In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah [The Exalted] said:
وَإِذَا قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ ڪَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ
And when you testify, be just, even if (it concerns) a near relative.
When you testify by way of a statement to judge between people, differentiate between them in a discourse, and speak regarding matters and circumstances, be just in your speech, adhere to truthfulness regarding those you love and those you hate, be fair and do not conceal what needs to be made clear because it is forbidden and tantamount to injustice to divert (from justice and fairness) when speaking against the one you hate. [Tafsir as-Sadi]
Therefore, we remind ourselves of the fact that not all Jews are engaged in the actions of the Zionists, as Shaikh Abu Iyaad [may Allah preserve him] stated, “It is important to note that not all Jews are involved in these intrigues and the Jews as a population have, throughout history, been subject to the whims and desires of their religious and political leaders, and have been made to undergo much persecution as a result”. Must read below:
https://abuiyaad.com/w/king-faisal-zionism?s=35
Christian Zionism moved from its beginnings to the United States of America
The Puritans were the first to arrive in America with Zionism, rather they were the founders and initiators of its first ideas, and they worked hard to bring about changes in all fields in favour of their Zionist calls in the senior positions of power and the official administrative departments. They established the settlement of Massachusetts in the year 1630, and during the following decade, more than twenty thousand Puritans migrated to this place. They brought the Hebrew language to the settlement, printed the books of the Old Testament, and translated it into Latin. Perhaps the most important thing they practiced in their new settlement was the establishment of the idea of a “covenant” or contract similar to the “covenant between Prophet Musa [peace be upon him] and Jehovah”, or between “the Lord and Prophet Ibrahim [peace be upon him]”, as they claimed. In the same way that the Jews left Egypt and went to a new land that the Lord promised them, as stated in the books of the Old Testament, the “Puritans” of Christian Zionism saw themselves as the new chosen people and the new world as the new Israel. As a result, they made an imaginary covenant with the Lord, saying, “If the Lord secures our departure to the new world, we will establish a society governed by divine laws”. John Winchester, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, likened the colony to a city “on the hill,” that is, a virtuous city and an example to be emulated by the world.
The imaginary covenant between the early Puritan Christian Zionists and God had a significant political, religious, and social impact on American thought. As a result, Americans believed that they had been bestowed with a specific mission from God, to be an example to be emulated in all regions of the world, and from this thought arose another concept known as the principle of “Manifest Destiny”, meaning that America’s destiny, which God has destined, is to prepare the world, and the principle of “Progressive Imperialism”, meaning the colonisation of other peoples to bring progress to them, and the spread of Christian Zionism among them, and the principle of “Liberal Internationalism”, which is referred to as President Wilson’s fourteen points, and the principle of “Improving the World”, as are the claims of “Kennedy” and “Johnson”, or the principle of “Human Rights” as it is claimed by Carter and Clinton.
(First), the idea of the “Covenant with God” influenced the political structure of the United States of America, therefore when the first founders prepared the “Declaration of Independence”, the concept of the contract was an important concept. The theological covenant evolved into civil social contracts, as defined by John Locke, in which individuals enter into a contract with the government, agreeing to submit to its rule in exchange for the preservation of their established rights. It should be noted that Covenant theology predated the work of John Locke and Rhema, and it may have influenced his thinking about the social contract between citizens and government. There is no doubt that covenant theology has prepared people to think about the social contract, that is, it has prepared them to think that obedience to obligations related to God and the members of society are matched by benefits that accrue to everyone in society. The social contract changed the Puritan theological covenant from one between God and people to one between individuals and the government, and therefore the idea of the Puritan religious era was represented in the democracy of the American political system. The first Puritans were “Congregationalists,” and “bishops” who chose their pastor, and all parishes were linked to an ecclesiastical organisation in which each “diocese” enjoys autonomy and makes decisions in the future. Parishes had specific practices that were democratically established by church members, and thus all “Diocese” later influenced notions of American democracy. According to the Puritan “Zionist Christian” covenant, church members elected the government, and those who were allowed full membership in the church and had a say in the civil government were: the civil government that had authority over all members of society, but it was regulated by only those who could prove their spiritual superiority and supervised by those who were full members of the church.
(Second), the belief of Christian Zionism (Puritanism) in the duality of human nature, that is, spiritual transcendence on the one hand and inferiority (since the first sin) on the other, had an impact on the principle of separation of powers, as well as the idea of control and balance between Congress and the presidency in order to prevent corruption of the political system. Humanity (in their view) is susceptible to corruption, and absolute authority corrupts it completely, thus each authority must be checked and balanced by the other authority. This negative view of human nature, the first sin, and human corruption as a reality of life found its way into American political thinking; therefore, the first founders developed the American Constitution based on this vision, when they preferred a government bound by restrictions, controls, and separation of powers.
