By Luke Peterson

Mar/Apr 25

Though the well-established institutional and intellectual bias shown by Western media and the United States government toward Israel has been entrenched in this country’s psychology for three-quarters of a century, a new facet in the American insistence on the Israeli narrative has recently emerged. This new element legislates that the U.S. government and its myriad of entities and affiliates refuse to accept or endorse demographic statistics produced by the Palestinian government. 

Specifically, according to a brief provision buried within the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorized a colossal new $895 billion spending package for the U.S. military, the U.S. will not accept casualty figures from the Gaza Health Ministry as it endeavors to keep up with the nearly interminable list of dead, injured, or missing Gazans since the most recent Israeli assault on that population began in October of 2023. 

Ostensibly, this line-item proviso was attached to the NDAA to maintain intellectual balance in U.S. government recordkeeping on Israel and Palestine. Congress’ stance over Gaza works according to Israeli propaganda requirements that, despite the prolific destruction wrought upon that territory by the Israeli military over the course of the last 15 months, is still largely under the official sway of the Hamas government, a political organization founded in the ideology of resistance to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. Rejecting the Gaza Health Ministry’s statistics is therefore a hedging of bets by the U.S. government. They will not trust Gazan health statistics because Gaza is governed by Hamas, and the U.S. considers Hamas a terrorist entity and is therefore not to be trusted. Lawmakers on both sides of the barely visible political aisle when it comes to this topic agreed on this point all while Israeli statistics are naturally not burdened by the stain of partiality for some reason that has never been explained by the federal government. 

This trend mandating that officials reject statistical information coming from the Gaza Ministry of Health is a new phenomenon. In fact, aspersions cast upon official figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry began only after the widely lauded humanitarian agency Amnesty International (AI) confirmed for the world what Palestinians already knew: Israel’s indiscriminate assault on Gaza beginning in October of 2023 constitutes genocide. 

AI’s established record as an international watchdog has made it into a standard-bearer of fact in reporting on crises and conflicts all over the world. Today, it is a much relied-upon agency informing state governments as well as political coalitions like the European Union, and it has declared statistics from the Gaza Health Ministry to be factual and reliable. Nevertheless, the official U.S. position is to ignore AI’s finding on the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. As it has done for the past 75 years of this occupation, the U.S. government simply looks away when truly neutral agencies like AI clamor for a ceasefire to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

AI is not alone in trusting the Gaza Health Ministry to report on intentional Israeli efforts to exterminate the Palestinians. Statistics coming out of the government in Gaza are also trusted by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Further, the World Health Organization and Human Rights Watch cite Gaza Ministry of Health figures in their reporting on the destruction of the Palestinian society by the Israeli occupiers. 

Where Israeli crimes are concerned, however, it seems AI’s word confirming the Gaza Health Ministry’s assessment of the carnage done to their own people by the Israeli onslaught is not sufficient for the U.S. government or media establishment. So, continuously in the throes of the ongoing American love affair with Israel, while at the same time rejecting international confirmation of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the American news establishment deliberately leaves consumers in the dark regarding Israeli brutality in the Gaza Strip. 

As such, the extent of the Israeli destruction of Gaza since October of 2023 is largely unknown to Americans. A key component within that body of ignorance is a profound lack of knowledge about the number of Palestinian dead in Gaza (at least 45,541 including 17,492 children with an additional 11,160 missing) and the percentage of those casualties that were civilian non-combatants (no less than 70% according to Gaza Ministry of Health statistics and verified by additional, international observers). And there is simply no way to account for the thousands of Palestinians who now lie buried under the rubble, a number which may well escalate the number of casualties in Gaza to between 64,000 and 186,000 dead.

Such deliberate obfuscation of the numbers of dead and missing in Gaza by the U.S. news media is perhaps only the most blatant example of that institution carrying water for the state of Israel since 1948, and especially since October of 2023. In addition to these omissions, analysis of the news covering the genocide in Gaza during this period has demonstrated utterly biased coverage in favor of the Israeli narrative across news media outlets in the U.S. In reputable publications from The New York Times to The Washington Post to the Los Angeles Times, coverage of the war on Gaza has enacted hyperbolic language to describe Israeli deaths while downplaying or omitting the killing of Palestinians, a massacre of citizenry more than 40 times larger than the deaths of Israelis that occurred on October 7. 

In a detailed analysis of more than 1,000 news articles from those sources mentioned above, the independent outlet The Intercept uncovered a glaring bias in the U.S. media’s approach to the ongoing destruction of Gaza. “Highly emotive terms for the killing of civilians like ‘slaughter’, ‘massacre’, and ‘horrific’ were reserved almost exclusively for Israelis who were killed by Palestinians, rather than the other way around,” the report read. “The term ‘slaughter’ was used by editors and reporters to describe the killing of Israelis versus Palestinians 60 to 1, and ‘massacre’ was used to describe the killing of Israelis versus Palestinians 125 to 2. ‘Horrific’ was used to describe the killing of Israelis versus Palestinians 36 to 4.” 

Further, shockingly few stories emanating from these standard bearers of U.S. news ever mentioned the staggering number of Palestinian children and journalists that have been killed by Israel. “Only two headlines out of over 1,100 news articles in the study mention the word ‘children’ related to Gazan children,” the Intercept report stated. “The word ‘journalists’ and its iterations such as ‘reporters’ and ‘photojournalists’ only appears in nine headlines out of over 1,100 articles studied.” 

Much more concern was shown by U.S. news media over child killings and the targeting of journalists in Ukraine during this period of time versus the much more numerous casualties of this type inflicted by Israel in Gaza. In the light of this analysis and others of its kind, it is reasonable to conclude that U.S. news media simply does not want its readership to know about the Israeli slaughter of the Palestinians either in its gory detail or even by description in broad strokes. 

So, we are left with an unclear picture of the damage done by Israel in Gaza, and if we continue to put our faith in the authoritative U.S. news media, we will remain ignorant of the horrific crimes committed by America’s closest ally in the Middle East. 

Worse than the promotion of ignorance about this genocide, though, is the the fact that the U.S. is materially abetting Israel’s actions. With only a few weeks left of his bitterly disappointing presidency, Joe Biden authorized an additional $8 billion in weaponry to Israel. Little wonder, then, that American newsmakers want media consumers to look the other way when it comes to Israel’s mass murder in Gaza. What might an accurately informed citizenry do about a government that actively participates in genocide? 

Luke Peterson, Ph.D., The University of Cambridge–King’s College, is a professor of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies based in Pittsburgh. He is also the author of The U.S. Military in the Print News Media: Service and Sacrifice in Contemporary Discourse (2024).

The post True Gaza Death Toll Remains Unknown appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Abu Ali Bafaquih 

Mar/Apr 25

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (R) has introduced a Senate bill mirroring the HR 7552 House bill introduced last February by New York Republicans Reps. Claudia Tenney and Anthony D’Esposito, alongside Randy Weber (R. Tex.).

The bill mandates that all official U.S. federal government documents refer to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria,” the terminology which they claim aligns with Israel’s historical and biblical claims to the territory. 

In doing so, Cotton has regurgitated what several Congress members on both sides of the aisle have previously stated, “The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria go back thousands of years. The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.” 

The name West Bank is a translation of the Arabic term ad-Duffah al-Gharbiyyah, given to the territory west of the Jordan River. Gaza and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that were a small part of Mandate Palestine and were part of the swatch of territory captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. On the ground, however, Israel has rendered a two-state solution including the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel impossible with the establishment of more than 300 settlements with a population of approximately 700,00 on occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.  

Effectively, this the U.S. congressional move aims to erase Palestinian identity, and cements U.S. complicity in Israeli expansionism. It also gives the blatant greenlight for further, illegal settlement expansion.

Cotton’s interest, however, is most interesting. According to the Jewish Virtual Library published by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, his state’s Jewish population was 4,000 in 1899 rising to 5,090 in 2024, just 0.17% of his state’s overall population. However, his deep interest in Israeli policies should be seen through the lens of his receipts from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC): Code Pink says that he has received $237,077 from AIPAC. The New York Times announced that the amount of this financial assistance was around $2 million. This is while some informed sources in the US say the AIPAC lobby has spent $4.5 million for Tom Cotton to insure his winning against “Mark Pryor” in the 2014 Senate elections.

Israel is headed by a fragile ultra right-wing coalition that holds 64 seats out of a 120-seat Knesset. The ruling western-armed Israeli junta has, since Oct. 7, 2023, and as always since the British planted this colony in 1948, striven to eliminate all non-Jews, because they claim they have a “birthright” in the territory.

On July 24, 2024, the head of this ethnocracy, Benjamin Netanyahu visited the U.S. Congress where had pledged in a scathing and combative speech to achieve “total victory” against Hamas while denouncing American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots”.

Speaking for nearly an hour in which, he was applauded 79 times, 58 of which were standing ovations from sycophantic members of Congress, Netanyahu said, “America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose.” 

