[News] American Muslim Organizations: End Israeli Aggression and Occupation

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  Muslim Organizations and Individuals

Statement by American Muslim Organizations: End Israeli Aggression and 
Occupation, Uphold American principles [sic]
*
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y81Eek6_RBiGp83Fzh17LVncWoe6q-C_ANe3AfTO-R8/viewform?c=0&w=1*

August 2, 2014

The Israeli aggression against the civilian population of Gaza has 
surpassed all levels of brutality and cruelty. For over three weeks, the 
Israeli government has unleashed a violent campaign that has so far 
resulted in more than 1600 deaths (including more than 400 children, 300 
women and dozens of elderly people), and more than 9,000 wounded (over 
2500 children and 1600 women). No building, however sacred, was spared: 
more than 8,500 homes, 76 mosques, 2 churches, and 25 hospitals and 
health clinics were destroyed. Ambulances, doctors, nurses and 
paramedics, schools, universities, UN buildings, libraries, shelters, 
food markets, playgrounds, graveyards were also bombed, in addition to 
152 educational facilities.

According to Israeli authorities 95 percent of the sixty declared 
Israeli fatalities are military, while according to the UN about 
three-quarters of Palestinian casualties are civilians. Consequently, 
top UN officials and human rights groups have conducted investigation 
and accused Israel of "war crimes," and even called for the UN to impose 
an arms embargo against Israel.

Therefore, we, as American Muslim organizations, academics, Imams, 
community leaders and activists, affirm our unequivocal support for 
Palestinian rights to freedom and dignity while forcefully condemning 
the illegal and oppressive occupation structure.

In short, we call for:
1) An immediate end to Israeli aggression and occupation: This 
distressing fact must be central to all efforts to resolve the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The unceasing violence against the 
Palestinian people that has taken place for decades must end 
immediately. It should include the end of the siege and blockade of 
Gaza, the opening of all border crossings, and the release of thousands 
of political prisoners in Israeli prisons. The world, as contracting 
parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, must take 
responsibility and provide protection and security to the defenseless 
Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation and control.

2) Stop Sending US Tax Dollars To Israel: We call on our government and 
Congress to stop punishing Palestinians and to act in America's best 
interest by upholding the UN Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention and 
our cherished ideals of supporting freedom and self-determination. An 
Israel that continues to occupy millions of human beings and apply 
Apartheid-like policies to control them should be rejected and 
ostracized. We demand that our tax dollars not be used in perpetrating 
the occupation and suffering of Palestinians. In America it is illegal 
to fund institutions that practice racial, ethnic or religious 
exclusions, which is precisely what Israel praxis in every aspect of its 
discriminatory approach to the Palestinians. Funding racism and 
Apartheid is un-American and we call for an end to it. The President and 
the Secretary of Defense have a specific legal responsibility not to 
allow Israel to use US weapons against innocent civilians. Such use not 
only violates International Humanitarian Law and constitutes a war 
crime, but its systematic violations also constitute crimes against 
humanity.

3) Support the BDS Campaign to end occupation: The Boycott, Divestment 
and Sanctions (BDS) movement is one non-violent tactic that was employed 
successfully during the South African freedom struggle. We believe that 
as BDS continues to successfully grow worldwide, a similar, peaceful 
outcome in the Middle East conflict will result. We call on all 
justice-seeking, freedom-caring and peace-loving people across the US 
and around the world to join the BDS campaign until the occupation ends 
and Palestinian rights are restored.

4) We affirm the UN Charter, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous 
People, and the Fourth Geneva Convention (particularly Article 3 and 
Protocol I which is part of Customary International Law). They 
collectively provide protection for the Occupied Palestinians. 
Furthermore, we affirm the right of the Palestinians to defend 
themselves in the face of continued occupation, expansion of settlements 
and land expropriation. International Humanitarian Law does not allow 
for Israeli reprisals or disproportionate response against the occupied 
Palestinians, which respectively represent war crimes and crimes against 
humanity.

