The oft-mentioned conflict

Okay, back to a semi-serious post. :P

I'd like to discuss the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a huge issue among the Muslim and Jewish communities in the USA, and I'd like to add my two cents. DISCLAIMER: These are merely my opinions, my gut feelings. I do not expect everyone to agree with them. Please do not call me out saying that what I think is haram or that I'm a kafir or whatever because of my view of the situation.

Undoubtedly the suffering amongst the Palestinian people is outrageous and deeply saddening. I can't even imagine what it must be like to live in what is essentially a police state; not being free to come and go as you please, constantly being checked and harassed by the cops and the military, having a forced curfew, having extremely limited resources and not being allowed to leave the country or even bring supplies in, and being forced to relocate from land that one has always lived on so that others can take it. This kind of suffering is totally unacceptable and disgusting; how anyone can think this is okay or justifiable is beyond me. Palestinians have the right, just like everyone else in this world, to live a life of freedom and dignity. They should be able to have decent food and clothing, free access to medical treatment, freedom to live wherever they want and to move about as they please, and freedom from unfair treatment and humiliation. Instead, their natural human rights are being disregarded by both the Israeli government and Hamas for their own political and material gain. In the end, sadly, they are always the losers.

All this poverty and injustice is enough to make anyone very angry, and when coupled with the huge gap in wealth and quality of life between Israel and Palestine (especially Gaza), it is understandable why so many people are angry at Israel. Israel technically has power over the Palestinian territories; why should the standards and treatment be different among Israelis and Palestinians if they are partially under the same rule?

But, and this is a huge but, all this anger DOES NOT justify suicide bombings, rockets launched at Israeli towns, and the virulent hatred of all things Israeli and Jewish.

Yes, the Israeli government does a lot of reprehensible things. Yes, it must definitely share the blame for the sorry state that Gaza is in now. But this is not the fault of all Israeli people. Just because the government acts a certain way doesn't mean that everyone under that government agrees with it or supports it. Although I don't know any Israelis personally, I am positive that there are plenty that condemn their government's actions against the Palestinians. There are some Israelis that are actively helping in the Palestinian cause. Therefore I think it is ignorant, nasty, and totally unfair to automatically accuse all Israelis of being evil.

What makes me even more upset is when some people extend this frustration and even hatred towards Jews in general. I can not say this enough: NOT ALL JEWS SUPPORT ISRAEL. There are many that do, but there are also plenty that don't. I'm sure people have seen pictures of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews attending anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian rallies. There are lots of groups created by Jews in support of the Palestinian people. I have studied Judaism pretty extensively, and it teaches kindness, care for the world and all its people, and fighting oppression (especially seen in the story of Musa (as) and the evil Pharaoh). I absolutely hate it when I hear Muslims spouting very anti-Semitic things and blaming the Jews for everything. There are bad people in every group, just as there are good people in every group.

And here comes the controversial part: I do agree with the concept of Israel as a Jewish state. For thousands of years, Jews have not had a nation that they can call home. They had the land of Israel as a concept, but for many reasons (persecution, poverty, government issues, etc.) they could not live or return there. After the Holocaust, where a huge percentage of the worldwide Jewish population was exterminated in only a few short years, Jews felt more than ever that they needed a land where they could live freely and practice their Judaism. Modern-day Israel fulfills this wish for many Jews. It is the only Jewish-majority nation in the world, and after being the minority and the outcast for so long, it probably feels very relieving to finally be among one's own people without fear of oppression or persecution. It is easy to live as a Jew in Israel; kosher food abounds, the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays are observed everywhere, people follow the rules of modesty and family life, and they have the satisfaction of knowing that this is the land where their ancestors and the Prophets (peace be upon them) lived. So yes, I understand why many Jews are so attached to Israel and are so passionate in defending it, even though it means hell for the Palestinians. I of course do not at all condone this behavior of living freely at the expense of others' (i.e. the Palestinians') freedom, but I can understand where they're coming from.

Ideally, I would love for there to be one state where Israelis and Palestinians could live side by side in peace. The Jews could practice their Judaism, and the Palestinians could practice their Islam and Christianity. There would be no oppression or injustice towards anyone.

But this is just my ideal situation, and in no way is this going to happen anytime soon, if ever. ALLAHu Alim. Insha'Allah, I pray that this evil conflict will end soon, that the Palestinian people will be free from oppression and allowed to live their lives, and that Israel/Palestine will become dar as-salaam, an abode of peace. Ameen.