"They K*ll My Family With My Money!" - Omar Suleiman Speaks Out!
Published on
As a Palestinian and an American citizen, how do you feel knowing that your tax dollars are used by your government to fund this atrocity? May Allah forgive us. Uh... Guilty, angry, sad. All of that, all at the same time. All the time. As someone living in the United States, when you compare the before and after of these events, what kind of change do you see in the perception of the people around you towards their government and Israel? I come to realize that it's my money that's being used to kill my family. I mean, it's it's a crazy thought, what this government is doing to us, right? I mean, to take my money and to murder my relatives. It's criminal. Assalamualaikum Dr.
Omar Suleiman, thank you so much for accepting our invitation. We are very honored to have you with us. As an ummah, we are going through very hard times. For nearly three months, our brothers and sisters in Palestine have been experiencing an unprecedented oppression from one of the most cruel states in history. Not just Muslims, but many people from all over the world, all types of backgrounds are in uproar. and Jazakallah Khayran You have done a lot to be the voice of our brothers and sisters, share the truth and raise awareness in whatever way you can. Jazakallah Khayran InshaAllah, BarakAllah Thank you for having me, it's an honor to be with you again.
Jazakallah Khair Sheikh So imagine a man named Jonathan living in America, He says, "This is the problem of Muslims. It's not my concern. Why should I care? I just want to live my life and deal with my issues." What would you say to him and to those who think like him? So I'll tell you, there are a lot of different Jonathans now. And America is a very polarized country right now. And the priorities of average Americans are vastly different. I think that you challenge Jonathan on the basis of his supposed claims. If he believes that we should uphold the human rights of all.
Well, how do you excuse the greatest human rights atrocities happening on your screen, by your government using your money? So if you're a person who claims to uphold human rights, then this should concern you. If you're a person who claims to be for justice and to be for humanitarian causes, how can you excuse this? If you're a person who claims that America is a crumbling economic infrastructure on the inside, and that homelessness is on the rise here, and people cannot eat here. And America is, you know, unfortunately, diving into poverty. You should be concerned about why your money, your tax dollars are being used to kill other children instead of feeding the children here.
So that's what concerns you Jonathan, the feeding of your children here in the United States, are you asking the questions about why billions of dollars are being used to slaughter other children in different parts of the world, where the money is pocketed by weapons manufacturers, while people can't eat here and the welfare system is crumbling. If you're someone who claims to, you know, who claims to care about the way that their money is used as a whole, every American whose tax dollars are being used to fund a genocide should be concerned. We are complicit. Whether we like it or not, we are complicit.
And so what I say to my American neighbors, what I say to friends at work, what I say to people in my society is this is being done in your name, with your money. Therefore, you should be concerned because this is a crime against humanity, and you can do something about it by joining the chorus of voices against this atrocity that is unfolding before our very eyes. So on that point, as a Palestinian and an American citizen, how do you feel knowing that your tax dollars are used by your government to fund this atrocity? May Allah forgive us. Uh... Guilty, angry, sad. All of that, all at the same time. All the time. I come to realize that it's my money that's being used to kill my family.
I mean, it's a crazy thought, what this government is doing to us, right? I mean, to take my money and to murder my relatives. It's criminal. So I feel restless, so angry, guilty. And that leads to a constant sense of restlessness. But I know that, you know, I have to speak. I have to speak, and I have to try to change that with everything that I can. So the responsibility that I have to speak is greater than the responsibility of someone who lives in a country that's not active in this genocide right now. I think the whole world has to speak right now.
Anyone that has access to a social media platform, anyone that has access to their governmental relations, anyone that has access to broader civil society has to use what they can. But I think we have a greater responsibility as Americans, as I mentioned, because as Americans as a whole, it's our tax dollars that are being used. Then as Muslim Americans, as Palestinian Americans, they're killing our own with our own dollars. It's craziness. So I have a responsibility to hate it in my heart. As the Prophet (saw) said, when you see munkar, you see evil. This is one munkar. This is as munkar as it gets, as evil as it gets. I hate it in my heart. Allah knows I hate it in my heart.
I speak against it with my tongue. And whatever I can do with my hands, to stop that evil, to mobilize, and InshaAllah Ta’ala we will be, you know, resilient in our activism. Just as the people of Gaza are resilient in standing up to this brutal machine. We'll do our best. But I just hope Allah forgives us. I think about Allah asking me that a lot. And I think a lot of Muslims, Palestinian Muslims and otherwise, you know, SubhanAllah there are people living here... You know, I've lost relatives, you know, in Gaza. And there are people that live, literally, one of my close friends who lives just a three minute walk away from me, who's already lost 21 members of his family.
