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Islamic Jehad
by Anwar Shaikh |
Jihad, literally means "effort".
Though the Muslim apologists will have us believe that this is what the term
Islamic Jihad implies, this is a gross understatement because of the barbarity,
brutality and bloody mindedness that the Islamic Jihad has come to represent in
action. Just consult the pages of history to find out how the Muslim warriors
waged a Holy War against Europe for no fewer than four hundred years to cut down
half of its population. Chose Mujahedeen (the Muslim warriors) destroyed the
Egyptian and Iranian cultures without the slightest provocation from these
lands. India suffered terrible distortion, disgrace and devastation from these
booty-hunters whose followers, even today, treat Bharat as Dar-ul-Harb (the
battlefield), and are determined to Convert it into an Islamic state through
malice, mischief and molestation.
So complex is the doctrine of Islamic Jihad that its
annotation is not possible without d referent e to What the Prophet Muhammad
stood for, and the means he employed to achieve his purpose:
The Arabs were pagans who indulged in idol-worship,
which exhibits man's innate fear of the Unknown and he bows before the
Supernatural to please I rim with a view to escaping his impending wrath.
however, the Hindus do not adore the statues as such; they are
power-worshippers: they revere Shakti (the Power) behind every natural
phenomenon, called a god or goddess.
The Arabian temples were deeply influenced by the
Indian principle of triad (Trimurti), Which represents plurality of gods but
Muhammad vehemently opposed it fiend instead, preached monotheism, that is,
there is no God but Allah, meaning that all other gods are false except the one
whose cause he advocated. He emphasized that Allah has created man as His slave
whose only purpose of life is to bow, bend and beseech Him.
To convey his purpose with greater clarity, he claimed
that he was the Messenger of Allah and had been sent by Him to preach His name
so that people should believe in Him and worship Him exclusively. Allah, he
held, like Yahwe, the Jewish God, is a jealous Deity, who may forgive all sins
except treating anyone as His equal and lauding Him. Thus, he laid a curse on
all other gods and demanded their total destruction.
Allah, he stressed, is Almighty, the Creator and
Absolute, that is, independent of everything and desire. This definition of
Allah does not stand up to a rational scrutiny. How can Allah be Almighty if He
depends upon a man i.e. the prophet, to convince people of His existence and
greatness? Again, if He is the Creator, He would have created man to believe in
Him automatically. Finally, the God who ardently desires to be deified cannot be
Independent or Absolute.
From the above, it follows that the true God neither
needs a Prophet, nor prophethood is capable of serving His object. Therefore,
the Prophet Muhammad had an aim over and above his stated purpose. This is not a
far-fetched statement look at the following verse:
"To you your religion, and to me my religion."
(The Unbelievers, CIX: 5)
Here, Muhammad is telling people openly that they are
welcome to their religion and he will follow his own! If this be the truth, then
he has nothing to preach, and therefore, he has no message from Allah.
Since the Prophet Muhammad was the founder of the Arab
Empire, he could not have done so without a burning Political ambition. It is an
historical truth that some people acquire temporal power as politicians but
others realize their political dreams through the garb of spiritual leadership.
This is especially applicable to the Middle Eastern countries where prophethood
has been a cultural tradition since time immemorial. This is the reason that
ruler of every locality ruled as the Vicar of God, that is, he asserted that God
was in direct communication with him, and he acted according to His commands.
What is called Vicar is another name for the Messenger (i.e. Prophet). And this
is what Muhammad claimed to be. Obviously, like these Vicars of the Middle
eastern countries, Muhammad had a political ambition, and this fact is amply
proven by his immense success as the Builder of the Arab Empire.
His yearning however, was greater than that of a
mundane ruler, an ordinary Prophet and even God. When he was weak, he declared:
"Say, I have only been commanded to serve God, and
not to associate anyone with Him. To Him I call, and to Him I turn."
(Thunder, XIII- 35)
But when he became powerful, he turned the tables on Allah
Himself:
"God and His angels pray peace to the Prophet, O
believers, you must also bless him, and pray him peace." (The
Confederates, XXXIII: 55)
One can see that the situation has been reversed here.
