Awareness group lauds government’s stance on Palestine-Israel issue

Muslim Awareness International (MAI) has commended the Federal Government of Nigeria and South African government for their respect for human rights and particularly the rights of the Palestinian people for self-identity and determination.

During a press conference in Lagos to address the state of Israelite, the Director, (MAI), AbdulWaheed Atoyebi, condemned the heinous war crime allegedly perpetrated by the Israeli army against the Palestine people.

He said: “These atrocities are committed with transparency and clarity that send a clear message that we don’t give a damn what you think or will do”.

“The events of last week demonstrate the continuous abuse of the fundamental human rights of the Palestinians. After 70 years since the Palestinian people were evicted from their houses and turned into refugees, another 60 innocent young men and women were killed by Israeli snipers and over 2000 were injured,” he said.

Atoyebi commended the South African government for its bold step of recalling its ambassador from Israel, adding that this gesture shows the South African government’s deep connections to its history, especially of its fight against apartheid and human rights violations.

He also applauded Nigerian government for its continued commitment to the rule of law and respect for human rights and particularly the rights of the Palestinian people for self-identity and determination.

“Nigeria in its history has always supported the cause of the oppressed as we did in our support for the people of South Africa in their fight against apartheid” he said.

He said it is disheartening that the Nigeria media is silence on the deaths of journalists killed by Israeli soldiers.

“The journalists were shot while wearing the blue flak jacket marked with the word ‘PRESS’ when covering the protests at the Gaza border. Israeli snipers who are well trained and took good aim before they fired shot the journalists. Everyday, journalists put their lives on the line to perform their duties, and they must be protected.

Being members of the press, you all should look out for one another anywhere in the world. One for all, all for one. That should be the mantra for the struggle. Every life matters, including the lives of journalists,” he said.

He noted that the murder of the journalists were not reported by the Nigerian media and this raises the question; are you less of a journalist because you are a Palestinian? Are the members of the press so indifferent that the death of a fellow journalist does not motivate the pen to write? Perhaps there is a threshold for the number of journalists that have to be killed to warrant reportage in the Nigerian media.

He called on all religious leaders to give their voices in support of the oppressed as commanded by the scriptures. This crisis is not about the religion of the people. It is about their right to survive and respect for their dignity as human beings.

“Many Nigerians have shown little or no concern for the people of Palestine. Perhaps our response resonates the religious and cultural biases that we have. We must remember that it is a moral duty to speak out against oppression and violations of human rights” he said.