And the cruelty, he's a business owner. He has to pay the taxes that are being used to kill every member of his family off. So this is the cruelty that we live in. We ask Allah for forgiveness, and we ask Allah to enable us to do something about it and to change it. And we will do everything that we can. Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel This is the dikhr, that is the motto of the Palestinians, and it's the motto of the Muslims all over. Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel Allah is sufficient for us, and he's the best protector. When we see the evil that is being done by our governments, or the evil that's being excused by our governments, if you live somewhere else.
In the case of the United States, it is the evil being done by the government. But if you live in a country where the evil is being excused by your government, and your government is not doing enough to take action against this atrocity, then you say Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel I'm trying, I will try my best, with everything that I have to stop this InshaAllah. But Allah is the one who's in control. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (There is no power and no strength except with God.) The Israeli government says "Hamas is responsible for the casualties in Gaza because they started it, and they're using their own people as human shield. They are hiding in the tunnels.
There's no other option but to eliminate them by carpet bombing. We are not to blame for what is happening, but Hamas is." So what's your answer to this claim? This is a claim that has been used to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a claim that has been used to justify the extermination of people throughout history. And it comes from a very racist framing, which is that ‘’These people are not human beings. Therefore, the only way to deal with them is to wipe them out, and they can't be trusted. And so we have to govern them with barbarity because they are barbarians.
And if we let them live, then they're going to wreak violence on the entire world.’’ And so this is the same logic that is used to wipe out populations. In fact, there's a really great author, Greg Mitchell, who wrote about how America used the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima and used Hollywood, right, to parrot certain, you know, very specific framings and propaganda to justify in the American mind, you know, the wiping out of these populations. So when it comes to Gaza, when it comes to Palestine and what's happening right now in Gaza... You know, one of the issues with Israel is that it never has a standard that it wants to be held by.
So the logic of terrorism is that all people and everything within the territory of the quote unquote enemy is fair game, because it is the only way to destroy terrorist infrastructure. Well, that's the logic of any terrorist attack on a civilian population. So does Israel want to be held by the standards of terrorism, you know, or does it want to be held to the standards of a government? Well, there are laws that governments are supposed to operate by in terms of carrying out their military strategies, their domestic and foreign policies. So does Israel want to be held accountable to that? The answer is always going to be No.
Israel does not want to be held accountable, and Israel is unaccountable. There are rules of war. Israel disregards every single rule of war, constantly, because there is no international mechanism to hold it accountable, because it has the unconditional support of the United States of America. Indiscriminate bombing is a war crime. Using white phosphorus bombs. If you see what white phosphorus does to human beings, there's a reason why it's a war crime to use white phosphorus bombs, bombing entire residential areas, starving populations. All of these are war crimes.
Israel is putting out a display of war crimes in front of our eyes, and there is no international mechanism to hold it accountable. So the logic that it is using that we have to wipe out an entire population, if any other actor, state or non-state actor operated by that logic, we would rightfully condemn them. So why does Israel get the exception and have the permission to bomb hospitals, to bomb schools, to bomb shelters, to just bomb entire residential areas? And if this was about killing off Hamas, why are two thirds of their victims women and children?
You know, it is unbelievable that what we are seeing coming out of Gaza are not the images of military commanders that are being apprehended, you know, even by its own logic, military commanders or fighters? No, we're seeing women and children being bombed indiscriminately. And they are saying in Hebrew, in their own, you know, media networks that the goal is not targeted bombing, that the goal is ethnic cleansing. Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear what he is trying to do, he's already talking about the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. So the logic is twisted. The problem is not just that their logic is twisted.
The problem is the willingness of media outlets in the West in particular, to parrot their propaganda, and the United States government to continue to enable this genocide at every single level without holding Israel accountable or letting the world hold it accountable, essentially rendering the United Nations and every international body of law completely ineffective because of the United States veto and the power that it wields in these international courts. So Zionists also arrogantly say, "You Muslims talk about stopping us, but you have not had any effect for almost three months. You are 2 billion, and there are more than 50 Muslim-majority countries.
You say "We are one Ummah", but you failed to form an alliance to save your brothers and sisters. We have the financial and media power. The support of the most powerful states is behind us, as you mentioned. Do you think you can stop us by not buying a caramel macchiato or a Big Mac menu?" How would you respond to such a statement? The people in the Muslim world, where they are able to mobilize to protest, they are filling the streets. And even when they are not allowed to mobilize and to protest, their hearts are on fire. This has completely re-energized the Muslim world.
This has completely, you know, backfired in that it has unified the Muslims who have been disunited for a very long time around common cause. And we are showing our power by boycotting Starbucks, by boycotting, you know, these companies, these entities that support Israel, that support the settlement expansions, that support the daily humiliation against our brothers and sisters, we're showing our power. And this strategy was directly taken and prescribed by the South African resistance fighters who resisted Apartheid in South Africa using the boycott strategy.
