Sidney: United in their grief and concern for the escalating conflict in Gaza, Muslim communities across Australia will hold a Prayer Vigil at 8pm tonight as they gather at mosques. It is expected that approximately 150,000 people across the country will join the Prayer Vigil, said a statement issued on behalf of Office of The Mufti of Australia.
"The community is deeply disturbed by the Australian government’s silence. Sixteen days on and the international community, including Australia, remains largely silent as the Israeli army continues its deadly assault on Gaza", the statement which is also supported by Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) Australian Islamic Centre, Islamic Council of New South Wales (ICNSW) Islamic Council of Victoria and Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) said.
Over 650 innocent women, children and men have been killed in just 16 days. Entire families have been wiped out, hospitals bombed, and homes and suburbs destroyed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday expressed the view that Israel may be guilty of war crimes.
"Australia’s Muslim community condemns in the strongest possible terms the gross and disproportionate military assault by Israel– a military juggernaut and covert nuclear state– against the Palestinian people it occupies, besieges and controls", the statement said.
"Australia’s Muslim Community urges the Australian government to stop being on the wrong side of history and to join the overwhelming majority of the world in recognizing all Palestinian Territories as occupied and all Israeli settlements as illegal", the statement said.
More than 1.5 million Palestinians are crammed into 140 square miles, the most densely populated area in the world. Israel controls Gaza’s airspace, waters and borders and has imposed a crippling blockade over Gaza.
"The community repudiates Israel’s claims to be acting in self defence. It is sinister propaganda to suggest that Israel is acting in self-defence when it is raining down tonnes of bombs on a besieged, impoverished, defenceless population who, because of Israel’s blockade, are unable to even escape or flee,” says Randa Abdel-Fattah of PrayforGaza.
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