By Babatunde Jose

One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. (Joshua 23:10) “And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.” (Joshua 6:21).

This is the scenario being played out in Gaza but being denied by the Israeli high command. It is purely genocide by no other name.

In the days of old in Apesin village, a thief was tied to the stake early in the morning and people going to the market all saw him and abused him with hisses and condemnatory remarks. On their return in the evening, they were astounded to still meet the thief tied to the stake. To them it has become overkill. They started raising questions: What did he steal? Is it not ‘common’ goat? Must he be killed because he stole…….? This narrative exemplifies the current public opinion on the Gaza issue. In short, the punishment is seen as very disproportionate to the crime.

The central slogan of the war in Gaza is ‘Together we will win!’, to which the governing Israeli right automatically adds ‘with God’s help’, giving the conflict with Hamas a religious dimension.

At a press conference in Tel Aviv on 28 October 2023, and in a letter of 3 November to IDF soldiers that praised their ‘fight against the murderers of Hamas’, Binyamin Netanyahu quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (25:17): Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore, it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

Although such language aims to give the conflict a religious gloss, it predates the reaction to the Hamas atrocities of 7^th October. The Israeli authorities have used this sort of rhetoric for several years, albeit less overtly.

Testimony from an officer of the Golani infantry brigade published by Breaking the Silence, an organization of veteran soldiers opposed to the occupation of Palestinian territories, exemplifies this: during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, the IDF’s chief rabbi Avichai Rontzki urged the soldiers of ‘God’s army’ to show no mercy towards the enemy, invoking the wars of conquest in Canaan, the Promised Land.

And in 2014, during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, General Ofer Winter, commander of the Givati infantry brigade, wrote in an official dispatch, ‘History has chosen us to spearhead the fighting against the terrorist Gazan enemy which abuses, blasphemes, and curses the God of Israel’s [defense] forces.

In 2003, Matti Steinberg an expert on Palestinian issues was summarily dismissed because he had gone against government policy by criticizing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s outright rejection of the peace initiative that Saudi Arabia put forward at the March 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut. This plan, which remains the Arab League’s official position, offered normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors in exchange for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Palestinian territories it occupied in June 1967.

In addition, Steinberg had questioned the targeted killings of Palestinian leaders; but above all he felt the government was putting the country’s future at risk by looking at the Palestinian question merely in terms of security. In his view, only the creation of an independent Palestine would allow Israel to remain both a Jewish and democratic state. Now a respected academic, Steinberg has continued to voice his opinions over the last two decades.

The current aim of Israel is to freeze the diplomatic process, freeze the political process, and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and also prevent a discussion on the subject of refugees, return of the same to their former abode and talks on borders. However, with the current acts of genocide and wanton wholesale destruction of Gaza, the whole strategy has become an unforced error.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel not to reoccupy Gaza, to refrain from a major Rafah operation, and to finalize a day-after plan for the enclave; he spoke to reporters during his visit to Kyiv. “When it comes to the future of Gaza, we do not support and will not support an Israeli reoccupation,” Blinken said, but this is exactly the game plan of Netanyahu.

It would be clear that Israel does not have a day-after plan, a step that had only prolonged the military conflict in the enclave. The open secret is that Israel wants to seize the Palestinian land and annex it.

The world should ensure that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza strip, nor establish military governance in Gaza. And if they are not disposed to Hamas rule in Gaza, a governing alternative to Hamas in Gaza should be raised immediately. Afterall Hamas is an Israeli creation used to supplant Fatah.

In an interview with CNBC, Netanyahu stressed that once the war is over, Gaza should be governed by a “non-Hamas civilian administration,” but the IDF would retain military responsibility. What exactly is the meaning of that?

It is not possible to put in place a local alternative to Gaza, as long as Hamas remains there, he said. Therefore, millions of Gazans should be displaced, and thousands killed, particularly children and women, in order to flush out the 4 battalion Hamas troops in the Gaza Strip. How many months will it take to achieve this? Unfortunately for the Israelis, every Gazan is Hamas, even the children who are currently the victims of the genocide. The situation in the last eight months has swayed opinion against Israel.

In his interview with CNBC, Netanyahu stressed in particular his position on Palestinian statehood, which, coming in the aftermath of the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, he said would be a reward to terror.