The Christian Zionists (Puritans) arose in the new world and believed to be God’s chosen people with a specific mission – the new world represented by the new Israel, whereas the old world is represented by ancient Egypt. They believed that the covenant with God, which they had concluded, would serve as the foundation for constructing a divine society (a city above The Hill) that would be the centre of the world’s attention, and that the covenant with God would take on a secular, civil character, transforming into a social contract between individuals and the government. Because they were Congregationalists who held that the government is chosen democratically by the holy members of the Church, and because they were Puritans, they cemented a negative view of human nature in American political thinking which imposed the choice of a government bound by restrictions, controls, and the separation of powers.
Since its establishment, Christian Zionism attempted to meddle in decision-making channels and influence elections in the United States of America, so that the candidate would be loyal to it and defend its principles and ideas; rather, they sought to ensure that the presidential candidate was an evangelical fundamentalist who embraced and supported Christian Zionism’s ideals. The Christian Zionist inclination can be found in several of America’s first presidents and examples of this can be found in their words and actions, such as:
[I] George Washington, the first American president, whose presidency was from the year 1789 to 1797 AD, was deeply religious, of course, based on distorted Christianity. He declared his sanctification for Jewish rites and rituals, and the sacred history “contained in the Old Testament”, and this appears in many of His speeches, including that he sent two letters to two Jewish leaders in his country, following his assumption of office of President, in which he expressed his hope that the Lord, the miracle worker, who saved the Hebrews in ancient times from the oppression of their Egyptian oppressors, and planted them in the Promised Land, would continue to water them from the shade of heaven.
[II] John Adams, who assumed the American presidency from 1797 to 1801 AD, was clearly pro-Zionist. A complete century before Herzl, he expressed the sincere desire for the Jews to return to the land of Judah (Palestine), as an independent nation. In a letter sent to the president who succeeded him as president of America, Jefferson, he said, “Even if I were an atheist, and believed blindly in fate that is eternally dispose of based on human activity, I would be free to believe that fate decreed that the Jews would be the agent – the greatest and most effective essential, in making the nations of the world civilized nations”. He expressed “Jefferson’s proposal that the official emblem of America be a drawing of the image of the children of Israel, emerging from Egypt, under the leadership of Prophet Musa [peace be upon him] with the Lord Jehovah leading them in the form of Two pillars, a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire”.
[III] Thomas Jefferson assumed the American presidency from the year 1801 to 1809 AD, and he was the third American president. This president submitted a proposal to Congress proposing that the symbol of America be represented in the form of the children of Israel, led by a cloud during the day, and at night a pillar of fire instead of an eagle, and this is consistent with the text From the Old Testament, as follows, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might walk day and night”.
[IV] James Madison: He served as president from 1809 to 1817 and was the first American president to appoint a Jew to a diplomatic position. He appointed the active Jew Mordechai Noah, Consul General in Tunisia. Madison was deeply religious, fluent in the Hebrew language and the writings of the priests and the Jewish rabbis.
[V] Stephen Grover Cleveland: he assumed the presidency from 1885 to 1889 AD, and from 1893 to 1898. He was the last American president to assume the presidency before the establishment of the Jewish Zionist Organization. When he assumed the presidency, he sent a letter to the Jewish Masonic organization, called “B’nai B’rith”, which means “Children of the Covenant”, supported the Jews in his letter, expressed his support and closeness to them, and appointed them to important political positions at home and abroad.
Following the failure of Jewish Zionism supporters in Europe to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, they tried to establish a temporary state in the United States of America at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Mordechai Noah, a politician, journalist, and writer who served as the United States of America’s consul in Tunisia, made a valiant effort, so on his route to Tunisia, he stopped in Paris in 1815 CE, where he met Abgar Yejuwar, who informed him of the failure of the Jews in France in organising a state for themselves in Palestine with Napoleon Bonaparte. He (Mordecai Noah) was also distressed by the circumstances of Jews in Tunisia, and when he returned to the United States of America, he declared himself the chief judge of Israel and called for the establishment of a Jewish state on “Grand Island” on the Niagara River and “Buffalo” in New York, and asked Jews in Europe, particularly in France, to assist him in gaining legitimacy for his Jewish state. He also intended to seek a statute establishing the Jewish state under the name “Ararat” from the New York State Legislative Council. The State Legislative Council reassured him that state law protects the rights of Jews wishing to live on the Island. He stated that his goal was not to establish a Jewish state on Grand Island but rather to gather Jews from all over the world in preparation for their migration to Palestine when the time was right because Palestine at the time was under the preservation and care of the Islamic Ottoman empire, which the Jews did not have access to.
