Following are excerpts from a speech by Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 31, 2008.
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"You Threaten To Kill Us?! By Allah, You Are Threatening Us With What We Desire More Than Anything"
Safwat Higazi: "Being killed is nothing new to us. It is what we desire and hope for. It is martyrdom, by Allah. This is Allah’s victory coming to us. It is Paradise with the first drop of blood of the martyr.
[...]
"I refuse to accept condolences or consolation over a martyr. It saddens me immensely when I see on TV a Palestinian woman from Gaza crying and wailing over her martyr. By Allah, I never see such things among the people of Palestine, the people of Gaza. We always see the mothers and wives of the martyrs in Palestine wailing for joy, and preparing another martyr, another man, to raise the banner.
[...]
"Being killed is nothing new to us. Martyrdom is nothing new to us. You threaten to kill us?! By Allah, you are threatening us with what we desire more than anything. You are threatening us with what our souls yearn for.
[...]
"By Allah, I wish I could carry my gear, carry my gun, and be among you. I wish I could stand among the youth of the Al-Qassam Brigades, passing them one of their missiles, wiping from their faces the dust of a missile that was launched, or crying 'Allah Akbar' along with them. By Allah, I wish I could do that."[...]
"You [In Hamas] Are The Ones Upon Whom Jesus, Son of Mary, Will Descend, Preaching the Religion of the Prophet Muhammad in Your Land"
"You [in Hamas] are the ones upon whom Jesus, son of Mary, will descend, preaching the religion of the Prophet Muhammad in your land. You are paving the way for the war foretold by the Prophet Muhammad: 'Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind stones and trees, but the stones and trees will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' You are the ones preparing the ground for this, preparing the ground for the return of the Caliphate in the path of the prophets." [...]
"Allah Is With Us... Our Dead Go to Paradise, While Your Dead Go to the Hellfire"
"Allah is with us, and there is nobody with them. Allah is our God, and there is nobody with them. We say to them: We are not equal. Our dead go to Paradise, while your dead go to the Hellfire. We say to them: The Qassam rockets will serve as Ababil birds.[1] Indeed, they are Ababil birds. We say to them that while our martyrs celebrate in Paradise, your dead find themselves in the Hellfire. We say to you: Dispatch those sons of apes and pigs to the Hellfire, on the wings of the Qassam rockets." [...]
"Jihad Is Our Path... This Is Our Strategic Option, And Not Peace... Because The Prophet Muhammad Told Us This"
"Jihad is our path – jihad for the sake of Allah, in all its forms. This is our strategic option, and not peace. Even 'if they incline toward peace...' Yes, in that case, we will incline toward peace. If peace is made with us – yes, we will make peace as well, out of strength and honor. However, jihad and resistance will remain our strategic option. Why? Because the Prophet Muhammad told us this. It makes no difference what kind of peace it is – they will never reconcile with us. They will ostensibly reconcile with us, but will they make real peace? Never." [...]
The [Jews]... Deserve to be Killed... Destroy... Everything Over There"
"The [Jews], who are as smooth as a viper, and who lick their lips as [does] a speckled snake, will never live with us in peace and harmony. They deserve to be killed. They deserve to die. They are the ones at whom the Qassam rockets should be fired. You should not care if you hit a man, a woman, or a child. Just like they killed your children – kill their children. Just like they killed your women – kill their women. Just like they destroyed your mosques – destroy their places of worship. Destroy... everything over there."
Endnote:
[1] Ababil birds are described in the Koran as the dropping of red clay bricks on the army of elephants sent by the king of Yemen to attack Mecca in 571 CE.