So this is a strategy that has brought down Apartheid in the 20th century, and InshaAllah, it will be a part of the strategy that brings down apartheid in the 21st century, and we will be a part of it. So you can silence and buy out and bribe governments, neighboring governments. But you will not silence 2 billion people. And beyond that, by the way, not just Muslims, people of conscience, people are waking up. There are Christians, there are Jews, there are people of all faiths, and people of no faith that are standing just on the basis of human dignity, and outraged by the oppression that are also joining the protest movement around the world.
And protest has many forms, and economic protest is one of the most effective forms of protest. And that's why Israel itself is panicking because it's losing the PR battle. And it is trying to criminalize boycotts all around the world.
But in the face of the ineffectiveness of international bodies of law and governments to hold Israel accountable, the people are saying, "We will hold Israel accountable." The ummah is saying "We will hold Israel accountable in every way that we possibly can." As someone living in the United States, when you compare the before and after of these events, what kind of change do you see in the perception of the people around you towards their government and Israel? What I would say is that it's very clear, that if you look at young Americans, versus older Americans.
Young Americans who do not rely on legacy media outlets, the CNN's of the world and Fox News's of the world, or whatever it may be, but that get their news from social media, that are willing to look into alternative news sources that aren't as hostage, even though social media companies are very much so complicit in suppressing the voice. Every single one of my platforms is shadowbanned right now. But young people in the United States are still finding ways to other news sources, and to see what the rest of the world is saying and what's actually happening. There's been this bubble of propaganda that's been created over the years here in the United States.
And it tells the average American that essentially, you're the only country in the world that gets it right. Because on so many of the votes in the United Nations, it's always the US and Israel and everybody else. So if you're an average American, you've been told all this time that it's you and Israel against the world, and it's you against the world, right? Everyone else in the world is somehow evil, and doesn't have a moral compass, whereas you've got this right for some reason. And let's keep feeding the war machine, instead of feeding our children, to go kill these people, because they have to be killed because they're your problem too. That's just not flying anymore.
For young people that are going online and that are finding the truth through other sources. And that frustrates the Israel PR machine because they can keep pouring money into this, but that propaganda is failing. Like, you cannot compete with the actual images of over 20,000 dead people now, you just can't. I mean, the atrocities are too large for any human being with common sense, and just the heart, to be able to say this is somehow excusable right now. And it's happening constantly. So I see young people under 35, especially in the United States, have a very different opinion.
Every poll shows that public opinion has swayed, you know, to be more in line with the rest of the world and how it views this genocide and how it views the occupation of Palestine. That's changing across the world. And by the way, even young Jews here in America, I mean, it's been inspiring to see the largest Jewish anti-occupation protests in history here in the United States. So young Jewish Americans, young Christian Americans, because of course, Christian Zionism is the worst form of Zionism, and it's the largest form of Zionism here in the United States. So young evangelicals, young Christians that are starting to break the shackles of Christian Zionism, and just people in general.
People with common dignity. So Muslims, Christians, Jews, people of all faiths, especially younger ones, are breaking through now, the algorithm Alhamdulillah, breaking through legacy media. So just on that note, there has been a huge propaganda telling people that Muslims are terrorists and barbarians, especially in the US. But many people can now see who the actual terrorist and barbarian is. Also, there are many similarities between these events and 9/11 in terms of the false narrative against Muslims. But despite all this, as you mentioned, people became curious and researched Islam and many of them became Muslims.
As someone who has witnessed those times, do you think that these events can give a similar or even a greater result in terms of the spread of Islam? Yeah, I do, I think that again, because of the means of social media, you know, they don't get to project the images that they want alone. Other people get to project images from the ground. Now they will try to stop that. They'll kill journalists. They'll try to cut off all outlets from the ground. But just that one man, Khaled Abu Diya the man with a turban and a beard who lost his granddaughter Reem, the soul of his soul, the soul of our soul. That one man is the prototypical image of a terrorist in the United States all these years.
And SubhanAllah, he's become a symbol of hope, a symbol of love, a symbol of resilience. I mean, I've heard him, someone actually asked me, "Do you think the man is an angel?" I mean, like, "Do you think he's actually even a real person?’’ Subhanallah Because of the way that he carries himself. So there are new images that are coming out, and there are more voices to amplify those images than ever before. So InshaAllah Ta’ala, it's different this time. And we'll make sure, you know, we continue to do our part, to show people the beauty of Gaza, the beauty of the people of Gaza, and the ugliness of the Israeli occupation. Have you witnessed any Shahada after these events?
And can you tell us a story that might affect us maybe? Every single Jumu'ah., there are multiple people that take Shahada, every single Jumu'ah. I've had people reach out to me online. We've had people emailing Yaqeen Institute constantly. We've had people fly into Valley Ranch Islamic Center, my masjid, to take Shahada with me. Every single week I've seen multiple people. I think, SubhanAllah... One of them that touched me most was actually a deaf brother. He can't hear. SubhAnallah. And he took Shahada through sign language. And that shows you, you know... And I was communicating with him through sign language, and he said he'd been looking into Islam for eight years. Eight years.