A great celebration was held in Buffalo to temporarily lay the foundation stone of the Jewish state, but it fell and did not succeed because this (initiative by Mordechai) was in contrast to many European Jews’ belief who held that Ararat was an American idea, and that when the Messiah arrives, he would be able to construct the Jewish state, and that establishing a Jewish state prior to the arrival of the Messiah was impossible. This idea persisted in their midst, even among staunch proponents of the construction of a Jewish state, particularly after the emergence of the Jewish Zionist concept at the end of the nineteenth century.
The main thought that stimulated culture and politics in the United States of America, especially in its belief in the necessity of establishing a Jewish state on the Land of Israel in Palestine, nurturing that state, and protecting it as a religious and cultural adherence through politics, was the “Puritan” Christian Zionism and the millenarian doctrine it carries, and the like. Warder Cresson, the first American consul to Jerusalem in 1844, declared that he sought to do the Lord’s work by establishing a national homeland for Jews in the Promised Land through his work in Palestine. He wrote some letters to Washington officials and even made contact with officials in the Ottoman Empire, but his efforts were futile, so he relocated to Palestine. He encouraged American Christian Zionists to follow in his footsteps, and this is exactly what transpired. In 1850, a group of American Zionists led by Zionist Clorinda Minor went to Israel to await the arrival of Christ the Saviour, but they waited for a long time and returned to their homeland after seven years. In the year 1866, 150 American Christian Zionists attempted to establish themselves in Palestine in order to await the arrival of Christ the Saviour. When Christ did not appear, they rationalised their failure by claiming that Christ had been delayed because the chosen people had not all gathered in the “Promised Land.”
William Blackstone, a Christian Zionist, was one of America’s wealthy missionaries. He wrote extensively and advocated work for the return of Christ and the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. As a result, his call influenced numerous politicians, including rulers, States, and representatives in Congress. In 1888, he travelled to Palestine and was dismayed by what he viewed as “the anomaly that Palestine was thus left as land without a people, instead of giving it to a people without a land.”
In 1891, he petitioned US President Benjamin Harrison, requesting that America act to return Jews to Palestine. The petition was signed by 413 prominent American Christians, including John Rockefeller, patriarch of the Rockefeller family and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a large number of Senators, and a number of editors-in-chief of major newspapers. He stated in his petition, “In accordance with the Lord’s distribution of his land to the nations, Palestine remains the homeland of the Jews and their inalienable property. They were evicted by force, so why don’t the great powers, who handed Bulgaria to the Bulgarians and Serbia to the Serbs respond by giving Palestine to the Jews?” In his petition, he quoted an Old Testament text about the Persian “Cyrus,” who (according to him) was anointed by the Lord Jehovah in the Book of Isaiah. He said that Cyrus’ Christianity was blessed by the Lord Jehovah, who held Cyrus’ hand and trampled over kingdoms and rulers before him. He smashed and opened the gates in front of him, and he made the doors not close….” Blackstone hoped to persuade President Harrison to be the Lord’s anointed one, who would, like Cyrus, return the Jews to Palestine. He focused on the necessity of sending Jews to Palestine for two reasons: The first reason was to practise the millenarian doctrine and prepare for the coming of Christ the Saviour. The second reason was the fear that Jews would flock to America, just as they had done in Russia in 1881. As a result, he was to achieve the desired result, which is that guaranteeing the establishment of the State of Israel would secure America’s power and greatness, which the Lord would bless if he assisted, protected, and stood by the Jews. These two reasons, particularly the first theological doctrinal one, motivated America to work hard to assist Jews and establish a state for them in Palestine. This is why Christian Zionism has been and continues to be more forceful in this affair. And this is why Theodor Herzl, the founder of Jewish Zionism, did not object to the British government when it proposed to him the establishment of a Jewish state in Al-Arish, on the Egyptian border, and then suggested that it be established in Cyprus, then in Uganda, and he did not object. The Zionist Christians, on the other hand, criticised Herzl for not protesting and emphasised the importance of establishing it in Palestine rather than elsewhere. He sent a letter to Herzl blaming him for this and attempted to persuade him that the chosen homeland belongs to the chosen people.
When the British Foreign Secretary issued the Balfour Declaration to the Jews in 1917, American President Woodrow Wilson ratified the promise in a letter to the American Jewish Zionist leader Rabbi Stevie Wise, saying: “I have observed with sincere and profound interest Weizmann’s constructive work in Palestine at the request of the British Government, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my satisfaction with the progress of the Zionist movement in the United States of America and the allied countries, since Mr. Balfour’s announcement in the name of his government in agreement to establish a national homeland for Jews in Palestine, and promised that the British government would make every effort to facilitate the fulfilment of this goal”.
