Why I Call Them as a Freedom Fighter's

[updated: 23 May 2008 / 16:09] I still do remember, when I was attending the BTN course in Kuala Kangsar, the first question posted to me during the group discussion was, what is my perception or understanding on Islamic Terrorism? My reply was simple, "personally I don't believe about the Islamic Terrorism. Religions do not teach the followers to be a cruel man. I don't deny, one of the major threats in today's world security is terrorism but that not means all the terrorist is Muslims. Terrorist is a criminal and they do not belong to any religion. If we call Muslims as a terrorist then we need to call other faith followers also as a terrorist because terrorism happened among all the communities. A Hindu extremist, gun down Mahatma Gandhi, shall we call Hindu's as an extremist? There was a war between the Catholic vs. Protestant and thousands died in Europe, is it fair to call them as a terrorist? Aum Shinrikyo Japanese released the sarin gas in the Tokyo Subway; shall we call all the Japanese as a terrorist? Thousands examples can be given. Criminal is a criminal but then we should not categorize the whole community just because few bad apple's." Moderator was impressed with my answer. I didn't say it just because I was attending the BTN course but I really mean it.

Even in the same discussion group, I express my opinion; I recognised only two groups as freedom fighters although others might not agree with me. Palestinian people and Sri Lanka Tamilian's are in same basket fighting for their independence of their motherland. Both of them deserved the independent land. In this first part, I will talk about my opinion on Palestine and later about the struggle of Tamilian's in Sri Lanka.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favour, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent. (In favour: 33; Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian S.S.R., Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukrainian S.S.R., Union of South Africa, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela. Against: 13; Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen. Abstained: 10; Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia) The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states.

On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three days later by the USSR but none of the Arabic country or Palestinian has come out to declare a nation as a Palestinian land. I believe this is the biggest mistakes done by the Arabic world and the consequence of the failure to declare the new nation for the Palestinian's is prolonged until today and become as a major reason for the continuous conflict in the region, Muslims world with western countries especially America and Israel. Even one of the root causes for the rise of terrorism which was mooted by Osama Bin Laden is Palestinian issues. The world political climate might be different from what it is today if Arabic country has declared the Palestinian state 60 years ago.

Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) was the founder of modern political Zionism. In his preface to Der Juden staat (1896) he says: "The idea which I have developed in this pamphlet is a very old one; it is the restoration of the Jewish State." When UN General Assembly Resolution 181 is approved, the Jewish has fully used the resolution to declare the state but the Arabic country fail to use the same resolution to declare the Palestinian state. Arabic country opposed the resolution but then they don't have the strength to stop the declaration. Even until today none of them have strength to go all out to save the Palestinian’s. The argument from Arabic countries, “if they declare the Palestinian State on the same days as Israel state declared, means indirectly they recognised the UN separation resolution which they opposed earlier, is doesn’t helping the Palestinians struggle for the independent land. Arabic countries especially Iran shall stop the rhetoric to wipe out the Israel from the world map and it's much more practical to secure the land for the Palestinian rather than wiping out another country which already established for past 60 years. Rhetoric is not going to help the Palestinian peoples and for me no one going to win if this prolonged.

Same goes to Israeli's. The UN General Assembly 181 resolution has decided the separation will have the Palestinian state. So why can't Israeli’s honour the resolution and why victimised the Palestinian’s when they their self claimed become victims of discrimination? I do believe both parties love the peace but then both of them can't feel it until the Palestinian Independence materialise and both parties agreed to be good neighbours. It’s a common for any citizens to go against the aggressors when their border is under threat. In Palestinian case, they deserved the independence land and they have all the rights to protect it from any aggressors. Jews in Europe and even in America lead the struggles for secularism and human rights but then when it’s come to Palestine vs. Israel issues they continue to support the most discriminatory and fanatic policy which prevent the declaration of Palestinian as an independence soil. Time has come for Israel to put an end to the territorial occupation which it has maintained since the conflict of 1967. The region must accept the two principles universally accepted by the international community the “right to existence” and to “security of all the states” in the region including Israel and Palestine, justice for all the peoples which implies the recognition of the legitimate rights and land of the Palestinian people. The region entitled to live in peace and it’s only achievable by recognising Palestinian land. After 60 years of declaration of Israel until now the Palestinian are struggling on daily basis for their motherland independence. As far as the Palestinian issues are pending until then, the struggle either by violence or peace will continue. The struggle by Palestinian either by violence or peace is a struggle for independence and as far as it’s purely on the struggle for independence than I recognised it as a struggle for freedom. Palestinian is freedom fighters.