Mandela Day | Palestine, Gaza and South Africa

Assalaamu Alaikum everyone.

Today, I will be writing about something that is extremely close to my heart. A topic that I imagine is in fact close to many of our hearts! "Nothing unites the hearts of our Ummah like that of Palestine!", too true are the words of Omar Sulieman. 

Alghamdulillah, with Allah's will, most of us have seen the first 20 days of the Ramadaan in relative comfort. We can eat and Salah with our families in peace. We can concern ourselves with eid clothes and whether we have enough different types of savouries in the house for Iftar time. 

Where we sit comfortably, in other parts of the world people are afraid each and every night. They wonder,  "When will WE be next?". In a country where a mother gives birth to her baby that was shot in womb. A country where the oppressors wear jeering T- shirts that say, 2 kills, 1 bullet! Where four kids play innocently on a beach and are killed by missiles, the attackers claiming that they thought those kids building sandcastles where Hama's operatives. 

I am not trying to guilt anyone. Please don't mistake what I am saying here to be that we should not buy Eid clothes or prepare feasts for Eid if we are by the means. Eid is after all is a celebration, and it is the right we have as a people. A people who have fought for freedom, who was once prosecuted for the colour of skin. 

I proudly remember words of our Tata, that Arafat, Gadafi and Castro, may you think what you want of them, they supported our struggle not only in rhetoric but by placing their resources at our disposal to aid us with our struggle.  He also said, "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."

It is for the inhumanities we can no longer stand to see daily on our social media platforms, that over 40 thousand people took to the streets of Cape Town in protest on Wednesday. The atmosphere of the protesters was overwhelming. With so many protestors, chants broke out in different groups, some singing "Free , Free Palestine",  while others chanting Taqbeer! In short, a memorandum was put forth to Parliament in demanding disinvestments and sanctions against Israel. 

We can only make dua, pray, that our Government acknowledges and empathises, with the suffering of the Palestinian people and makes rulings to help put a stop to the war. We as a country, the people, have started of so well, we need to keep up the momentum and keep on putting pressure on our Government to administer change. It was only through unity and faith, that the Battle go Badr was won. We cannot do much if we as a Ummah do not stand together.

Today, we say, Happy Birthday to Tata Madiba. We will always fondly be remember you as a hero of hero's. His stance on issues is how we should approach ours. He vehemently opposed Israeli occupation and their treatment of the Palestinians. Let us use our 67 min to do good for all. As our hearts are with Palestine and Gaza, let it also be with our own communities. The suffering of our countrymen, which may or may not be compared with that of Gaza can still not be overlooked. Who are we if we cannot try to heal within ourselves. So when we think of helping Gaza let us put some of that effort into also helping within. 

Much Love

Me Mrs Me