It is important to note that President Wilson descends from parents who belonged to the Christian Church, Christian Zionism, and was raised on Protestant teachings, from which Christian Zionism emerged, and he declared that his religious feelings were the motivation for him to work to help return the sacred Land to its people. The fact that Congress endorsed the Balfour Declaration, as several American writers have pointed out, illustrates the penetration of Christian Zionism into decision-making channels in America- amazingly, with Zionist and Hebrew themes. They quote as an example of Congressional Zionism the words of Indiana Representative William A. Cox, who said, “Just as Moses delivered the Israelites from slavery, the Allies are now delivering the Jews from the clutches of the ugly Turks, which is the appropriate conclusion to this world war. Judea must rise up as a nation, independent, with the power to govern itself, advance, and achieve its ideals in life. I feel that I am expressing the thoughts of the American people, and certainly the thoughts of those with whom I discussed this issue. That is, the government of the United States of America must exercise its appropriate powers to see this Jewish state established, and formed to spread the ideas and traditions of ancient Judea”.
In 1922, Henry Cabot Lodge, Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said in Boston, “It seems to me appropriate and laudable that the Jewish people, in all parts of the world, should desire that members of their own race should have the right to return to their lands, which was their cradle, and in which they lived and struggled for thousands of years. Indeed, I can never bear the thought of Jerusalem and Palestine falling under the control of the Mohammedans; that Jerusalem and Palestine, sacred to the Jews and the relatively sacred land of all the great Christian nations of the West, would remain in the hands of the Turks had seemed to me for years like a stain on civilization’s forehead that must be removed”.
In June 1922, the Senate approved the Balfour Declaration, deciding that the United States of America supported the establishment of a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, in accordance with the conditions included in the British government’s November 1917 promise, known as the Balfour Declaration. Then the House of Representatives authorised a more Zionist formulation in the same month, as indicated in its decision made on June 30, 1922, the text of which is as follows: “Whereas the Jewish people have been looking forward for many centuries and longing to rebuild their ancient homeland, the Jewish people must be able to re-establish and organise a national homeland, in the land of its forefathers, thus providing the House of Israel with the opportunity that it has been denied for so long -the restoration of Jewish life and culture in the ancient Jewish homeland.”
After US President Woodrow Wilson signed the Balfour Declaration, his successors committed to working to fulfil that promise, and showed active sympathy for Jewish Zionism, in order to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, and then American Zionist presidents committed to protecting and defending that state after it occupied Muslim countries (i.e. Palestine, Golan Heights).
Following Wilson, President Warren Harding stated unequivocally on June 1, 1921, “It is impossible for those who serve the Jewish people not to believe that they will one day be returned to their historic national homeland where they will begin a new phase, but rather a phase greater than their contribution to the progress of humanity”, and he declared his support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. Then came President Calvin Coolidge after him, who declared his belief in a national Jewish homeland in Palestine in 1924, his support for its establishment, his admiration for the Zionist movement, and its efforts to make Palestine accept Jewish immigrants. Next in line was President Herbert Hoover, who conveyed his satisfaction with the progress made by the Jewish community in Palestine. In 1928, he commended the Jewish Zionist Organisation for their “great achievement in Palestine” and emphasised the need to continue working towards the realisation of the concept of Jewish re-emergence in Palestine. Then there was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served from 1933 to 1945. During his rule, the Jewish Zionist star, also known as the Star of David and Solomon, was adopted and given an official emblem for mail departments, helmets used by soldiers in the Sixth Division, and American Navy seals, on the print of the new dollar, the Presidential Medal, the police guards in Chicago, and the chest badge worn by the mayor in many areas. He declared at the beginning of his presidency that he was a pragmatist working for America’s interests with the Arab countries, but in reality, he submitted to Zionist influence, both Jewish and Christian. During his presidency, the Zionists were incredibly active, with their activity centred on creating a Jewish majority in Palestine in preparation for the foundation of an independent Jewish state there.
