Voices for An easy-to-follow practical

guide to help the plight of the

Palestine 1
Palestinian people
Who We Are
About Us
Voices for Palestine is a collective of individuals who have come together with a shared
purpose and a deep commitment. Our aim is to share valuable tips, offer advice, and
actionable plans that we can all implement dedicated to serving the people of Palestine
in their hour of need. We firmly believe in the transformative power of community and
the positive impact that can be achieved through even small changes. Through
collaborative efforts and a sincere desire to make a difference, we aspire to create a more
compassionate and supportive world for the people of Palestine.

Join us in amplifying the voices that seek positive change and lasting impact.

Please share this resource as widely as possible to enable others to be part of the change.

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 Time for
change
“Why we cannot be passive
observers, but need to be
active reformers.”

See article on why we cannot be silent witnesses to oppression on p31.

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Contents

Who We Are 2

Ten ways you can help 6

Questions facing our community & how to address them! 21

Shifting from passive observer to active reformer 32

Have hope and not despair 39

Seek help in patience and prayer 42

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 RAISE YOUR VOICE

Our voice has to be separate from emotion in our responses. We have to

articulate calmly. Zionists do not get frazzled. We have to encourage our
community to raise awareness of what is happening with the best image.

In any interaction online or offline, no matter how provoked we are, we

should be peaceful, rational, compassionate, empathetic. This should
come across in our slogans and our responses.

It is crucial that we know the difference between Zionism, which is a

political movement, and Judaism, which is a religion, and ensure we do
not blur the two when speaking.

Knowledge is power

In order to be effective in spreading awareness we

need to be equipped with knowledge.

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Ten ways you can help

READ
1
WRITE
2
TEACH
3
KNOW YOUR
RIGHTS 4
SUPPORT
5
6
6 JOIN
ORGANISATIONS

7 JOIN PEACE
PROTESTS

8 COLLABORATE

9 BOYCOTT

10 AWARENESS

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1. Read
We have put together some resources to help you build your knowledge through books.
See the attached list on page 16-17.

A good starting point is:

- A Brief History of Palestine – Ismail Adam Patel

- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine – Ilan Pappé

- The Power in the People - Michael Mansfield

We also recommend this resource:

https://www.thepalestineacademy.com/palestine-101

2. Write
Write in – wherever you see something wrong, whether it is an article, poster, advert etc
write in and ask for it to be put right straight away. You should write to your MP, to the
media, to schools, to workplaces etc. Writing is a powerful way of being heard. Jewish
people have used this effectively for years and it is time for us to utilise this method to
put our point of view across.

Use ChatGPT if you need help. Below are some templates to help you get started:

MP letter template https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/ceasefire

Complain to BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-
complaint/#/Complaint

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3. Teach
We need to teach our children the basics of what is going on. They will have to take this
fight for justice forward.

https://ummah.com/palestine-resources-for-kids/

https://teachpalestine.org/articles/childrens-books-palestine/

https://www.foa.org.uk/resources/categories/children

https://blog.hautehijab.com/post/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-palestine-
israel-and-the-resistance-movement-a-resource-guide

We should also encourage children to join debating clubs which sharpens critical
listening skills and the child's ability to interact with others confidently while trying to
reason and think through difficult arguments and complex issues.

Allah Almighty said in the Quran:

“Invite (people) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good
counsel. And argue with them in the best of manners. Surely, your
Lord knows best the one who deviates from His way, and He knows
best the ones who are on the right path.” [Surat Nahl: 125]
Encourage children to go into diverse professions. We need representation in all fields
and we need thinkers. If your child has the aptitude and interest, encourage them to go
into journalism, politics, diplomatic roles (civil service), public policy, law (human
rights) etc.

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Nurture that interest in your children to discuss and think deeply about this conflict.
Their analysis and thought process should extend to how they see it playing out the next
fifty years, not just the present.

https://patchworkfoundation.org.uk/our-work/

4. Know your rights and defend yourself

If your child faces any issues at school, get support if you need it from the group, and
write in/ go in and see the head.

If your child has been affected in any way at school, you need to act with wisdom. Do not
ignore this, take advice and go in to see the pastoral head or head of the school. Take
someone with you if needed.
For more help on this, email: Palestineinschool@gmail.com
For how to answer loaded and tricky questions, see page 21 onwards.

Understand what Islamophobia is so you know the definition and can complain if it
happens at school/work.

https://www.theiru.org.uk/

Keep up with the news and be informed! Please watch this video by the Centre for
Media Monitoring (get your older children involved):

https://youtu.be/qZvGbmanPig?si=RteFX6_Pp9qZJZRx

Knowing the subtle biases woven into the media’s portrayal of events, you can watch
the news and read articles with discernment, pick up their partiality and know how to

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complain or challenge or report anything that has been posted with bias, inaccuracy or
is not verified.