The US has said it wants Israel to promise to leave Gaza once the war is over and support Palestinian statehood. The “two-state solution that people are talking about, basically would be the greatest reward for the terrorist that you can imagine,” Netanyahu said.

“It would be a state that would be immediately taken over by Hamas and Iran. And it wouldn’t advance the purposes of peace. It would just be a launching ground for a future war against Israel,” he said.

As the matter stands therefore, Israel is against Palestinian statehood and the United States knows that. All the shuttle diplomacy and long talks about the war in Gaza are mere transparent sham and the ruse of Two-State solution an opaque sham. It is therefore left to the Arab neighbors to gird their loins and find a lasting solution to the 75-year-old Palestinian question.

A two-state solution on the formula of the partition of India in 1947 that led to the creation of West and East Pakistan, might be a feasible solution. Hence, we would have West Palestine in present Gaza and East Palestine comprising present West Bank.

The question also arises, who will rebuild the Gaza Strip? The United Nations must step into the matter to make the State of Israel pay reparations that would help pay for the rebuilding of the infrastructure it destroyed in Gaza, just as Germany was made to pay after the First World War. Israel must not escape paying reparations for the present orgy of destruction in Gaza.

Egypt says it will formally join the case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its war on the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last Sunday that Cairo intended to join the case due to escalating Israeli aggression against Palestinian civilians.

Egypt will join Turkey and Colombia in formally requesting to join the case against Israel. This month, Turkey said it would seek to join the case after Colombia asked the ICJ last month to allow it to join to ensure “the safety and, indeed, the very existence of the Palestinian people”.

Egypt said it is calling on Israel “to comply with its obligations as the occupying power and to implement the provisional measures issued by the ICJ, which require ensuring access to humanitarian and relief aid in a manner that meets the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.

It also demands that Israeli forces do not commit any violations against the Palestinian people. This is exactly the demand made by the American President when he threatened to stop further arms shipment to Israel.

Egypt is the cornerstone of Israel’s standing in the Middle East. The connections that Israel has in the Middle East and North Africa today, including with Jordan, the UAE and Morocco, are all “a result of what Egypt did 40 years ago”, referring to the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.

“With Egypt joining South Africa now in The Hague, it’s a real diplomatic punch. Israel would have to take it very seriously.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the Rafah offensive was needed to defeat Hamas. However, it is now 8 months the genocide started, and it has not defeated Hamas. It is clear, Israel is not after Hamas but the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Will the world allow that to happen? Videbimus.

It is said that ‘Malu ti’o niru. . .. . a cow that has no tail. . ..’ . A word is enough.

All is not lost, it shall be well with Palestine, In Sha Allah.

Subhana Rabbika Rabbil ‘izzati ‘amma yasifun, Wa salamun ‘alal-Mursalin, Wal hamdu lillahi Rabbil ‘alamin: Thy Lord is Holy and clear of all that is alleged against Him (by the non-believers); and He is Exalted.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.

By Babatunde Jose

“Sorrow is part of the earth’s great cycles, flowing into the night like cool air sinking down a river course.

To feel sorry is to float on the pulse of the heart, the surge from living to dying, from coming to being to ceasing to exist. Maybe this is why the earth has the power over time to wash sorrow into a deeper pool, cold and shadowed. And maybe this is why, even though sorrow never disappears, it can make a deeper connection to the currents of life and so connect somehow, to sources of wonder and solace.” – Kathleen Dean Moore

Reflecting on the inevitability of our death can help us snap out of the trance of taking the beauty and wonder of life and the universe for granted. It’s easy to put our heads down and focus on what’s in front of us, but memento mori can help us tune back into the astonishing beauty and majesty of life.

Death brings suffering to the body, the heart, and the mind. Therefore, the progressing loss of a loved one brings sadness, often despair and a deep pain which we wish to acknowledge for all who have loved another.

Death teaches us about the finiteness of life and time, and that the longer we continue to hold onto our past, the longer we continue to be burdened by things that will soon hold no value for us.

Death at root is a separation. In humans, it’s what happens when the physical body and the immaterial part of us (called the spirit or soul) separate. As James 2:26 puts it, “The body without the spirit is dead.” When people we love die, the rest of us feel separation too.

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.”

The Book of Maccabees says that it’s a healthy thing to pray for the dead and that, every so often, it’s healthy too to think about death, both by remembering those who have died and by contemplating the reality and certainty of our own deaths.