In 1939, Britain passed a resolution known as the “White Paper” that specified immigration to Palestine. In the same year, America announced its rejection of the White Paper, putting pressure on Britain to remove it, and launching Jewish immigration under the control of the Jewish Zionist Agency. Zionist, Jewish, and Christian pressure on President Roosevelt mounted, particularly following the formation of the American Palestinian Committee, which included 200 members of the House of Representatives and 68 members of the Senate. The committee aimed to support the Baltimore Conference’s 1942 program of establishing a Jewish-Palestinian Commonwealth. As a result, Roosevelt declared in his presidential campaign program in 1944 that he supported opening the gates of Palestine to unrestricted Jewish immigration and settlement, as well as any strategy that would lead to the development of a commonwealth – “a free Jewish democracy, and that he is certain that the American people will support this goal, and if he is re-elected, he will help achieve this goal”. However, Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, and President Harry S. Truman succeeded him. His presidency lasted from 1945 to 1953, and he sought to meet the Zionists’ aspirations. As soon as he took office, he released a statement saying, “The official American view regarding Palestine is to allow the largest number of Jews into it as much as possible,” including the potential of establishing a Jewish state there. In 1947, Truman also announced his endorsement of the partition decision and even requested that other governments put pressure on those who were hesitant and stopped voting on the partition. On May 14, 1948, he announced his recognition of the newly constituted Jewish state in Palestine in his name and in the name of the United States of America and took the initiative to assist it and provide loans. He gave it a loan of one hundred million dollars, followed by subsequent loans, including a loan of 35 million dollars in 1950. There is no doubt that Truman “belonged to and worked for Christian Zionist doctrine, and this is what prompted him to hasten to announce America’s recognition of the Jewish state,” in addition to Christian Zionists’ penetration of government councils and international organisations. President Truman belonged to the conservative Baptist faith, which believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible and believes that the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine is clear evidence of the fulfilment of biblical prophecies. Clark Clifford, advisor to President Truman and then Secretary of Defence during the John F. Kennedy administration, stated at the White House that Truman studied the Torah himself, and as a student of the Torah, he believed in the historical justification for a Jewish national homeland and was convinced that the Balfour Declaration of 1917 fulfilled the ancient hopes and dreams of the Jewish people. He frequently quoted Old Testament passages about the Jewish desire for Zion and said that the Talmud was his favourite book. Moshe Davis mentions in his book “America and the Holy Land” that when Truman was presented in a Jewish theological temple to those present as the man who helped create the State of Israel, Truman responded, saying, “I am Cyrus… I am Cyrus, and who is that?” Who forgets that Cyrus was the one who returned the Jews from their exile in Babylon to Jerusalem.
It must be emphasised that American President Truman had a significant influence on the events that culminated in the foundation of the Jewish state in occupied Palestine. He was the one who demanded that the British government allow 100,000 Jewish immigrants to enter Palestine promptly during its mandate for Palestine. Additionally, he exerted pressure on the UN to decide to partition the nation, and he was also the one to recognise the Jewish state as soon as it declared its independence, just minutes after it was established at midnight on May 15, 1948, and he worked on the call in international forums to defend and protect it. Then, from 1953 to 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, and he had close ties with Zionist preacher Billy Graham, leader of the Christian Zionist “Youth of Christ” organisation. He also maintained a close relationship with some Jewish Masonic organisations, and he asserted that America’s interests are inextricably connected to Israel’s. Christian Zionism became a valuable asset for the state more than before at the start of the twentieth century when the “Christian Right” led a campaign against communism. This paved the way for Christian Zionists to rise to power and precise political practices that served the interests of their doctrine.
When the United States held presidential elections following Eisenhower’s presidency in 1960, one of the candidates was the Catholic John F. Kennedy. The Christian Zionists became angry at the possibility of his victory, and the fanatical Zionist supporter Billy Graham sent a letter to Richard Nixon, the Vice President, warning against the Catholics nominating the Catholic Democrat, and suggesting that the Republican Party nominate a popular Protestant figure for the presidency, namely Waltergood, a member of Congress, who worked as a missionary in China before entering Congress, especially since he was one who shared Nixon’s hostility to communism. When Catholic candidate John F. Kennedy saw that the Protestants were abandoning him, he declared in his program that he was committed to the separation of church and state, opposed government funding for religious schools, and would not send an American diplomatic mission to the Vatican. This drew Protestants and liberal Jews to his side. However, at a conference in Washington in 1960, the National Union of Evangelicals, the Christian Zionists, led a campaign against Kennedy, emphasising that Kennedy’s nomination “represents a dangerous interference by the Vatican in American politics” and that if he wins the presidency, he will become a “puppet” of the Catholic Church. He did, however, start to emphasise the need to safeguard, defend, and assist Israel. He said, “America has made explicit commitments to protect Israel, and it is in our interest, as Americans, to implement what we have committed to”. He stated before the Zionist Organisation of America, after speaking about the founding of the State of Israel, “It was not born to disappear; Truman was the first to recognize Israel, and I will continue on this route.” Then he reiterated on several occasions that “the Lord Jehovah” is the one who protects and secures the United States of America. Following that, Kennedy was elected President of the United States of America from 1960 to 1963, and immediately after taking office, he worked to allay the fears of Protestants, so he and a number of his White House aides attended the annual breakfast prayer with the Evangelical Protestants in greater numbers than former President Eisenhower, and before his trip to Latin America in 1962, he invited the Protestant pastor, Billy Graham, to the White House, and told him, “I will be your Apostle John”, he joked.