We call for the dozens of UN resolutions, which for decades, have called 
for the restoration of Palestinian rights, and which have been ignored 
by Israel and its supporters, to be implemented. This includes ending 
Israel's occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem; 
dismantling all Israeli settlements within the 1967 areas; and resolving 
the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with the principle of the 
right of return enshrined in UN resolution 194.

The American Muslim community, through its national organizations and 
community leaders, call for a worldwide education and mobilization 
campaign to achieve these objectives. We call on all organizations and 
community members to join the dozens of demonstrations across the 
country in support of the Palestinian struggle. We urge all to speak out 
and be heard. We further urge them to participate politically and 
translate their anger and frustration at the one sided support for 
Israel into votes across the country at the ballot boxes come November 
4th, 2014. Our votes are and grassroots power will be mobilized for 
Palestine, justice, and human and economic rights, both domestically and 
across the globe in November. We do believe that a different world is 
possible but it can only come about through knowledge and actions 
manifesting the highest ethical ideals. We urge the community to 
continue calling the White House, congressional representatives and 
Senators demanding a change in our government policy and supporting 
Palestinians aspiration for an end to the Occupation, and for freedom 
and dignity.
In his farewell address, George Washington warned his fellow citizens 
against the "passionate attachment of one nation for another" because it 
"produces a variety of evils," and that such sympathy would be 
"facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases 
where no real common interest exists." As responsible members of society 
we call upon our fellow citizens and national leaders to uphold the 
principles upon which America was established more than two centuries 
ago: self-determination, freedom, justice, equality, and respect for the 
rule of law.

Signatures

A. Organizations

1. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
2. American Muslim Alliance (AMA)
3. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
4. Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
5. Muslim American Society (MAS)
6. Northern California Islamic Council (NCIC)
7. Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF)
8. Peace Thru Justice Foundation (PTJF)
9. Muslim Voters of America (MVA)
10. Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA)
11. Lamppost Productions
12. Sahaba Initiative
13. Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project
14. Institute of American Muslim Youth
15. Palestinian American Society (PAS)
16. American Muslim Voice
17. Muslim News Digest
18. Islamic Society of Nevada, Las Vegas
19. Islamic Foundation North
20. Islamic Leadership Institute of America
21. MAS PACE & Outreach Chicago
22. IslamiCity