It was late Bob Marley who said ‘Good friends we have, oh, good friends we’ve lost, Along the way. In this great future, you can’t forget your past; So dry your tears, I say,  ..No, woman, no cry.

And indeed, there were good friends we had and good friends we lost, along the way in this journey called life. Reminiscing over these losses brings sweet and sad memories.

Among those good friends were Sikiru Akinpelu who died shortly after I returned from Port Harcourt, in the late seventies; Yemi Bakare a very good friend, (gone but not forgotten). And Isiaka Allison (Soku) with whom we rocked not only in Lagos but later in Manchester and then back to Lagos till he died shortly after his 70^th birthday.

Professor Lateef Hussein and I were in UI and later in Manchester. He lived not far from my house in Charlton-Cum-Hardy, and we shared many evenings together. That friendship was continued when we both came back home, and he later became VC LASU. A gifted Quranic scholar and very jovial fellow, the Prof was an Abibu Oluwa fan till the end. We still miss him. May Allah grant them all, Jannatul Firdous.

In the university days, many friends were made in Great Ife courtesy of my frequent visits to my bosom friend DelFaj.  It was at Ife I met Onome Ibru whose death in an accident on the Lagos Ibadan Road brough untold grief and sadness to us.

Another friend at Ife was Doyin Akinyosotu (Tenko Lash, Aladan) who later became Chairman of the Ifesowapo local government at Ile Oluji, in Ondo State. He later died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Another Ife friend was the unbreakable Akin Fashakin, who passed away under mysterious circumstances in Lagos about 30 years ago. I used to enjoy his company during my many visits to Kano where he lived. But all that is now in the realm of reminiscences.

How can I forget Bob, (Ade Bombers), my friend, partner in crime and In-Law, Ade Owolade? From Ibadan to Swaziland and South Africa. The Hugh Masekela DVD (Time) he gave me is still much cherished. Ade died in a Pretoria hospital in 2005. May his soul continue to rest in peace. He was not only my in-law but ‘my cousin’, which was how we introduced ourselves to others.

Another good friend we had and lost was indomitable Dele Adeola, a very sociable and dependable friend. I remember the New Year parties in his place, our occasional lunch and travels to Ondo, Dubai, and many other places.

In that same group were Joe Alagbe, former Provost Marshal of the Air Force, Air Marshal Ibrahim Alfa and lately AVM Atto, who at a time succeeded Alagbe as Provost Marshal. All gentlemen officers. The Allen Avenue days will forever remain fresh. There was also our very own, Popo Akinyanju, a gentleman per excellence.

This reminiscences are by no means exhaustive. In the London scene were Ademola Elegbege, his wife Joko and then Dotun Animashaun (Ani Bongolo), Wasiu Elegbege (Ejo), Demola Bamgbala, Uncle Femi Ajasa in whose place late Yemisi, my life-long friend and companion, stayed on Blackstock Road N4, by the old Arsenal Stadium and his friend Mr. Ojobara (Mr. Baro). May their souls rest in peace. Lest we forget, Peju Odunsi of Chelmsford (Sister Donohue). Those were the good days.

Recently we lost Mustapha Abiodun Bashua, Wasiu Masha, Tunde Goodluck (Goodie), all of Ahmadiyya, Eleyele, Ibadan. Olu Dada and Damola Oluwole and before them Segun Adebo, Mexico, Tunde Alabi (Banana), Sola Odunubi, and of course, Toyin Ojibara.

Modele Williams, our very own ‘Emperor Modus’. Senator Muniru Muse, my friend, and prayers partner, every Juma’at for many years. And my inimitable Veronica Chaka, an Amazon, secretary, and convenor of our monthly Bosnia nights.

Demola and Tunde Fagbayi (Engine); unforgettable boat rides to Ilashe, Tarkwa, and the skiing, fishing, and overnight escapades at Tarkwa Bay. In this, we must not forget Segun Adesanya, my paddy man of blessed memory. And later his brother Femi.

In UI: Never to be forgotten Tunji Alamutu, my mentor; Tunji Awobadejo; my roommate, brother and friend, John Azukaego Jideonwo; Tunde Oloyede, Sir Tune. Soji Osoyintuyi, Rufai Ibrahim, all ‘Great Independents’ and our PRO, Yakubu Abdul-Azeez. Another classmate we lost was Professor Shina Sambo (Sambele).