But it was Gaza that ultimately changed his heart. And, you know, what he could see with his eyes, immediately landed in his heart. So imagine this man can't even hear, right? But it's not the ears that are deaf. It's not the eyes that are blind, it's hearts. It's hearts that can see and hearts that can hear. So, SubhanAllah, I mean... It really is something, to see people, you know... Mashallah a lot of people followed, Sister Megan Rice, right? The sister on TikTok and other sisters that have opened up the Quran. It's amazing. And this is what I try to do to keep myself hopeful, because I'll be very honest with you, and I think this is how we all are.
I mean, there are days, Subhanallah, where I just feel like I can't function, I can't do anything, and I know a lot of people have expressed similar sentiments. Then I remember, SubhAnallah, look at these people. Look at what's happening. They've changed the world. And may Allah (swt) change their condition in terms of the torment that they are subjected to. But they've changed the world, and we have to keep on going with them. Inshallah Ta’ala, because they're doing their part. - We have to do ours. - InshaAllah. So the number of Shahadas that you received is unparalleled in terms of numbers, right? I can't even count.
I can't tell you how many people are giving Shahada too in the last two months. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. And there's a saying that goes, "Disbelief continues, but oppression does not." "Az-zulmu la yeduumu, ve'l kufru yeduumu." Confirming this saying, the events show that the wind has started to blow in the opposite direction. As we have stated in the beginning, many people from different ethnicities and religious backgrounds are standing up to the oppression of Israel. The Reverend of the Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem called this a genocide. How do you think this will end? Well, look, you know... SubhanAllah, you mentioned Bethlehem. Mitri Raheb is actually a friend of mine.
I was just speaking to him today, about their situation, Palestinian Christians that are there. How do I think that this will end? When do I think that it will end? I think that, how and when are to Allah (swt). But we have to be committed to its end, and to ending it in every way. One of the hardest things is working without knowing when and how. And Allah talks about that in the Quran. مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ۗ "When is the help of Allah going to come?" And it is قَرِيبٌ. InshaAllah Ta’ala إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ It's close. InshaAllah. That could be days, that could be weeks, that could be months, that could be years.
But every day that I'm still here on earth, and every day that you're still here on earth, we have to be committed to fighting that oppression. And it is a severe oppression and one that none of us can say that we haven't been sufficiently exposed to, to at the very least, bear witness to that oppression and for the oppressed. Every oppressor in history, every tyrant in history at some point is taken by Allah (swt). Every arrogant empire eventually falls, every oppression. And, you know, there's a... There's a consistent sentiment throughout the tradition of Islam that speaks to this.
Starting from the Quran all the way to the Sunnah, to the sayings of the scholars, right, about you know, at some point ending, you know. And it moves on and other oppressors come and other oppressed people come, until we all return to Allah (swt), on a day in which no oppression will be excused. So every oppressor eventually meets their end, every oppressive empire meets its end, and every oppressed person will have their right given back to them. Of course, the saying that the scholars mention, and I think this is a good one for us to remind ourselves of. وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا Your Lord does not forget. Your Lord does not forget the oppressor.
Your Lord does not forget the oppressed. Your Lord does not forget the efforts on behalf of the oppressed and against the oppressor. Your Lord does not forget. وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا So nothing that you do will ever go to waste, and nothing that anyone suffers will ever go to waste. And nothing that is ever done against Allah's creation will ever be overlooked. Allah will bring it all forth on the Day of Judgment, as He does. And InshaAllah Ta’ala, we hope to find ourselves on the side of the oppressed, not on the side of the oppressor. Prophet (saw) mentioned that a time would come وَ الْحرج of just murder and oppression.
And He said, "Be the servant of Allah that is killed, not the one that kills." Right? And so, by extension, if you're going to be the one that's killed and not the one that's killing, then be the one Be the one that's oppressed, not the one that oppresses. Because Allah (saw) will make it all right on the Day of Judgment, but we have to make it right to the best of our ability in this Dunya. And then leave the rest to Allah (swt). Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel Finally, what would you say to someone who says "I'm just an ordinary person. I go from home to work, work to home. What can I do, anything significant for Palestine?
What difference can I make?" When 2 billion ordinary people and 3 billion ordinary people around the world realize that they can have extraordinary impact together, then we can overwhelm the systems of oppression. So, yes, as an individual, you can't do much. As individuals, we can't do much. But we are an ummah of 2 billion, and there are several members outside of our ummah, of humanity that are also committed to this. So, ordinary people can do extraordinary things together. And we can overwhelm, InshaAllah Ta’ala, the systems of oppression, against our brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere, when we do it together. InshaAllah.
