Throughout Ramadan we are publishing articles about historical moments that took place in this blessed month. We present to you the horrific onslaught on Gaza in Ramadan in 2014 – although many suffered, and are still recovering from this atrocity, it was the first time social media was used by Muslims to systematically counter Israel’s propaganda about their crimes.

For 51 days in July and August 2014, Israel conducted a massacre in Gaza known as Operation Protective Edge. It was the third major military operation in Gaza by the Israeli armed forces in five years, and by far the most lethal and destructive.

Some 2,205 Palestinians were killed. Thousands were wounded; over 18,000 homes destroyed and some 470,000 were displaced. Essentially Gaza was pummeled into the ground. This was made all the more difficult to live with as this also coincided with Ramadan.

Normally one could predict the censored media coverage of what was happening, but this is where social media came into play in a way had never been seen before when it came to Israel’s crimes.

Social media played a crucial role in unveiling what many mainstream media outlets failed to report on the horror of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

There were many incidents that only came to light as a result of social media. For the first time Muslims were undercutting Israel’s propaganda machine.

As Muslims were staying up later (due to the long fasts) and rising for suhoor (pre-dawn meal) there was near round the clock coverage on social media. Muslims across the worlds were sharing videos, tweet and blogs from those on the ground in Gaza.
This meant that there was near instant global coverage of Israel’s crimes in Gaza.

It was a glimmer of hope in the midst of everything taking place – Muslims used social media to get our story out, to get our suffering heard and to ensure that others’ propaganda about our people didn’t go unchallenged. For many non-Muslims it was the first time they were getting the full picture about Israel’s crimes – there was more awareness and it led to more support for the Palestinians (which is still growing, alhamdulillah).

Imagine the potential impact if Muslims invested in this kind of work to challenge the Islamophobia Industry. We could respond to their propaganda and make sure wider society isn’t misinformed about Muslims and Islam.

Insha’allah (God Willing) we can apply this lesson to systematically tackle the hate we face and give a true image of what’s happening on the ground in the Muslim struggle for freedom in their homelands.

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This Ramadan, please donate to MPACUK to help us take on the Islamophobia Industry. Your money will allow us to do more for our community. Donate via this link – mpacuk.org/donations

You can also donate via our MuslimGiving page – www.muslimgiving.org/Stop-Islamophobia

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