# 445 – Al-Asrah 998

Al-Azhar since 998

I also thought it was a misprint. But this Islamic University actually was founded over 1,000 years ago. 1/2 million students in Cairo alone. Counting all the affiliate organisations around the World, around 2 million students!

And until now, it was always considered the foundation and centre of moderate Islam.

The INSS is considered the #1 think tank in Israel…

If you can, take the time to read this article. It is frightening…

But before you do, did you glimpse the tragic sight (on BBC Arabic) of the woman being pulled from the Gaza rubble?

What’s the first thing she screams (in Arabic) “This is because of the Hamas dogs!!” before hands are clamped on her ‘blasphemous mouth’. You know, and I know, that those words, uttered by a woman who has just survived Israeli bombs, is in danger of being killed again – by Hamas.

Again, I refer to my ‘Tunnel to Gaza’ Letter some years back, when I virtually met the father of 2 girls recently killed by Israeli bombs. “Do you really believe Israel is to blame”, I asked…

I’ve been watching Blinken speaking to the press a few mins ago. Then Netanyahu’s speech to the Israeli people. And a few minutes of Nasrallah’s ‘2-hour’ monologue. (Interesting that I could follow it quite well, as Al Jazeera/English were translating it for me. ‘Interesting’, as Israel is considering cutting Al Jazeera from our TVs.).

Where will this end? Referring again to the Morgan-Petersen interview, the latter states clearly that the more Israeli succeeds in destroying Hamas, the more it loses on almost all other fronts. That’s the ‘politically correct’ world we are in. Israel can never ‘get it right’. Let me remind you of our quandary:

* Destroy Hamas needs defining

* Bringing the hostages home (we suffered terribly when Hamas held just Gilad Schalit). Now they hold perhaps 240.  And thanks to today’s technology and social media, Hamas has many more psychological weapons at their disposal.

* Protecting innocent civilians. You’ve heard it a thousand times already how Hamas are using their people as human shields – and the hostages, of course.

In my opinion, our soldiers are also innocent civilians. 4 weeks ago, before the call-up of reservists, that’s 100% what they were. I screamed that not one infantryman should enter Gaza; take their lives out of the equation. It appears that my appeal did not work.

OK, despite the mistakes made on Oct 7, Israel still has perhaps the most efficient military in the World, and has to be trusted to ‘do the right thing’. But, as is obvious, there is always a price to pay.

And how many of the hostages are still alive? We have no idea. I hope the military does. In the meantime, more ‘human’ attempts to bring them home….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlP2fTPB-AM&ab_channel=%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D

That’s enough for today.

Stephen

INSS Insight | From Moderate Islam to Radical Islam? Al-Azhar Stands with Hamas

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