Let student voices be heard, let protesters protest; here's to a return of humanity

Thousands upon thousands of American students have been involved in peaceful pro-Palestine demonstrations around the country. They have been met with attempts by a few detractors to shut down or discredit them. In Chicago, for example, a woman freely walked into a group of demonstrators and called the police, shamefully crying wolf with fake antisemitism and kidnapping allegations. At UCLA, a mob violently attacked peaceful protestors while police stood by watching for hours. Frantic efforts to discredit the protests as ‘antisemitic,’ ‘anti-American,’ or ‘terror sympathizers’ are unparalleled.

Why are some people so afraid of American students peacefully demonstrating against a genocide that has killed over 10,000 children, not to mention countless aid workers, journalists, and humanitarian organizations, and the destruction of nearly every hospital and university in Gaza?

Philip Kennicott says it best in a Washington Post piece: For generations, systematic and well-funded efforts have strategically crafted the symbols and narratives that have governed American thinking about Israel. The Holocaust, and its horrific crimes committed by the Europeans against the Jewish people, was often put forward as a reason to support the establishment of Israel. Historical ties and ‘common values’ were also highlighted, not to mention evangelical Christian doctrines, which have been very strong in the U.S.

For generations, Americans have been told about the creation of Israel from perspectives that include just about everyone – except people who were living in that land pre-1948 (and nearly 20% of Israel’s citizens today) – the Palestinians. Fundamental to setting the existing narrative is one repulsive element: the dehumanization of Palestinians. This is evident in the false promise, “A land without a people…” for it was not a land without a people. The Nakba (catastrophe) is well documented, even by Israeli historians, like Ilan Pappe, who details how 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their lands in towns that later were renamed and repopulated. To ethnically cleanse a population is contrary to ALL religions as well as international law.

The Gaza conflict: Genocide and Hamas go hand in hand

For too long, the Palestinians have been ignored and treated as a non-entity. To add fuel to the flames of inhumanity, they are referred to as “animals” by Israel’s right-wing leaders (long before Oct. 7).

The next generation of Americans is moving away from this old narrative of racial exclusivity in favor of one of universal human dignity. It holds that Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the region have equal rights and all deserve freedom and opportunity.

If we aspire to lasting peace in the area, what can be more American than this approach—that all men are created equal? Isn’t this what God teaches us? Let us embrace and support this change as long as it stands for universal human dignity for all, including Jewish people. It is not controversial for people to demand an end to the killing and the starving of children – it is Human.

Local Palestinians: Netanyahu and Hamas both stand in the way of peace

Let us work together to see all the hostages freed – the hundreds of Israelis as well as over 1000 Palestinians. Let us not become a society where the police response to college-goers protesting a genocide far outweighs the police response to a mob storming our capitol to block certification of an election. Let us not allow the term “antisemitism” to be weaponized to chill free speech. Let us ensure that any antisemitic voices amidst the ranks of the protests get no oxygen. Let us push back against all forms of hate, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia or racism. And let us be a force for good that will work for a lasting solution for all people in the Holy Land – a solution that gives everyone dignity, justice, and opportunity.

Imam Abdul Hamid Samra (Islamic Center of Greater Miami); Imam Nasir Ahmad (Masjid Al-Ansar); Br. Mohammad J. Akhter (Baitul Mukarram); Imam Ahmad Ali (American Islamic Center of Florida); Imam Tarek Chebbi (Masjid Fayza); Br. Shakeel Hye (Islamic Center of Weston); Imam Fakhurul Islam (Masjid Tawhid); Imam Izhar Khan (Masjid Jamaatul Mumineen); Imam Sultan Mohiuddin (Islamic Foundation of South Florida); Br. Adrian Rajab (Masjid AlHijrah); Imam Mohammed Zahed (Zahed Academy); Imam Azhar Subedar (South Florida Muslim Federation); Br. Azeem (Masjid Jamaat ul-Mutaqeen); Imam Bilal Ahmed (Madinatul Uloom).

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pro-Palestine demonstrations call for return of humanity