“So, what is happening in Palestine
becomes a test for the whole human family.”
—The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,
“What Does Allah The Great Mahdi and The Great Messiah
Have To Say About The War In The Middle East?”
Saviours’ Day 2024, Detroit
The above statement by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is a statement all of us should consider. As the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank continues, governments and people around the world are most certainly being tested. Whether we pass or fail, this particular test will ultimately be determined by Almighty God, Allah. This puts us all in the valley of decision.
Lines are clearly being established: people who are outspoken in their support of the Palestinian people and condemn the genocidal actions of Israel, and people who, in their blind loyalty to Israel, attempt to silence these outspoken voices with the false label of “anti-Semitism.” For what? For simply having compassion, being sensitive to human suffering, and having the nerve to express sympathy for Palestinian suffering? This support often comes with a cost to those who dare speak out: smears by the media, threats to careers, livelihoods, or fines.
Those who fail to see the suffering of the Palestinian people are willing to use their money, influence, and power to try to silence and punish these voices for freedom, justice, and equality due to a blind loyalty to Israel and to certain members of the Jewish community.
But strong voices and actions from entertainers and athletes are continuing to join the chorus of others around the world who are standing up for Palestine and condemning the atrocities perpetrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli regime.
Recently, Grammy-winning rap and pop artist Macklemore was removed from multi-platinum artist Ed Sheeran’s tour for simply expressing his support for Palestine. During an early September stop of the tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Macklemore said in part: “I said Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.” He also stated, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality. So, I say Free Palestine, I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan, I say free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.”
It was later reported that Robert Kraft, the Jewish billionaire owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and owner of Gillette Stadium, and friend of Prime Minister Netanyahu, contacted Ed Sheeran. According to Macklemore, Kraft told Sheeran that he had contacted other NFL owners and would not allow the rapper to perform at their stadiums.
Macklemore was subsequently removed from the tour. However, in a sign of solidarity, other artists withdrew, including Finneas, who posted on Instagram, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Azeez Al-Shaair, a pro-bowl linebacker with the NFL’s Houston Texans, also continues to take a stand. He was recently fined $11,492 for wearing “Hind Rajab” on his eye back during the first game of the season. Hind was a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza City in 2024 along with other family members when Israeli troops fired multiple shots into their vehicle.
NBA star Kyrie Irving offered to pay his fellow athlete’s fine, posting on social media, “I’ll take care of his fine.” Last season, Al-Shaair was fined for wearing “Stop The Genocide.”
The topic of Israel and Palestine has been a volatile one for decades. In the 78 years since the State of Israel’s establishment in the Middle East, world sentiment has firmly been on the side of the occupier state for the most part. However, since its inception in 1948, which led to the expulsion and displacement of 700,000-750,000 Palestinians from their homeland, those left behind have been under an apartheid system. The Israeli government, with the help of the United States, has made daily life and conditions unbearable for the Palestinian people.
The U.S. government continues sending billions of dollars to Israel. The Trump administration is reportedly planning to deliver powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel as part of an upcoming $2.8 billion arms package which, according to Associated Press, “includes 40,000 of the bombs, made up of 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke Sept. 15 on condition of anonymity to discuss the package, which is not yet final.” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and his counterpart Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) placed a hold on the package, expressing concerns about more civilians being harmed, according to reporting from various news outlets. “All of us share concern about what Israel is doing,” Senator Shaheen told CNN.
America and Israel seem determined to continue their warmongering. But the opposition and pushback is getting stronger.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, warned of what would unfold in the Middle East, which is now unfolding today. In pages 171-172 of His landmark book, “The Fall of America,” in the chapter, “The Destruction and Fall,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes, “America and England deposited their little brother, Israel, on foreign soil, Palestine, which is Arab land. They deprived the Arabs of their own land and sent them into exile.” He then warns, “This injustice against the Arabs is now costing America the power and authority that she once exercised in the East. She is on her way out of the Near East. This means bloodshed and plenty of it.”
There have been nearly 73,000 deaths and 174,900 wounded in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
As Minister Farrakhan noted, we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to the plight of what the Palestinians have and continue to suffer under an apartheid regime.
“If you could look at their suffering, and it don’t move you, you have lost your humanity. If you can see a dog suffer and have compassion … . If you can see your favorite horse suffer, where you’ve got to put him down, you feel pain! Palestinian mothers are crying over the loss of their children! I watched them cry; I watched them touch their babies that are dead, and don’t want to let the baby go to be buried,” Minister Farrakhan said during his 2024 Saviours’ Day message.
“That’s not a barbarian feeling, that’s a human feeling. I saw Jews that were suffering, too, burying their dead, and weeping as the Palestinians are weeping. These are not barbarians! They have suffered from Israel’s presence in Palestine,” Minister Farrakhan said.
Are we on the side of freedom, justice, and equality for all, or on the side that chooses to remain silent, acquiesce, and compromise for comfort, while others suffer? The choice is ours. Today, we are all in the valley of decision.
