Last week a Christian man visited our home. I offered him tea and coffee, and he responded that he could not eat while I was fasting. Today the same man visited our home. Again he wouldnt accept anything to drink. This type of respect is really appreciated. I appreciate all my Christian and Jewish friends, and even my friends outside of the 3 Monotheistic religions. I believe in a human family. I believe that we are all the children of Adam. If Muslims were true Muslims, and Christians were true Christians, and Jews were true Jews, the world would be a much better place. A large portion of our belief is the same, and a large portion of our values is the same. I was questioned recently about why I have not yet commented on the latest events in Palestine. There are 2 reasons. Firstly, Dr Covey has influenced me greatly against being reactive, and has imprinted on me the value of proactivity. Most of the world (including myself) is reactive to these atrocities around the world, and after the headlines change, the topic of discussion changes. Secondly, I dont want to be a hypocrite. I am doing nothing for the Palestinian people. I am ashamed to say that, but its the truth. I used to do much more for them then I am doing now. So shutting up about it is probably the best thing, for me. I will share this, if I may... The Palestinian issue is complex and spans over many decades. I dont know all of the details. I cannot even completely grasp South African politics. Nothing is as it seems. Everything has a twist and a backstory and many factors which make the legitimacy even seem questionable, at best. I do, however, know the basics of the Palestinian issue, enough to explain it to a little kid. Jews, Muslims, and Christians have lived in harmony in the holy lands of Jerusalem. A self-acclaimed Zionist ideology has deemed the Palestinians sub-human, and therefore deem it lawful, and virtuous, to wipe them off the face of the earth. With the support of the US, this is what they have been doing. This is not a war, it is a massacre and an occupation. And this beautiful thing that I am typing into right now, and other Social Media channels like it, is what is bringing the truth to the world. More and more people are realising that this is blatant oppression and apartheid, something South Africans know very well. Yes, innocents have been killed on both sides. That is a shame, on both sides. Yes, Palestinians have transgressed. My take is this: Israel is the aggressor and the oppressor - that is where fault lies. They are literally occupying land which is not theirs. Palestinians are responding - whether within limits or outside of limits - to that occupation. Lets simplify matters, and bring it close to home: If a mans mother and sister - lets say in Cape Town - is raped and murdered in front of him (God forbid that this happen, may God protect all our women!) - what do you expect him to do? The right thing for him to do would be to let the legal system take its course. However, if this man has the opportunity to strangle the perpetrator with his bare hands, can you really blame him? It would be wrong, but can you blame him, based on the context? The US and Israel have angered Muslims across the world due to their oppression. You will not find me in the streets burning a US flag, but when I see that, I have to try to understand the context. Muslims across the world, including locally, have claimed that all Jews are Zionists. This is a transgression because it is simply not true. I have met Jews and Rabbis who are very orthodox in the their beliefs, and who are against the oppression of the Palestinian people. I have read articles and watched documentaries of born-Jews who are totally against the occupation. This claim that all Jews are Zionists stems from anger, once again. I trained a corporate company in Cape Town on Social Media. The next step was to set up their Social Media accounts. They strongly refused. I then learnt that they have a very bad reputation, and didnt want people to attack them online. The thing about Social Media though, is that its uncontrollable. That is why corrupt governments across the world have attempted to shut down Twitter especially. News spreads like wildfire, and its unstoppable. This age of technology is ushering us into an age of consciousness. People are realising that theyre being fed misinformation from the likes of CNN and Fox News. We all know what they say about fooling all of the people all of the time - it just wont happen. Through all this, Muslims should hold onto the Islamic world view. If peace reigns in Palestine tomorrow, it is a victory, and we thank God. Yet if more lives are lost tomorrow, those souls are victorious, because they will be counted amongst the martyrs. No sane person wants harm to befall any other human being or even creature. When I drive past a car accident, I always pray al-Fatiha - the opening chapter of the Holy Quran - and I pray that there are no fatalities or major injuries. I dont need to know who is involved in the accident. We are all sharing the same planet - irrespective of our beliefs. We all want to live in peace. Palestine is the not the only victim of oppression - its happening across the world, and its really very difficult to comprehend. Perhaps thats why many of us avoid the subject most of the time. I believe in the power of prayer. All we can do is pray for the Palestinians, and for all the oppressed, across the world. As South Africans, we can remember Nelson Mandela saying: We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians. May God help us all. [The video below is one that I have watched many times, shared online previously, and shown to young kids, it is worth watching...] Palestinian Solidarity Poem. Rafeef Ziadah: We Teach Life, Sir! London. 12.11.11 - YouTube ow.ly/yVK3o
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 22:05:48 +0000
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