Speaking at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinian cleric Sheikh 'Abd Al-Salam Abu Al-'Izz said that foreign relations with other countries "should be conducted on the basis of spreading Islam" and that "temporary treaties" and "good neighborly relations" were only intended to make it possible to spread Islam to those countries. Sheikh Abu Al-'Izz said that any form of governance other than Islam was tyranny and that Jihad would continue as long as there are infidels not ruled by Islam. His address was posted on the Internet on May 9.

Sheikh 'Abd Al-Salam Abu Al-'Izz: Many people say that Islam did not spread by the sword. They try to conceal Jihad for the sake of Allah as a means of spreading Islam. They say that the Muslims were only defending themselves, and that if they conquered some country or another, it was only in order to put an end to tyranny. In other words, if people were suffering under tyranny, the Muslims would put an end to that tyranny. Then why should [the Muslims] remain in those countries and instate Islam in them? Is it true that the Muslims would not set out to conquer a country, unless there was tyranny in that country? in accordance with Islam. Any system of governance in the world is tyranny against humanity, except Islam. If we look at it this way, we find that there is tyranny in every country. Let us not forget that the Quran makes it incumbent upon us to spread Islam through Jihad: "Fight the infidels who are near you, and let them find harshness in you." "Fight the infidels who are near you" means the ones who are on your borders. This means that the Jihad continues as long as there are infidels who are not ruled by Islam. Thus, the jurisprudents defined the reason for Jihad as the existence of infidels, or to be more precise, the existence of infidels not ruled by Islam - because there are infidels in the Islamic state, the dhimmis, but if they are ruled by Islam, the Jihad against them ceases, and we move on to others.

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We must cultivate the Islamic system of governance in the Islamic nation. The Islamic system of governance will put an end to the tyranny of capitalism all over the world. We must explain the rules of Islam. What is Jihad for the sake of Allah in order to spread the message of Islam? It means that the Muslims should have a powerful state, which would strive to become the world's number one superpower, in order to spread Islam all over the world. Our relations with all the countries should be conducted on the basis of spreading Islam. Even if there are temporary treaties, and we have good neighborly relations [with other countries], this is only so that things will calm down and we can spread Islam to those parts. If we are prevented from spreading Islam, we will not stop [waging Jihad]. We will not sign temporary treaties or have good neighborly relations.

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