Peace, Freedom, and Cereals
An Indian-Muslim Millennial’s View
People often assume I support Palestine because I’m a Muslim.
Allow me to paint you a picture of who I am: I’m your everyday, run-of-the-mill Indian millennial, starting the day with a bowl of Cheerios and, as night falls, frantically Googling, “Does Cheerios turn you into a midnight snack monster?” These are the concerns that occupy my mind.
Some might call them “first-world problems.”
But let me tell you, the Israel-Palestine issue is far from black and white, and it’s way more complex than left vs. right politics.
Here’s my perspective.
I could have been in their shoes when I saw the news from Israel. I could easily have been one of those innocents caught up in the conflict.
For all I know, Hamas isn’t killing Israelis to liberate themselves. It is driven by revenge and anger, and while I can understand the suffering of their people, it doesn’t justify their actions.
To grasp this conflict, one need to understand the 5,000-year history of people fighting over this small piece of land. Jews, Arabs, and Muslims all have deep connections to this region.
The Jews have a historical claim to the land, but the whole situation is messy. Arab states opposed Israel’s creation after World War II, fearing it was a Western attempt to sow chaos in the Arabian region.
Nowadays, Israel appears as the powerful one, thanks to its strong military and support from the U.S. and Europe. Palestinians, on the other hand, lack unified leadership, and their living conditions, particularly in Gaza, are dire.
The cycle of violence persists because every death on one side breeds hatred and recruits more extremists on the other. This cycle will continue until someone shows restraint or new leaders find a better solution.
Finding a solution isn’t easy. The two-state solution seems unlikely, and a one-state solution even less so.
Do I lean toward Israel or Palestine?
Truth be told, it’s a tough call. Worse yet, I have no clue about their history.
My stance is firmly in favor of peace, freedom, and safeguarding innocent people, specifically children.
What’s happening now? I want no part of it
I’m genuinely concerned by why the world appears to be “taking sides” instead of discussing peaceful initiatives, let alone uniting to work toward a peaceful resolution.
I also recognize that the media can be biased, and I’ll probably never truly know the ground reality.
What am I going to do about it?
Read credible books about the history of this 5000-year-old conflict because I seek to understand what makes it so highly politicized.
Above all, I’m turning to prayer, seeking Lord’s mercy to guide us and take this overwhelming issue into His all-capable hands.
Ame(e)n.
