Are Muslims against the idea of a Jewish State? Do Muslims hate Jews? Is Islam an anti-Semitic faith? Why do non-Arab and non-Palestinian Muslims support the Palestinians? Do Muslims want to destroy the state of Israel? How should Muslims deal with those who are ardent supporters of Israeli policies?
The list of questions around Israel and Palestine goes on and on. Answers usually depend on the political perspectives people take on the issue. The debate among Muslim Americans on their relationship with Israel and its US supporters necessitates a thorough discussion on the subject. It becomes relevant in the context of many Jewish groups' overtures to involve Muslims in causes other than justice to Palestinians. Over the last few decades, the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, many Jewish American organizations, and even the diplomatic staff of Israel have made several attempts to normalize relations with Arabs and Muslims. They started the Muslim Leadership Initiative; they held several Israeli-Muslim conferences, and they involved Muslims in their organizational activities.
Let us look at the questions raised at the beginning of the article, one by one.
Are Muslims against the idea of a Jewish State?
No, Muslims are not against the idea of a Jewish, Christian, or Hindu, or Buddhist state? Muslims opposed the illegal occupation of the land Palestinians owned and lived for centuries. They are against the conspiracy and deception that the Zionist leaders played with British and American leaders' support in displacing Palestine's people through a network of terrorism created by the Zionists. Jews are entitled to their state but not through occupation and displacement. In the civilized world, this is an unacceptable action regardless of the United Nations' stamp of approval.
Do Muslims hate Jews?
History is a witness that the relationship between Muslims and Jews was cordial. They lived side by side peacefully and helped each other in times of crisis. They were part of Muslim governments.
Is Islam an anti-Semitic faith?
Islam does not promote hatred against any religion. It advises Muslims to respect the religious creeds of all faiths and urges them to protect the human rights of all. The Islamic scriptures are critical of religious clergy for their distortion of the divine message and directs people to trust God more than the religious establishment. Islam views all humanity as one family.
Why do non-Arab and non-Palestinian Muslims support the Palestinians?
They do so because they believe that the creation of Israel's state in Palestine was a deliberate act of injustice. They oppose human rights violations and oppression. If Jews had faced a similar situation the Palestinians face, they would have stood up for them.
Do Muslims want to destroy the state of Israel?
Muslims do not want to destroy Israel. They challenge Israel's deception, violence, and terror against the Palestinians. The question Israel's expansionist policies, and they reject its apartheid. In reality, it is a segment of the Jewish community known as Neturei Karta that seeks Israel's destruction. The group never accepted the Zionist entity as a legitimate country. Created in 1938, the group opposes Zionism and calls for a "peaceful dismantling" of the State of Israel, believing that Jews are forbidden to have their state until the Jewish Messiah's coming. They declare the state of Israel as a rebellion against God.
How should Muslims deal with those who are ardent supporters of Israeli policies?
If Israel's supporters refuse to see the injustice perpetrated against Palestinians, they should not engage with them in any capacity. Groups like ADL, AJC, and AIPAC support Israel and its apartheid policies. These groups coerce other religious communities or bribe them to endorse their position. The Muslim Leadership Initiative and the involvement of several Muslim groups such as the Minaret Foundation of Houston or Emgage offer good examples of how the Zionists operate in the US.
Muslims' commitment is to justice and peace. Supporting such groups will legitimize injustice, aggression, and terror. Those who work with ADL, AJC, and AIPAC betray their divinely mandated religious obligation to stand for justice and truth. They must declare that their participation in such group activities is a violation of their commitment to God that asks them to uphold the truth.
In interfaith groups, such groups' presence offers Muslims an opportunity to explain their principled stand on the issue. The oppressors and their supporters must remember that they cannot be part of a civil society unless they acknowledge that Israel exists on the foundation of injustice with Palestinians' bones and bloods.
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