In essence, Netanyahu was verifying that his colonial occupation of Palestine is American made. 

To this end, it serves Netanyahu that those of us watching the release of the Israeli hostages notice the extensive damage all over Gaza, but not the Palestinian jubilation over the release of their hostages, or the surviving strength of Hamas.  

It was ordained that Hamas demonstrate clear control of these scenes while transferring previously held Israelis to the ICRC without any indication that the occupation had caved in.

Netanyahu is banking on a Palestinian revolt against Hamas so that the U.S. and Israel can install a more pliant regime, like the ineffectual Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank.

The Anadolu Agency’s Abdelraouf Arnaout, citing Israeli analyst Avi Issacharoff, wrote in Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Jan. 20, 2025, “Even after 15 months of war, Hamas remains in place… Although the government of Benjamin Netanyahu said it will eradicate Hamas, the group not only survived militarily but also retained its rule intact.” 

True to their bias, Reuters reported, “But, in the days since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza’s Hamas-run administration has moved quickly to reimpose security, to curb looting, and to start restoring basic services to parts of the enclave, swathes of which have been reduced to wasteland by the Israeli offensive.”

The much-heralded ceasefire between Israel and Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement – an Arabic acronym Romanized from Arabic: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah), loudly and falsely claimed by the American president as his own achievement, is merely a 42-day arrangement.

Still, Netanyahu continues his war in Gaza by refusing Israeli withdrawal from the denuded enclave. His coalition partner, Bezalel Smotrich, vows to bolt the coalition if stage two of the ceasefire is agreed upon. Consequently, Netanyahu will likely conduct a provocation, either in Gaza, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem, that could be interpreted as Hamas breaching the ceasefire thereby creating an excuse where Trump would re-assent to Israel’s renewal of the slaughter of innocent Palestinians.  

The Israelis and the American right-wing consider the question of who rules Gaza as the key to ending the war which would lead to the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. If Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip, there will likely be no reconstruction permitted. As it is, both the state of Israel and their U.S. backers have maintained a purely colonial mindset which may well lead to further ethnic cleansing in Palestine. The Trump Administration is very vocally pursuing Egypt, Jordan, and even Indonesia and Albania are being pressed to take in the intended to displace Palestinians from Gaza.  

Foreign ministers of five Arab countries, the PA, and the Arab League (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar) have issued a joint statement rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land “under any excuse.”

The statement, released on Feb. 1, 2025, presented a unified stance against Trump’s call for Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

However, Trump reiterated his illegal position on Jan. 30, 2025, saying, “We do a lot for them, and they are going to do it.” This is in apparent reference to the abundant U.S. aid, including military assistance, to Egypt and Jordan, two countries who, along with Israel, have been exempted from the American aid cutoff initiated by the autocratic Trump.

Israel and its western partners envision the Palestinian Authority taking over control of the Rafah crossing, and eventually Gaza. But will Hamas, which survives despite all the propaganda and bombs, agree to the PA taking over a major thoroughfare in their territory?

Gershon Baskin Ph.D., an Israeli blogger and self-styled negotiator, says that the Israelis are banking on creating the facade of a new temporary government in Gaza by some pliable figures such as Dr. Nasser Alkidwa, the former PLO ambassador to the UN and former PA minister of foreign affairs (he also happens to be Yasser Arafat’s nephew). 

For their parts, regional Arab governments have been compliant since the British installed them to replace the Ottoman rule after World War I. To his credit, Trump, who visited the region in October 2018, correctly stated to cheers at a rally in Mississippi on October 2, “We protect Saudi Arabia — would you say they’re rich? And I love the king, King Salman, but I said, ‘King we’re protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay. . .”

According to opinion polls published by Gallup in 2009, the presence of the U.S. military in Saudi Arabia was strongly objected to by most of the world’s Muslim population.

This is the reality of the present-day Muslim majority countries, organized under the obviously dormant Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Given their compromised position owing to the billions flowing in their direction from the United States, their immoral silence over the Gaza Genocide is understandable.

When will Arkansas, or any constituency of American voters, ask that their politicians focus on the U.S. like they do Israel? In the absence of that call, a joint U.S.-Zionist owned Gaza is far more sacrosanct than any human life, let alone the collection of 7 million Palestinians living on the land between the River and the Sea.

Abu Ali Bafaquih is a freelance writer.

The post Forced Ethnic Erasure appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By S. Amjad Hussain

Mar/Apr 25

After 15 months of relentless bombing of Gaza in which much of the walled-off territory was reduced to rubble and more than 64,000 civilians were killed (as calculated by The Lancet journal in January 2025), Israel has agreed to a ceasefire. In essence, the conditions of this ceasefire render it identical to the proposal that then-U.S. President Joe Biden announced last summer.

Why did it take more than six months to implement a proposal that had already been agreed upon? It seems that Israeli domestic politics got in the way. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government depends on the support of six extreme right parties that together make up 64 of the ruling coalition’s seats in the 120-seat Israeli Knesset.

These parties were set against the ceasefire and vowed to leave the government if Netanyahu agreed to it. Israel’s avowedly fascist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was true to his word in this case and resigned his position in protest, but most of the others within the coalition stayed and saved the government from collapse.

The question remains: What made the Israeli government agree to a ceasefire in the first place? Israel felt pressured by the return of Trump. 

In the final negotiation, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff (who is not a diplomat, but a New York real estate investor), played a pivotal role in pressuring Netanyahu to accept the deal that he had rejected many times before over the past year. Allegedly, Netanyahu was ultimately convinced to accept the deal when the Trump team also promised to empty the Gaza Strip of Palestinians. 

The ceasefire calls for phased release of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But Palestinians in Israeli prisons are, in fact, hostages. When innocent men, women, and children are kidnapped from their homes in Gaza and on the West Bank and kept in administrative detention without being charged with any crime, they are hostages held by the occupying state. And when these hostages are “tried” in Israeli military courts, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Israeli military courts have a higher than 95% conviction rate for Palestinian defendants since 1967.

The ceasefire also calls for an increase in the flow of food into the Gaza strip. During their assault on Gaza, Israel allowed in a fraction of the food that was ready to enter the Strip. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch stated that Israel was using starvation as a weapon. In the first three days after the ceasefire, though, at least 2,400 food and aid trucks entered Gaza.

However, the ceasefire is, at best, a murky arrangement as Israel continues its aggression in what is left to Palestinians in the West Bank. And considering the power held by the Israeli lobby on the American political establishment, it cannot be ruled out that Israel would find some flimsy excuse to restart their genocide against the Palestinians once all of its people have been retrieved. 

One wonders why Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were not able to accomplish what Trump did even before becoming president? The simple answer is pressure.

Biden refused to use America’s enormous leverage against Israel and continued sending billions in military aid to a state committing genocide until the very end of their administration. But as the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz put it succinctly, Israel only understands force. By not using political leverage while at the same time repeating the fatuous mantra of two-state solution, Biden and Blinken were really talking from both sides of their mouths. As a result, over the course of the past four years, we have seen precious little accomplished by the Biden administration to achieve any sort of peace in the Middle East.

On Jan. 15, 2025, Blinken addressed the Atlantic Council think tank, stating: “It is time to forge a new reality in the Middle East in which all people are more secure, all can realize their national aspirations, all can live in peace. Is that hard to achieve? Yes. Peace in the region has always been. Is it impossible? No. Is it necessary? Absolutely, yes.”

The ad nauseum repetition of a two-state solution has become a joke, especially coming from the former U.S. Secretary of State. More than any other person in Biden’s circle, Blinken knew that Israel would never agree to a two-state solution.

Trump injected another element into this complex equation when he suggested the idea of having Indonesia take in one million-plus Palestinians. No sooner had he made that ridiculous suggestion than he lobbed another idiotic bombshell, asking Jordan and Egypt to take refugees from Gaza. Upon finding no response, he even brought up the possibility of bringing Albania into the deal.

Trump is parroting the views of Israeli, American, British, and European right-wing politicians. They want to build Jewish settlements in Gaza by “voluntary” repatriation of Gazans to other Arab countries. In common parlance, Trump’s proposal is nothing more than ethnic cleansing.

For Palestinians it is a double whammy. First a genocide with the tacit approval of the United States and now an attempt to ethnically cleanse Gaza for good.

It is said that Arab countries have sold their honor and traditions to the interests of the United States. Following this line of thought, the Jimmy Carter engineered Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt was the first step in this surrender. Subsequently other Arab countries – typically ruled by despots – have also given up on solidarity with Palestine mostly in exchange for American military products and/or protection. 

And now the Abraham Accords have brought most Arab countries into the United States’ sphere of interest and in turn, into Israel’s. The only notable regional hold out so far is Saudi Arabia.

Considering Trump’s propensity to retaliate against those who refuse to buckle under his dictates, it is not beyond him to issue an ultimatum to his Arab client states to either toe the line or be ready for retaliation.

