Excessive Religious Influence Hinders Non Muslims From Seeing Palestinian Struggle As Humanitarian Crisis

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SUCH is the view of a liberal-minded Palestinian sympathiser as to why many non-Muslim Malaysians are unkeen to support or stay out from fighting the Palestinian cause.
To validate her point, she turned to a social media post by Malay language entertainment/lifestyle portal Oh My Media on Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) volunteer Muhammad Abdullah a.k.a. Ustaz Mad Kecik praying for Swedish activist Greta Thunberg “to receive guidance (to embrace Islam) given she’s one of the main planners of the GSF mission”.
“I feel that if everyone delves on religion, non-Muslims are surely to distance themselves or disinterested with Palestinian matters,” penned entrepreneur S. (@sarramonez) on X.


“Even a solidarity movement is treated like a religious gathering. Whatever is happening in Palestine isn’t about politics or religion. It’s about humanity. It’s about genocide.”
“What’s happening in Palestine didn’t begin on Oct 7 (2024). It’s about over 75 years of resistance against colonisation, ethnic cleansing and injustice.”

To a view by a Shariah scholar that this is also a religious issue given that “the third holiest place for Muslims is being colonised”, the poster contended that with too much emphasis on religion, “we unconsciously close the space for non-Muslims to speak out about the genocide that’s happening in Gaza”.
“We shouldn’t limit the reach. This is more about humanity, justice and the fight against oppression,” she stressed.

Fencing of critics for her liberal views that she herself needs hidayah (divine guidance) despite being born a Muslim, the embroidery bag artist lamented that such mentality only strengthens the notion that “Malay Muslims are extremists”.

“(It shows) how quick some are to judge and prejudice those who simply have a different POV (point of view) when you use sarcasm like this. But it’s okay. May Allah bless you. ”
One detractor even lambasted her for being an enabler to liberal thinking – notably being ignorant to the notion that it is every Muslim’s obligation “to find a way to preach while one can instead of just live by eating, working and sleeping”.

Another accused her of only interested in the Palestinian cause “because it’s cool now” rather than be “part of the ummah (Muslim brotherhood)” to which the poster clarified that “Palestinians aren’t just Muslims”.

“There’re also Christians and other faiths among them. Israel attacks all Palestinians regardless of their religion,” she attested.
“I follow this issue since the early 2000s have a bird-eye view of violence staged by the Zionist regime. Even churches were bombed. It’s funny if you think I’m being FOMO (fear of missing out).”
Nevertheless, her views resonated with a minority of commenters with even one self-proclaimed “extreme anti-Zionist” commenter stating that “most Malays are merely supporting their fellow Muslim peers”.

“If the persecuted in Gaza are Christians, the Malays won’t bat an eye. There’s nothing much about ‘humanity’ in the eyes of most of the Malays,” observed the commenter.
At the end of the day, one Muslim commenter made an apt remark that Ustaz Mad Kecik should “just pray silently in his heart that she (Greta Thunberg) eventually embraces Islam”.
“No need to voice this out publicly. Respect others for they, too, have their own religion. How would you feel if others pray for Muslims to convert to their religion?” 

- focus malaysia

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