Muslim Zionism

Muslim supporters of Israel refers to both Muslims and cultural Muslims who support the right to self-determination of the Jewish people and the likewise existence of a Jewish homeland in the Southern Levant, traditionally known as the Land of Israel and corresponding to the modern polity known as the State of Israel. Muslim supporters of the Israeli state are widely considered to be a rare phenomenon in light of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the larger Arab–Israeli conflict. Within the Muslim world, the legitimacy of the State of Israel has been challenged since its inception, and support for Israel's right to exist is a minority orientation. Pro-Israel Muslims have faced opposition from both moderate Muslims and Islamists.

Some Muslim clerics, such as Abdul Hadi Palazzi of the Italian Muslim Assembly and author Muhammad Al-Hussaini, believe that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land as well as the establishment of a Jewish state is in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Of the community of Muslims that support Israel, a portion designate themselves as Muslim Zionists. Prominent people of Muslim background who publicly support the movement of Zionism include ex-Muslim Afghan journalist Nemat Sadat, Pakistani former radical Islamist Ed Husain, Egyptian former militant-turned-author Tawfik Hamid, Pakistani American author and journalist Tashbih Sayyed, and Bangladeshi journalist Salah Choudhury. Additional Muslim figures who have publicly voiced support for Israel include Irshad Manji, Salim Mansur, Enes Kanter, Abdurrahman Wahid, Mithal al-Alusi, Kasim Hafeez, Abdullah Saad Al-Hadlaq, Zuhdi Jasser, Asra Nomani, and Khaleel Mohammed.

The Muslim world's historical stance on Israel has often been influenced by its commitment to the Palestinian cause. The Abraham Accords of 2020 marked a shift in this dynamic, fostering a more open support for Israel in Arab countries, enabling Muslim social media influencers to promote positive narratives about Israel.

History

Early twentieth century

After World War I, the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali and his son, the King Feisal of Hijaz and then of Iraq, proclaimed pro-Zionist views. According to Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi, the Wahhabi position, in contrast, was extremely anti-Zionist.

On March 23, 1918, Al Qibla, the daily newspaper of Mecca, printed the following words in support of the Balfour Declaration, calling upon the Palestine Arabs to welcome the Jews and to cooperate with them:

The resources of the country alestineare still virgin soil and will be developed by the Jewish immigrants (...) we have seen the Jews from foreign countries streaming to Palestine from Russia, Germany, Austria, Spain, and America. The cause of causes could not escape those who had a gift of deeper insight. They knew that the country was for its original sons bna'ihi-l-asliyin for all their differences, a sacred and beloved homeland. The return of these exiles aliyato their homeland will prove materially and spiritually an experimental school for their brethren who are with them in the fields, factories, trades and all things connected to the land.

On 3 January 1919, Hussein's son, king Faisal I of Iraq and Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the World Zionist Organization signed the Faisal–Weizmann Agreement for Arab-Jewish cooperation, in which Faisal conditionally accepted the Balfour Declaration based on the fulfilment of British wartime promises of development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and on which subject he stated:

As'ad Shukeiri, a Muslim scholar ('alim) of the Acre area, and the father of PLO founder Ahmad Shukeiri, rejected the values of the Palestinian Arab national movement and was opposed to the anti-Zionist movement. He met routinely with Zionist officials and had a part in every pro-Zionist Arab organization from the beginning of the British Mandate, publicly rejecting Mohammad Amin al-Husayni's use of Islam to attack Zionism..

In the 1920s, the Muslim National Associations was established by Muslim Arabs who were employed by the Palestine Zionist Executive. The president of the Muslim National Associations and the mayor of Haifa, Hassan Bey Shukri, has founded the organization with Sheikh Musa Hadeib from the village of Dawaymeh near Hebron and head of the farmers' party of Mt. Hebron.

In July 1921, Shukri sent a telegram to the British government, declaring support for the Balfour Declaration and Zionist immigration to British Mandate Palestine:

In 1929, Hadeib was murdered in Jerusalem, supposedly for his collaboration with the Zionists.

In the late 1930s, Amir Abdullah, ruler of Transjordan, and the pro-Hashemite leader of Syria, Abd al-Rahman Shahabandar, offered the Zionists to create a Jewish autonomy in Palestine under the Transjordanian throne, although they did not propose an independent Jewish state.

