Palestine

Palestine is bleeding. The current uprising started to take hold after the brutal assault by the Zionist regime on Muslims worshipping at Masjid Al-Aqsa in the sacred city of Al-Quds on the holy night of Laylatul Qadr; however, the real catastrophe, or “Nakba”, began 73 years ago. That was when Palestine was invaded and bit by bit was confiscated by colonist aggressors to the point where their autonomy is now reduced to a 2 square km strip of land known as Gaza.

This 2km strip of land is home to almost 2 million people who have been subjected to a crippling land, air and sea blockade for many years. They have no control over access to clean water, trade, imports, medicine, movement, and many other facets of life that are essential to living a normal life. This is what prison looks like and in fact has been called the world’s largest open air prison by the Israeli human rights organization known as B’tselem. Human Rights Watch and B’tselem have both recently issued detailed reports investigating the matter and have both concluded that the Israeli entity is indeed an apartheid state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In fact the B’tselem report is called A Regime of Jewish Supremacy From the River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid.

There have been a few uprising over the years, also known as intifadas, however this one is particularly different. The tides are turning and awareness is increasing day by day due to the decentralization of information made possible by social media. Muslims and Non-Muslims of conscience alike are taking a bold stance against oppression and apartheid. God-fearing Muslims, Christians, Jews, people of other faiths and even no faith at all have all joined in their condemnation of the inhumane criminal actions of the Israeli apartheid regime against the defenceless Palestinians.

As Muslims, there is a particularly heavier burden on us to speak out and take action. Whether it is writing an opinion letter for a news publication, signing a petition demanding action from your government, boycotting products that support the occupation, or peaceful protest, there is something for all of us to do. It is our duty to be at the forefront of the effort to liberate Palestine.

Just as South African apartheid fell, Inshallah it is inevitable that Israeli apartheid will also be dismantled. For each of us as individuals though it is our choice whether we want to be on the right side of history or not. Palestine will be free! 

AN