To Stand With Palestine is to Stand With Humanity
During the latest attack on Gaza, it has been heart wrenching, to say the least, seeing the images of innocent Palestinian children being massacred, their homes bombed, and their lives destroyed. At least 254 people lost their lives as a result of the bombings, 66 of them were children. As a mother, my heart goes out to those parents who must live in fear every single day, knowing they are not able to protect their child. The worst part is that this is not something new, the Palestinians have been suffering at the hands of Israel for an exceptionally long time. It is sad to see that even now, in 2021, nothing has changed. This is a prime example of how ruthless people can be when power, money and occupancy are valued greater than human life.
Many people wrongly assume that the situation in Palestine is the result of an ongoing religious conflict between Muslims and Jews. However, Palestinians have simply been demanding their freedom from oppression and the basic human rights denied to them. This is about calling out Israel for carrying out apartheid through its illegal occupation of land, as well as the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians — all of which has been ongoing for decades.
Since 1948, Israel has occupied Palestinian territories in order to maintain the Jewish majority and to create a state for the Jewish people alone. The Palestinians who have fled or were forced out since the establishment of Israel have never been allowed to return. Israel continues to allow settlers to occupy Palestinian communities. The recent settlement expansion in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem is one such example. Videos have surfaced on social media where Jewish settlers, with the help of Israeli officers, are seen forcibly demanding Palestinians to give up their homes.
Furthermore, there are huge disparities within Israel’s laws, denying Palestinians the same freedom and rights that the Jewish enjoy. Till this day, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are not considered equal to Jewish citizens. The situation is even worse for the Palestinians living in the West Bank where they have no right to vote, no right to leave, and they are constantly monitored and terrorized by Israeli forces.
As is often the case, mainstream media has only maintained its focus upon Israel’s attack on Gaza and has played little to no part in highlighting Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. Despite the ceasefire which has now taken effect over Israel and Gaza, it has not stopped the Israeli forces from continuing to oppress the Palestinians. In fact, there have been reports of Israeli officers attacking worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem right after the ceasefire had been implemented.
Only in recent weeks have the injustices towards Palestinians been brought to the forefront in a way that has never occurred before, and this is largely due to much awareness created over various social media platforms. It has been encouraging to see the enormous amount of support the Palestinians have garnered from people all over the world in such a short span of time. Numerous protests have also been held across many countries. The protest in London was attended by more than 180,000 people, making it the largest pro-Palestinian protest in British history.
Many Israelis as well as Jewish people around the world have also raised their voices in solidarity with Palestinians and are calling out the Israeli government for its crimes. It is upsetting to see however, that those who are speaking out are being bullied, threatened and labeled anti-Semitic as a result of their support. This is totally unacceptable and only creates more division and hate. In times like this, it is essential that we stand up for each other and call out all forms of hate, regardless of our beliefs.
Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinians and its unjust laws are a blatant violation of human rights. The Zionist ideology imposed by the Israeli government and all who support such extremism, simply cannot be justified, particularly not in the name of religion. Such views are in fact the biggest threat to peace and justice. There is no religion that supports injustice and oppression towards any human being. As a Muslim, I am reminded of a verse in the Holy Qur’an which states, “ O ye who believe, be steadfast in the cause of God bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear God. Surely God is aware of what you do” (4:9).
The takeaway from this verse is that the obligation to do justice is absolute, without any limitations, as it is only true justice that can lead to peace. It is disappointing that the value of true justice in the world today has decreased, specifically amongst world’s leading powers. Most have turned a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians, and the US has supported Israel for its right “to defend itself,” along with supplying Israel with more funds in military aid. Moreover, organizations such as the United Nations have continuously failed to protect the rights of Palestinians. This has largely been due to the United States continuous support and backing of Israel. Recent reports have shown that the US, being one of five countries with the power to veto a UN security council decision, is the only country which continues to block any action relating to Israel and Palestine today. Considering the UN has played a huge role since the partition plan of Palestine, it must do more to establish lasting peace in the region, rather than allowing countries such as the US to deal with the situation.
There has been a lack of advocacy from Arab leaders and Muslim majority countries as well. It is largely unknown that Pakistan once played a significant role in the UN and actively spoke up for the liberation of Palestine. Pakistan’s first foreign minister Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan presented one of the most powerful cases for Palestine at the UN assembly in 1947, arguing against the idea of a partition and requesting the UN to come up with an alternative solution that is just and fair for both sides:
“The Arab state will be an Arab state in the sense that there will be only 10,000 Jews in it and almost 1,000,000 Arabs. Very well, but what of the Jewish state? In the Jewish state there will be 498,000 Jews and 435,000 Arabs. Have you solved the problem? Jews are not to live as a minority under the Arabs, but the Arabs are to live as a minority under the Jews. If one of these is not fair then neither is the other; and if one is not a solution, the other is not.”
He further stated:
“The responsibility remains with you. Do not throw away that chance. Do not close a door that may not be opened again. The United Nations must find a solution which is not only just and fair, but which has the best chance for success as regards the largest number of Jews and Arabs in Palestine…Our vote, if it endorses partition, bars all peaceful solutions. Let him who will, shoulder that responsibility. My appeal to you is do not shut out that possibility. The United Nations should seek and strive to unite and bring together rather than to divide and put asunder.”
This appeal is just as powerful today as it was then and should serve as a reminder and as a warning to those in power today, to give precedence to justice and unity above all else. There is no doubt that if the appeal of Sir Zafrullah Khan had been considered at that time, Palestinians would be in a much better place today.
If we honestly believe in justice and equity for all, we must continue to stand with Palestine. Today, we have the power of social media as it gives us the opportunity to create awareness, to educate and to be the voice for all who are being oppressed and silenced. The more we continue to collectively raise awareness and demand justice, the greater chance we have of pressuring world leaders to step up and take necessary action. Until and unless the Israeli government is held accountable for its injustices towards Palestinians, we will see no end to this vicious cycle, and Palestinians will continue to be deprived of their freedom.
Let us continue to speak up for Palestine. I sincerely hope and pray that Palestinians are granted true freedom and the basic human rights they have been denied for so long.
