While it’s true that the atrocities in Palestine over the past couple of years have nothing to do with religion, they have become a profound test for the followers of the Abrahamic faiths.
Palestinians have been raped to death, zip-tied and run over by tanks, burned in their tents, buried alive, and subjected to a hundred other atrocities—yet much of the world, including many religious leaders and institutions, has responded with deathly silence.
Today, two million people in Gaza face starvation. Many are lured with food, only to be murdered when they come for it. Children undergo amputations without anaesthesia.
The sadism and depravity of the occupation is unprecedented in living memory. As this genocide unfolds, new laws are being forged to ban condemnation of it, silencing those who seek justice.
Religion itself has not failed—because the teachings of the prophets are clear and timeless. But many who claim those teachings have fallen short.
Too often, people wear their religion like a coat—something to display, not something to live by.
The Abrahamic prophets—Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them all)—consistently gave guidance on how to respond to suffering and injustice.
For a true Jew, Christian, or Muslim, there is no ambiguity about what is required in the face of human suffering.
Prophet Muhammad (s) said that feeding a hungry widow is more meritorious than spending the night in prayer. He taught that faith is inseparable from compassion, not just for close companions, but for all people.
The Hebrew prophets repeatedly called for mercy, justice, and care for the afflicted. Jesus’ (a) parable of the Good Samaritan redefined “love your neighbour” as a universal call to act with empathy, especially toward those in pain, regardless of identity or origin.
None of these prophets was passive in the face of injustice. Moses (a) stood against Pharaoh. Jesus (a) overturned the money changers’ tables in the temple. Muhammad (s) defended the weak of Mecca, called for the liberation of the enslaved, and demanded dignity for the poor.
They disrupted systems of power, stood with the marginalised, and spoke truth without compromise.
To claim adherence to their teachings while ignoring the suffering in Gaza—or anywhere else—is a spiritual failure. As the Qur’an says:
“Whoever saves a life, it is as if he had saved all of humanity.” (Qur’an 5:32)
All three traditions demand empathy, action, and justice. They command us to stand with the afflicted and refuse to be indifferent to human suffering. The religious response is not vague or complicated—it is specific and clear.
“Christian Zionism” and “Jewish Zionism” are not religions; they are political ideologies, often driven more by real estate and nationalism than by scripture.
Genocide is neither Christian nor Jewish—it is a violation of both. What we are witnessing is a project fueled by racism and Islamophobia, not by faith.
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