That is why it is time that all Arab countries come together and devise a common strategy for the future of the Middle East that is based on their shared history and values. Only then Palestine will have a true ally in the region. 

S. Amjad Hussain, MD, FRCSC, FACS, D.Sc. honoris causa, is Emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic surgery at the College of Medicine and Life Sciences; and Emeritus Professor of Humanities, College of Arts and Letters University of Toledo.

An earlier version was published in The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, on January 29, 2025.

The post Israel Has Committed Genocide in Gaza appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Charlie Jaay 

Jan/Feb 25

Education is a fundamental human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet Israel’s occupying forces have, in one year, damaged or destroyed over 90% of Gaza’s schools and all its universities. In addition, Gaza’s Ministry of Education says that 11,852 students have been killed and 18,959 injured since the beginning of Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Oct. 7 2024. Additionally, more than 560 teachers and administrators have been killed and an additional 3,729 have been injured throughout Palestine during this period. 362 government schools, universities and their buildings, and 65 affiliated with UNRWA have been bombed and/or vandalized in Gaza. This systemic and widespread destruction and the arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff, has led UN experts to ask that Israel’s comprehensive destruction of  the Palestinian education system be labeled as “scholasticide”.  There is also evidence to suggest this is part of a wider campaign to make Gaza uninhabitable and to erase Palestinian life from the region.

Learning has been severely disrupted for all of Gaza’s 625,000 school-aged children, and the lives and livelihoods of its almost 23,000 teachers have been hugely impacted. As of January 2025, More than 70,000 tons of bombs have been dropped, turning Gaza into a vast wasteland of rubble. Massacres have become the norm, with entire families wiped off the civil registry. At least 16,500 of the over 42,500 people killed have been children, leading the UN to declare Gaza as the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development said in a report released Oct. 21, 2024, that if the war ends tomorrow and Gaza returns to the status quo before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, it could take 350 years for its battered economy to return to its precarious prewar level.

A new report from the University of Cambridge and the Centre for Lebanese Studies in partnership with the UNRWA is the first to quantify the toll Israel’s genocide in Gaza has had on children, young people and teachers, and includes many interviews with vital actors in the field.

Learning Loss Has Accumulated in Gaza

Researchers of that report found that between 2019 and August 2024, schoolchildren in Gaza had already lost the equivalent of two academic years because of Covid-19 and Israel’s 2021 bombing campaign. As a result, a “learning poverty,” the proportion of children unable to read a basic text by age 10, has increased by at least 20%.

“We have accumulated a loss of learning. That which accumulated before the war, and another new loss that is happening now. The younger you are the more difficult it is to make it up. If this is prolonged – and we are moving into a protracted conflict – we are basically saying that a whole generation will be uneducated. It is not known when children will go back to school,” said Professor Maha Shuayb, director of the Centre for Lebanese Studies.

Shuayb is worried the daily attacks on Gaza’s schools will now spread to Lebanon and prevent children there from attending school. “That’s my worst nightmare, but that’s what happens when no one makes sure international law is protected. Schools have been systematically attacked, and huge numbers of children systematically killed or disabled, yet we seem unable to do anything. We are facing a really, really serious issue,” she added.

If Israel’s war on Gaza continues until 2026, the report suggests students would lose five years of education, and this is without taking into account the additional effects of mass displacement, hunger, disease, and trauma which are affecting the vast majority of the population. Life is being decimated in Gaza. Children have witnessed horrific things, which have left them with deep scars, and they are losing so much in terms of hope, a future, and human rights. This will change the way they see the world.

Gaza – A Child’s Mental Health Crisis in the Making

“Teachers told us of the difficulties they face when trying to educate their students about democracy, human rights, and international conventions in law, when all they see on a daily basis is that they are being abandoned,” said Yusuf Sayed, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge.

The international community has failed Gaza’s children. More than 19,000 are orphaned, and many thousands have life changing injuries. Even before the events of Oct. 7, 98,000 children already had a disability. Their challenges have now worsened due to inaccessible shelters, lack of essential services and loss of  assistive devices, which are now entirely unavailable, as Israel prevented their entry into the Strip. Before Israel’s latest military offensive, more than 500,000 children were already in need of Mental Health and Psychosocial support in the Gaza Strip. Today, the figure is one million.

“Adults and children alike have undergone tremendous shock and suffering, with physical and mental scars that are shaping their world view and threatening their faith in any future, let alone in human rights,” said UNRWA Spokesperson Jonathan Fowler. “The consequences of constant military operations and forced displacement are taking a heavy toll on people’s mental health, and have exacerbated a preexisting mental health crisis, which was conditioned by years of blockade and recurrent hostilities. UNRWA social workers report a surge in symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and trauma among the people they serve – one that is especially noticeable among children, who have been bearing the brunt of this brutal war. In Gaza, every second person is a child. So, this is a children’s mental health crisis.”

Education Brings Hope to Gaza’s Children

Palestine has one of the world’s highest literacy rates, and Palestinians invest a huge amount in education as it provides their young people with the skills and knowledge needed to advocate for their rights, and contribute to their communities, and gives them hope. It also helps preserve Palestinian history, culture, and identity, and is a source of pride and identity for the population.

Some may see education as a luxury, especially when people are dying from hunger, and essential food and medical aid is blocked from entering Gaza. But the report reminds us that education offers much more than just academic achievement for these children. Children in Gaza have just been surviving – nothing more. There is a real need for some normalcy, a future vision and, in this respect, education is extremely important. 

School buildings that have not been destroyed have been repurposed as emergency shelters for some of Gaza’s 1.9 million internally displaced people, but these are extremely overcrowded and lack basic resources. They too have become the targets of Israeli attacks even though, under international humanitarian law, schools are protected during conflict.

Salem Abu Musleh, Ph.D. works for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and is the Gaza coordinator of the Palestine Astrophysics Program. He and his family have been displaced several times due to the bombing and have been forced to travel backwards and forwards between Khan Younis and Rafah, looking for a safe place to stay. His son had been offered a scholarship to study in Turkey but has been unable to take up the offer, due to the border closure. Abu Musleh is now in Khan Younis teaching 14- to 18-year-olds. He says his classes – which take place either outside, in good weather, or in a tent that has been converted into a classroom – aim to not only increase his pupil’s knowledge, but also help with their psychological rehabilitation. 

“We use astrophysics to help our students express their feelings,” he said. “By teaching them about the sky, the stars and the galaxies, we try and give these girls and boys hope, and show them they can do, they can learn, and they can continue their lives, in spite of the war and the bad situation here in Gaza.”

Emergency Education Efforts Threatened by Restrictions Imposed by Israel

Although their rights are constantly violated, Palestinians are known for their resilience, and Israel’s attempts to erase them are constantly thwarted. Emergency education efforts are now on the rise all over Gaza. Small-scale initiatives, like Abu Musleh’s, aim to keep children learning and minimize the impacts of the genocide on their mental health. Temporary Learning Spaces provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provide over 30,000 school-aged children with mental health support and essential literacy and numeracy skills. In August, UNRWA also began its “back to learning” program, which includes games, drama, arts, music and sports activities to try to the war’s impact on children’s mental health. 

But these emergency education efforts also face serious problems. They are not only threatened by ongoing Israeli violations, but also by the weather. Current restrictions on the entry of waterproof tents, and similar materials, mean that many are expected to face flooding without proper protection rendering makeshift schools inaccessible due to heavy rains during winter. 

“Now we are looking for plastic to cover some of the places, to protect our students from rain. We face such a great problem. There are no materials here, no plastic comes here. We have found some old plastic, but it’s not enough to cover the main area, so the problem still exists,” said Abu Musleh. 

Although the report focuses on schools, school-aged children and young people, university students have also suffered greatly. Sixth year medical student, Mohammed Al Zebda attended Gaza’s Al- Azhar University but, like many, was unable to take his final exams and graduate this year because Israel bombed his university. His educational journey took a drastic turn for the worst.

No Safe Place in Gaza

“As a student, my primary focus shifted to finding a safe place for me and my mother, and ensuring we had enough food, water and other necessities. It was nearly impossible to think about education while the Israeli army was bombing everywhere, and there was no safe place in Gaza,” Al Zebda.

He used to live in a beautiful area near to Al Shifa Hospital in Central Gaza but was displaced from his home within the first week of Israel’s bombing campaign.

“We took only the most necessary things – passport, essential papers, laptop, phone and some clothes. I remember each of my family members carrying a bag filled with clothes and important documents, nothing more,” he said. “Every previous war had lasted only one or two months, but we soon found this war was far more aggressive and unimaginable. My family and I were displaced four times, and this was an extremely tiring and stressful situation. During this time, I wished I could die, and my family and I witnessed death multiple times.”

In August 2023, he traveled to London to take part in a plastic surgery course in an effort to help the injured, and put his new skills to good use. For five months, Al Zebda assisted in a hospital emergency room and burns department.

