Support them eventhough they are shiites

A fresh wave of appalling atrocity scenes fills television and newspapers, this time from Lebanon. Israel is sparing no effort in destroying Lebanon's infrastructure and killing the civilians. The recent Qana massacre is just one episode of this bloody series.

The war leaves us with the obligation to react positively and to rush to help our brothers and sisters. This is the time for solidarity and unity as taught by Islam. Questions arise about how to help and what roles Muslims should play. Many Muslims are eager to do something, but they do not know how. This folder attempts to give answers.

Unfortunately, some Muslims do not share this spirit. "Why should we help Hizbullah when they are not Sunni Muslims?" they wonder. Some prohibit any form of cooperation or support to the Lebanese resistance; they even prohibit du`aa'. This is a serious issue indeed. The last things we need in this critical situation are disruption and disunity. True, differences do exist between Sunnis and Shiites, but these differences do not exclude the Shiites from the fold of Islam, nor do they excuse forsaking them in their struggle against the Israeli aggression. The folder highlights this issue and presents the scholars' calls to set aside these differences and focus on our common goal.

As we have been witnessing daily atrocities against innocent civilians, wanton destruction of property and infrastructure, and environmental pollution, the folder also presents the Islamic etiquette of war, which prohibits killing women, children, the aged; uprooting trees; and killing animals.