1. Know Your rights on Palestine activism –

https://www.cage.ngo/know-your-rights-how-to-confidently-express-
solidarity-with-palestine

2. Palestine activism in school –

https://www.cage.ngo/know-your-rights-palestine-activism-in-school
https://www.mend.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Addressing-school-
action-on-Palestinian-solidarity.pdf

3. How to tackle the condemnation question –

https://www.cage.ngo/palestine-how-to-tackle-the-question-of-condemnation

4. What to do if referred to Prevent

https://www.cage.ngo/what-to-do-if-my-child-is-referred-to-prevent-for-
supporting-palestine-in-school

5. Support
Support Muslim businesses. Buy from them and promote them. Their success is our
collective success. And of course donate to charities.

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6. Join organisations (locally and nationally)
We need to get involved actively in organisations that will raise our awareness of
current affairs and help us make a difference – PSC (Palestine Solidarity Campaign),
ISOCs, school governors. Put yourself forward and get into positions. Put yourself
forward by joining any roles they have which would help you influence positively, such
as becoming a member or even a trustee. Offer your expertise. Below are some
examples.

Friends of Al Aqsa

http://www.foa.org.uk

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

www.palestinecampaign.org

https://palestinecampaign.org/get-involved/join-renew-membership/

Get connected with your local PSC volunteer, invite them to a gathering and listen to what
they have to say about how you can galvanise and make a difference.

They know your local MPs, their agendas and how they operate, so empower yourself to
act wiser at the next elections. Look out for other organisations in your area that are
activists in this area and get involved.

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7. Join peace protests
We have seen that these are effective and they are more effective when there are more
people. It sends a message to the Palestinians that they are not alone. These marches or
vigils have a great sense of solidarity and give those participating a strength to raise their
voices and send the message that we do not accept what is being done with our taxes.
Remember that any slogans you use should reflect positive messaging and the beauty of
Islam.

8. Collaborate
We need to work with other communities for the greater good. For instance Shias and
Sunnis need to unite over such an important issue. Together we are stronger.

9. Boycott
Don’t believe every WhatsApp post on what to boycott. Verify the information yourself.
Check the barcode. Wherever possible try to make your money fall into pockets that are
not supporting oppression. There are products like Jordan Valley dates and Moroccan Oil
which appear not to come from Israel, but do! Meanwhile others, like Costco who have
been accused of being Zionist, have nothing to do with it. So we have to do our research
or check with those we trust. The BDS movement encourages targeted boycotting. In
addition, depending on our capacity and circumstances we can make wiser and sustained
choices based on facts.

https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-to-boycott

Here is Omar Suleiman’s wisdom on boycotts in Islam

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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlposQ8MSww

Boycott Israeli dates. Sadly these are commonly found in Muslim shops as well as
supermarkets. Avoid these brands:

Bomaja King Solomon

Carmel Agrexco Paradise Dates
Delilah Rapunzel
Desert Diamond Red Sea
Hadiklaim Royal Treasure
Jordan Plains Shams
Jordan River Tamara

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15
16
Where can I source genuine Palestinian dates?
Olives and Dates are a UK based, Community Interest Company, operating as a not for
profit organisation.

They support Palestinian farmers and help tackle injustice, through Fairtrade.

They are a group of volunteers, who serve as collection points, in locations all over the
country. Once an order is placed, Zaytoun fulfil the collective orders and then deliver to
the respective Collection Point. Customers are then informed about collection times.
Their medjoul dates are delicious.

https://olivesanddates.com/

10. Awareness: Know what others are thinking

We need to understand what information is being disseminated in the Jewish community
so we are equipped how to respond. They are very active and vocal and have
communication lists ready so they are able to send out responses when they are not
happy. E.g. complaining to the GMC about a doctor.

Lists of Books and Resources on Palestine:

- A Brief History of Palestine – Ismail Adam Patel
- On Palestine – Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine – Ilan Pappé
- The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine – Rashid Kahlidi
- Palestine Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Dr Tariq M Suwaidan
- Palestine A Four Thousand Year History – Nur Musalha

