By: Anwarulhaq Baig
New Delhi: Professor Mohammad Sohrab, a distinguished scholar, Middle East expert, and professor at the Department of International Politics at Jamia Millia Islamia, delivered a thought-provoking and scholarly analysis on Israel’s expansionist ambitions and their global implications at a special event organized by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. He emphasized that exposing the true motives behind Israel’s actions and challenging fabricated narratives is today both an intellectual and practical responsibility for the Muslim world. In his speech, he elaborated on the ideological foundations of Israel, the historical and religious justifications used to support it, and the role of the Western world in shaping its policies.
Dr. Sohrab revealed that a well-known Muslim intellectual, had once been a student of Maulana Syed Abul A’la Maududi, is now advocating for Pax Israelica, or Greater Israel, and is receiving a salary from the RAND Corporation in Philadelphia, USA.
At the beginning of his address, Prof. Sohrab raised a fundamental question: “Where do Israel’s preferences, desires, intentions, and ideology originate? What is its nature, where did it begin, and what are its objectives? What strategies have been adopted among these elements? This forms the larger framework.”
He clarified that when Israel’s ambitions are examined through the lens of expansionism, their true foundation lies not in history or religious interpretations (theology), but in mythical narratives.
Israeli Theology: Mythical, Not Doctrinal
Prof. Sohrab stated, “Israeli theology has two components,one doctrinal and the other mythical. In reality, Israel’s foundations are less ideological and far more mythical. The sources of its expansionism stem not from theology but from myths.”
According to him, the Jewish community has linked these mythical narratives to the reigns of Prophet Dawood (David) and Prophet Suleiman (Solomon), presenting them as the basis for their future aspirations, despite the lack of historical accuracy. He said, “The reigns of Prophet Dawood and Prophet Suleiman were not Jewish kingdoms. Rather, since they were prophets of Allah, Muslims and Christians are also their spiritual heirs. In fact, Muslims’ claim is stronger, as the Quran and Sunnah demand that we recognize them as part of our religious heritage. Without this understanding, we cannot claim our Muslim identity.”
The Geography of Greater Israel: In the Context of Dawood and Suleiman’s Kingdoms
Explaining the concept of Greater Israel, Prof. Sohrab said, “To understand the map of Greater Israel, we must look at the territories once ruled by Prophet Dawood and Prophet Suleiman, which were vast and are today known as the Levant or the Middle East.”
He further explained that this geography included northern Arabia, the southern part of the Red Sea, present-day Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia across the sea, Cyprus, and even parts of Turkey.
“This was the extent of Prophet Dawood and Prophet Suleiman’s dominion, and Israel has adopted this as its future mission,” he added.
The European Context and Four Major Myths
Prof. Sohrab stressed that Israel’s ambitions cannot be fully understood merely through religious or regional lenses but must also be examined in their Western context.
Prof. Sohrab said, “The second dimension of Israeli myths is extremely powerful; it is rooted in the Western and European context. To understand this, we must go back to the 1500s and 1600s. From that period, four major myths emerged which laid the foundation for the Greater Israel movement.”
He further emphasized that without understanding these historical and political developments, it is impossible to grasp the depth and underlying motivations of Israel’s current ambitions.
Arab Policies Have Become the Lifeline for Israel
Prof. Sohrab stated that today Israel’s greatest support does not come from Europe or the United States, but rather from the policies of the Arab world.
He remarked, “The biggest support that Israel receives today,both internally and externally,is not from Europe or the United States, but from the policies of the Arabs. This situation is like the jugular vein. If it is cut off, death would be instantaneous. Today, all of Israel’s blood, energy, resources, and encouragement are flowing through this Arab jugular vein.”
The Narrative of Arab-Jewish and Judeo-Christian Civilizations
In his speech, Prof. Sohrab presented a historical perspective, saying, “When the Muslim rule in Spain was at its peak, Muslims offered refuge, assistance, and hospitality to the Jews. At that time, the Jews were facing severe oppression and persecution, but Muslims welcomed them and settled them among themselves. This became the foundation of what is known as the ‘Arab-Jewish civilization.’”
Contrasting this with Europe, he explained, “When this Arab-Jewish civilization reached the European context, it was reshaped into the narrative of the ‘Judeo-Christian civilization.’”
