An Nahdah Electoral Manifesto #1

March 20th 1999

In the name of God, the most Merciful and Compassionate!

Tens of prisoners from the university of martyrs are behind bars - a scandalous conspiracy!

Brothers, sisters, brothers of martyrs and prisoners, sons of the university of martyrs - it is the enemy as we have always known, a war against purity and honesty which kills, arrests, tortures without consideration to who is watching and doesn't know the value of humanity. It knows nothing apart from savagery as a way to maintain its existence, built on massacres and rivers of blood. Built on the pain, wailing and the tears of others. Evacuated, destroyed, assassinated, demolished using all illegal and internationally condemned ways. Seeing millions dispossessed from their land and thousands of prisoners tortured and martyred hasn't deterred it.

The surrendering of masses and raising up the white flags and olive branches didn't deter them. False peace or undermined agreements didn't deter them. They weren't satisfied to see the enemy of yesterday become a sincere friend, joining and drinking the toast of defeat with them. They weren't satisfied to see their prisons on the land of the West Bank and Gaza become slaughterhouses where free, honest and pure people are tortured by Palestinian hands. No - they continue in their deception to humiliate and torture our people. Continuing to kill, blow up, torture and going as far as they can to smother the last breath of resistance left on our homeland.

Gathering all of their experiences, abilities and resources to bring down the last wall of the Islamic nation and the Palestinian people. After that, the hated Zionist enemy gave open permission and the batons of oppression to several of yesterday's strugglers - the owners of the white flags. They now have more time to pursue the remaining honest strugglers of the nation. So they send out the bloodied hands to kill, assassinate, arrest and enjoy the torture of the victim.

They claim to use these methods against those on the run who held the gun and continue with the struggle but it becomes clear when you see them concentrating their criminal activities against supporters of an ideology in universities, colleges and schools. Silencing the guns by itself is not enough. The free voices, free ideas and beliefs and all of what is necessary to be honest during this era must be silenced as well. This putrid stage requires that no-one remains apart from those who hold the signing pens and those who fill their pockets and their bellies. If not, then what is the meaning of filling prisons and jails with hundreds of university students without charge apart from defending an ideology that goes against all shapes of surrender, defeat and submission to an enemy that is devouring our daily lives.

What is the meaning of the high, unimaginable sentences passed against all of those free and innocent people - apart from being aimed at students who refused to hold the pen of humiliation? Why the silence of these leaders - if they don't agree - concerning these crimes against humanity which force our youth to spend the best days of their lives behind bars? Why all these criminal arrest campaigns, starting on the eve of the student elections and, as has been witnessed in the past, immediately afterwards, which aim to crush freedom of expression without a word of protest? What gives us hope is our firm belief that our nation won't betray those who gave their lives for the sake of freedom. Against all terror, threats and the tools of oppression the river of sacrifice is refreshed with each drop of blood from a martyr or a wound from a prisoner that has been cowardly whipped.

Against imprisonment and the gaoler, against the darkness of the cell and the smell of prison head sacks, our roar at the university of martyrs will never stop our willingness to sacrifice, with God's help! If one is too selfish to give his sweat for freedom, we are prepared to give our blood because we are not the ones who will be defeated on the battlefront. But those stabs from our 'relatives' and their wounds to our heart effect us deeply. This is the way you knew our past and this is the way our future will be, with you, for you, our flags will never fall as long as God is with us.

Freedom to our Prisoners! Misery to their Gaolers!

As the Koran meant, "They want to extinguish the light of God by their mouths but God refuses to let the light dim - even if the unbelievers desire it!"