My Thoughts on Gaza

So before I get into the politics of the region and start expressing my views (which you may or may not agree with), I wish to delve into some of the history of the region, for any of you who don’t know.

Let’s rewind our clocks back to World War II. You’re in Nazi controlled Europe and you are a Jew. Your people are being massacred by Hitler’s people. 6 million Jews have been killed—wow, that’s a lot. You try to flee with others, trying to find a place on this earth where you are free from persecution. You come to a place called Palestine (yes, it did exist back then as an independent country), ruled at that time by indigenous Arabs. These people let you in, and harbor a shelter for you. You are forever grateful to them.

Now, what happens next may surprise you. The Zionist movement began which used the excuse of Judaism to take the land from the Arabs in such a way that it could never be leased back to them. They were to build a land exclusively for the Jewish people. However, not all Jews were with this movement. In fact, it is important to note that the head Rabbi of Palestine, at the time at which Israel was declared as a state by the UN, did not wish for a Jewish state to form, saying that it was illegal and illegitimate to steal land that was not theirs.

Orthodox Jews follow on with this belief, and have formed an organization called, “Nuteria Karta”, which denies the existence of the state of Israel. Furthermore, it has been stated in the Torah that Jews are not permitted to have their own land—a ruling given to them by the Almighty.

An excerpt from their website http://www.nkusa.org/ states,

The People of Israel oppose the so-called "State of Israel" for four reasons:

FIRST -- The so-called "State of Israel" is diametrically opposed and completely contradictory to the true essence and foundation of the People of Israel, as is explained above. The only time that the People of Israel were permitted to have a state was two thousand years ago when the glory of the creator was upon us, and likewise in the future when the glory of the creator will once more be revealed, and the whole world will serve Him, then He Himself (without any human effort or force of arms) will grant us a kingdom founded on Divine Service. However, a worldly state, like those possessed by other peoples, is contradictory to the true essence of the People of Israel. Whoever calls this the salvation of Israel shows that he denies the essence of the People of Israel, and substitutes another nature, a worldly materialistic nature, and therefore sets before them, a worldly materialistic "salvation," and the means of achieving this "salvation" is also worldly and materialistic i.e. to organize a land and army. However, the true salvation of the People of Israel is to draw close to the Creator. This is not done by organization and force of arms. Rather it is done by occupation to Torah and good deeds.

SECOND -- Because of all of this and other reasons the Torah forbids us to end the exile and establish a state and army until the Holy One, blessed He, in His Glory and Essence will redeem us. This is forbidden even if the state is conducted according to the law of the Torah because arising from the exile itself is forbidden, and we are required to remain under the rule of the nations of the world, as is explained in the book VAYOEL MOSHE. If we transgress this injunction, He will bring upon us (may we be spared) terrible punishment.

So evidently this gives us a different view on the formation of Israel and its legalization. The United Nations clearly did not have the right to take the land from the Arabs and give them to the Jews in such a way.

Let us now take a look at the land owned by the Palestinians through time.

 Israeli settlers have taken the land from these people over time, and making it illegal for them to return to their homelands. Calling it a violation of international law and human rights wouldn’t even be bearing the brunt of what actually happened. Mass killings occurred (and are still occurring) of the Palestinians, with their people taking prisoners by the Zionists. And it is important to note that while I say people, I don’t just mean men, I also mean children. Yes, that’s right—children have also been taken prisoner. Currently, almost 200 children are in Israeli prisoners. And yes, you didn’t miss the word currently. This is 2014 we are talking about.

Imagine this scenario for yourself. Imagine being forced to leave your home. Imagine your home being bulldozed. Imagine yourself being told you can never return. Imagine your brother, father being taken prisoner. Imagine not knowing when you’ll ever see them again. Imagine being forced to live in some refugee camp.

Imagine your mother crying herself to sleep.

Imagine not knowing where the rest of your family is.

Imagine living in what is now called the world’s largest open air prison.

Imagine being cramped up with 1 million other people in a land 25 miles long and 4 miles wide.

Imagine waking up every morning to see a giant apartheid wall standing between you and the rest of the world.

Imagine your people trying to fight back to get some basic human rights.

Imagine your people protesting to get back their loved ones, still imprisoned.

Imagine the desolation of your people’s faces when they know they’re not coming back.

Imagine your hospitals without any medical equipment.

Imagine the bombs exploding overhead.

Imagine not being able to sleep at night.

Imagine not knowing if you’ll wake up in the morning.

Imagine the sound of a crash above!

Imagine the sound of your heart racing

Imagine the sound of your siblings crying!

Imagine the sound of another explosion!

Imagine the rubble falling down on you

Imagine the concrete blocks hitting you

Imagine the crushing pain in your bones

Imagine crying out in pain with no one to hear you

Imagine wishing you were dead

Imagine the sounds of people screaming around you

….. Then imagine the blackness seeping in.

Probably one of the saddest pictures I've seen of the conflict. This little boy was about to turn 5 years old.
 Shrapnel from an explosion was the cause of death. He had been playing outside with his mother.
Here, we see his father crying out to him. He says, "Please wake up! I bought you a new toy!". 

This is the story of a child in Gaza. Operation Protective Edge is in its second week. Over 30 children have been killed. According to the UN, 77% of the 170+ killed so far are civilians.

It is important to remember that Hamas is the democratically elected government of Gaza. Attacking government buildings can also mean bombing social services. Civilian homes are being bombed, with children, men, women, and elderly still inside. People are now taking shelter in United Nations Relief schools. They don’t know where else to go. Egypt has closed off the Rafah border crossing, allowing exit only to those who have dual nationalities, or are severely injured. Let us now take a moment to appreciate all the effort President Sisi has put into helping his neighbor. *slow clapping*

Take a moment in your day to pause and wonder what’s happening on the other side of the world. Sure, it may not affect you physically, but as Muslims, we should feel the pain of our brothers. We are all one family.

I do not say at the same time that Hamas is right for shooting rockets at Israel. One person has already been killed from them. A report I have read also stated that a 10 and 13 year old girl were injured. For calling ourselves advanced people, we’re doing a pretty lame job of it.

Children in Israel ducking for cover after they hear the siren.

A solution needs to be put on the table and implemented, ASAP. People are being killed with no justification. Neither side in a war is completely innocent, but in this case it is adamant that we note the difference between the oppressor and the oppressed. Israel is oppressing the Palestinians, who deserve their own land and their own rights! Arab leaders are doing nothing about it. Shame on them! They claim to be leaders of the Muslim world yet they do not speak out against such atrocities.

News channels are also split in their bias. You have Al Jazeera and RT showing the Palestinian perspective, which I highly respect. On the other hand you have news stations such as Fox news, which upon showing a demolished home of Palestinians, claiming it to be the result of a Hamas attack on Israel! It’s really preposterous. They did issue an apology, but that’s not the point. How blind do you have to be as a journalist not to get the facts right? It’s really quite shameful. And to think this is how they get people to support Israel…

So I know I steered a liiiiittle bit off track when it came to following a very organized plan for explaining the conflict, which did somehow turn into a series of internal monologues… but I did get my point across. I have tried to be diplomatic (at least I think I have :$), and I hope I have educated you all a little on the conflict. The important thing is not to blame Jews! Muslims are victims of racism and generalization due to the few off track hooligans who call themselves religious. We should be able to relate! Our fight is against Zionism, people, not the Jews. Keep those Hitler comments to yourself; he was a mass killer who also killed disabled people!! I’m pretty sure a few of them were also Muslims, so please refrain from such comments. It really doesn’t help our image.

Long Live Palestine!

Peace J