First, it was Muhammad who prayed to God but now it is God and angles, who pray
to Muhammad. The Koran goes even further to state: "Truly this is the word
of a noble Messenger having power, with the Lord of the Throne secure, obeyed,
moreover, trusty." ( The Darkening, LXXXI: 15-20)
The Muslims interpret these verses to mean that on the
day of Judgment the Prophet Muhammad will sit on the right hand side of Allah to
share the Divine throne of justice, and it is his intercession which will decide
who goes to heaven or hell. Here, Muhammad excels Allah by taking over his
authority.
Now, One can see Muhammad's plan of elevation clearly.
First, he advocates destruction of idols so that they should not rival Allah,
and then in the cloak of prophethood, he becomes the object of praise of Allah
and his angels and also makes it obligatory on all believers to follow this
pattern!
Jihad is the means to raise Muhammad above the mark of
Divinity. Having preached in Mecca for thirteen years, he could secure just
about seventy followers. This number was too small to act as God's army. In
fact, most of the believers suffered terrible persecution for denying and
insulting pagan gods. Eventually, Muhammad, along with his followers fled to
Medina to escape the anguish. Even there, he desperately wanted to accelerate it
because the wheel of his life was rolling on fast, indeed.
Crowning one's greatest desire is usually a difficult
task. Since founders of the ruling dynasties had to use stratagems, practice
convenient morality and wage dreadful wars to achieve their purpose, why should
not the Prophet of Allah raise an army of holy warriors to execute his ambition?
Besides, he also had to settle old scores with the Koresh, people of his own
tribe, who had done everything possible to destroy him and his mission.
Man is fearful and dreads the consequences of war, but
at the same time, greed is a part of his nature, and when his lower instincts
are instigated with the promise of fulfillment, he forgets the difference
between right and wrong to secure his end, which assumes sacred proportions to
justify the means. Muhammad needed an army for the realization of his aim but
people would not imperil their lives Without a suitable inducement. So, the
Prophet conceived the Doctrine of Jihad; it apparently, means fighting in the
way of Allah irrespective of whether the people to be fought against have done
anything wrong or not. The Allah, who claims to be the Creator of all beings,
the Most Merciful, and the Best Judge, has divided mankind into two sections.
The Koran in The Disputer, LVIII: 20, clearly lays down that those who believe
in Allah and Muhammad are God's Party and those who disbelieve are Satan's
Party; the former are destined to be prosperous but the latter are bound to be
the losers. This is because;
"The true religion with God is Islam." (The
House of Imran, III - 15 )
"It is He (Allah) who has sent his Messenger
with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every
religion." (Victory, XLVIII: 25)
Since every religion except Islam is false, it is natural
for Islam to dominate all other faiths. What a dictatorial philosophy it is! the
crowning of this Divine attitude requires perpetual bloodshed of the non-Muslims
by the Muslims, no matter, how innocent, upright and virtuous people the
non-Muslims may be. Murdering them, plundering them, enslaving them and seducing
their women is such a great act of piety in the Mohammedan texicon that it
guarantees paradise to the perpetrators. Such acts are universally looked upon
as the root of evil and thus denounced, deplored and deprecated by the civilized
world, but they have been admired, adored and adulated by the Koran, which
claims to be the Word of God! What is even more stunning is the fact that
warring against the unbelievers is an endless process because a hadith (Muslim:
3) states that the followers of Islam must continue operation of violence until
the faith of Muhammad prevails on earth.