Modern times

A number of Muslim groups that have histories of conflict with Arabs, including Kurds and Berbers, have also voiced support for Israel and Zionism. Ramin H. Artin, of the Kurdish-American Education Society, argues that the creation of Israel has been "a thorn in the eye of fascists who would rather eliminate the Jewish state". He concluded that an Israeli-Kurdish alliance is "natural", and that sincere mutual respect and recognition of each other's rights can lead to peace and prosperity.

Palazzi noted that although in present days support for Israel among Muslims is a minority orientation, there are some exceptions, such as former President of Indonesia and leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, Shaykh Abdurrahman Wahid, and the Grand Mufti of the Russian Federation, Shaykh Talgat Tajuddin, the Mufti of European Russia, Shaykh Salman Farid, who wrote a fatwa against the intifadah. According to Palazzi, more examples for Pro-Israeli Muslim clerics are the Muftis of Chechnya, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Abraham Accords

The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, enabled a shift in Muslim sentiment regarding Israel in the Arab world. By normalizing relations between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, the Accords allowed Arab citizens to openly express support for Israel without fear of backlash. This paved the way for a new generation of Muslim social media influencers to use platforms like Twitter and Instagram to promote positive perspectives on Israel to their large followings. For example, Loay Al-Shareef frequently highlights Jewish history and scripture to argue the legitimacy of Israel, while Fatema Al-Harbi shares her transformational experiences visiting Israel with her thousands of followers. Cross-cultural people-to-people trips organized by NGOs have proven pivotal in shifting broader Arab and Muslim perceptions of Israelis. Participants reported gaining first-hand understanding that Israelis are "normal, nice people" rather than the nefarious occupiers portrayed in regional media.

Israeli Arab supporters of Israel

Muslim Bedouins

During the 1947–1949 Palestine war, many Bedouin switched sides to join the Zionist forces in opposing the invasion by the regular Arab armies.

Negev Bedouins, a Muslim minority which includes about 12% of Israeli Arabs, tend to identify more as Israelis than other Arab citizens of Israel. Many Negev Bedouins serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Each year, between 5%–10% of the Bedouin of draft age volunteer for the IDF (unlike Druze and Jewish Israelis, they are not required by law to do so).

During the Palestinian Arab national movement's formation, Bedouins often perceived their tribe as their principal focus of identity, and they generally did not view themselves as a component of the emerging Palestinian identity..

Bedouins had long standing ties with nearby Jewish communities. Bedouins of Tuba-Zangariyye helped defend these communities in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. Formal co-operation between Jews and Bedouin began in 1946, when tribal leader Sheik Hussein Mohammed Ali Abu Yussef of the al-Heib tribe sent more than 60 of his men to fight alongside Zionist forces, forming the Pal-Heib unit of the Haganah. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Pal-Heib unit defended Jewish communities in the Upper Galilee against Syria. Sheik Abu Yussef was quoted in 1948 as saying, "Is it not written in the Koran that the ties of neighbors are as dear as those of relations? Our friendship with the Jews goes back many years. We felt we could trust them and they learned from us too".

Maj Fehd Fallah, a Bedouin from the village of Saad in the Golan Heights said in an interview: "Yes, I have fought against Muslims in Gaza," he says. "And I would fight again if I had to," he added. "Israeli Muslims who don't serve in the IDF should be ashamed for not serving their country."

Ismail Khaldi is the first Bedouin deputy consul of Israel and the highest ranking Muslim in the Israeli foreign service. Khaldi is a strong advocate of Israel. While acknowledging that the state of Israeli Bedouin minority is not ideal, he said

Israeli Circassian Muslims

The Circassians in Israel are non-Arab, predominantly Sunni Muslims. The Circassians have had good relations with the Jewish community in Israel since the beginning of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. The Circassian community in Israel helped the illegal immigration ( Ha'apala) of Jews into Palestine during the British Mandate and fought on the Israeli side of the 1947–1949 Palestine war. In 1948, when Israel was created, Circassians of Palestine did not migrate to neighboring countries, but rather made the choice to stay within the borders of the new state and embrace full Israeli citizenship, according to academic Eleonore Merza. Like the Druze population, since 1958 male Circassians perform Israeli mandatory military service upon reaching the age of majority, while females do not. Many Circassians in Israel are employed in the security forces, including in the Border Guard, the Israel Defense Forces, the police and the Israel Prison Service. The percentage of army recruits among the Circassian community in Israel is particularly high. This loyalty to Israel is often considered as an act of betrayal by the Arab Muslims, who see Circassians as traitors to the Ummah.

