Hamas has released a copy of the letter captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit

[Ninth_Scribe]

PI sort of like the idea of a neutral Jerusalem as a capital city for all people of the Abrahamic faiths.

OMG! We actually AGREE on something -

I have studied this situation six ways to sunset and all I could come up with was this:

The Caliph Omar declared Palestine Waqf ~ a religious endowment so no one but Allah actually "owns" it. This endowment included the Jews and the Christians, every family branch was charged with the keeping of their own areas of religious interest. The only reason, as far as I can tell, for all this bitterness is because the three family branches are fighting over "ownership" and why on Earth would Allah support any such claim, if the land was given to Him? The Palestinians defied the decree of the Caliph by claiming the land belonged to them. The Jews defied the Torah by taking lands that were beyond their rightful inheritence and the Christians... I'm not sure what they did, but I believe the "guilt" is shared.

So, I would like to see the religious leadership (the new Pope, the Muslims and the Council of Rabbis) ask the U.N. to officially designate the land a Holy Land, to be run by the religious authorities. Since they all fight over taxation, none of them will pay it. They will each be supported by a religious contribution obtained by the people of their faiths, globally. The only non-religious people who should live there are those deemed necessary for employment (farmers, cleaners, gardeners, office staff, cooks, etc). I have the whole thing mapped out. Even the issue of the Temple mount. Actually, Allah fixed this problem himself when he gave them each different holy days. The only obsticle? The secular communities who don't care that it's a holy land.

I'll probably never get my way on this, but I figured it's worth a shot. I can rest in peace knowing that at least I tried.

The Ninth Scribe

 

[reasonableph8th]

I believe you're right, but The Prince should answer us with the details. He's much more knowledgable about these matters. Gilad Shalit is alive, has been for two years, so that's saying something. He may be depressed, but that's par for the course in that situation...
The Ninth Scribe

I can appreciate that, and you may be right... he may be treated well in there. But my point wasn't so much Hamas' attitude or deeds, but ours. Should we be wishing ill on this man when (it appears) Allah commanded that we treat prisoners of war kindly? It is taught in the gospels and the Torah that sin is also sin of the heart and our attitudes are judged the same as deeds before God (Matthew 5:22, Leviticus 19:17). How then should we think in our hearts? Doesm't Allah judge everything said and thought?


BTW, I'm not just trying to cause a stir, but to invoke thought and gain your opinions on this matter.

 

[Ninth_Scribe]

I can appreciate that, and you may be right... he may be treated well in there. But my point wasn't so much Hamas' attitude or deeds, but ours. Should we be wishing ill on this man when (it appears) Allah commanded that we treat prisoners of war kindly? It is taught in the gospels and the Torah that sin is also sin of the heart and our attitudes are judged the same as deeds before God (Matthew 5:22, Leviticus 19:17). How then should we think in our hearts? Doesm't Allah judge everything said and thought?

BTW, I'm not just trying to cause a stir, but to invoke thought and gain your opinions on this matter.

I don't think any one here is "wishing" ill on Gilad. They just didn't pity him, saying: Now he knows how it feels. I suppose it's asking a lot to expect either side to have empathy for the other right now. But, the Mujahideen have kept him alive, they've fed him and they've washed his clothes. I expect they've tended him because they're interested in an exchange. They have brothers and sons in Israeli prisons too. So I have faith that this can work itself out.

As I said earlier, I don't actually consider a person who was forced into the military to be a real soldier. I said, if I were fishing for dinner I'd throw him back, but it occurs to me now, he's not even a little fish. He's more like the little worm on the big fishing hook.

The Ninth Scribe

 

[Ninth_Scribe]

Update on the news of Gilad Shalit for July 7, 2008 ~

Hamas denied reports on Sunday that the negotiations over the release of captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit have stalled.

The deputy head of the Hamas politburo, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said that the reports are incorrect and talks on the matter of a prisoner exchange will be carried out in secret, away from the media.

In an interview to Al-Shams Radio in Naseriya, Abu Marzouk said that both sides, Israel and Hamas, are interested in achieving progress on the prisoner swap.

The Shalit case will be handled away from the eyes of the media and journalists - this was the agreement on this matter.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=137755

The Ninth Scribe

 

[north_malaysian]

The Ninth Scribe

Translation please... maybe he's writing that he joined Hamas...who knows...

snakelegs...pls translate this letter... toda!

 

[Ninth_Scribe]

Translation please... maybe he's writing that he joined Hamas...who knows...

snakelegs...pls translate this letter... toda!

The translation, the best I could find online, is on the first page of this thread. He has not joined Hamas, he was just writing his parents to say he was ok, all things considered.

We should just give the two sides their privacy so some of these Palestinian and Israeli boys can finally go home.

The Ninth Scribe