“I saw and witnessed massacres right before my eyes; children without hands, without ears, and without legs, dead people, and injuries I had never studied before. I encountered difficult cases, including children with burned-out skulls, with their brains exposed outside their skulls,” he said.

In May, after waiting a month for his name to be called out, and paying $5000, Al Zebda managed to leave Gaza for Egypt, where he is now continuing his studies and working with Children Not Numbers to help injured children travel outside Gaza to receive treatment. He said that he is very grateful to this NGO for supporting his education, and now feels safe although he was “forced to start from zero.”

Immense Suffering of Faculty Staff and Students

Dr. Mohamed Riyad Zughbur, has been dean of the Palestine Faculty of Medicine at Al Azhar University for the past five years, and is one of Al Zebda’s lecturers. His home was blasted at the start of Israel’s bombing and he was displaced many times before reaching the safety of Egypt where he now resides. While recounting the university’s destruction, and the many deaths of faculty students and staff, Zughbur said he feels “indescribable sadness and pain.” Two of hi relatives attended the university but lost their lives when they were bombed by F-16 aircraft. Ten months later, their bodies were pulled out from the rubble.

“Some students are the last in their family to be killed by Israel, and that family is then permanently removed from the civil registry,” he said. “And there are students whose family members have all been killed, and they remain alive alone, struggling to survive. And there are students in the Faculty of Medicine who had limbs amputated after the bombing.’’

Al-Azhar’s Faculty of Medicine, which was established in 1999, was the first medical faculty in the Gaza Strip. Last year, Israeli forces bombed the building, destroying Zughbur’s dream of further developing the facility. “It is now 75% destroyed, and the infrastructure including sewage, communications and electricity, like everywhere else in Gaza, is no longer functioning,” he said. “After it was bombed, the Israeli army came in and destroyed laboratories and university archives, bulldozed lecture halls and looted the new laboratories.” 

The university resumed clinical training in late April, and an e-learning platform has been available for the rest of the university since June. Lectures are either through Zoom meetings or recorded and uploaded for students. However, there are still huge problems to face, with many faculty members struggling to protect their families and often not having enough food and water. Most are living in tents, so also struggle to charge their mobiles and phones, and lack internet.

But Zughbur said that despite the bombing, killing, and forced displacement, those students who have stayed in Gaza are committed to their training and are continuing their studies despite all the difficulties in their daily lives. No doubt, these students will play an important part in helping to rebuild Gaza’s health system when rebuilding starts, yet again.

Educational Resources in Short Supply, Even Before Oct. 7

Dr. Mohammed Albaba is the dean of Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Dentistry, and the only staff member from his faculty who is still in Gaza. The others have left to safer places such as Egypt.

Since withdrawing its forces from Gaza in 2005, Israel has carried out five bombing campaigns there, and continues its 17-year land, sea and air blockade, heavily restricting many imports and virtually all exports, further isolating the strip. As a result, there is a complete lack of educational resources including books, pens, and paper. This problem has been exacerbated since Oct. 7.

“In terms of education, the blockade really affects our faculty’s improvement, and therefore our education level in Gaza,” said Albaba. “If I want some equipment for our university, it may take months or even years to get them here, if it arrives at all. But the blockade doesn’t just include equipment and goods, but also people. We faced, and continue to face, a real problem in travelling. For example, if there is a dental conference abroad, this would be impossible to go to.” 

There are two options for those wanting to leave Gaza – either to cross the border with Israel, which is almost impossible for Palestinians, or to cross by the Rafah Crossing, the border with Egypt. Even before Israel’s latest military attack, those crossing the Egyptian border had to pay the authorities thousands of dollars, but Albaba says this cost has now risen sharply.

Cost of Living Crisis has Led to a Staff Shortage

“The cost of crossing the border has now tripled since the start of the war,” Albaba said. “This is a total mess, and it’s impossible to improve anything. It does not only affect education. Many patients from Gaza face death, as they cannot afford to cross the border to seek medical treatment. Considering the situation people face, it’s also impossible for many of them to afford to leave Gaza, if they wanted to.”

This latest Israeli aggression has changed the lives of the people of Gaza beyond recognition, and they are exhausted. In common with Zughbur, Albaba has lost his home and has not been paid any wages but is continuing to volunteer as a Dean of the faculty because he is trying to help his students finish their education.

“The last time I was paid was two months ago,” he said. “The university hasn’t paid us any salary, because it has been destroyed. People have lost their lives, their homes, their money, so there is no income. But at the same time, we are trying to educate the students. Most of the University’s staff have now left Gaza, and are seeking jobs abroad, but we need staff, and they need financial support to continue their lives, and continue to work with their students.”

The huge financial problems have led to a staff shortage, so Albaba is looking for volunteer staff outside of Gaza, through Academic Solidarity With Palestine, a nonprofit which has proven invaluable to the many educational facilities in the region looking for volunteers at this difficult time. Al-Azhar used to be financed through student tuition fees, and some international support for the educational system, but this has all stopped. The university has been destroyed and the fees are not being paid. This is an extreme challenge as circumstances are especially difficult, and prices extremely high, while employees still need to support their families. But it is not only staff members who are suffering from financial hardship.

“Considering What Other People are Going Through, My Situation is Perfect!“

“Even if students have internet connections, many students don’t have the equipment. You at least need a laptop, but due to the financial problems people are facing they are now selling their laptops and their phones. They are even selling their clothes,” he said.

Lecturers and students alike are facing severe problems, not only with lack of internet, water and electricity, but also finding safe spaces to stay. Albaba has been displaced nine times since last October.

“You keep moving because you are running from the ground invasion, from place to place, looking for somewhere safe,” he said. “I have stayed with relatives, lived in a tent, rented a room for $500 a month which was not suitable for human beings, and now there are 10 of us, including my wife and son, staying in a store. This is my situation. It isn’t easy but considering what other people are going through, it’s perfect!”

Albaba considers himself lucky because he can, at the moment, cope with the financial problems he is facing, but says many other people unfortunately do not have this ability. Still, he is undecided about his future.

“This is my job. I want to stay in Gaza, but unfortunately after the war there will be nothing left here,” he said. “It’s a very difficult situation. I can’t explain in details what we are facing, but for now I am trying to do my best to help the students, as I am still in Gaza now although the other staff outside of Gaza are also supporting them.”

The future outcome of Gaza’s young people depends on when this war ends, and how quickly the education system is restored. 

Lack of Funding for Education

Once this genocide ends, there will be significant challenges in resuming the educational process. A permanent ceasefire is essential as a first step to rebuilding the education system. The blockade also needs to be lifted and the occupation ended. But children and young people cannot wait. They need access to safe educational spaces and learning activities now, to ensure their wellbeing. For this to happen there also must be increased educational funding. But funding has not been forthcoming. Every year, since 2003, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has launched a humanitarian appeal to support the Occupied Palestinian Territory, but education continues to be one of the least funded sectors. In this year’s $3.42 billion flash appeal, education received only 3.5% of the appeal funding. The United Kingdom only gives just over 2% of the appeal funding for education, while major donors such as the U.S. and Germany have completely neglected education in their aid packages.

When people are focused on a dire situation with loss of life, they think of the immediate emergency context, and not about education. But the report argues that there should not be a choice between one or the other. There needs to be adequate funding for both. For 76 years and counting, the international community has turned its back on the Palestinians, and their children. They should be given more than just the bare minimum to live, and need a secure future, with equal rights.

Education is central to stabilizing the decline in Gaza, and Sayed is still hopeful that the challenges can be met. “Things are bad, but if and when we get a permanent ceasefire, and allow things to stabilize, there is a strong possibility that with time, commitment and reconstruction that has Palestinians at the heart of it, we might be able to make up for some of the learning loss,” he said.

[Editor’s Note: Republished with permission. An earlier version of this report was first published in UK publication The Canary on 8 October, 2024, https://www.thecanary.co/long-read/2024/10/08/israel-gaza-education/).

The post Israel Has Devastated Gaza’s Education System appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Jay Willoughby

Nov/Dec 2024

On Oct. 7, 2023, Christian Zionism once again raised its ugly head in the U.S., this time in the guise of the Biden administration. A self-professed, life-long, practicing Catholic, he seems to have concluded that he can remain as such while violating its core values, such as “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12), “Be merciful” (Luke 6:36), and “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other” (Ephesians 4:32).

As of November 2024, Al Jazeera reports that Israel has killed 41,000+ people, including 11,000+ children. According to Bragi Guðbrandsson, Vice Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history. . . I don’t think we have seen before a violation that is so massive as we’ve seen in Gaza.” There is surely a staggeringly high number of even more dead in the omnipresent rubble.

Perhaps Biden believes that no Palestinian Christian children exist, or that if they do they are “less-than” and therefore unworthy. One wonders if he has even heard of Bethlehem-born Rev. Munther Isaac (academic dean, Bethlehem Bible College), who pastors Bethlehem’s Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church and Beit Sahour’s Lutheran Church. He states that at times the Christians were a majority; however, many of them left, either willingly or not, during the final days of the Ottoman Empire; the British didn’t allow them to return. Israel has only followed London’s example.

