Talk to your children about Palestine, VFP chairman advices

Parents have been adviced to educate their children about Palestine, as this will create awareness about the Palestinian cause and inculcate into young minds the spirit of justice.

The Chairman of the Voice for Palestine (VFP), Ahmed Sharrif said that being the home of the third holiest shrine in Islam, the Al Aqsa Masjid in Jerusalem, Palestine holds a deep spiritual attachment to Muslims, and it is imperative that children know about its special status in Islam.

Educating Muslim children about Palestine, he said, is not only about imparting knowledge and creating awareness but also shaping the identity of children, reinforcing their beliefs, and fostering a sense of connection and responsibility towards the global Muslim community.

“By understanding the significance of Palestine, children can grow into informed, compassionate, and active members of the Ummah, dedicated to justice and the betterment of the world,” he said during the pre-school graduation at Muslim Academy Park Road on Wednesday, October 22.

Ahmed Sharrif in a group photo with pupils of Muslim Academy Park Road, Nairobi during the graduation event

In the light of the genocide in Gaza, Ahmed who was the guest of honour at the event, said there was a need to create more awareness among young minds about the ideals of justice and human rights, which, he said, have been whitewashed in the Israeli genocidal campaign that has seen tens of thousands of defenceless women and children brutally killed by the occupation army.

“The atrocities that are taking place in Palestine painfully touch the hearts of Muslims around the globe. Parents must educate their children about the special status of Al Aqsa Mosque, the dispossession of Palestinians from their land, and the decades-long occupation and oppression of Palestinian people,” he said.

Ahmed emphasized the need to support the people of Palestine through the ongoing tree planting programme stating that this was a testament that Islam cared about human life. “By planting trees, we are showing the world that Islam and Muslims value and care for human life, while those supporting the relentless killing of innocent women and children in Gaza have clearly demonstrated that other human beings don’t deserve to live,” he said.

He went on to emphasize that it was important that people got to know the truth behind the Palestinian story, as the narrative being projected by Western governments and the media is often clouded by misinformation and language that distorts the true reality.

Chairman Ahmed further observed that it was shameful that more than 8 billion people in the world watched helplessly as the carnage in Gaza continued unabated for two years while no concrete efforts were made to stop the worst tragedy in modern times, which has seen the slaughter of more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. “It remains a big stain on humanity that nothing was done to stop the horrific Israeli genocide targeting 2.3 million people. By solidly standing for the principles of justice and peace, the world can change this state of affairs,” he said.

The Palestinian-themed graduation event saw pupils from the school depicting the horrifying carnage in Gaza.

Carrying Palestinian flags, the pupils laid down wrapped baby shrouds stained in red paint representing the bodies of Gaza’s children—a symbolic protest against the targeted killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza.

The children also depicted an Israeli tank shelling defenseless children, a horrifying action that has been among the prominent features of the Israeli genocide against Palestinians.