Palestine
I usually do not talk about this topic because to be honest I do not have the proper knowledge to do so. However, recent events have forced me to write an article about this situation.
Our Instagram feed and other social media platforms’ feed is full of the atrocities that the Zionists are carrying out on the innocent souls of Gaza. This is the first time that people have been so vocal about this issue and it is a good thing because religion aside, it is a matter of humanity. Children wake up every morning wondering if they will make it to the night or be a victim of a bomb; that’s messed up. Kids are celebrating their Eid by running up and sliding down a debris and being happy and as wholesome as that is, it saddens me to my core. Like I mentioned, I refrain from such topics because I lack the proper knowledge to formulate an opinion. However, my conscience is strong enough to distinguish between politics and oppression and hampering humanity.
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The reason Israeli forces are attacking Gaza is because they claim that there’s Hamas. For those who do not know, Hamas is a faction dedicated to keep Israeli forces at bay and they have been doing so since 2007. Western media is notorious for ‘yellow journalism’ (all media in-fact) and portray Hamas as a terrorist group. If one is to observe it through a neutral lens and analyse the entire scenario, Hamas will be depicted as a terrorist group. However, if you were to put yourselves in the shoes of the people of Gaza who are deprived of basic rights and basic needs, the establishment of Hamas is one thousand percent justified. Obviously, if you hamper a man’s bread and peace, the rebel inside him will inevitably be provoked.
The main purpose of this article is to target the hypocrisy of Muslim countries in light of recent events. I am a Sunni and obviously belong to a Sunni household. I am not that strict or orthodox or do not make my sect the superior of all religions because only His might is superior. It makes me also proud to know the victims in Gaza are Sunni as well. However, after today’s events and recent news, it is a shame to call myself Sunni. Iran, primarily a Shia country, launched an array of missiles on Israel and it is reported they will attack Israel within a span of 8 hours. Furthermore, Yemen and Syria are to join Iran in this marvellous attempt as well (may Allah grant them success). What amazed me was why are countries like Arab, Turkey, Indonesia and my own country Pakistan silent?
Let us start with Arab. Arab is a holy land no doubt about it. Mecca and Madinah are located there and the entire Islamic origins reside in Arab. The Prophet, our blessed messenger, was born in Arab and the desert has a huge amount of stories to tell. If that is so, why are Arabs so damn silent about this genocide? I mean, as Muslims, it is our responsibility to help our brothers in need regardless of our nation so why the residents and leaders of Arab not doing so? Sure, Arabs are rich and Arab princes and nobles have stocks of wealth and spoils to help people, why are they not dispatching aid but instead spending blindly on their comfort and luxuries? Well, I guess their role is done since their country holds such historic importance, not that they had anything to do with it but sure. Having a flag with the Shahadah on it I guess completes 99 percent of the duties a Muslim is supposed to do so why bother with the remaining 1 percent. Turkey, with beautiful mosques and a huge population being Sunni, is subject to the same question. I mean, our Deen is more than just building aesthetically alluring mosques right? Did the Prophet not teach us about how readily to come to aid to a Muslim nation in need? Indonesia with 99 percent being Sunnis, why did they not send aid? They grow the most rice and rice is their staple food. A few provisions won’t harm their economy. Pakistan faces the same question. Pakistani media never forgets to update it’s viewers how happily people are celebrating Eid on the first day and some Uncle from Sahiwal is enjoying Popsicle with his family of 18 kids but why aren’t our leaders sending out any aid of any kind. Sure, a country like Pakistan built on debts and aids is not self sufficient to send provisions but a few headlines to make people aware of the genocide and precautions to the locals who are not that educated about the boycott of Israeli products won’t do any harm. Go to your local malls’ food-court and you will see people lined up at KFC like it is distributing family funds. The fun fact about being a part of the Sunni community is that people pride themselves so much that we are the True Muslims and our Prophet was Sunni. We Sunnis slander Shias so much that they are minions of falsehood and whatnot. Why is it that the first country to come to aid to the innocent souls in Gaza is Iran? All this shows how fallen and crippled our Iman is and that Muslims today are no different from the Mushrikeen before the birth of Prophet. This might offend a lot of people but the truth is even visible to the blind. All these leaders are just concerned about keeping diplomatic ties in order to not get shut out off Global Politics and keeping their wealth intact. All these glamorous celebrities with influence greater than the reach of hands of law are numb and silent. They hosted their lousy game shows after iftaar, their good for nothing talk shows on the day of Eid and not one voiced their concerns about the grotesque situation in Gaza. Using your religion as a guilt free and get-out of jail card is a common practise but not a single person has an ounce of Haya or courage to truly stand for what is right. Ryan garcia, a famous young boxer, a Christain athlete had enough conscience to identify and pronounce Israel’s actions as inhuman and claims to send a generous aid of 20 million USD to support Palestinians. Other nobles, being Sunni, refuse to do so as it does not align with ‘Political Interests’. What a waste of religion and a shame in the name of faith.
Hopefully, my minute effort will strike a bigger concern or even an ounce of concern that how weak and crippled we are as both humans and Muslims.