Rev. Isaac relates that, from what he has read, the Palestinian diaspora contains 500,000 or more Christians, and that close to 170,000 or 180,000 more live within historic Palestine – close to 130,000 of them in Israel; close to 45,000 in the Occupied Territories and West Jerusalem, and 900 to 1,000 in Gaza. He notes that 17 years ago there were maybe 3,000, but that the blockade made life so tough that they left whenever they could. 

Biden and the rest of us should watch the “Rev Munther Isaac says Palestinian Christians are under attack; that the West Bank is not livable” and “Christian Palestinian delegation describe ordeal of living under Israeli military occupation.” Christian Zionists and perhaps Western Christians in general appear to be unfazed that Jesus’ birthplace and Christianity’s homeland might one day contain no Christians. This unconcern might be generational, but it also reveals the power of ideology over the world’s largest religion.

Definition and a Little History

In her book, “Christian Zionism: Navigating the Jewish-Christian Border”, Faydra Shapiro, founder and executive director of the Israel Center for Jewish Christian Relations, writes, “In [Christian Zionists] reading of the Bible, God has decreed a special role and status for the Jews sealed in an eternal covenant, together with a promise to restore them to their land. Thus, Christian Zionists see their own solidarity with the Jews and the modern nation of Israel to be paying homage to the God of Israel.” 

Genesis 12:3 records Yahweh as saying that He will bless/curse those who bless/curse Israel. Christian Zionists contend that this statement is eternal and unconditional. In short, Israel can ignore its supposedly divine mission or not. Denise Bruno’s Aug. 22, 2024, article for the Times of Israel summarizes Israel’s mission as “to help the world see who God truly is: loving, just, merciful, and holy.”

According to Richard D. Land, writing for www.christianpost.com/ on March 23, 2015, “we are also admonished to support the Jews if we want to be blessed individually and collectively as a nation.” Just an aside to the Biden administration, Land also states that “If we really care about Israel, we are compelled to tell her when we believe she is acting wrongly or contrary to her self-interest.” 

Palestinian-Israeli History Didn’t Begin on Oct. 7, 2023

In fact, according to Netanyahu, it bean thousands of year ago. “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember.” According to Exodus 17:8-16, the Amalekites ambushed the Hebrews after they left Egypt. An enraged Yahweh swore, “I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven” and “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

One should ask who the Amalekites are today, for “Forty-seven percent of Israeli Jews said in a poll conducted last month that Israel should ‘not at all’ consider the ‘suffering of the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza’ in the next phase of fighting. Casting the enemy as Amalek reinforces that attitude.” Reporter Noah Lanard uses the following formation as his subheading: “His [Netanyahu’s] recent biblical reference has long been used by the Israeli far right to justify killing Palestinians.”

Rabbi Jill Jacobs (head of T’ruah, a rabbinical human rights organization) notes that “rabbis generally agree that Amalek no longer exists, and that references to it do not provide a morally acceptable justification for attacking anyone.” She further asserts that historically it has been seen as a metaphor commonly understood as to “stamp out evil inclinations within ourselves.” 

And yet, she continues, “it remains common for Israeli extremists to view Palestinians as modern-day Amalekites.” For example, in 1980, “Rabbi Israel Hess wrote an article that used the story of Amalek to justify wiping out Palestinians. Its title has been translated as “Genocide: A Commandment of the Torah,” as well as “The Mitzvah of Genocide in the Torah (Ibid).

Washington’s Blindspot 

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, from 1949-2023 the U.S. has given Israel $160,552.96 billion, $112,277.10 billion of which has been for “military” – the chart’s category – aid. Of course that figure has now increased by a quite a few more billions. 

The Biden administration announced Friday that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel violated international law using U.S. weapons in its military campaign in Gaza. Perhaps the administration also believes that the best way to “mow the grass,” à la the Zionist entity, is to kill off the mothers so they can’t produce the next generation and to slaughter as many children as possible before they have a chance to reproduce. 

Or maybe this is Netanyahu’s version of the Great Replacement theory so beloved by certain Americans. After all, as Arnon Soffer (professor of geography, Haifa University), points out in the Times of Israel, “When the number of non-Israeli nationals is taken into consideration, it leaves the Jewish proportion at between 46% and 47% of the total.”

Maybe they’ve taken Josep Borrell’s (foreign policy chief, EU) Oct. 13, 2022, comment – since apologized for – to heart, “Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls. . . A nice small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in is not going to be a solution. . . The gardeners have to go to the jungle.”

Stanley L. Cohen, an attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa, identifies  an often overlooked fact: “In accordance with international humanitarian law, wars of national liberation have been expressly embraced, through the adoption of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, as a protected and essential right of occupied people everywhere.” Israel has not signed it; the U.S. has signed but not ratified it.

As University of North Texas professor Elizabeth Oldmixon remarks, “When we talk about the Holy Land, God’s promise of the Holy Land, we’re talking about real estate on both sides of the Jordan River. So the sense of a greater Israel and expansionism is really important to this community.”

Bump mentioned another interesting statistic found by The LifeWay poll: 80% of evangelicals believed Israel’s creation of Israel was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that would bring about Christ’s return. A 2003 Pew Research Center poll revealed that about a third of Americans hold this view, while more than 60% evangelicals agreed.

Moreover, “What kick-starts the end times into motion is Israel’s political boundaries being reestablished to what God promised the Israelites according to the Bible,” Pastor Nate Pyle told Newsweek in 2018. The previous month, President Trump had recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordered the embassy moved there, much to the delight of countless Evangelicals.

A Major Christian Zionist Voice

Evangelical pastor John Hagee (founder, John Hagee Ministries; founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel), is “America’s most prominent Christian Zionist [known] for his controversial and violent views.” After all, how could he not be after making such a sensational statement [recorded by NBC] during the Nov. 14, 2023, “March for Israel” on the National Mall as “‘God sent a hunter’” and that Jews were killed “’because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.’” 

This was not just an off-the-cuff remark spoken in a moment of enthusiasm, for in a 1999 sermon he declared, “God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land” (He apologized almost a decade later, saying that “I grappled with the vexing question of why a loving God would allow the evil of the Holocaust to occur…I regret if my Jewish friends felt any pain as a result.”)

These comments reveal what really drives Christian Zionism: “Evangelicals believe that the rebirth of Israel is hastening not just the second coming of Christ, but a particular kind of second coming, one that includes fire, fury, and war that will consume the Jewish people … Evangelicals support Israel to hasten the apocalypse, while Israelis … humor the Evangelical community and milk that support for tourist dollars and political power.”

Jay Willoughby, former Islamic Horizons copyeditor, has retired to the Virginia Home for the Permanently Bewildered.

The post The Hold of Christian Zionism on American Evangelicals appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Nadia B. Ahmad

Nov/Dec 2024

In recent times, we have witnessed a troubling trend within some mosques and Islamic institutions: The prayer mats are turned toward Makkah, but the hearts and minds of certain leaders and imams seem to be oriented toward the political powers in Washington and Tel Aviv. This misalignment reveals a profound betrayal of the very principles upon which all mosques were/are founded.

Traditionally, these sanctuaries of truth, justice, and spiritual growth are meant to be bastions in which the oppressed find solace and the ummah’s voice resonates against injustice. However, when their leadership fails to fulfill such duties, they reduce the mosque to a hollow shell, transforming it into a place where the congregation is subtly coerced into complicity through silence.

In short, these leaders are betraying Islam’s core teachings. When a mosque’s leadership cannot oppose injustice, the institution becomes purposeless. In the eyes of many, it transforms the congregation into mere sheeples – sheep that follow the leader without question. This analogy, though harsh, underscores the gravity of the situation. Our mosques are meant to be places of enlightenment, where the faithful gather to pray and seek guidance, support, and inspiration to live righteous lives. When this mission is compromised, the mosque’s value is profoundly diminished.

Islamic teachings are clear about the sanctity of life and the imperative to uphold justice. Supporting the killing of the innocent, including one’s own kin in faith, is considered a grave sin and strongly condemned. Here’s how Islam categorizes those who support such acts:

• Disbelievers. Supporting the killing of innocent people, especially fellow Muslims. Such actions can strip a Muslim of his/her faith. Quran 17:33 states, “And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except for a just reason.” This directive underscores the sacredness of life and the severe consequences of unjust killing.

• Polytheists. Although this category specifically refers to associating partners with Allah, supporting unjust killings is also seen as a severe deviation from monotheistic principles, as it involves disregarding divine commandments on justice and compassion. In this form of spiritual and moral polytheism, allegiance to political power supersedes allegiance to divine justice.

• Hypocrites. These people may outwardly support the Muslim community while secretly endorsing or supporting acts that harm it. Supporting the killing of fellow Muslims fits this description. Quran 4:145 warns us about these people, “The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” Hypocrisy undermines the community’s integrity and erodes trust.