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- The Biggest Prison on Earth – Ilan Pappé
- 10 Myths About Israel – Ilan Pappé
- Gaza – Norman Finkelstein
- The Palestine Laboratory – Antony Loewenstein
- Palestine Speaks – Edited by Mateo Hoke and Cate Malek
- Mural – Mahmoud Darwish (translated by John Berger and Rema Hammami)
- The Idea of Israel : A History of Power and Knowledge – Ilan Pappé
- In Search of Fatima : A Palestinian Story – Ghada Karmi
- The Punishment of Gaza – Gideon Levy
- The Holocaust Industry : Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering –
Norman Finkelstein
- Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict – Norman Finkelstein
- Blaming the Victims : Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question – with
contributions by Ibrahim Abu-Lughod, Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein,
Muhammad Hallaj, Rashid Khalidi, Peretz Kidron and Elia Zureik
- The Invention of the Land of Israel : From Holy Land to Homeland – Shlomo Sand
- Beyond Chutzpah :On the Misuse of Anti-Semitismand the Abuse of History –
Norman Finkelstein
- A Child in Palestine : The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali – Naji al-Ali (intro: by Joe Sacco)
- I Shall Not Hate : A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human
Dignity – Izzledin Abuelaish
- Out of Place : A Memoir – Edward Said
- Letters to Palestine – Edited by Vijay Prashad
- The Balfour Declaration

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LINKS :
Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1o3LpkLVKl
sMxdIKOClSuH?si=rysEEVajQCist56E4V6-qg

Documenatary on Israel - Palestine

http://johnpilger.com/videos/Palestine-is-still-the-issue

Books on Palestine
http://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/5078-palestinian-solidarity-
reading-list

Statistics about Israel Palestine

http://ifamericansknew.org

https://truthaboutpalestine.com/

More recommendations:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/12/experts-guide-to-the-
israel-palestine-conflict?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Al-Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe

This series is available of YouTube. It is one of the most comprehensive documentaries

about the root causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict. It draws on interviews with experts,

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Palestinian and Israeli, as well as survivors of massacres and displacements that led to
where we are today.

Broadcast by Channel 4 in 2011, The Promise tells the story of a young British woman
(Claire Foy) who goes to Israel to stay with her friend’s wealthy family. There, as she
witnesses the brutality of the Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, she reads the
diaries of her grandfather, a British soldier stationed in Palestine after the second world
war.

We also recommend the very engaging editions of William Dalrymple and Anita
Anand’s Empire podcasts on the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration.
Sadly, Brits have a lot to answer for.

If you want to understand the twisted evolution of Hamas, and the role that Israel played
in nurturing an extremist movement that helped undermine the more moderate
Palestinian Authority, then try Hamas: The Islamic Resistance Movement by Beverly
Milton-Edwards and Stephen Farrell.

Cinderella is a short story by Sayed Kashua, an Israeli-Palestinian author now based in

America. Originally written in Hebrew, it’s about a Jewish guy who, every night at
midnight, turns into a pro-Palestinian Arab man. It’s very funny, but more than that,
Kashua tackles the idea that there’s always this split, that you can’t fully integrate both
narratives.

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Questions facing
Questions facing our community
our community & how
to address
& howthem!to address them!

Question 1: Do we condemn Hamas?

There are two options here.

The first is explained very well by Yasir Qadhi and we have attached the link below. He
advises to take the bait and condemn Hamas because it’s a red herring (basically a
misleading or distracting piece of information) and in this case the argument is started
with this to throw us off and the moment we hesitate to condemn Hamas or we say we
condemn all sides, it takes the conversation away from the real discussion which enables
them to swifly de-legitimise the entire argument that follows. Therefore the advice is to
take the bait and condemn Hamas and then go on to say you condemn the killing of
innocent people because the ploy is to deflect from the real issue at hand and the focus is
taken back to Hamas and October 7th attacks which allows Israel to portray itself as the
‘victim’ and gain sympathy. The trick here is that you can’t be a victim and an aggressor
at the same time so in order to reserve the victim status for themselves they ensure the
focal point remains Hamas and the Oct 7th attacks. Once you condemn Hamas the next
question will automatically be about Israel’s right to self-defend (which is one of the other
questions below).

https://open.spotify.com/episode/16WAjVTmvlkWpJXxhdp7ON?si=tGCLgWzSSYamtr5xudvA_Q

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The second option for this question ‘Do you condemn Hamas?’ is to say that yes we
condemn the actions of Hamas on Oct 7th and we condemn all killing of innocent people
(as per our faith) but Hamas as an organisation itself is more than a military force or a
simple militia. Hamas is an ideology (the Islamic Resistance Movement) which was
founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada or uprising and yes even though it is
proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, the US, Canada, European Union,
Egypt and Japan, it is not considered a terrorist organisation by the United Nations or all
the other countries of the world. Hamas opposes the Oslo peace accords negotiated by
PLO in the mid-1990s and although its 1988 founding charter does not recognise the state
of Israel they have at times offered a long term truce (Hudna in Arabic) with Israel in
return for a viable Palestinian state on all Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the
1967 war.