In 1962, the Evangelical Protestants launched the first voting project for the Christian Right, under the name “The Christian Citizen,” with the goal of training Evangelical Christian Zionists in electoral campaigns, and they were able to recruit two thousand members of an organisation to study electoral commissions in 17 American states. In 1963, the Christian Zionist Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency of the United States, and during his reign, America became embroiled in the Vietnam quagmire, and the focus returned to Anti-communism. Johnson often said that his Christian religion was derived from the Jewish religion, therefore, it cannot be separated from them. One of the key reasons for Johnson’s great support for the Jewish state of “Israel” was his Christian faith in God’s plan and control over the entire existence and humanity. He articulated these views numerous times in a period of seven years. In a book titled “My Brother Lyndon,” released in 1970, his brother, Sam Houston Johnson, stated, “Lyndon’s aunt was always giving him religious advice.” In a letter to Sam, the aunt once said, “I want you to tell Lyndon something more about me. Inform him that since Jews are God’s chosen people, you should always stand by them and never do anything to harm them. You should never doubt what the Bible itself says about it, as you are aware. Establishing the state was the greatest accomplishment of Harry Truman’s life. When Israel embarked on that work, it guaranteed certain success next elections”.
As for Richard Nixon, he was one of the deepest in his thoughts and theorists of Zionism among American politicians, and he was an evangelical Zionist. He used to say, “I gave the order to begin a massive airlift of supplies and equipment during the 1973 war, which allowed Israel to halt Syria’s and Egypt’s assault on two fronts. Our commitment to the survival of Israel is a deep commitment. We are not official allies, but something binds us together stronger than any piece of paper. It is a moral commitment. It is a commitment that no president in the past has ever broken, and every president in the future will faithfully fulfill. America will never allow Israel’s enemies to harm it by achieving their goal of destroying it”.
Many social and political developments have occurred, resulting in a watershed moment in the formation of the Christian right. The civil rights movement and the Vietnam War created a schism in American society, as well as a deeper schism among Christian Zionism and its trends. The liberals focused on sit-ins and other forms of protest, whilst the conservatives focused on religious influence on individual conscience. Overall, these social developments in America resulted in a Christian Protestant renaissance in response to societal issues such as women’s equality with men, sexual freedom, abortion rights, homosexuality, and so on. As a result, in the face of political and social transformations, the “Christian Right” turned to political activity more than ever before, resulting in its ascent as a powerful phenomenon to political influence in the 1970s and beyond.
President Jimmy Carter, who belonged to the Evangelical Zionist Christian Sect, declared in 1976 that his slogan was “belief in the doctrine of being born again.” In March 1979, he told the Israeli Knesset, “Seven American presidents believed, and embodied this belief, that the United States of America’s relationship with Israel is more than a special relationship, but rather a unique relationship because the idea that Israel and the United States of America were founded by pioneer immigrants and that we share the Torah’s legacy is ingrained in the conscience, morals, religion, and beliefs of the American people themselves. Brzezinski, his national security advisor, affirmed that American-Israeli relations are personal and rooted in history, both historical and spiritual. Many newspapers referred to 1976 as “the year of fundamentalist evangelicals,” and it began with strong, supportive political and popular enthusiasm for the sake of Christian Zionism. It is worth mentioning that in his election statement, President Carter stated that “the establishment of modern Israel is the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy”. The fervent Zionist, Billy Graham, said about him, “The president goes to church every Sunday, and he and his wife read passages from the Torah before going to sleep, and he does not drink alcohol in the white house.”
During his presidency from 1976 to 1980, he accomplished much for the benefit of the Jews in Palestine and the Zionist organisation in general, and his stances were founded on a theological belief in the Jewish state and a commitment to protect and support it forever. His accomplishments in the interests of the Jewish state were numerous, the most significant of which were the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978, and his provision of military and economic aid to Israel, more than any previous American president. During his presidency, Israel received $10 billion in aid, and he was the first American president to establish a presidential commission in 1978 on the subject of the “Holocaust,” or the burning of Jews during the Nazi era, as well as the first American president to push for an American anti-boycott law to deal with Arab countries’ boycott of Israel in 1977. He declared that anyone who accused Jews of murdering Christ was guilty of “anti-Semitism.” The director of religious affairs at the Zionist organisation known as the “American Jewish Committee” then stated, “For the first time in American presidential history, an American president issued a direct announcement about an unfair issue against Jews with traditional historical religious roots.”
