During a recent pro Israeli protest, my cousin was headed home from work, went through the protest, and was attacked by a group of Jews. They all hit him, spat on him, kicked him, shoved pictures of dead Palestinian babies in his face and asked him in a mocking manner, “is this your family?”
As an Arab, people automatically assume that I dislike Jews, but as a Muslim, one of the most important things my religion teaches me is not to hate. I grew up in a house where hate was never tolerated and considered disrespectful. When I heard about what happened to my cousin, all I felt was anger and hate. But I believe that hate is never the solution.
The conflict between Palestine and Israel has been all over the media which has caused negativity & even violence on both sides in America. Anti-semitism and islamophobia has been growing rapidly due to this conflict. For example, 3 Palestinian students were shot in Vermont for wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and speaking a mix of English and Arabic.
While it shocks me to read about things that are happening in our country, most people believe schools are still a safe space for students, where they know that their religion or ethnicity won’t make them feel singled out or hurt. We should not despise or show any form of hatred towards a person just because they have different beliefs.
But this hasn’t always been the case at Galileo. Recently, flyers advertising the Jewish Student Union were ripped down, in what appears to be an act of hatred towards another group just because of their ethnicity. I was upset and confused because it felt like there was no reason for something like this to happen. Students need to be better about not acting just out of emotion and think about the other side’s perspective.
I also think if the school tried harder in building a community and helping students understand and value each other’s opinions incidents like this wouldn’t be happening. If our school set better boundaries one wouldn’t feel like it’s okay for them to rip down flyers that represent people and their beliefs.
I feel that people who act out are usually the most uneducated people. I personally believe that what’s going on in Palestine is completely wrong but that doesn’t mean I resent all Jewish people. The people in our school have no involvement in what’s going on, so why hate each other?
A verse from the Quran that has stuck with me especially during times like this is, “Do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.”