Israel however considers this a ruse and therefore has not engaged with Hamas over this
– it is also very important to remember that Israel funded and supported Hamas as a
movement to begin with as they wanted an opposing force to PLO so it's almost like
history repeating itself with the mujahideen turned into Taliban by the United States. By
condemning Hamas’ actions we are condemning killing of innocent civilians which as
Muslims we must, but at the same time we are recognising that the war did not start on
Oct 7th and we are not condemning the ‘cause’ which is resistance towards self-
determination of the Palestinian people. When we condemn Hamas’ actions, we must also
condemn Israel’s occupation, the IDF killings, the settler violence, Islamophobia, anti-
semitism and white supremacy. We must also condemn Netanyahu and his ministers
using de-humanising language for the Palestinians

This also leads into the self-defence question and how we answer that.

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Question 2: How do we respond to Israel’s self-defence
justification?
Yes, every people have the right to defend themselves. If Israel has the right to defend
itself then so do the Palestinians – they have the right to defend themselves also. If Israelis
can do whatever it takes to defend their state then surely the Palestinians have the same
right? If Israel has a right (rather duty as some say) to defend itself against an existential
threat then so do the Palestinians. The same standard of self-defense must apply to both
sides. But if we go by that standard then surely Israel is worthy of far stronger
condemnation than Hamas? Based on what it has done in the past several weeks –
bombing hospitals, schools, UN facilities, stopping food, water, fuel and enacting a
complete siege… aren’t these actions worth condemnation? If you can condemn Hamas,
then why can’t you condemn Israel for what it has done and is still doing?

Israel claims it wants to eliminate Hamas and since Hamas uses human shields it has no
other way to do this except mass bombings. The question is what has Israel achieved so
far with this methodology? Has killing thousands of civilians (mostly children and
women) eliminated Hamas or released hostages? No. As Queen Rania says, ‘You can kill
the combatant, but you can’t kill the cause’. As she and others have pointed out the root
cause of this issue is an illegal occupation, an apartheid regime, human rights violations,
illegal settlements and blatant disregard to UN resolutions and international law. Well in
this case they have not even been able to eliminate the combatant either. Rather what
they are doing will create more combatants with a renewed motivation to pursue this
cause with even more resistance. There will be multiple Hamas movements arising from
the rubbles of Gaza!

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According to IDF out of 10,000 Palestinians killed only 60
were Hamas operatives! More than 4000 children have
been killed and this death toll is increasing by the minute.
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Also, if Hamas is the sole reason for using such brute force and indiscriminate killing of
civilians then why is Israel killing Palestinians in the West Bank? There’s no Hamas there
so how does Israel legitimise its actions there?

Let us also remember that human shields are also protected under international and
humanitarian laws – even if we were to agree that Hamas uses civilians as human shields,
it still cannot be the justification for Israel to bomb civilian targets and safe zones. This is
a unique war where there is no safe place in Gaza and even the safe zones are being
bombed. According to IDF out of the 10,000 Palestinians killed only 60 were Hamas
operatives!! So that means more than 4000 children (and the number increases every few
minutes) have been martyred and this is more children killed in the past month than all
three years of conflict zones combined! Is this self defence or revenge with an intent to
kill Palestinian civilians and annihilate them? Has Israel not crossed the line in an attempt
to eliminate Hamas? Does everything Israel do in response to Oct 7th become justifiable?
The answer is no just like everything the United States did post 9/11 was not justifiable
either simply for the reason that they were doing it in the name of avenging 9/11.

The laws of war were created after World War II and limits were set no matter how just
your case or cause after the world witnessed the atrocities and impact of collective
punishment. How many tens of thousands of Palestinians does Israel have the right to kill
in the name of trying to destroy Hamas – there are humanitarian laws of war that were
created after world war 2 and those apply to all countries and no circumstance or country
is exempt! These violations of humanitarian law in war times can never be morally
defensible or justifiable! Thousands are dead and Hamas framework is still unshattered
so their entire argument for using Hamas as an excuse is unfounded. Also the losses are
heavily skewed on the Palestinian side so those numbers in themselves refute the self
defence argument.

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The links below for Queen Rania’s interview and the Piers Morgan interview with
Wajahat Ali, Glenn Greenwald and Brooke Goldstein.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzSOJJJIFXh/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
https://x.com/yashar/status/1721311440148246955?s=48&t=v_JrYG6SDMtaiXMNxT9BRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf7CTR0e7bg

Question 3: How do we feel about Israel’s loss of life?

Do we feel their pain?
Yes, as Muslims we feel the pain of losing innocent life and we mourn the loss of all those
who have lost their lives. Any loss of innocent life is unacceptable.

