Today, we were talking about the Islamic perspective on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. How does Islam view the conflict of the Palestinians? To them, Israel is occupying the "native lands" of the Palestinians. Is this true? In 1948 alone, over 750,000 Palestinians fled from their homes during the war that ensued between Israel and Arab countries once the British left. After the war, they weren't allowed to return to their homes, thus becoming refugees in other countries. Fast forward to the present and there are now over 4 million Palestinian refugees, including the descendants of those that originally left Palestine. I think it is really easy for us to forget what it actually means to be a "refugee". These are people who fled their lands out of fear. And now they aren't being allowed back to the very homes they left.


Can you imagine what that would be like? Take your home now. What if you had to leave or were forced to leave, for fear of your life? What if you wanted to return but weren't allowed to? Would you accept that? Or would you fight for the right to return to your land? I know I would fight for it.

The Islamic perspective of the Palestinians plight, is that they have the right to resist. They have the right to defend their dignity. Is that really just an Islamic perspective? Or is that all of ours? This makes me think of something a little more familiar to Americans...
What about the Native Americans? Was that right what we did to them? We forcefully took their lands from them for one reason or another and in return gave them next to nothing. Just because this was many years ago, doesn't make it right. So what about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?

I have heard the religious argument that it is Gods chosen land for the Jewish people. This may be so, from a religious perspective. But even as a Christian, is it right to let something happen that is wrong simply because they are Gods "chosen people"?

I have heard the religious argument that suicide bombers have the right to blow themselves up and become martyrs as long as they are only targeting military personnel (it is considered un-Islamic to target and harm either physically or mentally a civilian).

This kind of reasoning has always boggled my mind. How can a God of love approve of decisions that so obviously hurt so many people? I don't buy it.
My God gave me free will. And with my free will, I choose to try and prevent the abuse of people, whether they are God's chosen people or not.


This doesn't mean I believe that Palestinians should lob rockets at Israelis or that Israelis should have to completely leave Palestine.

One thing I am really tired of is people that somehow can't see what is really happening to the Palestinians. Regardless of how the Palestinians are handling the situation, they are STILL in a very tough position. They want their land back. Just like the Native Americans. The difference being, now they have modern weapons to help them achieve this goal. Can we blame them for trying? Can we blame them, especially if we are the ones that helped put them in the current position they are in?


Just some food for thought.