A Letter for Palestine

If you're reading this, I probably don't have anything to say to you.

I don't owe the internet a statement. You don't need my personal take on the situation in Palestine and Israel when thousands of others, more learned and more eloquent than I am, have lent their voices to the cause. I could defer to them. I could defer to images and videos of the destruction in Palestine, to on-the-ground coverage of the genocide taking place before our eyes.

And I have. I've shared the heartbreaking images of children crying out for their parents who were brutally murdered in Israeli airstrikes. I've shared the videos of civilians, including infants and toddlers, being rushed to hospitals by the truckload. We've all seen the proof of the genocide being committed by Israel.

But none of it seems to make a difference. My posts reach the same circle of fifty people who are sharing the same content. Politicians around the world turn a blind eye, ignoring the fact that Palestinians are human with a right to live. No additional proof makes a difference. Their hearts and eyes are blind.

So why should I bother with you anymore? I don't owe you a statement. You don't deserve it.

Still, I feel a need to say something, in my own words. This isn't for you. It's for me, and for the people of Palestine enduring this onslaught - the people who will never read it.

I want there to be a record, so that someday in the future, when we can look back on this tragedy collectively with clear vision, you'll know that I stood on the side of humanity - that I stand with Palestine.

It's ironic. We live during the most connected time in history. We have Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and live videos which allow you tune in, instantly, to anything happening around the world. Covid was proof that the world has the technology to experience something together on a global scale. And yet, for all that interconnectedness, we can still be blind to reality. Social media technologies have crippled themselves. Accounts sharing the reality in Gaza have been taken down or shadow-banned on Instagram. Twitter's recent changes have limited the reach of tweets to small inner circles. Facebook limits the sharing of news in favor of clickbait posts. Social media has transformed to actively hinder their ability to connect humanity, all for the sake of increased revenue. A handful of wealthy, influential decision-makers have dictated how we communicate.

For many people, this tragic moment will cause them to question the existence of God. On the contrary, this moment only reaffirms my belief in Allah - one true God. It's the only thing that makes sense. How else can you explain the widespread ignorance and delusion that we're seeing right now in the face of factual evidence of Israel's genocide of the Palestinians?

Allah says in the Quran (2:7-2:8):

As for those who persist in disbelief, it is the same whether you warn them or not—they will never believe.
Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered. They will suffer a tremendous punishment.

It reminds me that we are truly powerless to change what Allah has decreed. The irony is painful. In spite of all the images and news coming out of Gaza right now - families torn apart, civilians being murdered without justification - the political world seems to stand with Israel and chant "Never Again" about the Holocaust while supporting Israel's genocide against the Palestinians.

There is a certain powerlessness that is felt by every Palestinian right now. For me, that powerlessness is a reminder - We are not the ones intended to hold the ultimate power to change this situation. That power rests solely with Allah.

The past week has felt like living in a constant dream. It feels unreal that we all have access to this same war footage and racist rhetoric against Palestinians and still can't come to the same conclusion. Israel is committing genocide. I stand with Palestine.

Allah knows where I stand, and that is enough for me. I don't need your approval of my statement. It's not for you.

I grieve for all the innocent lives lost. I pray that God grants peace, justice, safety, and freedom to the Palestinians. I pray that every child and innocent civilian, Israeli and Palestinian alike, who has been unjustly injured or murdered in this war is joined with their families in paradise, and that every person responsible for perpetuating this genocide pays the price.

Allah is the Most Just. I find it helpful to remember that we are not guaranteed justice in this life. InshaAllah the people affected by this war will be compensated with something much better on the other side.