Letter to the Community: We are NOT OK

Dear Friends,

I am posting today to let you know that my community and I are not doing OK. My community can be defined as the American Muslims, social justice and organizers activists of all backgrounds, Jews against Zionism, and the many people who are clear about the truth and history of Palestine.

We are NOT OK. We are done with not being OK.

We’re witnessing a genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza by the state of Israel. And that is NOT OK. It is happening on OUR watch, and that is NOT OK. So many of us don’t know what to do, and so many people aren’t even trying to do something, and that is NOT OK.

We are fed up with the one-sided response of U.S. politicians, media, and military in telling a narrative of safety and self-determination for Israel, exclusively at the expense of the Palestinians. This narrative has exited for years and years and it is not equitable or just.

We fight for the rights for those who cannot fight themselves, and we don’t see a change. We feel helpless. Many of us are burnt out doing this for decades and seeing that something like this can still happen. We are angry that our tax money contributes to the horrible living conditions and killings we are witnessing these past few weeks and have been for decades.

• I have multiple friends who are losing family members in the double digits in one evening. Can you even imagine a thing? Just last night a dear friend of mine lost 25 relatives. These are not the first relatives she lost in the last month.
• Many of those who are speaking up against Israel are being targeted. Targeting can be doxxing, hate crimes, accosted, and other ways their life can be turned upside down
• The hate crimes against both Muslims and Jews has significantly gone up. Including an American 6-year old boy who was stabbed multiple times for being Palestinian.
• A community member I know well (in fact, was my intern at one point), is being specifically targeted with slander and misinformation to a point that an elected Congresswoman is calling him ‘a dangerous man.’
• Social Justice Organizations who putting out statements in support of Palestinians are being targeted and losing donations. This includes organizing and figuring out safety precautions for the staff.
• As of today, 10/27/23, all outside communication has been cut off. We do not know what is happening right now. And we are scared out of minds of what we will wake up tomorrow if and when communication comes back.

I am sure so many other points can be made.

Why am I writing this? Sure, it is a good outlet. But really, because I don’t know what else to do. I have called my elected official, though I am lucky that I have an elected official who initiated the call for cease fire. I am taking care of my donations. I wrote the White House. I am checking in with my friends.

And it doesn’t feel enough. It never feels enough.

So I am choosing to continue educating people and calling people to action.

I beg you to educate yourself on the issue. Please call your elected official to put a cease fire in place. The US is one of the few voting against a cease-fire. How is that the American thing to do?

In Solidarity,

Anbar