Jazakallah Khayran sheikh Thank you so much for sharing your insights and giving informative and inspirational answers. We learn a lot from you. May Allah preserve you, may Allah allow us to see the liberation of Masjid al-Aqsa. May Allah give victory to our brothers and sisters in Palestine. May He grant Jannah to our martyrs. give shifa to the wounded, and give sabr to our brothers and sisters who lost their loved ones. And we ask Allah to allow us to meet with you again Shiekh in better days, InshaAllah.
Omar Suleiman, thank you so much for accepting our invitation. We are very honored to have you with us. As an ummah, we are going through very hard times. For nearly three months, our brothers and sisters in Palestine have been experiencing an unprecedented oppression from one of the most cruel states in history. Not just Muslims, but many people from all over the world, all types of backgrounds are in uproar. and Jazakallah Khayran You have done a lot to be the voice of our brothers and sisters, share the truth and raise awareness in whatever way you can. Jazakallah Khayran InshaAllah, BarakAllah Thank you for having me, it's an honor to be with you again.
Jazakallah Khair Sheikh So imagine a man named Jonathan living in America, He says, "This is the problem of Muslims. It's not my concern. Why should I care? I just want to live my life and deal with my issues." What would you say to him and to those who think like him? So I'll tell you, there are a lot of different Jonathans now. And America is a very polarized country right now. And the priorities of average Americans are vastly different. I think that you challenge Jonathan on the basis of his supposed claims. If he believes that we should uphold the human rights of all.
Well, how do you excuse the greatest human rights atrocities happening on your screen, by your government using your money? So if you're a person who claims to uphold human rights, then this should concern you. If you're a person who claims to be for justice and to be for humanitarian causes, how can you excuse this? If you're a person who claims that America is a crumbling economic infrastructure on the inside, and that homelessness is on the rise here, and people cannot eat here. And America is, you know, unfortunately, diving into poverty. You should be concerned about why your money, your tax dollars are being used to kill other children instead of feeding the children here.
So that's what concerns you Jonathan, the feeding of your children here in the United States, are you asking the questions about why billions of dollars are being used to slaughter other children in different parts of the world, where the money is pocketed by weapons manufacturers, while people can't eat here and the welfare system is crumbling. If you're someone who claims to, you know, who claims to care about the way that their money is used as a whole, every American whose tax dollars are being used to fund a genocide should be concerned. We are complicit. Whether we like it or not, we are complicit.
And so what I say to my American neighbors, what I say to friends at work, what I say to people in my society is this is being done in your name, with your money. Therefore, you should be concerned because this is a crime against humanity, and you can do something about it by joining the chorus of voices against this atrocity that is unfolding before our very eyes. So on that point, as a Palestinian and an American citizen, how do you feel knowing that your tax dollars are used by your government to fund this atrocity? May Allah forgive us. Uh... Guilty, angry, sad. All of that, all at the same time. All the time. I come to realize that it's my money that's being used to kill my family.
I mean, it's a crazy thought, what this government is doing to us, right? I mean, to take my money and to murder my relatives. It's criminal. So I feel restless, so angry, guilty. And that leads to a constant sense of restlessness. But I know that, you know, I have to speak. I have to speak, and I have to try to change that with everything that I can. So the responsibility that I have to speak is greater than the responsibility of someone who lives in a country that's not active in this genocide right now. I think the whole world has to speak right now.
Anyone that has access to a social media platform, anyone that has access to their governmental relations, anyone that has access to broader civil society has to use what they can. But I think we have a greater responsibility as Americans, as I mentioned, because as Americans as a whole, it's our tax dollars that are being used. Then as Muslim Americans, as Palestinian Americans, they're killing our own with our own dollars. It's craziness. So I have a responsibility to hate it in my heart. As the Prophet (saw) said, when you see munkar, you see evil. This is one munkar. This is as munkar as it gets, as evil as it gets. I hate it in my heart. Allah knows I hate it in my heart.
I speak against it with my tongue. And whatever I can do with my hands, to stop that evil, to mobilize, and InshaAllah Ta’ala we will be, you know, resilient in our activism. Just as the people of Gaza are resilient in standing up to this brutal machine. We'll do our best. But I just hope Allah forgives us. I think about Allah asking me that a lot. And I think a lot of Muslims, Palestinian Muslims and otherwise, you know, SubhanAllah there are people living here... You know, I've lost relatives, you know, in Gaza. And there are people that live, literally, one of my close friends who lives just a three minute walk away from me, who's already lost 21 members of his family.
And the cruelty, he's a business owner. He has to pay the taxes that are being used to kill every member of his family off. So this is the cruelty that we live in. We ask Allah for forgiveness, and we ask Allah to enable us to do something about it and to change it. And we will do everything that we can. Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel This is the dikhr, that is the motto of the Palestinians, and it's the motto of the Muslims all over. Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel Allah is sufficient for us, and he's the best protector. When we see the evil that is being done by our governments, or the evil that's being excused by our governments, if you live somewhere else.
