Supporting the people of Gaza and Palestine takes on distinctive forms in the West, where Muslims strive to fight for their oppressed brethren, utilizing some available tools to defend the just Palestinian cause.
Protesting in the streets
Muslims in the West recognize the importance of putting pressure on decision-makers in Western countries, where the demands of the public cannot be underestimated. It is known that some Western leaders initially tried to prevent the public from showing any support for the oppressed people of Gaza in the context of bias towards the narrative of the occupying entity. However, the public exerted pressure in favor of the right to peaceful protest as stipulated in the constitution. Confrontations occurred between protesters and police in countries such as France, and Western governments were compelled to comply with the strong will of part of the public opinion, allowing demonstrations. Strong slogans were raised, demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to the genocide of Gazan civilians, especially children, women, and the elderly. There were also calls for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
In this context, civil associations of Muslims and non-Muslims have been active in emphasizing the importance of protesting, taking to the streets, and expressing anger against the double standards in official Western positions, especially when comparing the situations in Ukraine and Gaza, for example.
Electoral weight
Electoral weight is among other important tools that Western Muslims can use to lift oppression on the people of Gaza and Palestine.
It is known that the Islamic presence in Western countries has significantly increased in recent decades. More importantly, there has been a gradual shift from quantity to quality. There is a growing awareness among the new generations of Western Muslims demanding full citizenship rights and pushing towards achieving these rights through the electoral process.
Objectively, Western societies maintain transparency, diversity, and an atmosphere of political freedoms and popular sovereignty when it comes to the electoral process.
Therefore, voices have emerged among Western Muslims advocating for abstaining from voting for Western political leaders who have shown bias towards the occupying entity and supported it in the collective punishment or genocide against the people of Gaza, under the pretense of self-defense.
In this context, the “Abandon Biden” campaign, led by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and American Muslim leaders from six swing states, is crucial in the US presidential elections. These Islamic leaders pledged to mobilize US Muslims against the re-election of President Joe Biden due to his support for the “Israeli” genocide on Gaza.
The “Abandon Biden” campaign started when American Muslims in Minnesota demanded President Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza by October 31. The campaign extended to Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
It is expected that these political campaigns will extend to other Western European countries where their leaders support the occupying entity.
Civil Rights Activism
In the West, despite all the negatives and shortcomings, freedom and judicial justice remain available to an extent that allows litigation before judicial institutions. In this context, Western Muslims supported the initiative of Jil Defer, a lawyer in Lyon city, who, along with a group of lawyers and associations, submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court on Thursday, November 9, 2023. The initiative is based on the principle that “justice is the response to violence,” confirming that in the face of the most serious violations of the law and the shameful disregard for the lives of Palestinians, our duty is to assert loudly and clearly that these crimes will not go unpunished.
Media Activity
Muslims in the West also have a significant role in the media. Everyone is aware of the importance of media in warfare, especially considering the powerful impact of Western media with its substantial material and human capabilities. Additionally, a considerable portion of it is influenced by pressure groups or “lobbies” within the active Zionist powers politically, economically, and media-wise in Western countries. It's not surprising that a major portion of mainstream media, in its various forms, is biased towards the narrative of the occupying entity, turning the victim into a criminal and terrorist. This aligns with the official approach and the policy of double standards.
This underscores the utmost importance of alternative or parallel media work, whether directed towards the internal Islamic public opinion or the Western public opinion in general.
In this regard, social and digital media witness intensive activity from Muslims to support the Palestinian cause and to convey the true narrative of what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. This takes two directions: firstly, exposing those who make statements and hold positions contrary to what is propagated as Western values. Secondly, widely spreading courageous statements and objective analyses from Western political or intellectual figures. In addition to broadcasting what advocates of the Palestinian cause inside Palestine, or Arab and Islamic scholars and preachers, provide in terms of facts, readings, and approaches that go against the narrative of the occupying entity.
Furthermore, and importantly, there is a dissemination of messages calling for hope and discouraging despair by reminding people of the ways of Allah in granting victory. It also highlights some positive outcomes or gains from the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” such as the people in the West embracing Islam due to the influence of the strong faith and steadfastness of the people of Gaza.
Spreading Awareness and the Boycott Weapon
In addition to the media, there is an extensive campaign to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause in the past and present, as well as the dimensions of the cause both religiously and humanely, seeking to promote widespread support. The campaign also aims to raise awareness about the importance of boycotting “Israeli” goods and companies, using them as leverage to stop the genocide.
Field Medical Assistance
The role of Western Muslims in supporting the cause does not stop at advocacy within Western European countries; it extends to field medical assistance, which is most needed by the people of Gaza and Palestine in the current atrocities and horrors of war. Given the presence of highly qualified medical professionals among Muslims in Western countries, initiatives have emerged to encourage doctors with the ability to travel and possessing European passports to contribute as much as they can to provide medical assistance on-the-ground in Gaza through the Rafah crossing, even if for two weeks or less. This assistance is urgently needed in specialized fields such as cardiology, anesthesia, neurology, ophthalmology, and surgery. It is emphasized that everyone is aware of the extent of the destruction and the physical and psychological injuries that the innocent people in Gaza are suffering.
