DISCLAIMER: The following article was submitted to The Argo by Iman Ahmed on behalf of the Muslim Student Association. The views expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of The Argo or its staff. As part of our commitment to provide a platform for authentic student voices, we have ensured that the content of this piece remains as close to the originally submitted article as possible, with minor edits for spelling and grammar. The Argo condemns all forms of violence and terrorism.

In light of recent events, the Muslim Student Association held an educational session, “75 years of Silence” on Wednesday, October 11 in front of the Multicultural Center, in the D/F Plaza. This event was held to educate students, faculty, and staff and unveil the truth that the media does not show.

While Palestinians suffered at the hands of Zionist Israelis for over 75 years, the media portrays Palestinians as alleged “terrorists” due to the attacks from Hamas. Conventional media outlets are spreading misinformation that is upheld by biased political interests. Due to this media crisis, the Muslim Student Association took it upon themselves to teach their community about the reality of the events that are taking place in Palestine. 

President Joe sent out an email on October 10, stating that he stood by the community that is affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza. While this statement seemingly looked neutral to the naked eye, many students felt as if the existence of Palestine was dismissed through the use of Gaza instead of Palestine. Gaza is a region within Palestine but it was referred to as a parallel to Israel which is a geographical and linguistic error. Certainly, President Joe showed his commitment to learning by acknowledging his lack of knowledge and being active in correcting himself by sending a follow-up email in which Gaza was corrected to Palestine.

“It’s important to me that all of our students support one another, that all the members of our community support one another, and that we stand in unity with one another. We have a lot of individuals going through pain and regardless of one’s belief system, I think it is important for us to remember that we have a responsibility to remember the humanity of everyone in our community. We should all be treating people with the needed respect, kindness, compassion, and civility. Folks are going through pain and our job as a community is to help support folks as they are going through that experience,” said President Joe Bertolino when asked about his reasoning behind the email.

Zikra Naz, Social Work major and President of the Muslim Student Association started the event with a warm welcome to everyone who took time out of their day to be at this event. She explained the goal behind the event as well as the stance that she, as well as many others, are taking. 

“We are gathered here today in support of justice and justice alone. We are not here to point fingers. Innocent people are dying today, they were dying yesterday and they have been dying for 75-plus years,” said Naz. Before introducing the next speaker, she left us with a powerful statement from Dr. Martin Luther King, saying, “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.”

At this event, Abrar Thabata, an alumnus of Stockton University, narrated her personal journey as a Palestinian woman, as well as the firsthand experiences of her family. She recounted her family running away due to their dreadful experiences as Palestinians. She carried on to specifically talk about her father, who was born at the end of the Nakba when the state of Israel was established and Jewish settlers expanded and settled into the land that was previously inhabited by Palestinians, resulting in mass displacement of the Palestinian people who were born at the end of the Nakba (the Palestinian catastrophe). This was when the Jewish settlers came in and took over all of the Palestinian homes and towns. Palestinean people were massacred, raped, and killed. They had to hide from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, as the soldiers raided homes every night.

“They want our home, they want our land, and they will make sure they get it,” says Thabata about the settlers who took part in the raids alongside the IDF soldiers. 

She continued to talk about her family’s experience with traveling in airports. Starting in 1992, people of Palestinian roots were denied the right to use the Ben Gurion Airport (previously known as the Tel Aviv Airport), even with dual citizenship. This was the reality of many, until two months ago. The ban was lifted and now Americans of Palestinian descent are able to visit Palestine for up to 90 days. Though Palestineans were able to travel from that airport, the discrimination did not stop there. 

“If you are Muslim, if you are Arab, or if they even sense that you have any Palestinian background, you are not safe. They will hold you in questioning for hours, sometimes even days,” she said. Thabata went on to share her real-life experience. In 2017, she took a trip to Palestine with her family to visit her grandmother. Due to her father’s Palestinian citizenship, her family had to cross the border from Jordan to Palestine. After being held at the airport for 7 hours of questioning, with no water or food, they were told to get a Palestinian ID.

When Thabata asked her father why she did not have a Palestinian ID, his response shook her. His words: “Why would I oppress you further? You are already oppressed by your hijab, by the color of your skin, by the language which you speak. [Do] you think I’m going to give them the paper to prove that you are Palestinian and then they can oppress you further?” Her father, despite being blind, has to travel separately from his family due to his Palestinian citizenship. 

Thabata went on to talk about how the US embassy does not care if Palestinian Americans are harassed at the airports, even if they are American citizens. She mentioned the Christian Palestinian-American veteran reporter, Shireen Abu Akleh, who was brutally shot on camera, and “The US did not bat an eye.” 

She made an influential statement, asserting that, “When they tell you American citizens are dying, they were dying last year, they were dying the year before. They have been dying since 1948. I would just like to say that never assume that history started the moment you started paying attention. We have been dying for 75 years and ongoing and it just gets worse. The only reason everybody is paying attention is because we decided to resist. We said we’ve had enough of the blockades, we’ve had enough of you torturing us, of you imprisoning us. They’re calling us terrorists. Terrorists for fighting against the occupation, for fighting for our homeland.”

The media has visibly disregarded the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, which has lasted over eight decades. People have started to pay attention now, only because after 75-plus years of silence, there was retaliation on the other side. The other side is allegedly using words like “terrorists” and “nazis” to describe this cause, belittling the anguish and suffering of individuals affected by the Holocaust.