In the case of the United States, it is the evil being done by the government. But if you live in a country where the evil is being excused by your government, and your government is not doing enough to take action against this atrocity, then you say Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel I'm trying, I will try my best, with everything that I have to stop this InshaAllah. But Allah is the one who's in control. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (There is no power and no strength except with God.) The Israeli government says "Hamas is responsible for the casualties in Gaza because they started it, and they're using their own people as human shield. They are hiding in the tunnels.
There's no other option but to eliminate them by carpet bombing. We are not to blame for what is happening, but Hamas is." So what's your answer to this claim? This is a claim that has been used to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a claim that has been used to justify the extermination of people throughout history. And it comes from a very racist framing, which is that ‘’These people are not human beings. Therefore, the only way to deal with them is to wipe them out, and they can't be trusted. And so we have to govern them with barbarity because they are barbarians.
And if we let them live, then they're going to wreak violence on the entire world.’’ And so this is the same logic that is used to wipe out populations. In fact, there's a really great author, Greg Mitchell, who wrote about how America used the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima and used Hollywood, right, to parrot certain, you know, very specific framings and propaganda to justify in the American mind, you know, the wiping out of these populations. So when it comes to Gaza, when it comes to Palestine and what's happening right now in Gaza... You know, one of the issues with Israel is that it never has a standard that it wants to be held by.
So the logic of terrorism is that all people and everything within the territory of the quote unquote enemy is fair game, because it is the only way to destroy terrorist infrastructure. Well, that's the logic of any terrorist attack on a civilian population. So does Israel want to be held by the standards of terrorism, you know, or does it want to be held to the standards of a government? Well, there are laws that governments are supposed to operate by in terms of carrying out their military strategies, their domestic and foreign policies. So does Israel want to be held accountable to that? The answer is always going to be No.
Israel does not want to be held accountable, and Israel is unaccountable. There are rules of war. Israel disregards every single rule of war, constantly, because there is no international mechanism to hold it accountable, because it has the unconditional support of the United States of America. Indiscriminate bombing is a war crime. Using white phosphorus bombs. If you see what white phosphorus does to human beings, there's a reason why it's a war crime to use white phosphorus bombs, bombing entire residential areas, starving populations. All of these are war crimes.
Israel is putting out a display of war crimes in front of our eyes, and there is no international mechanism to hold it accountable. So the logic that it is using that we have to wipe out an entire population, if any other actor, state or non-state actor operated by that logic, we would rightfully condemn them. So why does Israel get the exception and have the permission to bomb hospitals, to bomb schools, to bomb shelters, to just bomb entire residential areas? And if this was about killing off Hamas, why are two thirds of their victims women and children?
You know, it is unbelievable that what we are seeing coming out of Gaza are not the images of military commanders that are being apprehended, you know, even by its own logic, military commanders or fighters? No, we're seeing women and children being bombed indiscriminately. And they are saying in Hebrew, in their own, you know, media networks that the goal is not targeted bombing, that the goal is ethnic cleansing. Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear what he is trying to do, he's already talking about the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. So the logic is twisted. The problem is not just that their logic is twisted.
The problem is the willingness of media outlets in the West in particular, to parrot their propaganda, and the United States government to continue to enable this genocide at every single level without holding Israel accountable or letting the world hold it accountable, essentially rendering the United Nations and every international body of law completely ineffective because of the United States veto and the power that it wields in these international courts. So Zionists also arrogantly say, "You Muslims talk about stopping us, but you have not had any effect for almost three months. You are 2 billion, and there are more than 50 Muslim-majority countries.
You say "We are one Ummah", but you failed to form an alliance to save your brothers and sisters. We have the financial and media power. The support of the most powerful states is behind us, as you mentioned. Do you think you can stop us by not buying a caramel macchiato or a Big Mac menu?" How would you respond to such a statement? The people in the Muslim world, where they are able to mobilize to protest, they are filling the streets. And even when they are not allowed to mobilize and to protest, their hearts are on fire. This has completely re-energized the Muslim world.
This has completely, you know, backfired in that it has unified the Muslims who have been disunited for a very long time around common cause. And we are showing our power by boycotting Starbucks, by boycotting, you know, these companies, these entities that support Israel, that support the settlement expansions, that support the daily humiliation against our brothers and sisters, we're showing our power. And this strategy was directly taken and prescribed by the South African resistance fighters who resisted Apartheid in South Africa using the boycott strategy.
So this is a strategy that has brought down Apartheid in the 20th century, and InshaAllah, it will be a part of the strategy that brings down apartheid in the 21st century, and we will be a part of it. So you can silence and buy out and bribe governments, neighboring governments. But you will not silence 2 billion people. And beyond that, by the way, not just Muslims, people of conscience, people are waking up. There are Christians, there are Jews, there are people of all faiths, and people of no faith that are standing just on the basis of human dignity, and outraged by the oppression that are also joining the protest movement around the world.
