About Daniel Shayesteh

Dr Daniel was born into a Muslim family in Northern Iran. He became a radical Muslim leader and teacher of Islam in the militant Free Islamic Revolutionary Movement, closely supporting Ayatollah Khomeini. However, after falling out of favor with Khomeini’s political group, he escaped to Turkey where there began an amazing journey to faith in Jesus Christ.

Daniel's mission is to help others understand and lovingly respond to those who do not know Christ. He is also deeply concerned for the future of Western societies, their loss of confidence in Judeo-Christian values, and their persistent naivete about the implications of the world-wide Islamic revival.

Palestinian Leader: "Palestinians Are Not From Palestine!?"

On March 23, 2012, Interior and National Security Minister of Hamas, Mr. Fathi Hammad, declared on the Egyptian Al-Hekma TV station that Palestinians are not natives, but artificial people comprised of Egyptians, Saudis, Yemenis and others who have come to destroy and dominate Israel.

Mr. Hammad describes that Palestine contains the most zealous Islamists and Muslims as it carries the banner of jihad for the destruction of Jews and their allies. This is the very reason why Egyptians and other Muslims, he surmises, should point their compass toward Palestine and Jerusalem: to support their blood brothers and sisters in the fulfillment of Islamic jihad against infidels.

Sadly, no world leaders have spoken up to reject these comments, and the Jew-bashing media and leftists act like people who have not heard anything Mr. Hammad has said about rejecting the native identity of his fellow Palestinians. They would surely react, even with disgust, if Jews announced the true identity of Palestinians. This proves how eager some westerners are to deny the rights of Jews to the land of Israel.

A few months ago, former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich stated that Palestinians are an “invented people”. He was attacked by fellow politicians for speaking the truth, but all these politicians kept quiet when Mr. Hammad, Palestinians’ own leader, stated the same truth months later.

Mr. Hammad’s confession is in sharp contrast to the Palestinians’ global propaganda in claiming indigenous status in the land of Israel.  It also conflicts with their accusation against Israel that it has occupied 'their' lands. Why is this so? Because Islamists do not hide the truth about Islam and Muslims when they talk to each other in their own native languages. They twist or hide it only when they talk to strangers, especially westerners, in order to deceive and raise more moral enemies against Israel, as well as to attract compassion from the West and its so-called humanitarian which finances daily rockets sent to Israel. Without game-playing Palestinian leaders would find it difficult to pass the Oslo Peace Process, which declared peace an impossible goal in the Middle-East as long as terrorists receive moral and financial support. For this reason, Palestinians have been trying to keep westerners unaware of their intentions.  They continue to seek and obtain financial help to finance their terrorism against Jews, because, as Mr. Hammad revealingly said, “When we seek their help, it is in order to continue to wage Jihad."

The Palestinians’ game is to raise hatred against Israel and isolate her among global communities so that they can erase her from the world map. Sadly, their deception has been working because they have had a free hand in hijacking Muslim and leftist partners in the West. For this reason, Palestinians are more warmly welcomed than Israelis in western governmental organizations and universities. Many universities in the West act as proxies for Palestinian against Israel. One example is the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) which was first established at the University of California, Berkeley 2001and then flourished into other universities. SJP sincerely believes that Israel has occupied Jerusalem and Palestinian lands. Because of this, the SJP seeks to evacuate all Israelis in order that the so-called Palestinian refugees may return. These students have run various campaigns  to lift up the cause of the Palestines against Israel. University leftists have guided these students to believe the lies of the Palestinian leaders instead of familiarizing themselves with the truth about Palestine and Israel. They do not know that the war of Palestinians against Israel is not because Israel has occupied their lands? It is because the presence of Israel is considered an insult to Islamic pride.

Furthermore, the UN’s Human Rights Council has prepared a commission to wage a campaign against Israel, blaming her for occupying lands, even though this initiative is contrary to the UN’s previous efforts for establishing peace between Jews and Palestinians via a process of mutual negotiation.

Many forms of evidence, including the Quran, the Quranic commentaries, the comments of Mr. Hammad, and the Christian and Jewish scriptures all confirm that the land of Israel belongs to Jews. What stronger witnesses than this do the world leaders need in order to accept the fact that Jews have full right over Jerusalem and Israel? Mr. Hammad has clearly said that Arabs have not come to Palestine to live a normal life, but for jihad and for the annihilation of Jews. World leaders need to take Mr. Hammad’s confessions seriously and accept that they have been deceived by Palestinians’ false and artificial peace negotiations.

Mr. Hammad is fully aware that the Quran and history have never supported the idea of native Palestinians being Arabs. The Quran never refers to the region as Palestine, but the Promised Land which is ordained for Jews by God (Q.5: 21-22; 7:136). The land was given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their offspring. Jacob and his children left the land and took refuge in Egypt because of famine. The neighbors occupied the land in their absence and did not want to give it back to them on their return to their fathers’ land. For this reason, God ordained Moses to lead his fellow Jews from the bondage of Egypt and settle them in their own land.

Islamic scholars rarely use the word Palestine in their discussions about these Quranic verses and never claim that Arabs resided in the Promised Land. Like the Quran, they too call the former Canaanite residents of Israel tyrants who ignored the command to leave the Promised Land; nevertheless, God drove them out and situated Jews in it. The Quran not only confirms the occupation and ownership of Israel by the Jews but also states that God will complete his favor and ultimately gather the whole scattered Jews in all over the world and bring them back to Israel:
"And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter cometh to pass We shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations." (Q.17:104)
Isn’t this a confirmation to the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948? What clearer evidence than this do Muslims and world powers need to believe that Jerusalem and Israel are the destinies of Jews?

It is crystal clear that the Palestinians’ zeal for war against Israel springs from their hatred towards Jews and nothing more. Not only does the Quran deny Palestinian rights over the Promised Land, but Palestinian actions show that they are aliens and not natives. They call Jerusalem their holy place, but in practice they have not shown even one per cent of the reverence Jews have for Jerusalem. Palestinian attitudes toward the holy sites in Israel are similar to the attitudes of occupiers, who do not show any reverence towards their occupied lands and people. They have treated the holy sites of Israel with contempt and used these places for picnics or as playgrounds for playing soccer (football) in order to torment Jews emotionally, socially, morally and spiritually.  Not only do Muslims approach their own shrine (Kaba) in Mecca with ultimate reverence; they will kill anyone who uses its sites for leisure. Saudis have issued a law that non-Muslims have to stay 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from Mecca, otherwise they could be killed. Jews do not have right to even set foot in Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims have no right to approach Muslim holy sites, but Muslims are free to disrespect and show contempt for the holy sites of non-Muslims? What a contrast!

It is time for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to take a hard look at the evidence, and give the Jews  the right to full sovereignty over their native land.