Question 4: Are petitions working? Why don’t we see

any outcome/results?
As a community we have to continue with our efforts to write letters and petitions even
if we don’t see direct short-term results – this issue has a history of almost a century and
it will take time but our voices need to be heard. We should not expect immediate results
but keep a sustained movement of informing ourselves and writing at every level of
society to bring change slowly but assuredly.

We can however see some results such as the advertisement that was taken down by
Brent Cross shopping mall and the advertisement taken down by Marks and Spencer’s.
Even though we have all had standard responses from our MPs, there has been some
movement and we have stirred some form of reaction and it is very important to keep
this going in a consistent perseverant manner inshaAllah.

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Question 5: Should we boycott certain brands and
companies?
This question ties into misinformation

As a Muslim community, we must ensure that we do not become a part in any form or
manner of spreading misinformation and therefore it is critical that we verify and
authenticate information which we receive before sharing it with others as this is part of
our faith. When we share information, if it turns out to be inaccurate and misleading or
create confusion then it could amount to a grave sin. Surah Hujarat states:

“O you who believe! If any iniquitous person comes to you with a slanderous
tale, use your discernment, lest you hurt people unwittingly and afterwards
be filled with remorse for what you have done.” [Hujarat: 49: 6]
For example there was a Costco message going around about their brand Kirkland giving
money to IDF which turns out to be a law firm by the same name instead. Another
example is for Starbucks in Malaysia which is now on the brink of shutting down shops
in the country so not only is it owned any Muslims but it employs Muslims and
contributes to a Muslim country’s economy and also in this context the Malaysian
franchises supports Palestine through charity so essentially its closure would affect a lot
of Muslims and the Palestinian cause. Therefore we have to be extremely careful in
forwarding information in the community and we must help each other and correct each
other to only spread information that is credible, verified and authentic.

The BDS website is a centralised source that you can refer to and we recommend using
their website for targeted boycott. As Omar Suleman advised, it is more effective to pick

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a few organisations at a time and boycott them as opposed to a long list which becomes
confusing and counterproductive.

Omar Suleiman and BDS link below

https://bdsmovement.net/
https://www.youtube.com/live/dlposQ8MSww?si=275gh9qh9X4hwA5K

Question 6: Are pro-Palestinian marches ‘hate marches’?

As Hugo Rifkind says ‘People have the right to March against falling bombs no matter who
is dropping them and I cannot suppress my horror at the idea of the Jewish community
being used as a pretext for taking this right away’

The Met commissioner Mark Rowley has said about the Home Secretary’s use of words
‘She’s picked two words out of the English language and strung them together’ he admits
he ‘doesn’t know’ what Braverman meant when she used those words (link below)

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/met-commissioner-suella-braverman-hate-
march-b2441796.html

Syeda Warsi called the Home Secretary ‘dangerous and divisive’ she said more
Palestinian children have been killed over the last month in Palestine than Ukrainian
children in 21 months so that gives us the magnitude of what’s happening. These marches
are to stop the bombs, stop the occupation, stop the killing, calls for ceasefire now and if
anything this march is most appropriate on armistice day and remembrance weekend
because the ethos for this British event is ‘never again’ and ‘lest we forget’ which are all
calls to peace and that is precisely what these protests are demanding. The Home
Secretary has made this a political issue and emboldened the far right to basically make

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this a call to arms as she is trying to create divisions and not bring people together. Warsi
said these words are not creating a sense of ease but rather the opposite. The role of the
government is to keep us safe and to unify communities. Link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAoD1rHGttI

Lord Nicholas Soames (grandson of Winston Churchill) said the protests must be allowed
to go ahead as people died to uphold this right and freedom. He also said the Home
Secretary has a very important job and therefore she has to be very careful not to polarise.
As Andrew Marr said these marches are more like ‘grief marches’ as opposed to hate (link
below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTmTA6H9oOQ

Also there’s a very interesting point James O Brien makes about Braverman’s background
and her mentor John Hayes who professes anti-semitic tropes and Braverman has on
record repeatedly and unapologetically made references to cultural Marxism in her
communications which are reminiscent of the language used by Nazis. According to
O’Brien It is therefore important to note that ‘some of the loudest voices opposed to these
marches may not actually belong to proper friends of the Jewish people’ (link below).
Braverman is actually blowing a hate whistle by using these hateful words and being
inflammatory and divisive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JdFw-EU2GM

We as a community have to ensure that we make this protest (that has been the most
contentious protest) to be representative of Muslim values of peace, tolerance,
compassion, empathy and unity. It would be great if we can as a group put together some

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powerful slogans such as ‘I shall not hate’ or ‘You Divide, We Unite’ or ‘NO to Violence’ or
‘I support humanity’ maybe a slogan with the number of violations by Israel compared to
Russia and Hamas?

