The Palestine issue used to be one of the unifying factors in the umma. It's not anymore. At least in America. Concerted efforts by certain Zionist think tanks have managed to soften a decent number of Muslim authors and media personalities when it comes to Zionism. They're now "nuanced" on the issue. There's that word again.
The place for nuance is on secondary issues, not foundational ones. Theft and oppression---last I checked---were foundational issues. The people of Gaza and the West Bank---last I checked---are neither citizens of a country nor have their own country. There is no need for another recitation of Israeli crimes against 4.5 million Palestinian people. This stuff is known by virtue of being alive.
But yet, as Israel's power increases day by day, denial seems to become the new norm. 'Denial is the mind’s capacity to block out, forget, push aside and minimize information that is uncomfortable or painful to the self.'
The biggest irony of all that American Liberals today are severe on Zionism. Campuses are strongly Pro-Palestinian to the point that Jewish student groups often feel quite uncomfortable. Yet the Muslims who are the most liberal-leaning of all, are the ones warming towards Israel. It's bizarre. They're the ones whose rallying cry is the fight against Islamophobia, and yet they repeatedly go on Israel trips sponsored by Islamophobic groups like the Russell Berrie Foundation. It is as if the only common thread in their positions is to go against what all the rest of the Muslims are upon. In sum, you can add this to the list of points that "used to be obvious" but now needs to be spelled out. Sad.
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