• Sinners. Those who support or commit murder are committing a major sin. Islam strictly prohibits taking innocent lives, and those who support such acts must repent sincerely. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The most grievous sins are to associate something with Allah, to kill a human being, to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to bear false witness” (“Sahih Bukhari” 6675). Supporting the killing of people cannot be taken lightly.

• Oppressors and Tyrants. Supporting the killing of people is a form of oppression and tyranny. Those who endorse such violence are warned that “Indeed, Allah does not like the oppressors” (3:140). Islam teaches us to stand against all forms of physical, emotional, and spiritual oppression.

• Arrogant and Prideful Individuals. Arrogance can lead individuals to justify the killing of others because their cause or perspective is “superior.” However, Quran 17:37 states, “And do not walk upon Earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear Earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height.” Arrogance blinds individuals to the value of life and the importance of humility.

• Deniers of the Day of Judgment. Supporting the killing of people indicates a lack of belief in accountability and the afterlife. Quran 83:1-6 warns, “Woe to those who give less [than due], who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. Do they not think that they will be resurrected for a tremendous Day – the Day when humanity will stand before the Lord of the worlds?” Belief in this Day is central to maintaining ethical behavior and accountability.

• Rejecters of Prophets and Their Messages. The prophets’ teachings emphasize mercy, justice, and protecting innocent lives. Supporting the killing of fellow Muslims is a rejection of these teachings and therefore condemned. Quran 57:25 says, “We sent aforetime our messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that people may stand forth in justice.” Upholding justice is a fundamental aspect of prophetic teachings.

Quran 5:32 explicitly states, “Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain humanity entirely.” This verse underscores the gravity of taking an innocent life and equates it to killing all of humanity. Therefore, supporting such killing, particularly of fellow Muslims, severely violates Islamic principles. Those involved are warned of severe punishment in the afterlife unless they sincerely repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

The mosques must reclaim their role as centers of moral and spiritual leadership, where justice is championed and the oppressed find their voice. When leaders fail to uphold these values, they render the mosque purposeless, reducing it to nothing more than a building where prayers are offered but the spirit of true submission to God is absent.

This crisis of leadership reflects a larger problem: The decision of certain Muslim leaders to betray the ummah by aligning with those political powers that perpetuate injustice and violence against Muslims worldwide has caused countless innocent people to be injured or killed in the ensuing conflicts. When Muslim leaders fail to condemn these injustices, they lose their credibility and their communities’ trust.

We must ask ourselves: Are we planning for the hereafter, or are we merely content to live forever in this world at the cost of our souls? Our answer will determine the future of our mosques and communities. We must hold our leaders accountable and ensure that our mosques are places in which Islam’s true spirit is upheld. This includes standing up against injustice, speaking out against oppression, and protecting the innocent.

A mosque that does not oppose injustice has no value. Its leaders may turn the Makkah in prayer, but if their hearts are aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv, they have lost their way. Muslims must demand better. We must insist that our mosques and their leaders adhere to Islam’s bedrock principles of justice, compassion, and truth. Only then can we reclaim our mosques’ true purpose and value.

We are done with the Zionists in our midst and those who cry for Palestine but stand by the deceptively labeled “Abraham” Accords. No Justice. No Peace.

Nadia B. Ahmad, a PhD candidate at Yale University and an original signatory to drop Emgage, is a law professor based in Orlando, Fla.

The post When a Mosque Has No Value appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Samar Majaideh

Nov/Dec 2024

Creating the “Teaching Palestine Toolkit,” which explores Palestine’s history through Islamic values and principles, has been an incredibly fulfilling journey. The goal was to develop an innovative educational resource that deeply engages educators and learners with this land’s history and culture. Rooted in Islamic values and principles, it’s designed to surpass traditional educational methods by offering a comprehensive and meaningful exploration of the Palestinian narrative.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza has moved millions of Muslims and compassionate individuals worldwide to show solidarity and support for Palestine. We have an amana (trust) to expose propaganda and disinformation, counter mainstream media narratives, and correct educational texts. Being originally from Gaza, I feel an added layer of responsibility and a deep connection to this project based on the transformative power of education. It’s a privilege to spearhead this initiative, dedicating my expertise and energy to bring it to life and promote it within Islamic educational institutions for implementation and continuous improvement.

Although the toolkit is still in the research phase, its projects and programs are guided by rigorous research. The focus is on ensuring the it meets K-12 classrooms’ unique needs and bridges the gap between research and practical application. By thoroughly understanding the educational environment and integrating feedback from both educators and learners, we aim to create an impactful and relevant resource.

This project is part of a broader initiative to capture and teach about various pain points and oppression situations within the ummah and beyond. The Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA) began with Palestine due to its profound significance in Islam and to Muslims, its over 75-year-long struggle, and the historic pattern of imperial and colonial forces attempting to control it, from the Crusaders to the present day. This toolkit aims to honor Palestine’s enduring legacy and bring its rich history and current realities into the educational discourse.

One of its main objectives is to strengthen Muslim students’ faith and identity and revive a sense of ummatic connection, underscoring the principle that if one part of the ummah bleeds, we all bleed. By sharing stories that exemplify perseverance, courage, and contentment with God’s decree, we remind students of the sacrifices made by the Companions. These narratives serve as powerful teaching moments for educators to utilize in their classrooms.

Each of us can show support while witnessing the ongoing heart-wrenching atrocities and fight feeling helpless. Everyone has a role to play and needs to be creative and strategic in activating it to stand on the right side of history.

It’s a privilege to lead this effort, knowing that each small step in education can contribute to a larger movement toward justice and understanding. Together, we can leverage our collective skills and resources to create a profound impact by ensuring that Palestine’s story is told with the depth, respect, and authenticity it deserves. This toolkit is not just an educational resource; it is a testament to our commitment to truth, solidarity, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

Vision and Mission

The vision is to elevate Islamic education by using Palestine’s history and its significance in Islam as a central case study. It aims to interweave core Islamic values, among them justice, perseverance, and dignity, thereby strengthening students’ faith, identity, and connection to the global ummah.

Its mission is to give educators a well-founded collection of resources for teaching about Palestine’s past and present, grounded in an Islamic worldview. This underscores the importance of an informative and transformative educational approach to create a more informed, empathetic, and socially responsible generation.

Guiding Principles

The toolkit’s guiding principles ensure that the educational material is both comprehensive and deeply impactful. These principles include:

• Justice. Emphasizing fairness and equity in understanding Palestine’ historical and current realities. 

• Perseverance. Highlighting the Palestinians’ resilience in the face of adversity to teach students the importance of steadfastness and endurance, reflecting on the struggle’s spirit, and encouraging the learners’ own resilience.

• Dignity. Upholding the respect and honor of all individuals involved in the Palestinian narrative. This fosters empathy and respect for all people.

• Empathy and Compassion. Cultivating empathy and compassion by presenting the human stories behind the Palestinian struggle so students can understand the Palestinians’ lived experiences.

• Critical Thinking and Inquiry. Encouraging students to engage critically with the material, question sources, and explore different perspectives to develop analytical skills.

Comprehensive Components

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” is built on research and curation, resource evaluation and integration, and training and dissemination.

• Research and Curation. We prioritized conducting thorough research and learning the stakeholders’ insights. Focus groups with middle and high school teachers revealed their views and if they had integrated it into their classrooms, their plans to do so soon, and the expected challenges and limitations.

Interviews with principals and school heads, as well as a gap analysis, gave us some insight into making the toolkit effective and relevant. Consulting seasoned educators, Islamic school leaders, and those directly affected by the Palestinian struggle enables the toolkit to provide a well-rounded educational experience.

The curation process involved carefully selecting and organizing these resources to create a rich content. The research component involved a thorough process of gathering comprehensive and accurate resources. 

• Resource Evaluation and Integration.The gathered resources were subjected to a thorough evaluation process to ensure they aligned with educational standards and met the stakeholders’ needs. This involved organizing the materials logically and making them accessible and relevant for classroom use. The goal was to create a seamless experience for educators so they could easily integrate the materials into their teaching.

The toolkit includes interactive maps that show the historical changes in Palestinian territories, video interviews with Palestinian families sharing their personal stories, and detailed lesson plans that align with educational standards for history and social studies classes.

The integration process also involved ensuring that the resources were structured in a way that encourages critical thinking, empathy, and a commitment to social justice. By presenting the materials in an engaging and user-friendly manner, the toolkit fosters a deeper understanding of Palestine’s historical and current issues.

• Training and Dissemination. To maximize the toolkit’s impact, educators received comprehensive training and ongoing support in the form of relevant workshops, webinars, and interactive sessions. They practiced facilitating discussions about sensitive topics related to Palestine and participated in interactive webinars on using the included digital tools to create engaging lessons.

