A Matter of Humanity not Creed

The genocide in the Gaza Strip is continuing despite the fact that the international community is demanding that the Israelis stop their attempts to wipe out the Palestinian people. The international community has been extremely slow in their response to this awful situation but now that they are finally taking an interest in the situation the Israelis are ignoring them. It is a clear indication of where the balance of power lies in the world. It is clear that the Israelis feel they can ride roughshod over the wishes and opinions of other world powers and simply wipe out an entire people. This has unfortunately been going on for many years. The Israelis have a long and shameful history with regard not only to their human rights record but their adherence to international law. They have long refused to recognise the International Criminal Court and have seemed to almost thumb their nose at United Nations resolutions for too long. The reality is that their heavy-handed tactics are only serving to put the citizens of the country at greater risk. The Palestinian people have their legitimate cause with regard to the fact their land has been stolen, but now the hordes of extremists who claim to support Islam and respect the teachings of the Holy Prophet have begun to paint this as a religious war. There are of course religious roots in this dreadful conflict but it has evolved far beyond that now and such a description is ludicrously simplistic.

All Muslims must ensure that this genocide does not breed more religious extremism within the Umma. Osama Bin Laden has wasted no time in calling for Jihad against Israel but he and those like him who only wish to exploit people's grief should be ignored and sidelined.

We call on all organisations and individuals to follow the bold step taken by the president of Federation of The Gambia Muslim Students Organisation (FEGAMSO), Mr. Mustapha Barry, who has come out and condemned the war on Gaza strongly. We call on all Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and people of every other faith to condemn these actions because they are a crime against humanity. We must not let religion be used by those who would abuse it for their own selfish purposes.

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Ramsay McDonald