My lecturer and friend who was instrumental in my going to Manchester, Dr Ajibola, ‘People’s Ajibs’. Unfortunately, he had died in an accident by the time I returned from Manchester. May his fiery soul rest in peace.

Lest we forget Tunde Adeyemi of Temples and Golders, late of Itamogiri, Ijebu-Mushin.

And of course, my cousin, Captain Tunde Ashafa. Definitely, not many of us are left.

We need to reflect and take good care of what is left, so that we may not be in loss. The Quran said, Wal‘aṣr, ’innal ’insāna lafī khusr(in) , ’il-la l-lzīna ’āmanū wa‘amilu ṣ-ṣāliḥāti watawāṣaw bilḥaq-qi watawāṣaw biṣ-ṣabr: 1. By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages), 2. Verily Man is in loss, 3. Except such as have Faith, And do righteous deeds, And (join together) In the mutual teaching Of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. (Quran 103)

Our being is bound by time from birth to death. Reflect on death, remind yourself that you have a limited (even shorter than you think) time on this planet.

Philosophy itself is, in fact, a kind of “training for dying”, a purification of the philosopher’s soul from its bodily attachment. Thus, Socrates concludes, it would be unreasonable for a philosopher to fear death, since upon dying he is most likely to obtain the wisdom which he has been seeking his whole life.

According to an even more extreme view, life is made more meaningful by the recognition that it will end with death. According to this view, we gain a deeper appreciation for the common satisfactions of our everyday experience when we fully realize that someday we will die and will then have nothing at all.

In a sense, death is the ultimate purveyor of perspective. It helps us see trivial things for what they are—and face up to the fact that much of what we worry about and consume ourselves with isn’t so important after all. Reflecting on death can help us stop fretting about things that are outside our control.

Death is repeatedly compared with sleep, which is at times described as “the little death.” It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: Those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who reflect. (Quran 39:42).

Death can come any minute; as a Muslim, live every moment in your life as if it’s the last, live with faith, hope, preparation, and bear in mind that there is no time for later.

Pray as if it’s your last time, read Qur’an as if it’s your last time reading it, worship your Lord as if it’s your last chance, cause one day, most certainly, it will be your last day!

Honest prayer can help us walk that tightrope and honest prayer is what we do when we can bring ourselves naked before God, unprotected by what we do, by what we own, by what we have achieved, and by anything else we have to fend off loneliness, fear, and death. In honest prayer we can be deep without being morbid.

We will conclude this sermon with late Abibu Oluwa’s admonition: Oku s’adua f’araiye, araiye s’adua r’ero orun. K’aye o yewa, k’orun o yewon; aw ana ‘nbo wa d’abi awon. Translate?

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.

By Babatunde Jose

‘Hope’ is among the most exalted of all feelings. We have bestowed an air of nobility upon it – an optimist hopes, pessimist despairs. In Greek mythology, ‘hope’ is also the last of all things to jump out of Pandora’s box. It is pitched as a remedy for all the evils which leapt out of the box before it. If not a remedy, it certainly gave humans a reason to live on – a hope that things will be better tomorrow, even though it also has the capacity to extend and accentuate one’s misery at the same time.

For the Stoics, ‘hope’ was irrational. It is only by hoping that things turn out a certain way do we create the possibility of things not turning out how we want them to. If where there is misery, there is hope; then where there is hope, there is misery, too. We suffer not because of what we go through, we suffer because of what we hope for. Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who lived through much physical suffering, put it pithily: “we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”

“It is the audacity of hope which makes people dream, but it is understanding the futility of hope which makes people content.” – Maitreya Thakur

Hope is a blend of optimism and willpower. It can exist even in the most difficult situations and emotions. Hope is much more than wishful thinking, as it requires positiveness and determination. Hope is the belief that your future will be better than the present and that you have the ability to make it happen.

Hope is more than a feel-good emotion. It is an action-oriented strength involving agency, the motivation and confidence that goals can be reached, and also that many effective pathways can be devised in order to get to that desired future.

People high in hope tend to focus on what’s in front of them. They don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future, though they do set goals for themselves. They stay focused on what’s happening right now. This allows them to stay positive and act.

Hope is the belief that your future will be better than the present and that you have the ability to make it happen. It involves both optimism and a can-do attitude. This definition of hope is based on “Hope Theory,” a positive psychology concept developed by American psychologist Charles Snyder.

Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation”.

It is rather unfortunate that hope is not infinite. It gets to a stage when if hope is not realized, it degenerates into frustration and it becomes futile: Meaning it becomes unrealizable. At this stage it dawns on the subject that it is a hopeless hope and a furlong exercise.

What is the danger of losing hope? It can happen when our dreams die. It can also be devastating as they can lead to a loss of purpose and on to depression and discouragement.

When people are sold on the concept of ‘renewed hope’ after years of suffering deprivation, want and insecurity, and are suddenly plunged into poverty, hunger, misery, and want they experience the futility of hope.  Suddenly, the price of fuel jumps from under 200 a liter to 600, diesel becomes out of reach, wages become inadequate to put food on the tables, with prices of food skyrocketing: We return to the state of nature, “No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” So said Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan.

They project into the future and there is no future for their children and children’s children. This is the futility of hope.

How do we maintain hope in the face of uncertainty? What are you hopeful for? We all want to feel hope, but what does that mean to you? Turn to faith and spirituality. This is where God comes in. For those who poo poo the resort to spirituality, they have not experienced the futility of hope.

Can we survive without hope? Even when you have hit bottom, with no plan for getting out, hope gives. What does it give? Hope gives the motivation and courage needed to succeed. It’s been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope.

Hope is necessary not just to survive, but also to thrive. Hope that things will change. Hope that the situation will improve. Hope that we can be better.

In 1992 Abiola raised the hope of the masses with his ‘Hope 93’. There was a revolution of rising expectations as the momentum of the campaign increased. Hopes were elevated for a better tomorrow. But with the annulment of that election all hopes were dashed. Then there was an interregnum of terror during which the revolution of expectations became a revolution of rising frustration. But after those dark days came a supposedly ‘glorious’ dawn with the coming of civil rule. Hope was rekindled. So, we thought.

For 24 years hopes have been raised and dashed by our civilian rulers. We had 16 years of the locust, 8 years of clueless rule of the ‘merchants of change’ who brought no change. No light, no industrial revolution, no food, no petrol, no diesel, no fertilizer, at a time, no cash, no future and no light at the end of the tunnel.

And then we arrived at the present with the mantra of ‘renewed hope’: Instead of hope being renewed, we have a worsening living standard. A life of hunger, insecurity, and pauperization. A life of hopelessness and frustration with a dim hope of tomorrow. A life of increased robbery, mass abductions and kidnappings where people are not safe in their homes. This is the hopelessness of hope that we live in: This is the futility of Hope.

In Genesis 8:22 God said: “For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.” That is the consolation from the Bible to keep hope alive.

It encourages us to renew our hope in God. Bolster our faith and make prayer and quiet time with the Lord a priority.  Surround ourselves with people of hope and faith, keep the word of God in our eyes and ears as many hours as possible each day. Refuse to quit and mix faith, hope, and love.

Despair,desperation, despondency, discouragement, hopelessness refers to a state of mind caused by circumstances that seem too much to cope with.

Overall, hope is beneficial to our well-being. Hope encourages us to persist, even though we may be facing setbacks. Hopeful individuals are more likely to frame difficulties as challenges, rather than threats. This enables them to experience setbacks as less stressful and draining.

This brings us to the various types of hope. Realistic hope: is hope for an outcome that is reasonable and possible. Utopian hope: is a collectively oriented hope that combined action can lead to a better future for everyone. Chosen hope: Helps us live with a problematic present in an uncertain future. And, Transcendent hope, or Existential hope, is the hope that is not tied to a specific outcome, but a general hope that something good can happen; this is where we are now.

We keep moving forward with optimism because hope allows us to envisage a better future or a good outcome. Allah promises us that after every difficulty is a relief. Inna ma’al ‘usri yusra. ‘Verily with every hardship comes ease’. Quran (94:6). We must never lose hope that our situation will improve.

Islam rejects excessive hope or excessive fear, describing both as a “pseudo” type, which would respectively contribute to self-deceit and despair, and end in spiritual decline. We should expect things to turn out for the best and we can look forward to tomorrow with confidence. God has promised us that following His guidance will lead us to the best outcome.

“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion. (Surah Talaq, Quran 65:3)

In the Psalms, we read of a Song of Ascents, Psalm 21: I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Amen

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.