The American president, Donald Trump, yesterday gave official recognition to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly condemns this latest move by Trump. It is arrogant and provocative.
Israel is being built on the blood of thousands of innocent Palestinians, including women and children. How can we be talking of peace where there is no justice? The Zionist state has carried out more than nineteen (19) massacres since its controversial and forceful establishment in 1948. Yet a world super power that prides itself in the principles of democracy, liberty and rule of law is the same country giving Israel all the backing it needs.
Israel’s atrocities are uncountable. The first was the Yehida Massacre on 13th December 1947 where more than 15 unarmed Arab civilians were brutally killed. Khisas massacre which occurred on 18th December, 1947 claimed the lives of 10 Arab civilians while Sharafat Massacre of 7th February 1951 also claimed 10 lives, just to mention a few. But the worst massacre of Palestinians in history was that of Deir Yassin where 250 unarmed Palestinians were killed. 25 pregnant women were bayoneted alive in the stomach thereby brutally killing both the mothers and their unborn children. 52 children were maimed.
Israel and its leaders have been unrepentant and belligerent even in recent times. We recall the unprovoked destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osilak in June 1981, Netanyahu’s desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the constant defilement of same by Israeli settlers. Palestinian homes are bulldozed at will while Israeli soldiers continue to kill vulnerable and unarmed women and children unchallenged.
Trumps latest pronouncement has merely poured salt on open wounds and confirmed the world’s suspicion that he does not want peace in the Middle East or elsewhere for that matter except in his personal bedroom. All the promises made to Palestinians have always ended unfulfilled and the actions of the super powers tend to deflate hopes and aspirations. The world seems unprepared for peace as justice has become a very scarce commodity.
MURIC appeals to the Federal Government to withdraw the Israeli security company training Nigerian troops on the protection of our waterways immediately. Those who bayonet pregnant women and shoot young children can only transfer a mentality of brutality to our own soldiers if they are allowed to train them. You can only give what you have. What Israeli soldiers have is tyranny and barbarism. In addition, both the Federal and state governments should avoid entering into any bilateral agreement with Israel until the Zionist state stops its infringements on Allah-given fundamental human rights of the Palestinians.
We charge individual Nigerian Muslims and Islamic organisations to boycott all American programmes scheduled to take place in Nigeria in protest against Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Nonetheless, we urge Muslims to eschew any feeling of bitterness against American citizens. Trump must be recognized for what he is: an uncommon American leader whose action should not be used to judge the average American official. Neither should we judge the average American citizen by the actions of the American government as represented by Trump.
We assure all Western citizens in the country of the good conduct of Muslims towards them. Aggression is not in MURIC’s character. Neither do we encourage its transfer. No foreigner should therefore be made to taste Trump’s pudding.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