In fact, a powerful army cannot be raised if its
members are conscious of the demarcation between vice and virtue. Once, they are
convinced even wrongly that only their god is pure, pious and perfect, and
everything else is profane, putrid and perfidious, they become an invincible
force. Realizing this fact, Muhammad devised the Plan of Jihad, based on Sex and
Plunder:
1. SEX
Carnal gratification, man's greatest desire, is the
first temptation that the concept of Jihad carries. A Mujahid i.e. the Islamic
warrior, who at that time suffered pangs of sexual starvation in the torrid land
of Arabia, was promised plenty of sensual enjoyment as a reward for
participating in the carnage whether or not he survived the rigors of the
battlefield. If he got killed, he was assured that the houris waited for his
glorious company in Jannnat i.e. paradise, and if he survived, he had a share in
the plunder, which included women of the infidels. Islam has prescribed
flogging, and death-by-stoning for sexual offenses such as fornication and
adultery because it holds such acts as unlawful when committed out of wedlock
but when a Muslim "fights in the way of Allah" to murder the infidels
and plunder their property, then the Koran relaxes this rule:
"And anyone of you who has not the affluence to be
able to marry believing free women in wedlock, let him take believing
handmaids that your right hand owns ......So marry them, with their people's
leave, and give them their wages honorably as women in wedlock, not as in
license or taking lovers." (Women, IV: 25)
These verses demonstrate beyond a shadow of doubt that the
Koran forbids sexual intercourse outside wedlock: marriage is a must for the
fulfillment of sensual desires, but this law is blown off by the wind of change
when it comes to a Muiahid (the Holy warrior):
During the battle of Autas, the Muslims captured some
women along with their husbands. Though earlier, a Muslim had been forbidden
sexual intercourse with an unbelieving married woman, at this occasion, it was
revealed to the Prophet that Allah had relaxed this restriction and permitted
copulation to the warrior if she had fallen to his lot in the battle and thus
became his property. ( TIRMZI, vol. one, P 417 )
What a lure for becoming a fighter! Even the
institution of marriage loses its varnish, value and validity. It must be
remembered that having carnal relationship with one's concubine in the Byzantine
Empire, was considered an offense punishable by death, but Islam, the true
religion of God, permitted it at will!
Even the Prophet Muhammad himself indulged in this
Divine Concession. Having forced the Jewish tribe of Banu Qureza to surrender as
an exercise of Jihad, he put 800 men to death. Among the victims were the
husband, father and brothers of Rehana, a twenty-year-old Jewish beauty, who
fell into Muhammad's lot as his share of the plunder. Having presided over the
massacre of the Jews, he returned to his tent where mournful Rehana awaited her
fate. Charmed by her radiant figure, the Prophet proposed marriage to Rehana,
sobbing with grief and utter frustration. Realizing that he was so impervious to
other peoples' bereavement and sorrow, she refused to acknowledge him as the
Prophet of God and preferred to end up as his concubine instead of wife.
Sex was a big bait to attract followers, and
eventually, make them sincere devotees. After the people of Taif surrendered in
February, 1639 AD to escape horrors of the siege, Muhammad was presented with
three beautiful women; he gave one of them "to Ali, another to Usman and
the third to Omar." To realize the significance of this episode, one ought
to remember that both Ali and Usman were his sons-in-law and Omar was his
father-in-law.
The holy warriors of Islam have been given an unusual
privilege of sexual merriment. If they survive the battle, they secure
concubines but if they fall, they are sure to enter paradise full of houris,
living in the most luxurious environment. See for yourself:
" For them (the Muslims) is reserved a definite
provision, fruit and a great honor in the Gardens of bliss reclining upon
couches arranged face to face, a cup from a fountain being passed round to them,
while, a pleasure to the drinkers ..... and with them wide eyed maidens flexing
their glances as if they were slightly concealed pearls. (The Rangers, 40-45)
"Surely for the God-fearing awaits a place of
security gardens and vineyards and maidens with swelling bosoms." (The
Tidings: 30)
The houris are ever-young women who have wide eyes,
flexing glances and swelling bosoms. Fancy the modesty of Allah and holiness of
His manners. Can anyone honestly say that it is not a lure to attract followers?
How desperate Allah is for votaries!
To bring out the veracity of this point, I may refer to
HADITH TIRMZI, volume two (p 35-40) which gives details of the houris:
1. A houri is a most beautiful young woman with a
transparent body. The marrow of her bones is visible like the interior lines of
pearls and rubies. She looks like red wine in a white glass.
2 She is of white color, and free from the routine
physical disabilities of an ordinary woman such as menstruation, menopause,
urinal and offal discharge, child bearing and the related pollution .
3. A houri is a girl of tender age, having large
breasts which are round, and not inclined to dangle. Houris dwell in palaces of
splendid surroundings.
Now add to this description of houris what MISHKAT,
volume three Says on pages 83-97:
4. If a houri looks down from her abode in heaven onto
the earth, the whole distance shall be filled with light and fragrance .....
5. A houri's face is more radiant than a mirror, and
one can see one's image in her cheek. The marrow of her shins is visible tothe
eyes.
