel. This address is captioned 'The disbelievers are all one community'. We appreciate the Islamic indignation and Islamic efforts of the people who have published this very useful tract.

The AI-Nahzah of 12 July 1948 wrote:

We have received a tract which comprises an address of Al-Syed Mirza Mahmud Ahmad Sahib which he delivered in Lahore. In this address he has urged the Muslims to unite and has drawn attention to the need of solid and effective efforts towards rescuing Palestine from the grip of Zionist criminals and has asked the people of Pakistan to render immediate help to the Palestine Arabs. Reminding the Muslims of their common allegiance to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and arguing from verses of the Holy Quran the speaker has urged them to organize themselves to with-stand the onsets of the Zionist criminals who are being supported by the United States and Communist Russia in pursuance of their interests and special purposes. He has asked the Muslims not to display weakness or distress, but to keep in mind their obligations of Jihad for the upholding of Islam and Muslims.

This is a passing glimpse of the great effort that the Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II and the devoted member of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Ch. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, put forth in opposing the setting up of the State of Israel. Indeed the truth is that except the Ahmadiyya Community no one else did any solid work in this sphere. Yet, instead of appreciating this effort, our Pakistani Muslim brethren have charged us with being the agents of Israel. Is this Islamic justice? How will these people face God?

in this context one argument that is put forward by our opponents is that as the Ahmadiyya Movement maintains a missionary center in Israel, the Ahmadis are agents of Israel. If this has any substance in it then it is not only the Ahmadis who are to be blamed. Even today in Israel there are several hundred thousands of Muslims. They would also have to be declared agents of Israel. Then there are several Christian missions that are active in Israel. They will also have to be denounced as agents of Israel. The number of Ahmadis in Israel is very small in comparison with the number of Christians and other Muslims in Israel.

The fact is that the Ahmadiyya Mission in Palestine was established before the coming into existence of the State of Israel. At the time of partition it was decided by the Ahmadiyya Movement to continue its mission in Israel for the propagation of Islam and the education and training of the Palestinian Ahmadis who had been left in Israel along with other Muslims. The Ahmadis believe that it would be difficult to resolve the problem of Palestine satisfactorily in the end without converting all the Jews to Islam. Besides, it is the duty of all Muslims to present the message of Islam to every non-Muslim. In respect of the non-Muslim population of Palestine, the Ahmadis alone are discharging this obligation. The Holy Quran and the ahadees nowhere forbid inviting the Jews to accept Islam or lay down that Muslims should not enter their territory for the purpose of informing them of the excellencies of Islam. It should be remembered that Islam is a universal faith and its message is addressed to all mankind alike. Under the directions of the Holy Quran, the Ahmadiyya Community carries out its obligation of propagating Islam all round the world including the State of Israel. This cannot be open to any objection.

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, addressed letters to Christian rulers, inviting them to accept Islam. He sent a delegation of Muslims to Ethiopia and directed them to settle there and carry on the propagation of Islam. The Ahmadiyya Community is following in the footsteps of its master, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. If for doing this they are described as disloyal and agents of the enemies of Islam they entertain no grievance about it.