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website: tmcng.net e-mail: info@tmcng.net Tel.: 0803 309 6636, 0803 716 1469
Friday, 13th Oct., 2023
The Muslim Congress is deeply saddened and troubled by the recent outbreak of war between Gaza and Israel. As an organization committed to promoting peace, justice, and mutual understanding, we strongly condemn the violence and loss of innocent lives resulting from this conflict.
The ongoing conflict in the region is a cause for concern, and we believe it is essential to address its root causes to achieve a lasting resolution. However, the reactions that greeted the latest hostility actually underscores why the conflict, which has been more than seven decades, has seemingly made lasting resolution elusive. The responses of powerful Western nations and their apparatus, including the media, have been nothing but hypocritical and reek of sheer bigotry.
Rather than addressing the conflict for what it actually is, the West continues to run with the delusory narrative that it is an attack on Israel by terrorists, ostensibly putting the blame on Hamas and ignoring the fact that it is retaliation by a people whose freedom and rights to their land had been forcefully taken away from them. They refused to admit the offensive was initiated by freedom fighters who are up against age-long injustices by an apartheid regime that has ceaselessly perpetrated genocide on the Palestinians.
With the false narrative, the powerful nations stoke fear in the Western community, claiming that it is an attack on democracy and peace-loving people. The occupation state that is Israel is thus emboldened to play the victim. Playing the victim has been a winning ticket for Israel for decades and it has continued to earned it military, political and economic aid from the West. It is, therefore, crucial to acknowledge the historical context and to set the record straight on the longstanding aggression faced by the Palestinian people at the hands of Israeli occupation.
Israel has over the years continued, with impunity, the systematic expansion of its occupation of Palestinian land, in defiance of international law and in violation of the agreements it has signed. Its settlers-colonialism continued unabated and with no respect for the 1949 Armistice borders and the Oslo Accords. Israel has done this by killing Palestinian civilians daily, and with reckless abandon through direct force of arms, thus breaking one of the basic fundamental rules of war. Armed Jewish settlers are enabled to attack Palestinian civilians and their property. The UN recognizes Israel’s violation of international law but no sanctions have followed, making the so-called international law unworthy of the papers it is written on.
Since 2007, Gaza has been under blockade as Israel’s apartheid regime leaves the Palestinians condemned to what is no more than a prison camp. Gaza’s electricity, water and other supplies of basic provisions are under Israeli control. The people are being brought to their knees by the shortages of the basic necessities. Nearly 300 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces this year alone, long before this latest outbreak of hostilities. No less than 4 major military offensives have been carried out against the Palestinians in Gaza since 2008, as thousands of civilian lives have been extinguished in these and other Israeli attacks. The Israeli’s indiscriminate and aggressive terrorism has remained relentless.
Another poignant reminder of the travesty of justice is the role the Western media has continued to play in the grand scheme of things. While acting as mouthpieces for governments that preach human rights and democratic values to the world, the mainstream media has, more often than not, sided with the occupiers, turning all principles upside down while the right to self-defense is obfuscated.
The Muslim Congress acknowledges the plight of the Palestinians and recognizes their inherent right to self-determination and a dignified life. We firmly believe that the situation requires urgent attention and action from the international community, including the United Nations and other relevant stakeholders. The continued indifference and lack of effective intervention from world leaders is disheartening, as it prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and hampers the prospects of a just and lasting peace.
In light of these circumstances, The Muslim Congress calls for active, honest and sincere engagement and mediation by the UN and world leaders in order to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and facilitate meaningful dialogue between all parties involved. The international community must recognize and respect the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, and work towards a just and lasting solution that ensures the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state. We urge all the parties involved to prioritize the protection of civilian lives, to adhere to international humanitarian law, and refrain from any actions that would further escalate the conflict and cause unnecessary suffering.
We implore the Muslim Ummah and people of conscience worldwide to raise their voices, engage in peaceful advocacy, and support humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the conflict.
The Muslim Congress remains committed to fostering peace, justice, and understanding among all communities. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people during these challenging times and call for an immediate end to the violence and the restoration of peace in the region.
We beseech Allah (SWT) to guide us towards a just and sustainable resolution and may the truth and peace prevail.
Signed
Alhaji Bangbala Taiwo Abdulwasiu
Amir, The Muslim Congress