And protest has many forms, and economic protest is one of the most effective forms of protest. And that's why Israel itself is panicking because it's losing the PR battle. And it is trying to criminalize boycotts all around the world.
But in the face of the ineffectiveness of international bodies of law and governments to hold Israel accountable, the people are saying, "We will hold Israel accountable." The ummah is saying "We will hold Israel accountable in every way that we possibly can." As someone living in the United States, when you compare the before and after of these events, what kind of change do you see in the perception of the people around you towards their government and Israel? What I would say is that it's very clear, that if you look at young Americans, versus older Americans.
Young Americans who do not rely on legacy media outlets, the CNN's of the world and Fox News's of the world, or whatever it may be, but that get their news from social media, that are willing to look into alternative news sources that aren't as hostage, even though social media companies are very much so complicit in suppressing the voice. Every single one of my platforms is shadowbanned right now. But young people in the United States are still finding ways to other news sources, and to see what the rest of the world is saying and what's actually happening. There's been this bubble of propaganda that's been created over the years here in the United States.
And it tells the average American that essentially, you're the only country in the world that gets it right. Because on so many of the votes in the United Nations, it's always the US and Israel and everybody else. So if you're an average American, you've been told all this time that it's you and Israel against the world, and it's you against the world, right? Everyone else in the world is somehow evil, and doesn't have a moral compass, whereas you've got this right for some reason. And let's keep feeding the war machine, instead of feeding our children, to go kill these people, because they have to be killed because they're your problem too. That's just not flying anymore.
For young people that are going online and that are finding the truth through other sources. And that frustrates the Israel PR machine because they can keep pouring money into this, but that propaganda is failing. Like, you cannot compete with the actual images of over 20,000 dead people now, you just can't. I mean, the atrocities are too large for any human being with common sense, and just the heart, to be able to say this is somehow excusable right now. And it's happening constantly. So I see young people under 35, especially in the United States, have a very different opinion.
Every poll shows that public opinion has swayed, you know, to be more in line with the rest of the world and how it views this genocide and how it views the occupation of Palestine. That's changing across the world. And by the way, even young Jews here in America, I mean, it's been inspiring to see the largest Jewish anti-occupation protests in history here in the United States. So young Jewish Americans, young Christian Americans, because of course, Christian Zionism is the worst form of Zionism, and it's the largest form of Zionism here in the United States. So young evangelicals, young Christians that are starting to break the shackles of Christian Zionism, and just people in general.
People with common dignity. So Muslims, Christians, Jews, people of all faiths, especially younger ones, are breaking through now, the algorithm Alhamdulillah, breaking through legacy media. So just on that note, there has been a huge propaganda telling people that Muslims are terrorists and barbarians, especially in the US. But many people can now see who the actual terrorist and barbarian is. Also, there are many similarities between these events and 9/11 in terms of the false narrative against Muslims. But despite all this, as you mentioned, people became curious and researched Islam and many of them became Muslims.
As someone who has witnessed those times, do you think that these events can give a similar or even a greater result in terms of the spread of Islam? Yeah, I do, I think that again, because of the means of social media, you know, they don't get to project the images that they want alone. Other people get to project images from the ground. Now they will try to stop that. They'll kill journalists. They'll try to cut off all outlets from the ground. But just that one man, Khaled Abu Diya the man with a turban and a beard who lost his granddaughter Reem, the soul of his soul, the soul of our soul. That one man is the prototypical image of a terrorist in the United States all these years.
And SubhanAllah, he's become a symbol of hope, a symbol of love, a symbol of resilience. I mean, I've heard him, someone actually asked me, "Do you think the man is an angel?" I mean, like, "Do you think he's actually even a real person?’’ Subhanallah Because of the way that he carries himself. So there are new images that are coming out, and there are more voices to amplify those images than ever before. So InshaAllah Ta’ala, it's different this time. And we'll make sure, you know, we continue to do our part, to show people the beauty of Gaza, the beauty of the people of Gaza, and the ugliness of the Israeli occupation. Have you witnessed any Shahada after these events?
And can you tell us a story that might affect us maybe? Every single Jumu'ah., there are multiple people that take Shahada, every single Jumu'ah. I've had people reach out to me online. We've had people emailing Yaqeen Institute constantly. We've had people fly into Valley Ranch Islamic Center, my masjid, to take Shahada with me. Every single week I've seen multiple people. I think, SubhanAllah... One of them that touched me most was actually a deaf brother. He can't hear. SubhAnallah. And he took Shahada through sign language. And that shows you, you know... And I was communicating with him through sign language, and he said he'd been looking into Islam for eight years. Eight years.