The Term “Judeo-Christian” and Its Impact
Prof. Sohrab emphasized the profound effects of the term “Judeo-Christian,” stating, “This phrase,‘Judeo-Christian’,has had such deep and far-reaching effects that it not only altered the course of history but also reshaped the structure of theology.”
He reminded the audience that Jews and Christians were followers of two entirely opposing religions. “These two communities have always been in opposition to each other. Their relationship was confrontational and violent. It was a zero-sum relationship, meaning the survival of one meant the extinction of the other. Therefore, coexistence was never a question that arose.”
Prof. Sohrab clarified that the roots of this religious conflict lay in long-standing theological debates, which revolved around the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the lineage of his mother, and continued for centuries.
Judeo-Christian Civilization and the Dream of Greater Israel
Continuing his insightful discourse, Prof. Sohrab explained, “The implications of the term ‘Judeo-Christian civilization’ proved so profound that it not only changed history but provided an entirely new foundation for religious thought.”
He said that the Jews and Christians, who had been enemies for centuries, were now brought closer together under this new civilizational framework, resulting in a significant ‘religious reconciliation.’
Prof. Sohrab said, “This was no minor development,it completely reshaped the relations between followers of the two religions. The unification of the Old and New Testaments came in this context. Before this, the Torah and the Gospel were separate, just as Jews and Christians were separate. But when history and religion were rewritten, the two were merged.”
He further pointed out that the first signs of this shift can be traced back to the intellectual writings of the fifteenth century, where the rallying cry was raised, “Let us unite once again against our common enemy, Islam. The Crusades, which we could not win, will now be fought anew with a united front and a renewed strategy based on that same agenda of hostility.”
Prof. Sohrab identified this as, “The moment when the idea of Greater Israel first emerged. Before this, history contains no mention of Greater Israel. This concept was born from the religious and civilizational reconciliation that followed, presenting the kingdom of Solomon as a model for Greater Israel.”
He described it as, “The greatest event in human history.”
Prof. Sohrab said, “The decision to assist the Jews from behind the scenes, providing every kind of moral and material support, marked the greatest turning point in human history. This is where Muslims should have conducted the most scholarly work, but unfortunately, we failed to build a research foundation in this area.”
According to him, this decision set in motion the planning and implementation of the ideological framework that would later become the blueprint for Greater Israel.
Jewish Myths and the Dream of Greater Israel
But the question remained how this vision could be turned into reality, which was the biggest challenge of the time, according to him. Prof. Sohrab explained that when nationalism was at its peak in Europe and small nation-states were emerging, the Jewish community realized that they could no longer remain a persecuted group. For the past five to six hundred years, they had lived in such a state, but it was no longer possible.
He said that in this context, the World Jewish Congress was convened in Vienna in 1891, where the idea of Zionism was introduced. However, this idea was not created by the Jews alone. The most active role in shaping the concept of Greater Israel was played by the Christians. They introduced the idea and later handed it over to the Jews. When the Jews adopted it, the question arose as to how it could be justified.
He said, “Since it could not be legitimized on religious grounds, it was decided to focus on myths instead of religion. They knew that based on religious debate, they could never defeat Islam. Therefore, four major myths were created that never actually existed.”
- The first myth was that Jews are the chosen people of God.
- The second myth was that Jews are a people without land.
Prof. Sohrab explained that these two myths were made the collective voice of Jews around the world and to strengthen this concept they were told wherever they are, consider yourselves a landless people. In reality, even in Europe, these myths were not even ten percent true. Even in the ghettos, Jews had land rights.
- The third myth created was that Palestine is an uninhabited land.
- The fourth myth was that Palestine is the promised land.
According to him, by combining all four myths, a powerful narrative was formed: “Palestine, an uninhabited land, is the promised land for the Jews, a landless people chosen by God above all others.”
Commenting that, this narrative became a motivation for the Jewish nation and the Israeli state, the middle east expert continued, “At the Vienna conference, a delegation was sent to Palestine to assess the situation on the ground. The delegation spent 20 to 22 days there and telegraphed the report as follows: ‘The bride is very beautiful but she is already married to someone else.’ This meant that Palestine indeed existed and was fertile but not uninhabited. The Jewish community refused to accept the report and continued their politics based on these four myths.”
The Balfour Declaration and the Dream of Greater Israel
Prof. Sohrab said that the Balfour Declaration of 1917 further reinforced these myths. The British Foreign Secretary, Lord Balfour, issued this declaration, which became a crucial turning point in history and opened the door for the Jewish dream to move towards implementation.
