10 Oct 2023: “To my Jewish friends, who protect our friendship”
The question "Do you condemn?" emerged as a pivotal aspect of the contentious discourse surrounding the war, permeating both online platforms and mainstream media. During this time, I came to understand the profound impact this conflict would have on Jewish-Muslim friendships, prompting introspection on themes of empathy, compassion, loyalty, and morality. Amidst the heated debates online, I found solace among certain Jewish friends who didn't insist on an explicit condemnation of acts of terror by Hamas before engaging in meaningful conversations about our collective experiences and sentiments regarding the war. I was grateful for these friendships, so I shared a post on October 10, 2023. However, I was surprised by the criticism from a few individuals who perceived my perspective as one-sided. I struggled to comprehend why some objected to a post acknowledging my discussions with Jewish friends of diverse identities and political affiliations regarding the war. If their grievances about the situation in Gaza were directed towards Israel and Zionism rather than Jewish individuals as a whole, as is often claimed, then why did they take issue with this message? I pose this question not to judge their reaction but out of genuine curiosity and a desire to engage in dialogue. I leave it to the reader to speculate on the possible reasons behind their objection.
10 October 2023
“To my Jewish friends, who protect our friendship
Over the past three days, I've maintained constant contact with some of my Jewish friends who are deeply affected by the ongoing war in Israel. We've shared moments of watching distressing videos of killings and exchanging messages, bearing witness to the unfolding situation together. During this time, I've absorbed their pain, both from close friends and those who are far away.
I've come to realize the discomfort my friends feel when discussing these matters with me, particularly when the videos contain religious chants that inevitably remind them of my own faith identity. Yes, it's a somewhat awkward situation.
When their responses, comments, and shared experiences are filled with anguish and anger, it underscores the divisions. It hasn't been easy for them to have me around during this time of realisation and hard truths. I've heard some of them express the wish that I would openly voice my support for them, not solely because of their Jewish identity, but because we are friends. I understand how that sentiment arises.
Yet, even in the midst of these challenging conversations, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗺 𝗼𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗜 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆.
𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀.
If not for their privacy and safety, I would name a few here. Some of them are travelling, and I worry as I hear about what is happening in Sydney etc.
For now, below are just some messages from my Jewish friends.
Undoubtedly, it hasn't been easy for me either. As a Muslim with family and friends who have taken sides in this conflict, my refusal to pick a side has led some to view me as a hypocrite, and to some extent, not as a devout Muslim. I've learned to live with this perspective, and I will grapple with it when I eventually face my Creator.
I want to express my gratitude to some of my immediate family members who support my interfaith commitment. It's been nearly a decade of navigating these complex relations, but they've seen the good and bad of it to appreciate. They know I have to worry and be with my Jewish friends; Israeli or not.
Holding the Ropes: Interfaith Dialogue & Reflections Surrounding the Israel-Gaza War is a blog series that follows the events, dialogues and reflections experienced by Nazhath Faheema in the aftermath of the 2023 Israel-Gaza war. Triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military response, there continues to be widespread destruction and civilian displacement in Gaza. Additionally, Israeli hostages remain in captivity.
Against this backdrop, Nazhath Faheema, through her reflections, provides insights into the dynamics of the war, its impact on interfaith relations, and the inherent challenges and opportunities in fostering understanding and empathy between Jewish and Muslim communities.
