STANDING WITH GAZA
A Letter from Zaytuna Alumni
In the name of God, the IndIscrImInately mercIful, the IntImately lovInG PraIse be to God, lord of the Worlds, and may Peace and blessInGs be uPon the seal of the ProPhets and messenGers
By the declining day, Lo! man is in a state of loss. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to endurance.
(al-‘asr, 103:1-3)
The attacks aGaInst the beloved people and sacred land around Al-Aqsa demand an awakening in all parts of the ummah. The unfolding atrocities afflict us because they afflict our brothers and sisters in Gaza. We the signatories, alumni of Zaytuna College, unequivocally state our support for the brave and honorable people of Gaza—undying heroes—and condemn the illegal apartheid state of Israel and its crimes, especially its genocide against Palestinians. We stand with those working to support the Palestinian people and establish prophetic justice. As a group of alumni who have not formally organized together in the past, we are inspired by the global student encampments to write this letter in solidarity with the Palestinian people against the brutal Israeli occupation and genocide that commenced well before October 7th.
The education at Zaytuna College centers on the concept of adab, often defined as “putting things in their proper place.” As described by Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, an effective and true education must inculcate adab in the heart of the student, culminating in the
recognition of what is true which leads him or her to “right action.” While manifestations of adab vary based on circumstance, we believe that our current situation is most aptly described by the words of our Prophet : “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” A body which does not react to its illness demands medical attention, indicating a failure in its proper functioning. Similarly, if the ummah does not respond now, it can hardly be called an ummah at all. We cannot stand idle; we must act, and in fact, our response should steadily increase in the face of one of the most egregious crimes of our time, just as systems of the body grow stronger in their response to enduring disease. In short, it is precisely the epitome of adab in the present moment for us to stand against this genocide, even as we recognize that this may come about in a diversity of approaches.
With this in mind, we have joined efforts in our communities to support the people of Palestine in various capacities. This includes providing humanitarian aid and relief funds, organizing phone banking campaigns and other forms of outreach to elected officials, and delivering khutbahs and seminars about the spiritual significance of the region, its history, and its people. We have raised thousands of dollars for a variety of social campaigns to raise awareness in the form of billboards, postcards, and other media. We have led prayers, organized protests, advocated for boycotts, participated in encampments, and engaged in principled civil disobedience with legal consequences.
In addition, we the signatories:
1. Affirm that the state of Israel is a settler colonial project;
2. Defend the Palestinian right to resist Israeli aggression and occupation, as it is an internationally recognized illegal occupation;
3. Denounce any Muslim country’s establishing diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity or any entity that directly or indirectly aids the oppression of the Palestinian people;
4. Support the moral commitment of students and those of the ummah who have organized and advocated for this cause, and do not agree with their being maligned, ridiculed or antagonized; and,
5. Stand with current and future generations of Zaytuna students who take an active role in upholding prophetic justice, and admire those who have already done so.
Our intention in this letter is to affirm our principled commitment to the ummah, to stand with the Palestinian people against this genocide, and to divest from those worldly powers who perpetuate it. We believe that inaction amidst an ongoing genocide constitutes a gross neglect of responsibility, especially from those who are in a position to fulfill the prophetic imperative to speak out against these atrocities we witness. We share in the grief and confusion of our Muslim brothers and sisters faced with ambiguous messaging from religious leadership in our community; and we expect Muslim institutions and leaders to unequivocally speak the truth, divest from and boycott the illegal apartheid state and its supporters, and stand at the forefront of this struggle while rooting ourselves deeply and courageously in the spiritual soil of our religious tradition, as did the generations of scholars, saints, Companions, and Prophets before us—and as the people of Gaza do now.
We recognize that full power and control rests with Allah , the Ultimate Guardian and Protector, and we echo the prayer of the Prophets and people of Allah that precede us—“Our Lord, forgive us our sins and anything we may have done that transgressed our duty. Establish our feet firmly, and grant us victory over those that resist Faith.” (3:147). May Allah guide us and enable us to do our part, and allow us to see a free Palestine within our lifetime.
We, the undersigned alumni of Zaytuna College, believe and affirm this above statement.
List of Signatories (as of May 18, 2024)
Abdullah IbnSameer Ahmad
ba class of 2020
Abdullah Qureshi
ba class of 2020
Alana Arman
ba class of 2020
Alisha Ahmed
ba class of 2020
Ameena McElroy
ba class of 2020
Aseel Atalla
ba class of 2021, ma class of 2023
Dani Bin Abdul Rahim
ba class of 2023
Danielle Swan
ba class of 2021
Fariha Asad
ba class of 2019
Fatima Alemam
ba class of 2023
Gaia Cartabiano
ba class of 2017
Habiba Afridi
ma class of 2023
Hamida Bano Mitha
ba class of 2023
Hammad Khan
ba class of 2016
Hamzah Hashmi
ba class of 2021, ma class of 2023
Haroon Imtiaz
ba class of 2014
Hiba Rahman
ma class of 2021
Hibah Thabit
ba class of 2020
Ibrahim Qureshi
ba class of 2019, ma class of 2021
Imran Ali Malik
ba class of 2019
Imran Ghani
ba class of 2018
Jannah Sellars
ba class of 2021
Justin Poe
ma class of 2022
Kashaf Zaman
ba class of 2022
Leenah Safi
ba class of 2014
Mahassin Muhsin
ba class of 2014
Mahbubur Rahman Maruf
ma class of 2023
Malik Conn
ba class of 2020
Maryam Ahmad
ba class of 2020
Maryam Awwal
ba class of 2021, ma class of 2023
Maryam Qazi
ba class of 2021
Nusaybah Benhamou
ba class of 2023
Omar Bayramoglu
ba class of 2016
Raaofa Ali
ma class of 2023
Raheemah Tauhidi
ba class of 2019
Rasheeda Plenty
ba class of 2014
Ronald AbdulRaheem McLagan
ba class of 2018
Safiyah Lazkani
ba class of 2018
Salman K. Ahmad
ba class of 2022
Sami Rehman
ba class of 2019, ma class of 2021
Shahrane Karim
ba class of 2018
Shihab BinZinnur Ahmed
ma class of 2023
Sumaiya Qazi
ba class of 2020
Suzanne Kasim
ma class of 2021
Tariq Abdul-Qawi Ali
ba class of 2020
Yusif Salaam Conn
ba class of 2021
Yusuf Shah Masud
ba class of 2018
Zaid Khanani
ba class of 2020, ma class of 2022
The views stated herein are not meant to reflect the official stance of Zaytuna College, its staff, faculty, or students, and only reflect the views of the signatories above.