6. Every man who enters paradise shall be given
seventy-two houris; no matter at what age he had died, when he is admitted into
paradise, he will become a thirty-year-old, and shall not age any further.
7. TIRMZI, vol. 2 states on page 138:
A man in paradise shall be given virility equal to that
of one hundred men.
Need I add more to the sexual temptation that Islam
offers to turn its followers into warriors?
2. PLUNDER
In fact, the word: "plunder" refers to sex as
well, because amongst other things it also includes women. I have divided it
into sex and booty to facilitate a better understanding of Jihad.
A plunderer has got to be ruthless, and must have no
sympathy for the victim. Nor must the rebuke of conscience mean anything to him.
In fact, the more evil the cause the more righteous he must think of it. This is
the reason that the Koran legitimizes booty:
"Eat of what you have taken as booty, such is
lawful and good. " (The Spoils, VIII: 70)
To make his followers, the merciless looters, he
thoroughly drilled them in hatred of non-Muslims, the potential victims:
1. "Surely the worst of beasts in God's sight are
the unbelievers." (The Spoils: VIII: 55)
2. " Certainly, God is an enemy to the
unbelievers . " (The Cow: II: 90)
3. "Oh ye who believe! fight those of the
unbelievers and let them find in you harshness." (Repentance: IX: 123)
4. "Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent
that they surrender and pay tribute." ( Repentance IX: 29)
Since it was plunder that paved the way to spread Islam,
even those things that the Prophet himself had declared sacred, lost their
sanctity when they proved inconvenient. For example, the Koran says:
"Then, when the sacred months are drawn away, slay
the idolaters (The non-Muslims) wherever you find them, and take them, and
confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush"
(Repentance, IX: 5)
Rajab was one of the sacred months during which fighting
is forbidden by the Koran. It happened that at Nakhla, the followers of Muhammad
ambushed a caravan of the Koresh on the last day of Rajab. Had they not done so,
the caravan laden with merchandise would have safely passed them under the
protection of the Divine rules. Two of the guards, namely Othman Ibn Abdullah
Ibn Al- Moghira and Al-Hakim Ibn Keisan were also carried off by them and were
presented to the Prophet along with the booty. The Prophet did not look pleased,
and said: "I never commanded thee to fight in the Sacred month." There
is no doubt that the leader of the booty-hunters, namely, Abdullah Ibn Jahsh,
who had been sent by the Prophet himself along with seven other men, was
reproached by him, but there is no record that he ever returned the looted goods
to their lawful owners. He did nothing to discourage this practice during the
Sacred months; instead the Almighty himself suggested a way round it:
"They (people) will ask thee (Muhammad) concerning
the Sacred months, if they may fight therein. Say: fighting therein is a heinous
thing but to bar from the way of God and to deny Him, to hinder men from the
Holy Mosque, and to expel His people therefrom, is more grievous to God.
Tempting (idolatry is more hurtful than slaughter." (The Cow, ii: 214)
The concepts of sanctity and profanity mean nothing in
themselves: what suits the purpose of Islam is a blessing but the opposite is a
blight. Booty was undoubtedly the greatest attraction to the converts, though
one must exclude the seventy odd refugees who accompanied Muhammad and the one
hundred or so locals (ansaars), who had embraced Islam before his arrival in
Medina.
It was the Muslim love of booty that precipitated the
first armed calamity in January, 624 AD known as the Battle of Badr. Not to
speak of the believers, even the heathens of Medina, envied their converted
fellow-citizens and wanted to take part in the battle. As the Prophet noticed
them among his troops, he summoned them to his camel, and asked them what they
were doing there: "Thou art our kinsman, " they replied, "to whom
our city hath given protection; and we go forth with our people in the hope of
plunder."
"None shall go forth with me," said the
Prophet, "but he who is of our Faith."
Saying that they were great warriors, and would fight
bravely on his side, and wanted nothing but plunder, they tried to proceed
further but were stopped by the Prophet, who said, "ye shall not go thus.
Believe and fight."
Seeing no way out of the dilemma, "they believed
and confessed that Muhammad was the Prophet of God." "Now," said
Muhammad, "go forth and fight."
"As they returned with booty, one of the Citizens
(ansaar) exclaimed, "would that I had gone forth with the Prophet! Then I
would have surely secured the large booty.
