Armed Resistance, Islam, and the Limits of Secular Approaches

Who writes and who doesn’t?

I was asked to write about the ongoing assault on Gaza, from a religious perspective (disclaimer: If I write about the topic from a religious perspective, it is not because what we are currently witnessing in Gaza and the region is a religious conflict. Religion may occasionally be part of it, often used strategically by various actors, but at its core, it is a political conflict). One of my first thoughts was if I was the right person to ask. What do I have to contribute that others, especially those most affected by the current violence, could not say better, have not already said better?

There are many Palestinian, Lebanese and Israeli perspectives that have been shared in the last months, updates and analyses from people such as Abdalhadi Alijla, Anwar Mhajne, Eman Basher, Haggai Matar, Iyad El-Baghdadi, Malaka Shwaikh, Motaz Azaiza, Ussama Makdissi, Zainab Chamoun (disclaimer 1: This is a list of possible sources, not a comprehensive list, nor an endorsement of all of the content that has been shared. Disclaimer 2: No guarantees are given that at the time of publication, the accounts those writing from within Gaza are still going to be active. At the moment, Israel kills Gazans at a rate of up to over 1000 people per day. If this continues, there may not be many Gazans left to write soon).

I thought of colleagues and friends from Palestine and Israel who a colleague and I had contacted in October to ask if they wanted to write something – none of them had the capacity. Is there space, is there strength for written words when all your focus is consumed by worry about your life, family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and community?

Many of the analyses I have been reading in the last weeks are not written from a specifically religious lens – probably because the conflict is not primarily religious. But religious perspectives can provide beneficial insights into all questions, not just ones that are perceived to be “religious” (by whom anyway?). Beyond analyses of the current situation, there is a broader body of work on Muslim approaches to conflict transformation, which includes, for example, publications by Mohammed Abu-Nimer on Islam, faith and peacebuilding, as well as the writings of Palestinian Christian liberation theologists.

If I decided to write in the end, it is not because I believe the people most affected by the current assault cannot speak for themselves. They can, they do, and they have for a long time. I am writing with Muslim colleagues and friends in the UK in mind, many of whom I have mindlessly repeating slogans such as “the right to resist by any means,” slogans that might sound catchy, but that I believe directly contradict the teachings of Islam, as I will outline below. This text is therefore for us, Muslims of Europe, not people in the region who are perfectly capable of interpreting their own religion (if they have one), values and beliefs.

Human rights and democracy: more than just buzzwords?

Another reason why I was hesitant to write was that at the moment, Europe does not seem to be a good place for a Muslim who believes in Palestinian rights to write about Gaza. We knew before that human rights and democracy are often not more than convenient buzz words for Western states (and beyond) to impose orders they believe in – as rights that are accorded when it fits broader interests and actively attacked when it does not. We knew. But the last months have still hit many of us in ways that are still hard to process. We knew before, but there is no doubt left now: Palestinian, Arab, Muslim lives simply do not count as much as Israeli, Jewish, European ones (disclaimer: of course I believe all civilian lives are, should be, untouchable). And it is not just the killing itself, but also the persecution of any dissent that is deemed out of line:

Palestinians have rights > “but do you condemn Hamas?” (disclaimer: I disagree with all attacks on civilians – be it by Hamas or any other actors in this conflict or beyond. But there is more to this question. Why do you make it a condition for Palestinians, Arab, Muslims to condemn before they are allowed to speak? Do you condemn Israeli war crimes, Hitler, the invasion of Iraq, colonialism, the Holocaust, the death penalty in the US, sexual violence in the Catholic church? Tell me, do you?)

Stand up against genocide of Palestinians by Israel > “this is antisemitic” (disclaimer: Antisemitism is one of the biggest evils of our times. But criticising the state of Israel is not automatically the same as antisemitism).

Israel must stop killing so many civilians > “why do you hate Jews?” (disclaimer: I don’t).

The West often prides itself on “its” democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and so on, but the last months have shown us in ways that send shivers down the spine how these really only apply to some people, some of the time. No one has felt this more than the people of Gaza who have been subjected to unprecedented violence, forced displacement, even genocide. We feel the repercussions here in Europe as well, with many worrying about their right to voice dissent with the practices of the state of Israel, and our states who actively support it.