Acceptance of Israel among Israeli Arabs

A Truman Institute survey from 2005 found that 63% of the Arab citizens accept the principle that Israel is the state of the Jewish people. In a 2012 survey conducted by the University of Haifa Jewish-Arab Center, "Index of Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel 2012", 75% of Israeli Arabs stated that Israel has a right to exist as an independent state, and 48% that they could support its existence as a democratic, Jewish state.

Notable non-Israeli Muslim supporters of Israel

Notable Muslim supporters of Israel include Dr. Tawfik Hamid, a former self-described member of a terror organization and current Islamic thinker and reformer, Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi, Director of the Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community and self described Muslim Zionist, and Tashbih Sayyed – a Muslim Pakistani-American scholar, journalist, author, and self-described Muslim Zionist, Prof. Khaleel Mohammed, Islamic Law scholar of the San Diego State University and Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist and publisher, and a self-proclaimed Muslim Zionist.

Australia

Mohammad Tawhidi, an Iranian-born Australian Imam who was made an imam by Ayatollah Sayid Sadiq Shirazi in Qum, Iran in 2010. He holds several licenses from Islamic seminaries and is known for holding contrasting views from other Islamic experts, such as stating his support for Israel and declaring that ''Palestine is Jewish land.''

Bangladesh

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist and publisher, and a self-proclaimed Muslim Zionist. His newspaper, ''Weekly Blitz'', criticizes the jihad culture and advocates inter-faith understanding between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Choudhury was arrested by Bangladeshi police on November 29, 2003, at Dhaka airport since he was scheduled to fly to Israel, a country Bangladeshi citizens are barred from travelling to. After release from 17-months imprisonment, Choudhury wrote in an Israeli newspaper "I also stand before you perhaps as a living contradiction: a Zionist, a defender of Israel, and a devout, practicing Muslim, living in a Muslim country." He said "I believe in the justice of the Zionist dream. I also acknowledge this historical reality: that the world has endeavored to crush that dream and, yes, even to destroy the viability of the Jewish people. At the same time, I live in an environment where people believe just as passionately in an opposing view—one that sees Israel as illegitimate; and the Jewish people as evil incarnate."

Canada

Irshad Manji, a Muslim Canadian author and an advocate of progressive interpretation of Islam, says that the Arabs' failure to accept the Jews' historical bond with Palestine is a mistake. Manji accepts that the Jews' historical roots stretch back to the land of Israel, and recognizes their right to a Jewish state. She further argues that the allegation of apartheid in Israel is deeply misleading, noting that there are in Israel several Arab political parties; that Arab-Muslim legislators have veto powers; and that Arab parties have overturned disqualifications. She also observes that Israel has a free Arab press; that road signs bear Arabic translations; and that Arabs live and study alongside Jews. She accuses Arab countries for the Palestinian refugees' plight, saying that they "interfered with every attempt to solve the problem" and that they would rather give "generous support to suicide bombers and their families" rather than help the needy refugees. According to Geneive Abdo, "Muslim Zionist" is a label which Manji "would no doubt accept".

In 2008, Salim Mansur, a Muslim Canadian Political Scientist, columnist and author, congratulated Israel for its 60th anniversary, and declared that the Jewish state "deserves admiration". He wrote, "Israel is a tiny sliver of land in a vast tempest-ridden sea of the Arab-Muslim world, and yet it is here the ancient world's most enduring story is made fresh again by Jews to live God's covenant with Abraham as told in their sacred literature." In 2010, he wrote: "The story of modern Israel, as many have noted, is a miracle unlike any ..It is a robust and inclusive democracy, and is at the leading edge of science and technology .. What hypocrites demand of Israelis and the scrutiny Israel is subjected to by them, they would not dare make of any other nation."

The late Tarek Fatah

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