Journeys to democracy

Banner: “The Occupation Kills us All”. Israelis protesting in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu’s assault on Gaza (Thanks Farrukh Abbas for the share). Photo: Haim Schwarczenberg, Israeli photographer living in Jaffa, taking part in the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation and oppression https://www.facebook.com/schwarczenberg

I’m sharing below a slightly edited Facebook comment by Syed Farrukh Abbas, a blogger and a student of media studies, based in Pakistan, that he posted with the photo above. Farrukh is also one of the administrators of the Laal Facebook page, which is where I know him from. To his words below, I just want to add: Respect and salute to, and solidarity with, all those in Israel who stand up and protest Israeli atrocities – including all those I know personally who’ve been doing this consistently for years, termed ‘traitor’ and ‘agent’ by the Israeli right-wing (sound familiar, anyone?). Here’s Farrukh’s note:

Orthodox Jews United against Zionism http://www.nkusa.org/

Dear Pakistanis:

Posting Hitler’s made up quote to try and prove that “Jews Are Bad People” and praising him for killing millions, just because they were Jews on the other side lamenting for Gaza and cursing Israel for killing innocent people of Gaza… if you think it’s cool, it’s not.

Neither is posting a Quranic verse without its proper context saying: “Jews can never be our friend”**. Well, you don’t hate all those people, or kill all those who are not your friends – do you?

Peaceful Jews are in the majority just as peaceful Muslims are. And they are protesting in London and even in Tel Aviv (Israel), against Israel’s assault on Gaza, and killing Innocent Gazans. Can you guys protest against Hamas for killing innocent Jews? (Seriously, a new term: innocent Jews. You may not have heard it).

Obviously there’s no parallel between more than 100 Palestinians killed by the Israeli state and one Israeli injured by the Hamas militants. But as humans, can’t we understand there are humans on both sides? I know we Pakistanis have got little love for the Israelis (just FYI : there are still more than a million Arab Muslims living in Israel) but aren’t they human? Shouldn’t we be looking at the human side of this conflict?

Yaelle Ferera, sister of the conscientious objector Uriel Ferera, currently serving his fourth term in a military prison for refusing to serve in the IOF – “Jewish and Palestinian women refuse to be enemies.” Photo: Haim Schwarczenberg http://www.facebook.com/schwarczenberg

I condemn the Holocaust as much as I condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza. Condemning crimes against humanity should not make you a bad Muslim and condemning Israel for attacking Gaza shouldn’t make you a good Muslim either. They (hypocrites) cry about Gaza, while ignoring thousands of people protesting against the mass murder of their fellow countrymen with hundreds of dead bodies on the streets, they actually make fun of those who condemn the killings or terrorism in their own country, calling them names and abusing them, labeling them “traitor”, “kafir” etc.

Then there are some so called “liberals” justifying what Israel is doing in Gaza, because their master America is supporting Israel like always. These people really do not have an iota of shame. They justify whatever their imperialist masters are doing in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world.

Lest we forget. Pakistan’s role in Black September: Brig. Zia ul Haq, head of Pakistani training commission commanded the 2nd Division, killed an estimated 25,000 Palestinians from Jordan. Moshe Dayan (Israeli military head) said: ”Zia killed more Palestinians in eleven days than Israel could kill in twenty years.” Next time you hear “Zia served Muslims and Islam”, remember to tell the truth, and condemn him like you condemn Israel for killing Palestinians. http://www.facebook.com/pakistani.meem

Dear Pakistanis:

Remember your fellow countrymen getting killed by your ”Muslim brothers”. Remember the people of Syria and Iraq. There are Muslims just like you who don’t consider them human and are killing them. Remember the people of North Waziristan who left their homes for your future. Remember those 500,000 who remained under siege in Kurram Agency for five years.

If saying that no innocent should be killed, by Israel or Hamas, makes me a Jew or someone’s agent, I don’t have a problem with that. All I want to say is, be a human first please. You don’t have to be anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish to be a good human or a good Muslim.

Instead of using Hitler’s made up quote to ridicule and curse Jews use this one of Baba Guru Nanak Dev ji: before becoming a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh or a Christian, first be a human being.

Expose the hypocrisy.

* The fake quote attributed to Hitler that is doing the rounds on the social media: “I could have annihilated all the Jews in the world, but I left some of them alive so you will know why I was killing them”

** Sabah Hasan: The Qur’anic verse referred above uses the word ‘wali’ which, in this context, means ‘master’ not ‘friend’. So those who quote it are probably misguided.

Filed under: Human rights | Tagged: Activism, conscientious objector, Gaza, Gen. Zia, Haim Schwarczenberg, Hitler, Iraq, Israel, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Uriel Ferera |