Press Interview
Interview with Brother Alaa Abu Saleh / Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Palestine
“The Issue of Palestine and the Revolution of Ash-Sham: The Similarities and the Salvation”
(Translated)

Dear Brother... As-Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu

From the blessed land of Ash-Sham we greet you and all the people living in the blessed center of the earth, from Atheer Radio Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Syria, we meet with you in this good interview regarding, “The Issue of Palestine and the Revolution of Ash-Sham: The Similarities and the Salvation.” Welcome

Interviewer: Brother Alaa Abu Saleh; the poet says:

‘We still remember Andalusia and weep for it day and night
It is not just one Andalusia, how many Andalusia did we lose’

Question 1: We lost Andalusia, the missing paradise of Muslims, and now Palestine is almost lost, there are several steps taken by the West to steal Palestine; can you briefly mention some of these things?

Answer: Greetings and hello and welcome to you and all our steadfast brothers stationed in Ash-Sham of the Messenger of Allah (saw).

My dear brother, Palestine is an open wound in the torn body of the Ummah, and this wound still bleeds, its occupation was a sign of the Ummah’s decline as a result of the destruction of the Khilafah "Caliphate". The West has worked since its establishment to the Jewish entity to install it as a poisoned dagger in the Ummah’s center, and has taken many steps to do so, most notably the creation of the PLO, which was born from the womb of puppet Arab regimes, and then the isolation of Palestine from its Islamic depth and extension, and restricted the representation of its people by the PLO, and then, by diverting the compass away from the right solution to this issue. Instead of it being a military issue, an issue of occupied land that must be liberated, it is now an issue of political negotiation, and is lost in the corridors of the United Nations and its unjust conspiring decisions. Then they produced a meager authority, hostile to the people of Palestine that has forsaken the land, honour, and sanctities, and now it is protecting the security of the occupiers, and the plots continue.

Question 2: Is the West following the same procedures against the revolution of Ash-Sham? Or are there other strategies?

Answer: My dear brother, every issue has unique and different circumstances, but may be similar in terms of methods and procedures followed. What is happening today in Ash-Sham’s revolution resembles what happened in Palestine, which calls the people of Syria to beware and take heed of its lessons and not get bitten twice from the same hole.

The West and its tools, the puppet Arab regimes, established the opposition coalition, exactly as they did with the PLO, and in the Riyadh meeting they made it the sole legitimate representative of the people, and from the womb of this coalition came the birth of a government with no decision on the ground along the lines of a Palestinian Authority. The West now is seeking to divert the direction of the compass of the revolution of Ash-Sham from the overthrowing of the regime and the emancipation from dependency and demanding the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood, to make the issue one to be negotiated, and of political solutions and ministerial positions, and even further to an issue of humanitarian aid. These are some of the similar methods, but no doubt there are other methods carried out by the West in the face of Ash-Sham’s revolution, like the claim of fighting terrorism, and the establishment of international alliances, and the increased crimes of killing and destruction.

Question 3: The West has been patient for decades until it managed to control and dilute the issue of Palestine; why do we see the West in a hurry to end Ash-Sham’s revolution?

Answer: Yes, since its launch, Ash-Sham’s revolution represented with its slogans and goals, hope for the entire Ummah, the hope for the people of Palestine and the people of Jordan and the people of Indonesia, and every Muslim aspiring for glory. So, my brother, we saw the magnitude of the conspiracy against Ash-Sham and the complicity of the Western powers and Russia, and its tools and supporters against this blessed revolution.

The colonial powers have put all their weight on Ash-Sham not to save the people of Syria or to stop the massacres, but because of the intensity of its pursuance in order to subjugate them to the American colonial conditions. The West’s concern with this revolution is due to its centrality and its impact on the Muslims and the world, it became the main concern of the West, and the reason for the graying hair of its rulers and continuous worry. The reason for the rush stems from its fear.

Question 4: There is an international conflict, and the conflict of international projects in Palestine, does such an international conflict exist today in Ash-Sham? Or is the conflict is of a different kind?

