On the Palestinian question:
Yesterday i saw a video of a father hugging his deceased child. I must say that video broke my heart. I do not dare share it here because it is really not for the faint-hearted.
One wonders what more the Palestinians have to go through before the world starts to give a damn.
I hope non-Muslims understand why the Palestinian issue is so close to the hearts of many Muslims: not only is it because of the status of Palestine as a holy land in Islam (which admittedly is a factor nonetheless), it is also because we firmly believe it is the biggest injustice of the modern era. Study the issue with an open mind and heart and you will see that the issue is really not a complicated one: as Dr Norman Finkelstein asserts, the more knowledge one has of the matter, the more one realizes just how unambiguous the issue is.
The situation is made worse when one knows just how nice and hospitable the Palestinians are: anyone who has been to the place will attest to the warmth and hospitality of the Palestinians (both Muslim and Christian).
Yet, somehow this problem has persisted for decades. Yet, Netanyahu can lecture the world at the UN for not taking his country’s security seriously. Yet, in the US, president after president, and presidential candidate after candidate, go out of their way to prove to the electorate that they are a ‘friend of Israel’.
I believe in the intrinsic goodness of most humans, which is why i believe that most people, if given enough information about the facts, will sympathize with the Palestinians.
And i believe that one day, i will step into a Palestine that is free. And if i don’t, at least my children will. God-willing.
Source: Walid J. Abdullah
