5 Steps To Grow From Passive To Active Bystanders During The Genocide Of Gaza

The digital world has allowed us as an ummah to witness -as bystanders from our homes- genocide committed against our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Anyone in touch with their humanity would automatically feel distressed over the reality of genocide, let alone witness it. As Muslims, our faith teaches us to advocate for the oppressed. It is even considered the weakest level of faith to simply dislike a reality within our hearts.

As narrated in a hadith, Prophet Muhammad was reported to have once said:

“Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim]

Then there comes the question of what we can do as Muslims, especially when the most that we can do at this stage is either donate, speak against the genocide, or pray. A lot of us feel we are not in a position to stop the reality of the genocide, so how can we better equip ourselves to ensure that a genocide never continues or reoccurs? There are some of us not even in the position to donate, and many of us may be navigating health challenges, so how can all of us collectively grow to stand against oppression?

What can we do especially if we do not hold any leadership position?  

Below are 5 steps for all of us as Muslims to consider if we want to grow as bystanders during a genocide:

1. Increase the remembrance of Allah

Allah is in a position to end genocide, but it is our collective responsibility to do what we can with consistency. It is very easy to feel as if our efforts are futile, and to even burn out when addressing oppression, but it helps to find strength in applying Allah’s 99 attributes within our lives.

If we feel weak and need the strength to advocate continuously, we can call out to Allah as the Giver of Strength, Al-Qawiyy. If we think that injustices are too heavy to bear, we call out to Allah as the Most Just, Al-Adl, and seek His help when trying to rectify what is unjust. If we are unsure how to address this effectively, we call out to Allah as The Guide, Al Hadi. If we need to rest to have the strength to continue, we call out to Allah as The Disposer of Affairs, Al-Wakeel.

By calling out to Allah in different scenarios, every segment of our lives is inadvertently turned to the remembrance of Allah when working towards ending oppression. The remembrance of Allah is what can help us keep going with consistency. The knowledge that we know that Allah can see us as bystanders would push us to want to grow actively so that we are active bystanders. As Muslims, we naturally do not wish to be amongst those who overlook injustice in front of Allah . The act of overlooking in itself is a form of injustice discouraged in our faith. Allah instead encourages us to always act justly.

Allah revealed:

“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” [Surat Al-Mumtaĥanah: 60;8]

By increasing the remembrance of Allah , we will be directed to what Allah loves, which in turn will prepare us as bystanders to do more.

2. Reflect on the Qur’an and Seerah to learn from history

PC: Madrasah Sunnah (unsplash)

Genocidal oppression is not new.
We may be witnessing it for the first time, but that does not mean it has never occurred in history.

The Qur’an reveals the rise and fall of past civilizations. We are introduced to the reality of tyrants—like Pharaoh during the time of Musa —and are shown how to rise as people of mercy.

It is from the stories of the Prophets (peace be upon them all), and those who followed their examples, that we can learn how we should grow as bystanders. Our circumstances might differ, but we can know how they had faith when hope seemed grim. We can learn how they advocated for the oppressed. We can see how our Prophet Muhammad responded whenever he found out that someone was wronged, and we can discover how his Companions described him as a form of support for our most vulnerable.

Our Prophet Muhammad , before he became a Prophet, was known for his honesty and integrity. He was known for supporting the vulnerable and accommodating their needs within his capacity. Sometimes, our actions—our character—are more powerful than our words. If we take the time to develop our character, and speak during the time of oppression, our words could be weighed more heavily for others to choose not to overlook. It is more possible to take collective action once there is more support.

It is very easy to feel like our words would not hold any weight if we were marginalized, but when we look at the seerah, we see how most, if not all, of the Prophets were, at one stage, marginalized. They had to endure resistance. Resistance automatically occurs when advocating for growth within our communities. It will naturally happen when addressing any form of oppression. As Muslims, we need to learn from Islamic history to better be there for our vulnerable in general, because once we do, we will be more aware of how to be a source of support for the persecuted during genocidal oppression.

3. Cultivate your skills with the intention of advocating for the oppressed

The genocide may be occurring in Gaza, away from our proximity, so there comes the question of what can we do, especially when we still have the responsibility of continuing with our routine lives in a different part of the world.

Our routine lives will naturally require us to use our already-existing skills, even if we are primarily at home. Whatever our skills are, we make the intention to develop them, as a means to grow as a bystander. Our skills can somehow be used to help others, especially the oppressed, and developing ourselves as a response to witnessing a genocide is a way to be an active bystander. If we need to discover our skills, we can at least make the intention to not procrastinate, and only choose to rest with the intention to later do more for the oppressed.

This is us growing as bystanders within our capacity.

4. Address oppression within your social circles first, especially by assessing ourselves

PC: John Cameron (unsplash)

It is easy to overlook oppression occurring within our communities, especially when we are deeply concerned over a genocide that is more severe. Oppression is, however, an everyday reality that can happen anywhere. When we choose not to be a passive bystander for genocidal oppression, we automatically need to make sure we are not a passive bystander for any form of oppression. We would rather be more equipped to address genocidal oppression occurring abroad if it is our norm to address everyday oppression within our own communities, i.e. if we choose to be active bystanders as a norm. If it is our norm to advocate authentic inclusion and ensure that no one is harmed within our presence, or even under our supervision, we give ourselves the chance to develop and grow.

We cannot afford any room for double standards when it comes to addressing genocide. There is rather a risk of hypocrisy if advocating against genocide when having oppressed someone else. The same risk of hypocrisy occurs if we choose to be passive bystanders within our social circles, too. If we realize we have wronged someone, whether by being a passive bystander, we need to address that with the individual by apologizing. We need to hold ourselves accountable to become more sincere as advocates. The act of addressing and recognizing past actions—or inactions—are signs of growth.

This is how we grow as bystanders—what makes us sincere, active bystanders.

5. Acknowledging that prayers, sending donations, and raising awareness on genocide are the bare minimum

It is naturally overwhelming to witness a genocide.
It might even take some time to process. There is that need to grieve, and it might even be hard to formulate thoughts into constructive actions.

This is okay, because everyone has their pace and capacity. It is rather natural to need time to process as human beings. We, however, need to be wary of thinking that we did everything that we could through our prayers, donations, and raising awareness. We need to acknowledge that there is always room to develop and grow so that we are better equipped to take action more swiftly—and effectively—in the future.
We cannot allow ourselves—our hearts—to settle even after a genocide ends. There is always a need to be a sincere active bystander due to the reality of us always facing the risk of being bystanders. This is just life’s reality.

The acknowledgment that our actions towards a genocide are not the end, but rather the beginning, for advocating against oppression will ensure that we progressively grow as bystanders.

And as Muslims, we need to continuously grow.

The implementation of the aforementioned 5 steps is a continuous process, and because of that continuous process, it would automatically strengthen and equip us to grow as bystanders whenever bearing witness to any form of oppression. It is as if we are strengthening a muscle, in that the more we strengthen our muscles by addressing oppression, the higher the chance we will grow in addressing a genocide with effective resolutions.

Related reading:

– From The Chaplain’s Desk: Prophetic Training In Sacred Activism

– Rules for Religious Activism