If you are like me, you may be spending every waking moment scrolling through the news or social media for the latest updates coming out of Gaza. You would have most likely, by now, felt the familiar tug in your heart that signals the sorrow and dismay it feels seeing the tragic loss of innocent lives; the murder of babies and children too young to understand the cruelty they are being dealt; and the genocide and ethic cleansing of a people while the world (literally) watches on. 

Something else might also be stirring in your heart. That is, the question of what can I do for the Gazan people and the Palestinian cause? 

Here is a non-exhaustive list of what we can do as individuals and as communities.

Know Your Stuff 

The best place to start in combatting a genocide is to make sure your knowledge of what’s happening and the history of the Palestinian struggle, is up to scratch. You cannot become an advocate if you don’t have the right knowledge. It is also important to be weary of fake news. Whilst social media is a great place for staying update to date and for direct information from people on the ground in Gaza, it can also be a place where misinformation and fake news are rife. Videos can be altered using AI technology and images can be Photoshopped. You may have already come across a few of these! 

In short, get your knowledge from trusted sources and official pages on social media. 

Share what you Know!  

Once you have equipped yourself with the right information, share it with those around you. It might be the case that your friend, neighbour or family member doesn’t know much about what’s happening and, therefore, they are not able to be active advocates against the genocide that is taking place and carry the Palestinian cause in their hearts and their lives. 

You might also be the person that debunks fake news or myths that people around you hold. 

Get Involved! 

It isn’t just enough to be clued up on the situation but to also get involved in initiatives around you that are supporting the Palestinian cause. Here’s a few ways: 

• Support charities - Gaza is in dire need of medicine, food, clothes, shelter and basic necessities. Give whatever you can to trusted charities and be a part of one of the most basic forms of support. 
• Sign petitions - you would have no doubt seen petitions being sent around. Sign and share with those you know 
• Attend protests - no matter what they say protests remain a legal and democratic way for us to express our solidarity with the Palestinian people. Take the protest that took place on Saturday 11th November with 1 million of us marching in the streets of London, calling for a ceasefire - a crowd that you cannot ignore. 
• Hold your MP accountable - Wednesday 15th November saw a key vote take place in the UK Parliament which would have decided on whether or not they would call for a ceasefire in Gaza. While many MPs voted for a ceasefire, many more voted against and now have blood on their hands. Find out whether your local MP voted for or against and hold then accountable. You can do this by denying your vote for them at the next election or writing to them and asking for an explanation as to why they didn’t vote for the end to a genocide. 
• Use your platform - social media has become a place for activism and so use your social media platform to share updates, first hand accounts or other interesting things you find. We can all do our bit to getting true information out there!

Take a Break

Being pro-Palestinian allies also means protecting your own mental health and practicing self care by taking breaks from social media scrolling or updating yourself. It is true the Palestinians and Gazans don’t get breaks from the trauma and suffering they experience but to be effective in our support for them it is important we don’t burn out. So pace yourself in what you view and the information you digest. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

Turning to Allah

This is by no means the last thing we should do but it’s at the end to remind us that it isn’t enough for us to say ‘let us make du’a and leave the rest to Allah’. Muslims are encouraged to both rely on Allah and to also take action at the same time. Indeed, it is only through  Allah’s power that all our actions and efforts we take to end the genocide in Gaza and for the freedom of Palestine, can be successfull. I am certain that the plight of the Gazans is a staple feature in our du’as and that we ask Allah to save all innocent lives. 

The work we do and will continue to do for Palestine is a noble one. It is a part of being Muslim and how crucial it is for us to use our voices and speak up!