Sheikh Palazzi is the co-chair of Islam-Israel Fellowship, secretary general of the Italian Muslim association, and an Imam in Italy. He is of Syrian Muslim descent. His work includes interfaith discussions with Jews, Christians, and Buddhists.
He has a tendency to quote from the Quran and say few things that he cannot back up. Far from arguing that G-d changed His mind after granting the Land of Israel to the Children of Israel he insists that G-d's law be followed and that changes can only be made by G-d and G-d alone. He rejects an alliance between Islam and Nazi Germany and speaks up against those Muslim clerics who in the 1940s proposed such a union.
Whenever I read his words, it is clear to me that many who speak in the name of Islam really speak in the name of national pride. True faith requires belief in what might not be of personal advantage. Many times religious belief is just by concidence aligned with power for onself.
Sure, there are Jews who hold it with the terrorists and a German Neo-Nazi could point to those in the same way this German Zionist points to Sheikh Palazzi. But the difference is that the Neo-Nazi can speak up whereever he wants, while I cannot. The reason is simply that there exist hateful people who deny freedom of speech on the one side, but not on the other.
Islam and Christianity are not on opposing ends of the spectrum. But some people are.
"I am glad to inform you that the Italian Muslim Assembly and the Cultural institute of the Italian Islamic Community are joining the demonstration of protest in front of the Iranian Embassy organized by “Il Foglio” for the incoming November 3. The infamous words by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to which “Israel must be cancelled from maps”, must be openly, strongly and publicly condemned by all those who believe in democracy and peace coexistence among the nations. In joining the praiseworthy initiative organized by your daily newspaper, the democratic and moderate Muslims belonging to the Italian Muslim Assembly and to the Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community want to voice their solidarity with Israel, threatened in its own right to exist, and extend the same solidarity to those democratic Iranians who have been fighting for years against a clerical dictatorship which is corrupt their country and changing it into a barbarous entity.
Civil nations must unanimously oppose a rough nation whose President openly declares his intention to destroy the only democracy of Middle East. The representative of such a rough nation cannot sea side by side with the representatives of the civil nations, and must be expelled by international organization, starting from the United Nations Organization. We ask the UNO Secretary Kofi Annan to consider the opportunity to expel Iran from the UN. As a minimum, he must immediately cancel his planned visit to Tehran.
Like it happened on April 15, 2002 during the "Israel Day", our participation to a demonstration in support of the State of Israel organized by the board of "Il Foglio" is a gesture to voice our solidarity with all those Israeli citizens who are living under the daily threat of terrorism and antisemitism. We thank you for giving us and many other Italian citizens an opportunity to show our love for Israel with a concrete initiative. We wish for Israel to prosper and to grow strong, and we hope to see "cancelled" that corrupt and bloodthirsty mullahcratic regime which is so hated by the wide majority of Iranians. WE also of to celebrate with all of you the day in which, like it happened with Saddam Hussein, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will also be sent to jail and tried for his crimes."
http://www.amislam.com/demo.htm
Sheikh Palazzi also wrote about Israel's right to exist as per the Quran:
"God wanted to give Avraham a double blessing, through Ishmael and through Isaac, and ordered that Ishmael's descendents should live in the desert of Arabia and Isaac's in Canaan."
http://templemount.org/quranland.html
"And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah that they are dead; nay they are living, although ye perceive it not.
And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.
Who, when a misfortune overtakes them, say, Verily, to Allah we belong and verily to Him shall we return.
It is these on whom descend blessings from their Lord and mercy, and the are the ones who are rightly guided."
(Glorious Qur'an, al-Baqarah 154-157)
http://www.amislam.com/shuhada.htm
"President George Bush claims he reads the Bible daily, but seems to forget that it is written there that the Land of Israel is G-d's gift to the Children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was not given to anyone else, including the descendants of Ishmael, since they received plenty of territory in other locations. Even so, whoever attempts to steal any of the Divine inheritance of the Jewish people declares war not only on a particular nation, but on G-d and His decree."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7634