Israel, empathy and co-existence
As muslims we have respect for Jewish people, and consider them to be Ahl-e-Kitaab (People of the Book) and not ‘infidels’ as a lot of people mistakenly believe. We know they come from Ibraham (Abraham), the father of of the three dominant religions today, and their beliefs are very similar to ours, even more so than the Christians. However, we also believe that though the Jews were given Israel by Allah, and it was where they were brought to after Moses released them from Pharoan (Pharoah’s) reign, the Jews went astray from Allah’s teaching and for that reason they were expelled from Israel.
The logic of ‘This is our land so we are going to take it back’
The Jews used to live in Israel a long time back before they were expelled from it. So they say ‘We used to live here so we should be allowed to come back’. In this process they are killing and displacing the Palestinian people who live there, thinking that this is justified.
Empathy
Imagine this. You live in a house for a long time with your family. Then you and your family get evicted, and someone else moves in and makes it their home. Years later you come back and say ‘Hey, get out we used to live here so we should be living here again, and we are going to kill some of you and make some of you homeless as well’. Do you think the people who live there now wouldn’t defend their home? Do you think they would accept this with no resistance? And as you were displaced is it fair to displace another people?
The right to fight back
Palestinians have every right to fight back to defend themselves and their home, and yet this is seen as an attack by Israel which just doesn’t make sense.
A 2-state solution
Jews and muslims were able to live together for a long time before politics created such a barrier between us. I do feel it’s very possible for us to coexist and live a peaceful existence.
A shared belief and the same God
The Jewish people come from the same line of Prophets as us, and Prophet Musa (Moses) is mentioned more times in the Quran than any other Prophet, and he is loved by Muslims everywhere. The only difference is that we believe the Jews were misguided and went astray from Allah’s teachings which is why Prophet Isa (Jesus) was then sent to correct them, and then when his followers went astray Prophet Muhammad was sent to guide us all.
Both religions are peaceful and there is no need for any more lives to be lost. The politicians and leaders need to focus on a way for all of us to coexist. Insha’Allah I hope the day will come when Jews and Muslims will be at peace with each other again.