B. Individuals

Dr. Sami Al-Arian
Dr. Hatem Bazian
Dr. Agha Saeed
Professor Tariq Ramadan
Imam Zaid Shakir
Emeritus Professor M.Cherif Bassiouni
Professor John L Esposito
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl
Shakeel Syed
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Professor Sahar Aziz
Professor Haider A. Khan
Anwar N. Haddam
Professor Abbas Barzegar
Rahman Khan
Ramzy Baroud
Ustadh Abdullah Ali
Mansour Ansari
Professor Atif Kubursi
Aisha Siddiqui
Abe Abed
Arbazz MJ
Nader Abuljebain
Hamzah Alhadi
Paula Thompson
Dr. Emad Hamdeh
Laura Kirchner
Omar  Rehmane
Waleed Osman
Danish Farooq
Dr. Trish Kanous
Rafat Ali
Khalid Alaoui Belghiti
I.pek Cos,kun
Lubaaba Al-Azami
Muhammad Shahedul Haque
Jessica Elizabeth Peters
Luis Marnet
Noshaba Bhatti
Shayan Hussain
Vernon Humphrey
Hanan Rasheed
Kalim Aadan
Qadri Abdallah
Rubina Hussain
Mohsin Bajwa
Dr. Muhammad Hussain
Abdulmumin Mohammed
Rania Shah
Amal Awad
Aisha Rahman
Wajahat Razzaq
Abida Hussain
Sefer Soydar
Nishat Hussain
Abdul-Malik Ryan
Afraz Haide
Eid Masri
Hisham Mohammad
Ramina Habib
Wael Hakmeh
Sharif Rosen
Mohammad Ansari
Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi
R. David Coolidge
Gretchen Engelson
Omer Awass
Rida Fatima
Rachelle Fawcett
Abdelraouf Ismail
Monadel Herzallah
Dr. Sylvia Chan-Malik
Osama Ahmad
Beth Lupe
Professor Johnathan Brown
Professor Omid Safi
Azhar Dalal
Salwa Abed
Ibrahim Aoude
bakr teebi
Elaine Hagopian
Yusuf Bashir
Hamzah Alhadi
Asrar Khan
Richard Idriss
Rasheedah bashir
Zahra Billoo
Said Benmensour
Fazle Tiwana
Dr Khaleel isa
Sadia Jadoon
Cathy Humphreys
Nadeen salama
Amina Hakim
Daud Rehman
Professor Rafik Beekun
Lynette Wehner
abed abusneineh
zane motiwala
hina ghani
Azim mogaddedi
Hamidah Kaufman
Zulfiqar Malik
Suad Mohamed
Dr Ghada El Yafi
Belal Siddiqui
Karla N. Evans
Mohammad Hussain, MD
Moussa BAGGILI
Sinan Jaber
Maleeha Latif
Dr. Mansoor Takun
Roberta Davenport
Marlene Poulin
Somee Sharifi
Hisham Yakub
Zeenat yakub
Samina Sundas
Aslam Abdullah
Wahaj Aman
karl lawar
Ayesha Khalid
Hussam Ayloush
Saleh Arakji
Karen Danielson
Lida Larson
Adam Larson
Mounia Chaib
Adriaan Joubert
Awad Hamdan
Sarah
Cierra Hall
Yonis Musa
George Hudes
Haitham Abulhaija
Firasath Ali
Haider javed
Fadi Sahouri
Meral Baris
Tugrul Keskin
S. Reshma Inamdar
Ahmed Darwish
S. Reshma Inamdar
Dustin Craun
Yama niazi
Faisal Durrani
Mona kayyali
Ehab Odeh
Fahim Aref
Malek Odeh
Islam Elayan
Ghias El Yafi
Mohannad Malas
MUHAMMAD BELLO IBRAHIM
Alexander Abbasi
Ramee Hijaz
Ryan Brizendine
Manal
Mustafa Mohamed Ali
Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Mariana Orozco
Nagi Mabruk
Ali Heydari
Lucas Fleisher
Hani Kharufeh
Professor Ihsan Khalifeh
Ali S diab
Lubna Said
Sarra Tlili
Maria Sheikh
Sarra Tlili
Arooj Ahmad
Lubna Quraishi
Saifullah Siddiqui
Michael Elayn
Junaid Haqqi
Junaid Haqqi
Dr. Emran El-Badawi
Ramzi Issa
Kate Jamal
Joel rogers
Ramy Salah
Kamilah Albahri
Nadeem Iqbal
Professor Nahyan Fancy
Dr. Taj Hashmi
Dr Amr Osman
Brianna Meyers
Dawayne Allen
Ehaab Zubi
Amna Latif
Armaan Siddiqi
Iman Seirafi
Ariana Hussain
Hamid Algar
Sarah Bhatt
Imam Osman Umarji
Imam Jihad Saafir
Imam Asim Buyuksoy
Imam Ameen Omar
Imam Jamaal Diwan
Imam Mustafa Umar
Imam Taha Hassane
Dawayne Allen
Abdulkarim Soroush
Safeer Mohiuddin
Mehmet Murat Sahin
Kalim Farooki
rafe husain
Ephrosine Daniggelis
Sumera Siddiqui
Lilliane Abufanas
Ahmed Shaikh
Kazbek Soobzokov
Lilliane Abufanas
Mehdi Syed
Dany Doueiri
Yaser Ali

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