Answer: The international conflict in Palestine was caused by losing and surrendering its leadership to a handful (men) who betrayed the Ummah and the Deen and threw themselves into the arms of Europe sometimes and America at other times. The status quo now in Ash-Sham’s revolution, is that it is a conflict of another kind, it is the fight of the Ummah against the colonialists, the fight of an Ummah that wants to get rid of its slavery and carry a project that emanates from its creed, and calls for its liberation from the West’s project to install its subordination, that ensures its dominance over the country and the people and wealth. So it is the wish of the West to make the conflict in Ash-Sham as an international conflict between competing colonial powers, then it will be a conflict within the rules of the game - as they say – and then it will not fear the Ummah, but the Ummah will lose its sacrifices for the sake of the comfort of the residents in the White House or Downing Street or the Elysee. Hence, I take this opportunity to give advice to the fighting factions in Syria, that they should not fall into the trap of forming a relationship with the colonialist and its puppet regimes, being a subordinate to the West is a sin to Allah (swt) and a violation of rights, and a loss of independent decision making.

Question 5: From the West’s approaches to divert the compass of Ash-Sham’s revolution is the use of two evil styles: the dirty political money, and the creation of strife (fitna) and conflict among the factions; have these two methods been employed in Palestine? How or when have they been used, please give us an example?

Answer: Yes the Kaffir colonizers were able to control the decision of the Palestinian factions through the so-called grants or aid or polluted political money and as they say, "One who has the money controls the decision," the examples are too numerous to count. What is offered by the so-called donors of the PLO and its Palestinian Authority (PA) is all contaminated political money, through which these countries dictate to the people of Palestine to change the curriculum and to destroy the culture of our children and to fight against so-called terrorism and to agree with the occupation of Palestine, occupied from 1948. These funds are spent on defending the occupier, one third of the PA's budget goes to security agencies that protect the Jews and suppress the people of Palestine, and pursue the resistance. Also what is offered by the puppet regimes such as Qatar and others to Gaza, they are political funds; any one who claim otherwise is a liar.

The West and the puppet regimes are not charities. The fighting, still strikingly visible in the separation of the West Bank from Gaza and quarreling of Fatah with Hamas; if they had any sense that they are living under occupation, and that both “powers” are not but municipalities, and that the goal should be the Liberation of Palestine, then they would have not ended up in such a situation, but yes their compass was diverted and they were lost and the people are lost. We ask Allah (swt) not to repeat what happened in Palestine with the fighting Mujahideen factions of Ash-Sham, and that these factions focus their efforts on overthrowing of the regime and renouncing the prohibited internal fighting, May Allah bless them with patience and victory and dominance.

Allah (swt) says:

(وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ۖ وَاصْبِرُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ)

“And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient” [Al-Anfal: 46]

Question 6: The West managed to tame most of the Palestinian factions in various ways; did assassinations of the leaders play a big role in that? Is what happened in Palestine of assassinations happening in Syria now?

Answer: Yes, this style is practiced by the West, it does not hesitate to undertake dirty work to achieve its plans, it is a method to pressurize the factions to compromise and stay within the permitted rules of the game. If they differ or leave these rules, or perhaps thought of going against it, then the method of assassinations of leaders will be followed. But the ideological movements adhering to their Deen remain fixed on their approach. What we see today in Ash-Sham in terms of the assassination of leaders of Ahrar Ash-Sham and Jaish Al-Islam and others, is in this context. Our advice to these factions is to remain committed to their Deen, to their Islam, and to renounce anything other than that and not to follow the dictates of the Kaffir colonizers.

Question 7: The Palestinian factions have failed to liberate Palestine because of their links to the puppet regimes, and their division, will history repeat itself with the factions in Ash-Sham?

Answer: My dear brother, reliance on puppet regimes is a calamity, it was a major cause for the loss of Palestine, and these regimes follow the colonial plans, and do not carry out any step in its foreign relations unless it is under the guidance of America or Europe. You cannot trust these regimes whether the Saudi regime or the Qatari regime or the Turkish regime or the UAE or others, they are all tools of colonization despite the differences in their roles. So there must be awareness of this fact in order not to repeat the mistakes and tragedies. Also Allah Azza Wa Jal, has ordered us not to rely on the oppressors, it is the road to defeat

(وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ)

“And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped” [Hud: 113]

Will any two (people) differ on the injustice of these regimes and hostility to Islam and Muslims?

