(New York, NY. 05/07/2021) – In the holy month of Ramadan, as Muslims globally retreat spiritually to connect with their Lord, Palestinians have been fighting to defend their homes, their neighborhoods, and the holy Al-Aqsa Masjid from Israeli violence and aggression. Time and time again, Israel has shown the world without an ounce of shame that they do not care about international law or human rights as long as they have American support. The relentless attacks on Palestinian worshippers in the beloved Masjid al-Aqsa in these last 10 holy nights of Ramadan, and the forcible removal of Palestinians from their homes should spark international outrage. Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York condemns the continued Zionist settler-colonial ethnic cleansing project of Palestinians and urges New York Muslims to take a stand against this blatant oppression.
The settler-colonial state of Israel has engaged in systematic genocide and apartheid of Palestinians since its inception in 1948 with the consent of major global powers, like the United States. Israel receives $3.8 billion of foreign aid annually from American tax-payer dollars while getting away with committing crimes against humanity and children. Moreover, American lawmakers attempt to stifle any criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic hate speech. It is imperative for the Muslim community to challenge unquestioned support for Israel and firmly stand against such injustice, to make clear that we cannot tolerate these crimes to be acceptable and normalized by the rest of the community.
The Islamic Leadership Council of New York, a representative for 90+ Muslim organizations, urges the New York community to stand in solidarity with Palestinians who are fighting to defend their homes and Masjid al-Aqsa from Israeli occupation while fasting. We encourage you to write to members of Congress urging them to take action against Israel, and avoid interfaith gatherings with Zionist organizations at all costs that attempt to normalize Israel’s oppression against Palestinians. Furthermore, we ask the Muslim community to keep the oppressed in Palestine and globally in your duas in these holy nights of Ramadan.