This episode narrated by Sir William Muir on page 215
of The Life of Mahomet, explains the significance of plunder in the Islamic
doctrine and hardly needs any comments from me. It is Muhammad's victory in this
battle, facilitated by the lust of loot, which made him what he became
thereafter. One should also remember that the greed for booty kindled their
hatred of non-Muslims, who happened to be their own kith and kin. The Koresh,
who were the victims, held a meeting before the battle, where it was openly
asserted: "When we have fought, and spilled the blood of our brethren and
kinsmen, what use will life be to us any longer? Let us now go back "
Eventually, it was the eloquence of Abu Jahl and his companions, which turned
the tables .
On the contrary, the Muslims who wanted to act as the
warriors of Allah to secure booty, no longer I acknowledged their blood ties
with their kinsmen, find craved for fighting The Prophet said, "0 Lord! let
not Abu Jahl, the Pharaoh of his people, escape."
As the Battle was about to commence, the Prophet raised
his hands and prayed: "0 Lord! I beseech thee, forget not Thy promise of.
assistance and victory. O Lord, if this little band be vanquished, idolatry will
prevail, and the pure worship of Thee shall cease from the earth.
Allah, who is, obviously, liable to forgetfulness, and
did not know what would happen if Muhammad was defeated, remembered his promise
just in time and sent an army of angels to thrash the infidels so that the
believers could reap the reward of booty.
The Prophet Muhammad knew the significance of booty in
relation to his followers. At the battle of Ohad, as a part of his strategy,
which was, indeed, wise, he posted archers to guard the opening caused by the
receding hills so that the enemy could not attack his army from behind. He
emphatically told his men, "Guard our rear and budge not from this spot; if
ye see us pursuing and plundering the enemy, join not with us; if we be pursued
and even worsted, do not venture to our aid."
No command has ever been given more clearly and
intelligently. It shows the military wisdom of the Prophet, which required total
compliance but was flouted by the archers, who deserted their position to chase
booty when they saw the infidels routed. Khalid, as he noticed the rear
unguarded, swooped down on the army of Allah, and dispersed it with the might of
his sword. Thinking that the Prophet himself lay dead, the Koresh did not pursue
the matter further and returned to Mecca victoriously.
This episode clearly elucidates the significance of
booty to these warriors of Allah: they fought for booty and lost for booty.
What happened at the surrender of At- Taif in February,
630 AD clearly demonstrates that most of his followers revered him for his
martial skill, which secured them booty. At this occasion, the Prophet took no
prisoners for personal reasons. Of course, his followers from Medina and Mecca
adopted the same attitude towards their captives but people of the Fezara tribe
refused to accept the lead and had to be persuaded to act likewise.
Having arranged restoration of the prisoners, as
Muhammad mounted his camel to leave, he was mobbed by his own followers for not
distributing the booty amongst them. They were afraid of forfeiting their share
of the loot as they had been deprived of their prisoners. They crowded around
him, and shouted: Distribute to us the spoil - the camels and the flocks."
Rudely, they jostled him, and he was obliged to "seek refuge under a tree
with his mantle torn from his shoulders . "
"Return to me my mantle, O man- for I swear by the
Lord that if the sheep and camels were as many as the trees of the forest in
number, I would divide them all amongst you. Ye have not heretofore found me
niggardly or false."
The size of the booty was really large and The Prophet
lived up to his promise. To powerful men like Abu Sufyan, his sons, and many
others, he gave one hundred camels each; the lesser chiefs got fifty camels
each, and even the share of those who had expressed discontent, was doubled.
When a Bedouin complained that the true faithful like
Joeil got nothing at all while the new converts had the most, the Prophet said:
" .....I wanted to win over the hearts of these men to Islam, while Joeil
has no need of any such inducement. "
It certainly shows the purpose of the Islamic Jihad,
that is, plundering the non Muslims with a view to gaining converts and
gratifying them.