Since 1980, the alliance between the Christian Right and the New Right has emerged as the most powerful force on the American political scene, as the Christian Right entered the Republican Party and allied with the political right. This relationship, which established an active political Zionist movement for the American presidency, was intensified and became visible following Ronald Reagan’s nomination for the American presidency in 1980. In a statement he delivered at a clergy meeting following his nomination conference, he declared his support for the beliefs and ethics of the Christian right. Consequently, the Moral Majority Organisation was established “With intense activities in favour of Reagan’s candidacy. This Zionist organisation, which symbolises the core of the Christian Right, mobilised three million voters in the presidential and legislative elections, and thus the Christian Right became an influential force in Reagan’s victory”. Since the Christian Right had grown to be a powerful force in the Senate and House of Representatives, several members of the Zionist and Christian right ascended to prominent political roles.
Reagan was an avid Zionist in the service of international Zionism, and he was greatly affected by his mother, who believed in salvation and read the Bible frequently. Her kid son grew up going to churches and was raised on the Bible, which he learned at Sunday schools, as Reagan used to say. Similarly, he would sit with his Dispensational Zionist pals, particularly the fanatical Billy Graham, with whom he would frequently discuss the theory of the second coming of Christ and salvation, as well as other Christian Zionist principles. During Reagan’s campaign for a second term as governor of California in 1970, the Zionist Reverend George Otis paid him a visit and they discussed – with those present – the biblical prophecies and the possibility of their fulfilment for America during Reagan’s presidency, which Otis had prophesied to him. Either way, Reagan visited and engaged with Christian Zionists on a regular basis until he embraced the principles of Christian Zionism and worked for them. Rather, he frequently used those concepts as evidence with Old Testament texts, predicting the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ during his administration, or its close appearance. In an interview with the Zionist pastor Jerry Falwell in 1981, he stated that President Reagan informed him that “the destruction of the world could happen soon. He asserted that Russia was Gog and Magog and that it would be the one that would invade Israel, then the nuclear battle of Armageddon would occur”. He addressed the United Nations three times (1982, 1983, and 1984). Religious broadcasters confirmed his conviction about the nearness of Armageddon and the second coming of Christ according to the Lord’s will, as described in Bible predictions, he said. He predicted in 1986 that the Land of Israel would be besieged by armies of infidel nations, with Libya among them, and that Armageddon was not far away.
Pat Robertson, an advocate of Zionism, declared in 1988 that he would run for president from the Republican Party; however, he was not successful in winning the nomination. Consequently, he established the “Christian Coalition” organisation, which served as the foundation for the Christian right and played a significant role in the victories of George W. Bush, several members of Congress, and state governors in the 1988 elections, then expanded at the state level through city councils and school boards. Christian Zionist and Republican Ralph Reed, who also served as the director of the Christian Coalition, stated, “We feel that the Christian community has lost its way in a number of ways by concentrating only on the White House and Congress when most issues that affect evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics are decided in state legislatures, school boards, and local councils.
Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Christian Zionists disseminated propaganda claiming that Saddam Hussain was the Antichrist and that the Russians would back him in the war against Israel. This set the stage for the Armageddon conflict between the forces of good, led by America, Israel, and their allies, and the forces of evil, represented by the Arabs and Russians, which would culminate in the return of Christ and the end of the world. In 1982, some Arab newspapers, citing the Israeli periodical “Kivunim” published a report from the World Zionist Organisation in Jerusalem under the title “Israel’s Plan in the Eighties,” and it was stated in the report, “As for Iraq, it is rich in oil and prone to internal conflicts, and dismantling it will be more important for us than dismantling Syria because Iraq represents the most dangerous threat to Israel in the short term, and a Syrian-Iraqi war will help destroy Iraq internally before it is able to help in the Arab disintegration.” [Footnote a]
US President George H. W. Bush had close ties with Christian Zionist organisations. He also had a close acquaintance with the evangelical Zionist priest Billy Graham, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and the most powerful Zionist priest in American and international public opinion. The other fanatical Zionist priest, Jerry Falwell, campaigned for the election of George Bush senior to the presidency, and therefore some writers have stated that Jerry Falwell’s support and that of his followers was the main reason for George Bush winning the presidency. Also, during the war on Iraq, this president used to sit with Christian Zionist clerics, and he incurred huge sums for settling Soviet Jews in Palestine, as well as committed criminal acts during the Gulf War. Christian Zionism grew into a political force. In America, white Protestant evangelicals accounted for 25% of registered voters, ten times the votes of Jews, four times the votes of non-religious people, and three times the votes of African Americans. Christians, who are the most educated, wealthy, and employed among Americans, controlled 31 of the Republican Party’s congressional seats in 1994.