We also need to acknowledge as a community that we must put our emotions aside while
raising a voice for the Palestinians. The met commissioner will be held accountable for
the protest as he has gone against immense pressure to ban this protest and there will be
elements who will try and sabotage this protest with media ready to capture those few
incidents so as a community we must ensure we try and play our part in keeping this
protest peaceful, civil, empathetic with a focus on raising our voices for the Palestinians.

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 Letter to withdraw child from school for strike
Dear [insert head teachers name],

I am writing to inform you that [insert child’s name] will be taking part in the
Harrow School Strike for Palestine this Friday in Harrow town centre, and will
be absent from school for the day.

As the situation further intensifies, I am deeply concerned that our leaders are
gravely failing a vulnerable and disempowered civilian population by enabling
a deliberately disproportionate attack.

We wish to protest peacefully, with the intention of showing solidarity with the
people of Gaza, with particular focus on the 1 million innocent children, over
3,000 of whom have been killed in the last 3 weeks.

Whatever our faith or politics, as parents and carers, we wish to unite for the
preservation of human life and collectively demand an immediate ceasefire. I
will gladly support [insert child’s name] in catching up with any work they
might have missed.

I have found the following links useful but welcome guidance and suggestions
from the school in navigating age appropriate conversations regarding war and
conflict.

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/how-talk-your-children-about-conflict-and-war
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/2022/how-to-talk-to-children-about-war

Warm wishes,

[Your name here]

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Shifting from passive observer
Shiftingto
from passive
active observer to
reformer
active reformer

In the midst of the genocide taking place in Gaza and the subsequent
shock and pain we are experiencing at a human level, I tried to look back
to the verses of the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah to seek guidance
and clarity on understanding this catastrophic situation and the lessons
we can take to help us respond, as believers:

Al-Muslihoon [The Reformers]

“And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities
unjustly while their people were reformers.” [Hud: 11:117]

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Tests for Muslims living outside of Palestine
The people in Gaza are being tested with loss of life, fear, hunger and death however, we
are also being tested at different levels.

Our test is at multiple levels: how we respond to the immediate genocide of innocent
civilians in Palestine, stand up for the freedom of people from oppression and apartheid,
and promote goodness and justice.

The line between Truth and Falsehood

When we were young, we were always taught the basic principle by our parents to never
lie, cheat or steal and to always speak the truth. If something went wrong, we were taught
to call it wrong with that voice of truth echoing at the back of our minds. Islam encourages
us to do good, to speak the truth and uphold justice. Today, however, we find that the line
between truth and falsehood has been blurred.

When one nation commits a crime against another by killing its innocent civilians, a crime
against humanity, and violation of humanitarian law, the world should call it a crime,
however, not only do some countries allow the crime to take place but actively support
it.

How are we currently feeling?

We’ve all watched with profound anger and grief, images of children near exploding
bombs, bodies of rescued children being rushed to hospitals, mothers in bereavement,
doctors breaking down in hospitals. While social media has helped to open our eyes and
hearts to the catastrophe in Gaza, it has left us with deep pain and grief.

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As an Ummah but also as human beings, we are experiencing trauma, and a sense of
devastation. We feel a deep pain coupled with an utter sense of helplessness. We have
cried at odd moments in our day, some of us feel anxious watching the images, others find
it hard to imagine that all this is happening to innocent children and women. How does
one grapple with it all?

Allah talks about the Muslihoon or the reformers in

society.
“And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people
were reformers.” [Hud: 11:117]
In this verse, Allah Almighty talks about Reformers and He uses the word, Muslihoon
(reformers) rather than Saalihoon (righteous) ones. The Saalihoon are those who do good
but their actions are limited to themselves.

Who are the Muslihoon?

The Muslihoon go a step further. They are activists and the ones who create the change.
Their righteousness is not just for their own selves and their own families but they open
the space in the community for change to happen. Their actions are a ripple effect which
goes out to the community and wherever they go.

Allah Almighty commands us to be from the Reformers that if we see an evil in society,
we must act to change it. He mentions many nations that were destroyed because the
people allowed the injustice and evil to continue.

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What Reform are we talking about?
Reform means to improve someone or something by removing or correcting the faults
and the problems. Reform takes time and requires a long-term vision. For instance,
Britain introduced a number of reform movements in the 1800s. One of the most famous
reforms was the Suffragette Movement that started in 1880 by Emmeline Pankhurst
which led to the creation of the law that allowed women to vote in parliamentary
elections in 1920s. Other movements include the Civil Rights Movement in America
which started in 1954 and ended in 1968 and called for abolishing legalized racial
segregation and discrimination especially against African Americans. Some of these
movements took 10-20 others took 40 and 50 years. They started by identifying a single
problem and worked consistently until the change grew over time and the problem was
resolved. Who knew that women who had no rights would be allowed to vote one day.