Question 8: We were told that the people of Al Quds (Jerusalem) in particular are waiting for the moment when the Assad regime falls because its fall means the liberation of Al-Aqsa, to which extent is this is true?

Answer: Yes, this is certainly true, the people of Ash-Sham are from us and we are from them, their grief is our grief, and their joy is our joy. Also the revolution of Ash-Sham is special in another way, it is a revolution of an Ummah, it is the focus of attention of the people of Al Quds and all Muslims and their hopes. Yes. we are sure that the success of the revolution in Ash-Sham will inevitably lead to the liberation of all of Palestine, because we realize that Assad and the rest of the neighboring regimes, were established to protect the Jewish entity from the Ummah and their armies, and when the Ummah restores the leadership it will inevitably move to liberate the place of ascension of the Prophet (saw), and may that be soon.

Question 9: We see America's failure in the negotiations style in Ash-Sham’s revolution. Is it possible to see a project of a new Bank and a new Gaza? Is it possible that America is satisfied with a small portion of the booty in return for maintaining the status quo?

Answer: America's first goal in the Ash-Sham is to abort its revolution, and prevent its success and liberation, and to keep its colonial influence. America, my dear brother, is a pragmatic state, it changes its plans and methods to ensure the achievement of its objectives, now it kills and destroys to keep its puppet regime, and could pursue any other plan to achieve its evil plans. However, we do not look at what America wants, but our eyes are yearning to see the loyal revolutionaries of Ash-Sham respond to the plots of America and destroy its projects, and change the status quo and America does not even leave with the small share (of Booty) nor gain any achievements, but instead there will be a Khilafah "Caliphate" state for the Muslims on the Method of Prophethood, that will expel the Americans out of Muslim countries and remove its influence from Ash-Sham and the whole region, and even pursue it in its own backyard, Allah willing.

Question 10: How do the people of Palestine in general and especially the people of Al-Quds view Ash-Sham’s revolution?

Answer: My dear brother, I am not exaggerating when I say that the revolution of Ash- Sham is the focus of attention of the people of Palestine and their hope - as are the rest of the Muslims - and that the people of Palestine follow the course of the revolution in Syria more than their local news. This revolution is truly the Ummah’s revolution, despite the fact that it is the good people of Ash-Sham who pay the price. The people of Al-Quds supplicate to Allah (swt) day and night and pray for our people in Ash-Sham and for our people in Aleppo, that Allah grants them a strong and supported victory, and their lessons and pickets in Al-Aqsa Mosque in support of Ash-Sham and solidarity with its people did not stop.

Final question: It has not been more than six years since the start of Ash-Sham’s revolution and it has been more than sixty years since the start of the issue of Palestine. Regarding the issue of Palestine, what are the lessons and advice can it offer to the revolutionaries of Ash- Sham so as not to fall where their predecessors fell, in the pitfalls and quagmires?

Answer: Yes... May Allah bless you, my dear brother,

My advice to the people of Ash-Sham and its revolutionaries is to hold fast to the rope of Allah (swt), and they are worthy of it. Do not think that the salvation is in Geneva and in Washington, or in Moscow, your salvation is in adhering to your Deen and your victory is from Allah alone and not from anyone else. Do not turn to those who threw themselves in the arms of the colonists, nor to the coalition and their likes, such as the PLO. Do not accept the colonial solutions and surrendering negotiations. The success of your revolution is by holding on to the fundamentals of this revolution; the overthrowing of the regime with all its symbols, and cutting off the meddling hands of the colonial external interference, and the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood, and only by this will be your success. Otherwise your suffering, God forbid, will continue for many more years, and your sacrifice will be lost, and you will be like the one who untwisted the spun after it was strong. And I ask Allah to bless you and protect you and make you steadfast, and that He (swt) brings us together with you in the Al Aqsa Mosque after the fall of Assad’s regime and the armies of liberation have marched from Damascus towards Al-Aqsa to cleanse it from the abomination of the occupiers, and our hearts will embrace you before our arms, and we chant together the words of Allah (swt):

(فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ)

“So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds” [Al-An’am: 45]

And May Allah bless you.