During the election campaign for US President Bill Clinton, he sent a message to voters asking for their support and swore to them, saying: “If I am elected president, I will never disappoint Israel”. John Duke, head of the National Council on Arab-American Relations, said about him, “55% of his advisors are Jews, and the first advisors in the White House were Australian-Israelis”. During his presidency, he was close to the Jews, to the point that the National Security Council had seven of them. The Jews included eleven members, in addition to other positions allocated to the Jews. As for George Bush Jr, he – as analysts wrote about him – has a Christian-Zionist culture from which his actions and statements emerge. He made numerous statements indicating this, including – for example – that during the presidential election campaign, in which Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George Bush were competing, the two candidates appeared in a debate on a television program on 10/11/2000, and one of the questions they were asked, regarding foreign policy, was a question about their position on the Middle East conflict. Al-Gore stated, “Syria must release the three Israeli prisoners, Arafat must issue orders to stop the violence, and Iraq remains a threat.” He added, “Israel must feel secure at all times. Our relationship with Israel is one of the two countries’ strongest ties. Our relationship with Israel is contractual and deep, and it is not transitory and changes in response to changing situations”. George Bush Jr said, “Israel will always be our ally, and we will always stand by Israel,” George Bush stated. Arafat must issue orders to put an end to the violence”. Then, he declared that if he won, he would begin to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and he would not send the American military to any war unless America’s essential interests were jeopardised. Then he added, “Israel’s security is America’s vital interest”.
Zionist lobby: Paul Findley worked as a member of the US Congress for 22 years and left it in 1982. He was opposed to the Zionist lobby on American policy and wrote two books on the subject of Zionist pressure means controlling American decisions. The two books are, “They Dare to Speak Out” and “Deliberate Deceptions”, translated into Arabic, and he established the National Interest Council for the same purpose. The two books provide an in-depth study of Zionist lobbying in politics and American society.
The Christian-Zionist lobby, or influential pressure from Christian Zionists, appeared in the United States of America before the Jewish-Zionist lobby, and it became increasingly influential in the nineteenth century CE because it infiltrated the Republican Party, which has controlled the House of Representatives since 1994. There is no doubt that the Christian Zionist lobby plays a powerful and significant role in the American political system and political processes by attempting to influence decision-makers in the political system. These organisations use various means, including pressure, to carry out their activities. “Lobby” means the dissemination of information with the goal of persuading and influencing the decisions of others, especially in the two institutions, legislative and executive, as well as influencing the masses through their influence on the individual’s direction, opinion, and political positions, as well as on other collective organisations, and influence to support the election victory of candidates. These forceful Christian Zionist organisations began gradually in America many years ago, penetrating the decision-making spheres, until they attained their goal in the last few years. The Jewish Zionist lobby consists primarily of the “American Israel Public Affairs Committee – AIPAC,” which was founded in 1959, and the Conference of “Heads of Jewish Organisations,” which was also founded in 1959, as well as political action committees, the most important of which is the “National Committee for Political Action,” in which 300 Jewish organisations are active, and was established in 1982, and there are many more in this field in the United States of America. It’s important to note that Christian Zionism did not stop at influencing and permeating the ideas of American presidents; rather, it spread to numerous influential political forums, including the Senate and the House of Representatives, which influenced American policy. An illustration of this was the formation of the “American Palestinian Committee,” a group of non-Jewish politicians in America, in May 1932. In addition to numerous government officials in the Council of Ministers, ten members of the House of Representatives and eighteen members of the Senate were among its founders. This committee’s objectives were to coordinate Christian Zionists’ efforts to collaborate on Jewish issues and the formation of public opinion in the USA among non-Jews about the objectives, accomplishments, and activities of Zionists in Palestine. In 1941, it announced its main principles, which included the following: “The American Palestine Committee is dedicated to upholding the values outlined in the Balfour Declaration, which have been reaffirmed by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the statements made by the President of the Republic. We believe that the Jewish national homeland in Palestine will play a significant and vital role in the universal system, which must ultimately result in victory”. Along with being among the first to ratify the Balfour Declaration, the American Federal Labour Federation likewise acknowledged the “legitimate demands of the Jewish people” based on the right to self-government.
An Excerpt from “As-Sahyuniyyah An-Nasraaniyyah, Diraasah Fee Daw’i Al-Aqeedah Al-islaamiyyah”. pages pages 298-330