He explained that the myth claiming that Jews were expelled from all of Palestine was also not based on fact. Prof. Sohrab said, “In reality, Jews were not expelled from Palestine but only from certain areas in Jerusalem. Their places of worship were demolished, and not by Muslims but by previous regimes. Despite this, the Jewish population in Palestine was approximately seven percent.”
He noted that Muslims never expelled Jews but rather settled them within their own lands.
Prof. Sohrab remarked that astonishingly, the same community that had expelled the Jews and had a history of animosity allowed them to settle there at a historic turning point. “These two communities came together under a joint vision: Let us unite, come together, and rewrite religion and history to create a new narrative,” he said.
Religious Myths and the Plan for Greater Israel
Prof. Sohrab said that the real source of the stubbornness seen in the present governments of Europe and America lies in the same religious myths that they have begun to believe in like a creed. They say, “We must establish Greater Israel.” Because of this, the political support extended to Israel is rooted in religious narratives as well. A widely held view is that it is the religious duty of Christians, especially Protestant Christians, to ensure the establishment of Greater Israel.
Prof. Sohrab emphasized that it is the responsibility of Muslims to expose these myths, conduct research, and build a strong discourse. According to him, unfortunately, the tragedy of the Arab and Muslim world is that the oppressed themselves are unwilling to call the oppressor by its true name.
The Geopolitical and Cultural Goals of the West
According to Prof. Sohrab, although there is nearly a 100 percent agreement in Europe and America regarding these myths, their goals are tied to geopolitics. First, the West seeks to strengthen its cultural imposition. Second, it aims to deprive Muslims of their most distinct identity as a civilization rooted in the Quran. While economic interests are also present, they are considered secondary in importance.
Pax Israelica – Israel’s Greatest Goal
Prof. Sohrab warned that the Jewish leadership seeks to expand Israel according to the map of the kingdom of David and Solomon. This expansion would include the entire Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, all of Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Tigris and Euphrates regions of Iraq, and even Cyprus.
This plan is known as Israel’s greatest objective and is referred to as Pax Israelica. He further explained that under this plan, the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as northern Saudi Arabia, would come under Israel’s direct control. If this happens, the rest of the world would be left with only minimal autonomy, while Israel would hold complete control over the world’s largest economy.
Rand Corporation and Startling Revelations
Prof. Sohrab revealed that it is evident that all the plans and strategies of Pax Israelica are not Israel’s alone but were created by the Rand Corporation. Two strategies have been developed to achieve Pax Israelica. The first is military strategy, which focuses on establishing influence through armed power. The second is social and political strategy, aimed at preventing Muslims from achieving any form of political unity and keeping them divided and fragmented. According to an allegory, a Solomon vow was taken to ensure that every possible method would be used to keep Muslims politically divided.
Prof. Sohrab explained that efforts were made to divide the ideology of Islam into various categories such as Rational Islam, Progressive Islam, Enlightened Islam, and Moderate Islam. These are actually fabricated terms created by the Rand Corporation to intensify divisions and create internal discord among Muslims.
He also revealed that a prominent Muslim intellectual, who had learned much from the renowned thinker Maulana Syed Abul Aala Maududi and may have even been his student, is now advocating for Pax Israelica while receiving a salary from the Rand Corporation in Philadelphia, America. Prof. Sohrab further said, “I will not mention the name, but it is clear that especially those intellectuals connected with this institution are pointing towards this person.”
He mentioned that the Rand Corporation’s annual budget exceeds 8 billion dollars, which is larger than the entire educational budget of universities in India. “Through this institution, the intellectual and political agenda of Pax Israelica is being implemented by linking internal divisions among Muslims with historical and religious narratives,” he added.
The unnamed individual Prof. Sohrab referred to, while working within the Rand Corporation, is promoting the idea that northern Arabia should rightfully belong to Israel, whereas southern Arabia should remain under Muslim control.
This division, according to Prof. Sohrab, is being justified historically and religiously by linking it to the story of Prophet Abraham’s two wives, Sarah and Hagar, and their two sons, Ishmael and Isaac.
Concluding Thoughts
Concluding his lecture, the Professor raised a question that goes beyond just fighting and pointed out that Muslims themselves are offering interpretations of their history and religious narrative that strengthen Israel’s political ambitions. He said, “Look at how you are interpreting your own history and religion in ways that reinforce Israel’s political agenda rather than protecting your future or political objectives.”