One must also note that, as fame of the Prophet's arms
rang throughout Arabia, the Arab pagan tribes turned to him in hordes. All this
happened to secure protection against any surprise Islamic raid, which had
become the destiny of the infidels for not accepting Islam. An element of
surprise, marvel and curiosity also formed a part of this submission. Arabia had
not seen a man of Muhammad's stature before. However, this all took place during
the last few years of the Prophet's life. Thus, the new converts had no
experiential loyalty for the new religion. Possibly, the greater factor of their
disappointment was the fact that the chances of further booty were practically
nil because almost entire Arabia had come under the grip of Islam. What proved
even more devastating was the fact that now the Muslims had to pay religious
taxes such as Zukaat (the tithe). Thus, it is not surprising that, at the death
of the Prophet, there was a terrible explosion against Islam, which curbed human
freedom through restraints of faith and rituals. Most tribes of the Arabian
desert rebelled against Islam to display their apostasy .
Abu Bakr, The First Caliph of Islam, following example
of the Prophet, made plunder the pillar of his foreign policy and unleashed the
Arabian booty-hunters on Egypt and Iran. This is how the Arab Empire was
founded, leading to the spread of Islam.
During the 20th century, Islam has lost its luster as
the projected ambassador of peace, compassion and humanity in the face of the
rising tide of human rights and the instinctive demand of justice for all. It
has caused a lot of embarrassment to the Muslim propagandists. Therefore, to
pull wool over the eyes of the non-Muslims, some Muslim scholars say that the
Islamic Jihad is a defensive war against the aggressors:
" Permission is given to those who fight because
they have been wronged " (The Pilgrimage, XXII: 40)
Again:
"And fight in the way of God with those who fight
with you, but aggress not: God loves not the aggressors. And slay them
wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you. (The
Cow, II: 185)
If the meanings of these verses were really what they
appear to be, Jihad would be a blessing as being the guardian of one's rights
and honor. in fact, they represent a tactful persuasion to take revenge from the
infidels of Mecca, who had persecuted the Prophet and his followers in the
beginning. These verses have nothing whatever to do with self-defense:
Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and
purposed to expel the Messenger, beginning the first time against you. Are you
afraid of them? You would do better to be afraid of God, if you are believers.
Fight them and God will chastise them at your hands and degrade them, and He
will help you against them, and bring healing to the breasts of a people who
believe " (Repentance IX: 10)
"O Prophet, urge on the believers to fight, if
there be twenty of you, patient men, they will overcome two hundred; if there
be a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand unbelievers " (The
Spoils VIII: 65)
One wonders that why Allah, who is Almighty, cannot thrash
the unbelievers Himself, and incites the ordinary mortals to do His will? Is it
not an insult to the Almighty? These are obviously not the commands of Allah but
of Muhammad in the guise of Prophethood.
Look at the following to realize the revengeful nature
of Jihad:
"it is not for any Prophet to have prisoners until
he make wide slaughter in the land." (The Spoils: VIII: 65)
Jihad is simply an exercise in bloodshed for the sake of
booty and subduing the non Muslims to pay tribute as a mark of self humiliation.
One should bear in mind that it is considered a proof of aggression on the part
of non Muslims not to embrace Islam when invited to do so; The Jews of Khaiber
were subjected to surprise attack and destroyed on this pretext.
This truth is fully borne out by the following hadith:
"I have been commanded to fight against (the
Unbelieving) people, till they testify to the fact that there is no God but
Allah, and believe in me (Muhammad) as the Messenger from the Lord ..... and
when they do it, their blood and riches are guaranteed protection on my behalf
except where it is justified by law." ( Muslim: 3)
Besides those who think of the Jihad as a defensive war,
there are new sects of Islam which declare that it is a calumniation to say that
Jihad is an Islamic doctrine. What a pious denunciation of the basic Koranic
tenet it is! Look at the following:
"God has bought from the faithful theirselves and
their belongings against the gift of paradise; they fight in the way of God;
they kill and get killed; that is a promise binding on God " (Repentance
, IX : 110)
It simply means that a true Muslim has sold himself to God
in return for paradise; he has become his paid soldier whose only aim of life is
to kill infidels or get killed! No wonder a hadith from Al Bokhari: 4, says that
"Paradise lies under the shade of swords."
The Prophet also said:
"Acting as Allah's soldier for one night in a
battlefield is superior to saying prayers at home for 1000 years." (Ibne
Majah, vol. 2, P 166)
Now, one can see for one's self the violent nature of
Islam, its purpose and the methods of securing it.
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