Educational Philosophy

The toolkit’s underlying philosophy provides an educational experience that is both informative and transformative. It encourages participants to explore the intersections of history, culture, religion, and socio-political dynamics, thereby fostering a comprehensive understanding of the Palestinian narrative.

By addressing the participants’ emotional well-being, this holistic approach promotes a balanced approach to sensitive subjects, thereby enabling users to navigate emotional landscapes and acknowledge the human aspect of the Palestinian experience.

A lesson plan might include students analyzing primary sources, such as letters and diaries from Palestinians, to understand their personal experiences. This could be followed by a reflective exercise of discussing how these stories make them feel and how they can support justice and peace.

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” shows that understanding Palestine’s complex issues requires a holistic, empathetic approach rooted in justice and understanding. It is designed to enlighten, engage, and empower users to acquire a nuanced understanding of Palestine and instill core Islamic values. Through this toolkit, educators can nurture informed, empathetic, and socially responsible students who are deeply connected to their faith and committed to global justice.

Our well-researched, carefully curated collection of resources aims to fill educational gaps, counter misinformation, and provide a comprehensive view of Palestine. This transformative educational journey stands as a powerful tool for educators, opening their students’ minds and hearts and empowering them to advocate for justice and peace.

Imagine a classroom in which students use the toolkit to create a multimedia project that showcases Palestine’s history and culture – maybe creating a digital timeline of key historical events, producing a short documentary featuring interviews with Palestinians, and organizing a community event to share their findings. Such activities not only deepen their understanding of the subject, but also foster a sense of connection and responsibility toward global issues.

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” embodies a vision of education that is dynamic and deeply rooted in Islamic values. It serves as a comprehensive resource for educators seeking to provide their students with a rich, informed, and compassionate understanding of Palestine, its people, and its significance in the broader context of Islamic and global history. Through this toolkit, educators are empowered to inspire their students to become advocates for justice, peace, and understanding in an interconnected world.

Samar al-Majaideh,Ed.D., is project director, and research project manager at the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA).

The post Elevating Islamic Education Through ISLA’s “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

Nov/Dec 2024

In recent years, popular social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have emerged as powerful tools for raising awareness and supporting humanitarian causes worldwide. Theve presented information that may not appear in traditional news outlets: supported the organization of demonstrations against foreign policy and illuminated protests against human rights violations. Currently, social media is also helping in raising funds for Palestinians suffering in Gaza.

TikTok Filters Help Raise Money and Awareness for Gaza

In November 2023, one month after the genocide started, a filter named FILTER FOR GOOD started making its way into young people’s TikTok feeds. Created with augmented reality (AR) effects — digitally-added objects, text, or images that enhance the real world seen through a phone, computer, or AR headset — by designer Jourdan Johnson (@xojourdanlouise), it allows users a free and easy way to donate to Palestinians. The more a filter is used, the more money it generates. Johnson has donated all the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders and to buy eSIMs for Palestinians to stay connected. 

While raising thousands of dollars, this filter has also opened a new pathway especially for young donors. Thousands of TikTok creators started making videos, filters, and sounds to donate the proceeds to Gaza. Using the watermelon emoji as a symbol of support for Palestine became popular as well, so that videos weren’t flagged or taken down.

These methods made it easy to help those in Gaza. Filming a video with a filter or sound takes less than 10 seconds; however, it could help a family evacuate. This online activism also educated many TikTokers about the conflict. 

Additionally, many Gazans have now turned to TikTok to raise donations directly. Palestinian families have created their own filters and sounds, and regularly post them on TikTok asking for contributions to their GoFundMe accounts. Many TikTokers use this platform to donate directly to those accounts by interacting with their videos, using their filters, and creating sounds to help them generate money.

Instagram Gathers Support 

Many of these activism techniques are available on Instagram. Palestinian families and those trying to raise funds for organizations in Palestine turn to the reels feature, short videos similar to  TikToks, to gain support. Instagram users interact with these videos to generate money for the creator, and often share these videos on their public stories to raise awareness and increase donations.

Instagram is also a central platform for journalists and press in Gaza. Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1), a journalist who has been documenting her life of displacement in Gaza, has accumulated over 4 million followers since October 2023. Her activism has reached many, and her account has allowed supporters to track her life and truly understand the conditions in Gaza. 

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza (@motaz_azaiza) is another key figure in spreading awareness via Instagram.. Although he evacuated Gaza in January 2024, his work reporting under Israel’s bombardment gathered him over 17 million followers and an extremely large amount of support. His photos of life during the genocide  have been shared in thousands of stories, bringing more support and awareness to the ongoing issue. .

Let’s Talk Palestine (@letstalkpalestine), an organization dedicated to conveying accurate information about the conflict’s background, has almost 1 million followers. With posts such as Israeli Apartheid for Beginners, A Guide to Boycotting for Palestine, and numerous ways to donate to and support Palestinians, the account  is  a key player in educating Instagram users. Their broadcast channel contains daily updates on Palestine.

Additionally, many such activist organizations establish their home base on Instagram. National organizations such as Hearts in Gaza Project, Operation Olive Branch, and Doctors Without Borders use it as a central point of their platform, by reaching a wide audience and directing them to their website via their accounts. One of these organizations, Watermelon Warriors (@watermelonwarriors.io), uses Instagram as one of its main platforms.

How Using Social Media Platforms Benefits Organizations

Watermelon Warriors is a Palestinian-run nonprofit that works to distribute eSIMs in Gaza. Adan (who chose not to reveal her last name to protect her family in Gaza), one of the cofounders, explains how she partnered with a friend working in tech to build the organization. 

“We grew up in Wisconsin and we went to the same undergrad. He started Watermelon Warriors (WW) because he has a tech background,” she says. Originally, WW was an organization that helped people advocate for Palestinians by sending letters to representatives. 

WW currently has over 12K followers on Instagram and consistent post engagement. “We find that people share our posts [on] a lot of their stories,” Adan states. “We also found that a lot of people take our posts and then host fundraisers of their own within their communities. And they’re able to raise hundreds of dollars at a time to donate eSIMs, which has been really special. And we’re so grateful for it.”

The organization also prioritizes educating their supporters. “We’re trying to have more informative posts moving forward with historical information so people are able to educate themselves and share that information with others,” Adan says. 

Most members of WW’s  current audience are licensed professionals. “Doctors, teachers, community members, especially a lot of psychologists, have been reaching out to promote us and ask how they can help. We’re finding a lot of 30–50-year-old professionals willing to help,” Adan said. 

Since Adan is based in Texas and her partner in Chicago, the organization relies heavily on volunteer support. “Our volunteers are all over the world – one in Germany, one in Spain, obviously our distributors in Palestine, and then a bunch around America who, if they have a minute, will create a post for us and help us keep up a regular social media schedule,” Adan says. “So, it takes a village, and we’re so grateful for all the volunteers for even donating a little bit of time and effort to help us.”

What You Can Do to Help

Large social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have enabled users to donate to Palestinians, even if they may not be able to afford to donate money directly. Liking, sharing, and commenting on more than nine words on videos from the accounts of Palestinian families can generate money for their account and make their videos reach a wider audience. Using filters and sounds created to donate to Gaza can also help generate thousands of dollars and help evacuate families from the apartheid system. Additionally, sharing these videos and content on your public social media accounts can increase awareness and, potentially, donations.

Sanaa Asif, a senior at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central High School, is an avid reader and loves to learn and write about others and their experiences.

The post Social Media Creators Play A Key Role in Advocating for Palestine appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Ali Bin Omer

Mar/Apr 2024

On a chilly Saturday afternoon in January, 400,000 resilient individuals gathered at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., united in support of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. We gathered to demand that the U.S call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, cease unconditional funding of military actions by Israel, hold its leaders accountable for war crimes and continuous violations of international law and ultimately work toward the liberation of Palestinians. 

As part of a Global Day of Action, busloads of protestors arrived from Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and other states, resulting in the largest pro-Palestine protest in this country’s history. It was endorsed by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine which includes American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), CAIR and ICNA along with hundreds of additional organizations nationwide.

After 100+ days of intense carpet bombing and a high number of innocent civilians murdered, the march was timely, as this collective movement was feeling the weight of the brutality we continue to witness daily via our smartphones in the palm of our hands.

Palestinians are currently experiencing the greatest threat to their existence. Nearly 2 million of them in the Gaza Strip have been displaced and are now threatened with famine … not to mention the rise in aggression and the siege on Palestinians in Jenin, Ramallah, Al Quds, Hebron and other cities in Palestine.

A sea of black, green, red and white flags flooded the streets of D.C., with hundreds of thousands of voices for the voiceless chanting “Free, Free Palestine” and “End Genocide Now.”

Religious Leaders and Activists Take to the Stage

“South Africa is keeping alive the legacy of Nelson Mandela and suing Israel in the International Court of Justice, the highest court in the world, and they are charging the country with genocide,” proclaimed Yasir Qadhi (dean, Islamic Seminary of America). “We need to call a spade a spade. This is not antisemitism; it is speaking the truth. The Palestinian people are live tweeting their own genocide. They’re uploading images of their own massacre.”