Writing as upholding justice and bearing witness

Faith is an important part of why I write anyway. I believe in: “You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God” (Qur’an 4: 135). The Prophet (ﷺ) taught us: “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” (Source). And I also know that Allah is on the side of those who rely on Him and that He will provide for them in times of need: “God will find a way out for those who are mindful of Him | and will provide for them from an unexpected source. God achieves His purpose; God has set a due measure for everything” (Qur’an 65: 2-3). If my success and failure are in Allah’s hands, then threats such as losing one’s income for speaking up about justice are really only of limited effect, and I might just write anyway.

Resistance is a right: finding answers in faith…and international law

If I look for answers in my religion about what is currently happening in Gaza, Palestine, and the wider region, I find that resistance is a right. I find that self-defence and the fight against oppression and injustice is supported: “There is no cause to act against anyone who defends himself after being wronged | but there is cause to act against those who oppress people and transgress in the land against all justice – they will have an agonising torment” (Qur’an 42: 41-42). I find the same right affirmed by international law which stipulates that resistance against military occupation is legitimate.

The oppression of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza, the Westbank, and Israel, the occupation, apartheid and ongoing displacement of Palestinians is intolerable. I have been very disappointed in the last months not just by Western states, most of which “stand with Israel” even as it started a genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. I was baffled to see numerous European Christians (disclaimer: not all of them, of course!), and especially Christians in Germany (disclaimer: not all of them, but way too many), one of my home countries, “stand with Israel”, despite the repeated calls of their Palestinian brothers and sisters in faith to stand up against genocide, apartheid and occupation based on settler-colonial logic.

I was in awe of many Jews, in Israel, North America and Europe who defied a state claiming to act in their name by standing up against its ongoing oppression of Palestinians. I was impressed by many secular colleagues and friends who unequivocally called for a free Palestine. The demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine where I live were organised by a group of mostly white people in their 60s, 70s and 80s, and I have infinite amounts of respect for these people. Watching events in Palestine and beyond, I have learned a lot from scholars and activists writing from a decolonial perspective.

Killing non-combatants is wrong: the limits of secular approaches

At the same time, I have often found decolonial approaches to be dominated by secular discourse, at least here in Europe. While this is often not a problem because there is large overlap between many faith-based and secular values (such as solidarity, freedom, justice and so on), I have also come to see the limits of secular approaches from an Islamic perspective. When decolonial activists for Palestine claim that oppressed people have a right to resistance “in any way possible” – this is when they lose me as a Muslim. I firmly stand with the right of oppressed people to resist, but as a Muslim, I take my values from my faith, not secular theories. When the two conflict, my faith comes first (unless there are specific reasons why this may not be the case).

This means to me that support to resistance “in any way possible” is not an option. Islam stipulates clear rules about the use of violence. In the Qur’an, I read: “Fight in God’s cause against those who fight you, but do not overstep the limits: God does not love those who overstep the limits” (2: 190). Abu Bakr, who was one of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) closest companions, his second-in-command, and later one of the first four caliphs, outlined rules during war as follows: “Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirm person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food. Do not burn bees and do not scatter them. Do not steal from the spoils, and do not be cowardly”. The Prophet (ﷺ) himself specified that women, children, workers and non-combatants may not be targeted.

What I learn from this about situations like in Palestine is that attacks against military targets and soldiers are legitimate from an Islamic point of view, but attacks against non-combatants are not. (The often repeated claim that “settlers are not civilians” because they “all” undergo military training is not universally valid because a majority of Israelis do not actually serve in the forces). Attacks against Israeli soldiers are therefore legitimate, but indiscriminate attacks against anyone in Israel are not. The tearing down of the security fence caging in Palestinians in Gaza was legitimate, attacks against Israeli soldiers were legitimate – but the horrors that unfolded on the other side of the fence, targeting unarmed Israeli children, women, men, old people, were not. In this regard, Islamic law of war overlaps with international humanitarian frameworks.

Times of ongoing violent conflict are often not conducive to level-headed analysis, and many of us will tend to only see the pain of (who we perceive to be) our own. But as believers, we must do better. As Muslims we must follow the Qur’anic principle of “uphold(ing) justice and bear(ing) witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives” (Qur’an 4: 135) and stand in solidarity with the resistance against settler colonialism, occupation and apartheid as well as all civilians, everywhere.

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© Jennifer Philippa Eggert, 2024.

This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Cover Image: “Lights” by timparkinson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.