Good and Evil Have Rarely Been So Obvious

Palestinian family sharing a Ramadan meal in the rubble.

The photo above is the perfect image of human dignity and goodness under unimaginable circumstances. Despite bombardment, soldiers killing children by the thousands, no shelter and no safe place to go, yet they find this moment. They deserve our undying support and admiration to do whatever we can to help their people in this genocide in Gaza and all of Palestine. Contrast with the image below:

And many more would have shot him on sight.

Or this/

Worshipers in Al-Aqsa mosque zip-tied for praying there.

Is there any greater depravity?

This was the least offensive of many images showing off women’s lingerie making lascivious faces and gestures, one man wearing woman’s underwear over his uniform.

These are all attempts to humiliate and dehumanize Palestinians as their society routinely does. But NOTHING can destroy the resilience, courage, and high moral character and faith of the Palestinians. Not even these depraved satanic forces. And of course, it’s obvious who is going to hell and who is going straight to the highest paradise for their powerful faith and patience under the most dire persecution imaginable.

Trying to celebrate Ramadan in the most dire circumstances. Is that not bravery and faith for such small children?

Message to Palestine: You Are Stronger and Allah Is with You

Dr. Omar Suleiman of Dallas, Texas gave this khutba above, among other things, quoting from and explaining the beautiful aya below:

When people said to them, “A great army has assembled against you, so fear them.” But the threat only increased them in their conviction. They said, “Allah suffices for us and He is the best Guardian.” (3:173)

Zionism: How Ideology Hijacks Religion

This Quora post brilliantly exposes how Zionism grew as an ideology from secular and socialist ideas, considering various locations such as Uganda and Azerbaijan for a possible Jewish homeland long before the Holocaust, into the nationalist political ideology it has become. The supposed Biblical justification for forcibly colonizing Palestine was used as a means to an end; prior to the invention of Zionism, Jewish rabbis and scholars were primarily concerned with Jews’ relationship to God, not with any particular “land.” Another “means” justifying the “end” was the political support of avid antisemites who saw this as a way to get rid of Jews in their countries. Muslims being accused of terrorism is directly related to Zionist ideology which sought and succeeded to convince the West to demonize Muslims, which they felt would strengthen their hand against Palestinians. But Allah’s plan supersedes their wildest conspiracies.

Israel Attacks Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

https://youtu.be/L4Ez29JfsGM

In the middle of prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, last night Israeli troops invaded the Al-Aqsa sacred mosque during prayers in an ambush, beating women and men who were in the midst of prayer. At least seven were injured and Israel claims to have arrested 500 people. What was their crime? Their crime was being Palestinians in what Israel calls an exclusively Jewish “homeland.” We should collectively as Muslims offer a du’a to Allah to help the Muslims under such oppression and injustice, and to protect all Palestinians regardless of their religion, as mentioned in the previous post.

Eid Mubarak!

NYC: Empire State Building turned green for Eid

Celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr Worldwide below.

Al-Aqsa Mosque Again Under Siege

Every year, or I should say every Ramadan, Israel attacks Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, a holy site to millions of Muslims worldwide, to allow far right-wing settlers to harass worshipers and desecrate the mosque (by physical destruction), which they want to destroy. This year’s provocations came within 48 hours of each other, the first resulting in a 20-year high of almost 500 arrests of Palestinian worshipers, and the second came as an invasion of 545 right-wing settlers in cooperation with Israeli police and against written international agreements. Reports below:

In front of his child's eyes, Israeli occupation forces attack a Palestinian father at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.#AlAqsaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/ktgbxILy4i

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 #BravePalestine (@OnlinePalEng) April 17, 2022

The point is to brutalize and intimidate Palestinians and send a message to Muslims “we own your sacred mosque.” Especially during Ramadan, to let it sink in.