Thabata went on to say, “Growing up, I’ve always had to have the feeling of proving to everybody that I’m worth living, that I am a human being.” She shared a conversation she had just two weeks ago, in which a woman found out she was Palestinian. Her words: “You don’t exist. Israel is the real country, Palestine does not exist and you don’t deserve to exist. Why do I have to convince everybody that I’m worthy of living? Why do we have to convince everybody that Gaza is worthy of living?” She shared her heartbreaking story, which many people are unable to do. As Palestine loses their water supply and electricity, people will not be able to share the reality of what is going on. 

Thabata continued by sharing a poem written by a famous Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish called “We Have on This Land, That Which Makes Life Worth Living.” This poem is a reminder that all life deserves to be lived. Whether it be a Palestinian or an Israeli, all life deserves to live.

She ends with a powerful statement saying, “Palestine lives within me, even though I don’t live there, but I hope to return just like everyone else, In sha Allah (If God Wills).” She, just as many, still has hope that there will be a day when they can return to their homeland, Palestine. 

Imam Amin Muhammad, Imam of Masjid Muhammad, guest speaker at the event shared the reality behind what is going on in Palestine.

He began by asking everyone to take a moment to, “pray for the lost souls of pious people who have died in this conflict for generations. Let us take a moment to pray for comfort, for all those who have been affected by all this unjust killing.” The Palestinian lives that have been getting killed for over 75 years and the lives of the Israelis who were recently killed by Hamas. Everyone deserves to live and those who died, no matter what side they were on, died due to unjust circumstances. 

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas at the beginning of October 2023. Innocent people were murdered and many more were injured. Though this event was initiated to spread awareness about the reality of Palestine, the Muslim Student Association made sure to let everyone know that whether it is a Palestinian or Israeli, all lives are worthy of living. This event was not another fruitless and vicious round of the blame game; instead, this was a space for the unheard voices to be amplified

Imam Amin shared memorable words: “Hurt people hurt people. There is a lot of hate that is producing a lot of hate. Instead of searching for justice, we find too many people saying just us.” As people are suffering on both sides of the conflict, there is a tangent of separation. Whether it be Palestinian lives or Israeli lives, at the end of the day these are human lives.

He went on by speaking to the students who stood in front of him and said, “You have an obligation with your education to use it to better the world. Your education should teach you something. You should understand the world you live in, how it got that way, and what you can do to change it.” As students and adults who are stepping into the real world, it is an obligation to further educate ourselves on the reality of what is going on around the world. The first step in making the world a better place is to acknowledge that something wrong is happening. 

“I feel for the Palestinian cause. I feel for the loss of life for Israelis, but I don’t think one blood is more valuable than another one in terms of spilling it,” says Imam Amin. He went on to ask everyone if they heard the truth from both sides. No one raised their hands for Palestine, but many heard the stories from the other side. He rightfully stated, “A one-sided narrative is not the total story.”

Imam Amin ended his speech by saying, “Stand up for justice for others, too. Don’t ignore the pain of an entire people for our own comfort, for our own desire.” It’s important to stay educated on topics such as these so that, as people with the ability to make change, we are able to do so. 

Once the speeches were done, Zikra Naz directed everyone to the Arts and Humanity Center where the flag-raising would be held. Students with posters about the Palestinian cause walked in front, as attendees of the event followed. 

With the help of Plant Development and Jeff Wakemen, Director of Student Development, the Palestinian flag was raised by Zikra Naz, Huda Waheed, Abrar Thabata, and Imam Amin Muhammad. 

Stockton’s Jewish organizations also came out to support the flag-raising. Marcia Fiedler, coordinator of Jewish Studies stated, “I am happy that the Jewish students came out to support you (Muslim Student Association), just as your people came out to support us (Chabad) yesterday. I look forward to this being a beginning of conversation, understanding, and unity against horrors against humanity.” This shows that the Jewish people are not against Palestine and that this is not a religious issue, but a human issue. 

Inspired by the impactful event, Carmelo Hernandez Jr., a soon-to-be transfer student and Criminal Justice major, took his Shahadah (Profession of Faith) and became Muslim through the help of Imam Amin.

His statement: “At this event, seeing people side with humanity influenced me to make me take my Shahadah. My heart and my mind knew I had to stand with Palestine, to see and hear my brothers and sisters fighting for their own land for years and how unjust the world is. We are humans and no one deserves to be treated any less. Allah created us as equals, and we deserve to be heard. It was an honor to be surrounded by such a welcoming community and now it’s an honor to be a part of such a community where we stand for peace and nothing but peace.”

Many people believe that this event addressing the tragedy overseas was used to foment hatred toward Israel or to justify the murder of Israelis, but this is not the case. It was an informational event based on facts and information. It was a peaceful occasion that compelled a student to take the Shahadah and become a Muslim.

Yousaf Afzal, a student of Mathematics, attended the event and gave his view on what’s going on in the world.

“A modern-day genocide is taking place and we’re not only blind to it, we as Americans are coaxed and swindled into believing the oppressor is the victim. This feeble mirage is beginning to fade, people are beginning to understand the inhumanity and pure horror that Palestinians have to suffer through. Now we must do something about it. Our 9/11 is Palestine’s 24/7,” he said.