Recent events have shown us the disparity between right and wrong and how one side of
the narrative has been pushed so strongly that it has truly suppressed and falsified the
truth and the narrative of the other side. This is a long-term battle. As Muslims, what will
we do about this problem? How can we change this narrative and be able to say
courageously and without being penalized that if something is wrong and unjust, it should
be corrected and not allowed to go unaccounted for?

History is giving us another opportunity to change things? With the on-going oppression
in Palestine, thanks to social media, we have experienced a wave of changing public
opinion and a shift in people’s understanding of the issue of occupation versus the
occupier. How can we capitalise on this momentum? What reforms can we envision that
favour the truth and uphold the justice and state the truth as fair and crime as falsehood.

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The question is what can we do to change that?

• Educate and Empower our children. We need to teach and encourage our
children that they should work hard to change things for the betterment of the
future of the Palestinian people as well as for the good of their own future. We
need to look at legislation in this country and be able to speak up if we want change
to happen. Our children need to be involved in the legislative process to be able to
influence change and leadership on issues that matter to the Palestinian people
and also to promote the voice of truth, justice and to promote good. No matter
what field they belong to, they should always try to think how they will serve
humanity, give back to society and promote justice not just for the Palestinian
people but for all.

• Rule of Law: We are living in a country that is renowned for its Rule of Law. There
are many countries where we cannot promote change or make any impact because
we are not allowed to protest or speak up. We should try to get involved in the
democratic process and be able to apply the Rule of Law, to support humanitarian
and just causes.

• Engage with civil society: Engaging with civil society is an important value not
just to be able to speak about injustice against the Palestinians or other nations
but it is ingrained within our Islamic values to serve others and do good. As
Muslims we have done really well in building our own communities through
creating madrasas, building mosques and community centres, and programs for
children. How can we extend, the universal good values that Islam promotes, to
other communities. As members of a global and multi-cultural society, it is
important that we invite, engage and interact with members and leaders of other
communities, via conversations, collaboration on community-based initiatives

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 and volunteer efforts with elderly care, soup kitchens, cleaning our streets, mental
health, and many more.

Allah commands us to stand against the injustice

We’ve been commanded in many places in the Quran to enjoin good and forbid evil and
to stand with justice. The Quran says,

“Allah enjoins us to do justice and goodness and generosity towards relatives.

And He forbids immorality, injustice and oppression.” [An-Nahl: 16:90]
Allah Almighty commands us to not just stand with justice but DO justice. If we see
oppression, we should try to change it and correct it, using our knowledge and wisdom.

Furthermore, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬explicitly told us in a hadith:

On the authority of Abu Sa`eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬say, ‘Whosoever of you sees an evil, let
him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change
it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and
that is the weakest of faith.’” [Muslim]
What steps can we take towards creating justice for the Palestinian people. Those of us
who feel that it is sufficient to just feel bad about it or to make dua only, should remember
that this condition comes when the other two conditions cannot be fulfilled.

Using our Hands: Write The first of these conditions calls to change the justice with
his hand. One of the things that people respond to really well is when you write to them.

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Making noise is one of the things that some nations have done best. The goal is not to be
complacent. When we see something unjust on the media or on a website, we should point
it out and say it’s wrong.

To get to a stage where you can articulate your thoughts coherently, when writing a letter
to an MP, school, media, etc requires you to be able to do the research and be familiar
with what’s happening in the news. This is where it is so important for us to do our
homework, to read, know the background, research the history and to know both sides of
the story. This will help you state your point clearly and succinctly. We need to develop
the habit of reading and gaining knowledge from different sources as well as gain the art
of using the pen.

Using our tongue: Empowering ourselves with knowledge is critical in order to have
conversations with people without getting emotional and being able to speak from a place
of proof and conviction. We are being bombarded in the media often with false narratives
over and over again where people can get aggressive in trying to convince the media that
their narrative is the right one. To be able to speak up and speak the truth means we will
have to empower ourselves with proper knowledge as well as wisdom and that will only
come once we start to read and educate ourselves and know how to address the
questions.

Using our skills and talents: Each of us has a unique skill and talent which we can use
to contribute towards standing for justice and creating a voice for those who are
oppressed. Identify your unique talent and skill, whether its knitting or crocheting for the
sake of supporting Palestinian fairtrade, writing a poem or a story of the brave women in
Gaza, a story about the children of Gaza, a blog on Palestine, bringing people together
from other faiths and communities in an inter-faith dialogue, and many more.