But it was Gaza that ultimately changed his heart. And, you know, what he could see with his eyes, immediately landed in his heart. So imagine this man can't even hear, right? But it's not the ears that are deaf. It's not the eyes that are blind, it's hearts. It's hearts that can see and hearts that can hear. So, SubhanAllah, I mean... It really is something, to see people, you know... Mashallah a lot of people followed, Sister Megan Rice, right? The sister on TikTok and other sisters that have opened up the Quran. It's amazing. And this is what I try to do to keep myself hopeful, because I'll be very honest with you, and I think this is how we all are.
I mean, there are days, Subhanallah, where I just feel like I can't function, I can't do anything, and I know a lot of people have expressed similar sentiments. Then I remember, SubhAnallah, look at these people. Look at what's happening. They've changed the world. And may Allah (swt) change their condition in terms of the torment that they are subjected to. But they've changed the world, and we have to keep on going with them. Inshallah Ta’ala, because they're doing their part. - We have to do ours. - InshaAllah. So the number of Shahadas that you received is unparalleled in terms of numbers, right? I can't even count.
I can't tell you how many people are giving Shahada too in the last two months. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. And there's a saying that goes, "Disbelief continues, but oppression does not." "Az-zulmu la yeduumu, ve'l kufru yeduumu." Confirming this saying, the events show that the wind has started to blow in the opposite direction. As we have stated in the beginning, many people from different ethnicities and religious backgrounds are standing up to the oppression of Israel. The Reverend of the Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem called this a genocide. How do you think this will end? Well, look, you know... SubhanAllah, you mentioned Bethlehem. Mitri Raheb is actually a friend of mine.
I was just speaking to him today, about their situation, Palestinian Christians that are there. How do I think that this will end? When do I think that it will end? I think that, how and when are to Allah (swt). But we have to be committed to its end, and to ending it in every way. One of the hardest things is working without knowing when and how. And Allah talks about that in the Quran. مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ۗ "When is the help of Allah going to come?" And it is قَرِيبٌ. InshaAllah Ta’ala إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ It's close. InshaAllah. That could be days, that could be weeks, that could be months, that could be years.
But every day that I'm still here on earth, and every day that you're still here on earth, we have to be committed to fighting that oppression. And it is a severe oppression and one that none of us can say that we haven't been sufficiently exposed to, to at the very least, bear witness to that oppression and for the oppressed. Every oppressor in history, every tyrant in history at some point is taken by Allah (swt). Every arrogant empire eventually falls, every oppression. And, you know, there's a... There's a consistent sentiment throughout the tradition of Islam that speaks to this.
Starting from the Quran all the way to the Sunnah, to the sayings of the scholars, right, about you know, at some point ending, you know. And it moves on and other oppressors come and other oppressed people come, until we all return to Allah (swt), on a day in which no oppression will be excused. So every oppressor eventually meets their end, every oppressive empire meets its end, and every oppressed person will have their right given back to them. Of course, the saying that the scholars mention, and I think this is a good one for us to remind ourselves of. وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا Your Lord does not forget. Your Lord does not forget the oppressor.
Your Lord does not forget the oppressed. Your Lord does not forget the efforts on behalf of the oppressed and against the oppressor. Your Lord does not forget. وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا So nothing that you do will ever go to waste, and nothing that anyone suffers will ever go to waste. And nothing that is ever done against Allah's creation will ever be overlooked. Allah will bring it all forth on the Day of Judgment, as He does. And InshaAllah Ta’ala, we hope to find ourselves on the side of the oppressed, not on the side of the oppressor. Prophet (saw) mentioned that a time would come وَ الْحرج of just murder and oppression.
And He said, "Be the servant of Allah that is killed, not the one that kills." Right? And so, by extension, if you're going to be the one that's killed and not the one that's killing, then be the one Be the one that's oppressed, not the one that oppresses. Because Allah (saw) will make it all right on the Day of Judgment, but we have to make it right to the best of our ability in this Dunya. And then leave the rest to Allah (swt). Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel Finally, what would you say to someone who says "I'm just an ordinary person. I go from home to work, work to home. What can I do, anything significant for Palestine?
What difference can I make?" When 2 billion ordinary people and 3 billion ordinary people around the world realize that they can have extraordinary impact together, then we can overwhelm the systems of oppression. So, yes, as an individual, you can't do much. As individuals, we can't do much. But we are an ummah of 2 billion, and there are several members outside of our ummah, of humanity that are also committed to this. So, ordinary people can do extraordinary things together. And we can overwhelm, InshaAllah Ta’ala, the systems of oppression, against our brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere, when we do it together. InshaAllah.
Jazakallah Khayran sheikh Thank you so much for sharing your insights and giving informative and inspirational answers. We learn a lot from you. May Allah preserve you, may Allah allow us to see the liberation of Masjid al-Aqsa. May Allah give victory to our brothers and sisters in Palestine. May He grant Jannah to our martyrs. give shifa to the wounded, and give sabr to our brothers and sisters who lost their loved ones. And we ask Allah to allow us to meet with you again Shiekh in better days, InshaAllah.