:: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza. How can the World help?
As I sit and write this, I am deeply disturbed! The news on Gaza continues to flow in and the death toll rises. Do people really know what is going on over there? What is happening to the Palestinian people? I think not. For if they truly did know of the horrific situation, crisis really going on in Gaza, Palestine, the World might not have closed her eye and turned her back on a people for over 60 Years! The most recent figures…over 330 Civilians DEAD in GAZA!
Where is Gaza, many ask? I find it saddening and beyond ignorant for one not to know at this point! I too was ignorant once of all this chaos in the Middle East and there was a time that I would flip through the newspaper passing the section on the Middle East and her problems. Now as I find myself a grown mature adult Muslim , I can no longer turn that page for every word, and every life and every day that goes by with these people living under occupation and being slaughtered has me up at night and restless! How can we go about living our lives in “normalcy” when Children innocent women and children and men and families are dying? Far too long have we turned an eye and cared not. Far too long have we ignored what now has become a bloodbath! Are we heartless? Are we that cruel to excuse our ignorance with cheap reasons as to why we are not doing something about it. Oh, and the line that gets me every time, “We can’t do anything about it”. If the greats of history heard that they would be more than rolling over in their graves.
So we move on to why is this happening in Gaza, and what possibly could the state of Israel formed from Palestinian land, say in support of their atrocities and what many call, war crimes! The right to defend themselves is ultimately the answer we are given. The right to defend themselves from attacks from Palestinians. As a famous Professor “Noam Chomsky” said, you can’t defend yourself on occupied land. Thus meaning, you cannot claim that what you are doing is simply defending yourself when you are the intruder in the first place! Many do know of this sad fact for if they did I reckon many would have a very different sentiment about the problem in the Middle East! Humanitarian Aid workers are being turned away from reaching the Gazans. Relief boats are now being attacked, and what does the Security Council of the United Nations do? Well, it simply issues a call for a cease fire. “Please stop the war right now”? Yeah..cuz that’s been effective over the last 60 Years! Where is the International community on this? Where is the Islamic Nations on this? Why have we become such a complacent and disabled people fearful of the very governments we elect to run and control our affairs and our beings? When is enough enough?
With all this in mind, I have come to figure out a new solution. Perhaps it might work, perhaps not, however I am an optimist and see this as being the only chance we might have at change! I have come to this idea after much contemplation and brain racking! Despite the fact that what is happening dates back to Biblical times, we must do something, we must act! I have come to think that we the Muslim Ummah each of us individually and collectively need to put pressure on the Arab League and even more pressure on the Islamic Nations. We are many and plenty in number, why are they not involved and condemning these attacks and atrocities? If we were all to start contacting the various Islamic Governments and Arab Media and start putting pressure on them to act and react for our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Afghanistan and most certainly Palestine/Gaza, perhaps we could see some change. However, sadly enough as long as we remain complacent we are allowing this to happen all the while speaking out against it. Maybe one individual cannot make the most significant of change, however 1 added to the many in solidarity with one another COULD! Lets UNITE OUR UMMAH and force our Islamic leaders to act on our behalf’s and that of our fallen, lost and besieged brothers and sisters!