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Have
Have hope and not
hope despair
and not despair

Surah Al-Imran, talks about the incident of the Battle of Uhud when the Muslim army
suffered a defeat. If some of you remember, the Battle began with Muslims having the
upper hand. A group of archers from the believers were stationed on a hill and told not to
abandon their positions and to safeguard themselves should the enemy attack from
behind. When the disbelievers had dispersed and it appeared that they had retreated, the
Muslims thought they had won the battle and the archers on the hill, left their positions
and ran down to collect the spoils of war. As soon as they left, the enemy attacked them
from behind and they pounced upon a small army of Muslims who tried to stop them.
They enemy continued fighting them down the hill and the fate of the battle was reversed.
The companions had clearly disobeyed the command of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.

When the enemy was overpowering, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was open to attack and one
companion Abu Dujana had turned his body into a shield taking all the incoming arrows
while Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas stood by the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬shooting arrows in his defence. The
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was injured and the battle led to casualties of some of the bravest Sahaba.

Meanwhile, a rumour dispersed that the Holy Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had been martyred on the
battlefield and it weakened the resolve of the companions to fight.

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There were a number of lessons for the believers from the battle and one of them was to
strive in their Iman and to not disobey the Messenger (‫)ﷺ‬. Allah tested the believers as
He says in the following verses:

“Among you there were some who were desired the world and others who
desired the Hereafter. Therefore, He made you flee from them, that He might
try you. Yet now He has forgiven you. Allah is Lord of Kindness to the
believers.” [Al-Imran: 3: 152]
Following the battle, the believers were dismayed and shocked over their own mistakes
especially as they had claimed victory in the Battle of Badr. The loss at Uhud was a blow
to their morale. Then, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse,

“Do not lose heart and do not grieve, and you are the upper-most if you are
believers.” [Al-Imran: 3: 139]
Here, He boosts their morale, appeals to their iman and reminds them that no matter what
mistakes they made in the past and how hard the enemy tried to win over them, they
musn’t despair and remain strong. Despair can turn into apathy which in turn can make
us feel numb, heedless to the pain and suffering of others and unable to take action.

At times like these when world leaders are standing watching the genocide, and the
aggression from the enemy increases, we may feel sadness, defeat and despair. Allah
Almighty is warning us not even think about going into that spiral. The incident of the
Battle teaches us that sometimes we will win and sometimes they will win but, in the end
the Muslims will be victorious as long as they have belief.

We can see tremendous strength and Iman in the way the Palestinians have tried to keep
their faith in the face of calamity. What can we learn from them? Allah appeals to our

40
sense of courage and strength. What more strength can we gain than the examples of the
men and women who have been struggling for their independence over the last 100
years.

Another important lesson from the verse above is that numbers don’t matter when you
are a believer. As long as you have faith, you will have the upper hand. We find the proof
of this in the examples of the Battle of Badr when the Muslim army was a mere 300
compared to 3000 of the Quraysh. The Muslims attained victory as Allah supported them
with His angels.

Allah Almighty reminds us that the criteria for success is to have strength of iman
especially when you are being tested. If you believe, you will be victorious.

Strive in the way of Allah

Results are from Allah and our job is to make
the effort.

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 Seek help in patience
Seek help in patience and prayer
and prayer

“And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer) and truly it is extremely
heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi’un.” [Al-Baqarah: 2:45]
During times of calamity, we continue to turn to Allah Almighty holding our hands and
asking Him to send His Mercy.

Capitalise on the moments of the acceptance of dua (prayer) especially at the time of
tahajjud, the golden time for the acceptance of duas. We also have to have faith and trust
in Allah’s plan and His wisdom. This is part of our faith in the Qadr of Allah.

Don’t fall into despair because the Ceasefire hasn’t come. Keep persevering and making
duas after every salah because you just don’t know when that dua will be accepted and in
what form it will be accepted. Perhaps your duas are being accepted with people changing
in their public opinion, with people opening up the Quran, converting to Islam because
they are watching the faith of the mothers who accept Allah’s will despite their children
being killed. Duas can change the hearts of people to see the truth and support the just
cause of the Palestinians.

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Patience is really hard because you have to swallow a lot of pain and still be steadfast in
trusting Allah’s will. The verse says it is hard except for those who are humbly connected
with Allah, those who have that spiritual connection, that tranquillity with Allah. You can
witness the patience in the people of Gaza where their Iman has reached another level. I
recall the story of the man from Gaza who wrote that even though it felt to them like it
was the Day of Judgement, their hearts were full of tranquillity as if they are sitting with
the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and his companions. That despite the bombs exploding at night, they
were in peace and in ridda (pleased) with Allah’s will.

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“And We delivered Ibrahim and Lut to the land which We
had blessed for the worlds” [Al-Anbiya: 21:71]
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