 “We have been walking the halls of Congress every day for the last three months,” stated Medea Benjamin (co-founder, CODE PINK). “We need them to know that we will not stand by as they continue the genocide.”

“We are here to represent the 36,000 people that have either been martyred or are under the rubble,” said Shaykh Omar Suleiman (founder and president, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research). “If we were to take to the streets for every casualty and every person under the rubble, it would take us 100 years to honor each and every single one of them.”

Wael al-Dahdouh (correspondent, Al Jazeera), whose wife, daughter, two sons and a grandchild were recently killed in Gaza, delivered a powerful statement via video call. “Gaza is going through a period of great hardship. The people here are paying a truly exorbitant price and are living a disastrous life. People do not have sustenance, food, or drink, a place to sleep, a bathroom and what is necessary for life — not for a decent life, [but] rather what is basically necessary to maintain life.” 

Alana Hadid, the oldest daughter of Mohammad Hadid (real estate mogul and survivor of the 1948 Nakba), passionately professed that “Collective freedom is what Palestinians have taught the world. Bravery and perseverance is what Palestinians have shown us day after day, not just for 100 days but 75 years, and we must continue the struggle for them.” 

Rally Attendees from All Walks of Life 

Outside of the inspirational speakers, many of us found value and warmth in the opportunity to connect with the greater pro-Palestine community. Many are showing their support in a silo through online activism on social media, calling our representatives (who once again prove to be useless) and attending protests as our circle of friends, coworkers, acquaintances and the like remain silent. It was a crucial step in a long battle to be among like-minded people who support humanity and justice for all. 

Two young women from St. Louis, one Palestinian-American and the other Caucasian-American, braved the long ride to D.C. They spoke about how the genocide had deeply impacted them and felt it was their duty to attend in person. 

A family of four from Alexandria, Va., also attended the march in solidarity, as it was personal for the family’s matriarch. Her great-grandfather immigrated from Palestine to Bolivia to escape apartheid. She has been horrified by the events of the past 3 months and considered it imperative to attend, along with her Irish American husband and twin daughters.

People from all walks of life traveled to be there. “I’m here because of the children being slaughtered,” said one Catholic attendee from Maryland. “Our president had said he would not go to war.”

“I understand that at times wars are needed, but there are rules that must be followed. Civilians cannot be killed for no reason,” said a Muslim attendee from New York. 

We came together, listened, shared stories, shed tears, shared laughter, marched, resisted and stood united for Palestine. We must fight, we must resist, and we must preserve until “from the river to the sea, Palestine is free” and every human being in this world is free.

Ali Bin Omer is a freelance writer.

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The post 400,000 March for Gaza appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Kiran Ansari

Mar/Apr 2024

These days, Muslims worldwide wake up and check their phones to see if a ceasefire has been declared in Gaza. At press time, Palestinians have been killed, injured and displaced for 100+ days. Trying to absorb information from all over social media and a few media outlets that provide some balanced coverage, parents wonder how they can explain the situation to their young children? 

“I can shield my children from graphic images of the wounded and killed, but I do not want to shield them from the truth,” said Nida Khan of Fresno, Calif. “We are witnessing a genocide. I owe it to my children to tell them the story of the Palestinian cause in an age-appropriate manner, and one of the best ways to do it is through books. This is even more important for Muslim kids who do not have a Palestinian family member to share stories firsthand.”

Islamic Horizons asked MuslimMemories.com about which children’s books on Palestine have been popular lately. We then set out to interview those authors and learn about their journey to inspire more authors to share, because our children deserve to read authentic stories. 

You Are The Color

“I had always wanted to write a book about the Nakba, one of the seminal events in Palestinian history that must be understood in order to understand what is still happening in Palestine today,” said Rifk Ebeid, a Palestinian author who self-published “You Are The Color” and “Baba, What Does My Name Mean?” 

“I researched Nakba survivor testimonies and oral history. I delved into what life was like in Palestine before, during and after the Nakba. This took some time due to the heavy nature of the topic and my capacity to process it all.”

After developing the idea, Ebeid worked with Hajera Khaja, a wonderful writing coach, to help bring the story to life. What really helped flesh it out was the process of free writing, seeing where the pen was taking her and what plot sequence felt like it captured what she wanted to convey. The result is an impactful and authentic story of one Palestinian family that encompasses many of the real experiences during the Nakba. 

Ebeid believes that for Palestinians, as they resist the erasure of their culture and existence, sharing stories is crucial to documenting their experiences. “Every action we take individually will have a ripple effect collectively. You never know who is listening, who is learning from you and what they will do in the future with that knowledge they have gained,” she stated.

“Sitti’s Key”

“I never understood the history of my homeland until I visited Palestine and learned about its rich history,” said Sahar Khader, author of “Sitti’s Key.” She continued, “When I had my first child, I was always looking for books that shared Palestine’s history in a simple way, but I never found them. So I took matters into my own hands and decided that I should publish a children’s book about the collective memory of the key.” In 2023, this proud Palestinian did just that. 

In light of the current genocide in Gaza, the book presents the repetition of history. Readers find flashbacks about what happened in 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes. Unfortunately, what is happening now in Gaza is even worse — more than 1.2 million Palestinians have had to leave their homes. This book teaches the younger generation that what is going on today in Gaza has been happening for 75 years. 

“My Garden Over Gaza” 

Sarah Musa started writing “My Garden Over Gaza” in May 2021 when Israel was bombing Gaza. As a Palestinian-American living in Jordan, she had watched this happen for years. “My father left the Al-Quds region when he was 15, and he was never allowed back,” she said. “It is painful to watch how history repeats itself again and again.”

As she started getting vocal on Instagram and getting to know activists, one of her writer friends encouraged her to write a book. That was her lightbulb moment. “Palestine is a part of who I am, so why haven’t I done it yet?” Musa wondered. “I have had a rooftop garden like they have in Gaza. It’s one way for them to produce their own food because of sieges and the aerial spraying of herbicides on agricultural crops.”

Types of Publishing

Although there have been a handful of children’s books about Palestine from traditional publishing houses, Muslim authors aren’t happy about the representation. Many Palestinian authors fear that their story will be diluted, sanitized or edited. Even though Ebeid has heard from some author friends that they have more control over the narrative, it’s still an uphill battle. Muslims have seen silence and censorship from the book community during this genocide. 

“The topic of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing is multi-layered. I hate to distinguish when it comes to Palestine, in particular, because of how Palestinian voices have been censored for decades,” she said. “Although I understand the aspect of wanting to hold mainstream publishers accountable for being more inclusive of diverse voices, I find the distinction between the two routes to be divisive at a time where we need all hands on deck and should all support each other’s efforts.”

Khader began the publishing process with a mainstream company, but her passion for “Sitti’s Key” was so high that she felt they didn’t understand it, especially when it came to illustration. That led her to cancel her contract with them. 

Her book was then published by Little Hibba, a children’s publishing company that empowers Muslim authors to share meaningful messages with the next generation. “They worked closely with me and understood my passion,” Khader related. “I also had the pleasure of working with the illustrator, Noor Alshalabi, who paid attention to certain details and brought my vision to life.”

Musa’s experience with mainstream publishing wasn’t great — not because anything bad happened, but because nothing really happened. She tried to get published for 15 years, but never heard back. She believes many mainstream publishing houses aren’t really interested in unapologetic Muslim stories. 

“They want to show they care, but it’s only superficial. They want to just add a Muslim twist to an American story. They have no interest in real Palestinian stories. They want to minimize that kind of stuff,” she asserted. 

She wanted to get “A Garden Over Gaza” out quickly. Her sister told her about Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, a Muslim publishing company in Canada. What started out as an eBook flowered into a manuscript.

“I had never written a book about a Muslim protagonist — it was colonized out of my mind,” Musa recollects. “I dove into it 100% and submitted my manuscript in a week. Publisher Asmaa Hussein got back to me promptly, and I signed my first book deal.”

Muslim authors don’t want publishing companies that just pretend to care. They believe that if Muslims want authentic and unapologetic stories, the community needs to support small Muslim publishers. Mainstream publishing companies have huge advertising budgets. The sprouting Muslim publishers don’t have the resources yet, so we, as the umma, have to do that. 

“Growing up, I felt like an odd phenomenon with a Palestinian father and Hispanic mother,” Musa said. “As a child, I would have been over the moon to have a book that truly represented me. Now as a parent, rather than always reading about Stephanie and Jake, I want my kids to feel heard and seen. It can boost their self-confidence. So we need to support Muslim authors and publishers. Let’s be their microphones so more people become aware.” 

Readers can purchase these and many other titles at www.muslimmemories.com and support Muslim book stores. 

Kiran Ansari is the assistant editor of Islamic Horizons. She hopes to visit a free Palestine one day.

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The post Teaching Kids About Palestine appeared first on Islamic Horizons.