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Op-ed Piece on War on Gaza

Gaza Tragedy & the West: When the Last Mask Fell Off

  • At any rate, the truth remains that it is not the people who change, it is their masks that fall off.
  • It is perplexing as to when people will start recognizing that occupation is not synonymous with resistance, and persecution not analogous to fighting for freedom.

One of the outcomes of the ongoing Gaza tragedy is that masks are falling off. The events are revelatory. Now is the time to clearly see who is who and what is what in the grand scheme of things, both domestically and internationally.

Gaza – and the Palestinian case in general – has been doing this for quite some time. This time, however, the situation is different. The current episode signifies the climax of a process.

📚 Read Also: Gaza Tragedy: A Step Closer to the Apocalypse

Gaza has become like a furnace that detects and isolates the impurities of iron (in Gaza’s case, hypocrites and out-and-out evil persons are revealed and shamed) and separates as well as purifies the iron (in Gaza’s case, good persons are not only revealed, but also thrust into the spotlight, and further elevated as much on earth as in heaven).

Saying this, one cannot help remembering the Prophet’s words about the city of Madinah, which since its inception functioned as a microcosm of the Islamic message and civilization.

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The Prophet said that “Madinah is like a furnace, it expels out the impurities (bad persons) and selects the good ones and makes them perfect.” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

The unfolding tragedy is accompanied by all sorts of political, media, and even pop culture bedlams. Everyone wants to assert his case and be heard. All are eager to have a slice of the cake, so to speak.

Noise is deafening – just as silence and indifference have been before the tragedy – distractions unnerving and narratives never-ending.

The condition is meant to muddle the plain truth that is – even though the unbelievers and political criminals may dislike it – that there is a bloodthirsty usurper and oppressor inaugurated and sustained by the protagonists of the prevalent devilish world order, on the one hand, and a victim who for almost a century has been denied any degree of freedom and humanity, either to be generated internally or conferred from outside, on the other.

Thus, people should not be distracted by the number, sizes, and shapes of the masks or by how and where they have fallen, but instead should focus on who and what has been uncovered and how to deal with the new realities and their central characters.

Some discoveries may be surprising, yet shocking, rescinding earlier realizations and perspectives. At any rate, the truth remains that it is not the people who change, it is their masks that fall off. For that reason, it’s rightly said that a wolf can change his coat but not his character.

Gaza Tragedy & the West: When the Last Mask Fell Off - About Islam

West Line Up to Support Israel

The side that is exposed the most because the dramatic developments forced it to throw off the last mask(s) is the West.

That the West was hypocritical, wicked, and immoral was common knowledge, but that its vileness was at rock bottom, institutionalized and assertively proselytized (evangelized) was an eye-opener, so much so that its ostensibly championed Western values, such as freedom of speech, freedom of belief, equal access to opportunities, justice, and objectivity, are blatantly cast aside.

Consequently, governments compete who will be more emphatic and more eloquent in expressing their support for the Zionist State and in condemning and punishing the oppressed and divested-of-everything Palestinians.

Not surprisingly, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and the remainder of the European Union, are spearheading the vogue.

Their multinational news channels and websites – with CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky News, etc., being the trendsetters, feasting on the expansive material and information available, which enabling them to flourish in carrying out their unholy missions. 

Moreover, their institutions: socio-political, economic, educational, cultural, and even sports, have been turned into virtual temples of Zionism on whose altars all humanity and rationality have been sacrificed, and the personnel of those institutions have been converted not only into devotees, but also missionaries.

As a consequence, institutionally, the West has been “Zionized”, owing to which snobbery and deceit fill the air. Wherever one looks, one finds nothing but more lies and more chauvinism. Indeed, the West has long been stripped of all accountability and self-worth.

For example, a coalition of 34 Harvard University student organizations in the US has issued a pro-Palestinian statement in reaction to the open-ended violence in Gaza.

The students said in the statement that they hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence between the Palestinians and Israelis following decades of occupation. They added that the Israeli apartheid regime is the only one to blame.

📚 Read Also: 500 Arrested in Capitol as Jewish Groups Protest Israel War on Gaza

However, no sooner had the statement been released, than a barrage of criticism and attacks ensued from the country’s political and business elites, many of whom are prominent Harvard alumni and the country’s lawmakers.

They went berserk. They asked for the students’ names to be released even if that would lead to their lives and future careers being endangered, to be blacklisted, and that their university affiliations be removed.

Also, France and Germany banned all pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declaring that “at this moment, there is only one place for Germany – the place at Israel’s side.” 

Similarly, in England, the FA (Football Association) wanted to light the Wembley arch in the colors of the Israeli flag as a response to a letter from the UK Government encouraging governing bodies in sports to appropriately mark the “terrorist attacks” on Israel. However, the FA later decided not to do what was initially planned “because of fears of a backlash from some communities.”

The Government was unhappy, and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer, expressed her disappointment saying: “It is especially disappointing in light of the FA’s bold stance on other terrorist attacks in the recent past. Words and actions matter. The Government is clear: we stand with Israel.”

In the same vein, former US President Donald Trump called for a Muslim congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s impeachment “over silence on Hamas terrorism questions.”

Earlier, the congresswoman Tlaib went viral “after she refused to answer repeated questions from a reporter in the hallways of Congress about reported Hamas terrorist acts and brutality against Israeli civilians.”

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About Dr. Spahic Omer
Dr. Spahic Omer, an award-winning author, is an Associate Professor at the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). He studied in Bosnia, Egypt and Malaysia. In the year 2000, he obtained his PhD from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur in the field of Islamic history and civilization. His research interests cover Islamic history, culture and civilization, as well as the history and theory of Islamic built environment. He can be reached at: [email protected].