Renowned author, Islamic scholar and political advisor to many governments, Professor Ed Husain, recently gave an astonishing speech on J-TV. It was an address of profound significance. Husain is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), focused on US foreign policy towards the Middle East. His mission generally and specifically deals with the intersection of Arab/Israeli relations after the Abraham Accords. The following article has been transcribed from his speech.
“We cannot have the justification for Israel based merely on archaeological evidence, even though that evidence undeniably confirms that there has been 3,500 years of a Jewish presence in the land. The real reason for the State of Israel to be there is because God guided Moses and Joshua out of the land of Egypt from the tyranny of Pharoah to worship freely in the land of Jacob. That is the first component, the Israelis must recognise that their ‘land certificate’ comes from God. There is no other way around it. The Israelis need to return to God to justify their existence, prosperity and the many miracles that surround them, for example when Iran recently fired rockets against them.
Once Jews and Israelis genuinely recognise that Israel is a country founded in faith and scripture, then they will have a language that will speak to the rest of the region. When they have that language, the Muslim world will realise these are the children of Israel, these are the children of Jacob, and these are children who are coming home, and they are welcome back.”
The professor also in his speech quoted from the Koran 5:20.21 showing that even from an Islamic viewpoint God has clearly given the land of Israel to the Jews. That verse also reveals a warning in that Israel must not turn its back on God. No doubt the exhortation coming from this Islamic scholar for Israel to turn back to God, was based on that Koranic passage. If you want to see the whole speech then google “Muslim scholar teaches Jews how to succeed in the Middle East”.
The unchanging history of an unchanging God
Importantly many Jewish religious leaders are acknowledging this also. Orthodox Rabbi, Jeremy Gimpel agrees, “the only path forward is for Israel to return to God, and begin to speak in a Godly language. It is as if our enemies in surrounding us have been programmed and set up to force us to recognise God and return to Him. When you read the stories in the Bible in Joshua and Judges, you realise that every enemy sparks a return of Teshuva (repentance). It’s hard to imagine in 2025, but nothing has changed.” In other words, the unchanging history of an unchanging God.
The importance of God Talk
Rabbi Yishai Flieser also agrees that the speech of Professor Husain shows us how to talk to our region. Our region, the Rabbi declares, respects “God talk.” Talking about what the UN says, what the Geneva convention says and what the Paris protocols say, or what any other international agreement says, is not what does it for our Arab neighbours. It doesn’t speak to them. What gives Israel legitimacy in the region is our faith in God, rooted in the Bible.”
Over the years many inspiring speeches are given by a multitude of people, but very few are as profoundly significant as that given by this Islamic scholar, may it be spread far and wide.
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