The New Year Message of Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, the Founding imam of Islamic House of Wisdom.

Salaam, peace and grace!

Today is 1/1/24. A day that once echoed with words, “Happy New Year” - A day filled with hope, joy and celebration!

Yet this year marks not the first but 86th day.

7 days ago, Bethlehem’s lights remained dim, canceled Christmas celebrations, standing in solidarity with the innocent victims of brutal bombardments, killing or wounding over 100,000 Palestinians and also hundreds of UN workers, journalists, doctors and nurses.

Not to forget the displacement of over two million civilians and torturing and killing them with thirst, hunger, disease, lack of medicine, electricity and freezing weather.

On October 20th, an event so tragic that could be titled, “The day of death of humanity and the end of morality”. On this heartbreaking day, 500 Palestinians were murdered in Al-Ahli hospital which was operated by the Anglican Church.

Despite of Israeli warmongers’ denial of genocide, their brutal attacks extended to other health care centers in Gaza.

Throughout these 86 days of Israeli’s ethnic cleansing, the relentless cruelty and disregard for every international law persisted day and night.

People worldwide took to the streets, demonstrating and demanding an end to this barbaric bloodshed. However, the veto power by the White House stopped any attempt by the UNSC to issue a binding resolution for a ceasefire.

While President Biden called himself a practicing Catholic, he has chosen to ignore numerous pleas from Pipe Francis, who repeatedly urged for an immediate cessation of what he categorized not as a war but as terrorism and genocide.

The backing of the U.S. administration for the insane extreme actions of Netanyahu and his war driven faction has emboldened them to call this morning for additional months of fires and fights.

Their intention appears to be pushing the U.S. into another military and political quagmire in the Middle East- a longstanding aspiration of the warmongers in Israel. They began with daily strikes in the South of Lebanon and targeting Syrian airports.

Any American who values the image, interests, and integrity of this country should oppose the Israeli and AIPAC vision of dragging America into yet another Middle East conflict, especially in the wake of the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There have been countless lies and propaganda circulated against the Palestinians in the past 86 days, aiming to shift blame onto the real victims of this genocide and manipulate global perceptions.

Despite these efforts, some Israeli think tanks acknowledge that 95 percent of the world's opinion reflects empathy and sympathy for the suffering Palestinians.

The babies in the ICUs, the wounded in ambulances, and even people sleeping in their houses in the West Bank who were not affiliated with Hamas, yet they were brutally killed by Israeli forces.

Detainees were subjected to torture and forced to strip down to their underwear. That's why today is not a Happy New Year for anyone with consciousness and compassion for humanity.

Today is a day for deeper reflection, raising awareness, promoting peace and justice, advocating for dialogue and diplomacy, and persistently calling for an immediate ceasefire to halt the tragic loss of lives in this chaotic military conflict. Those responsible for these genocide and ethnic cleansing must be taken to the international courts of justice.

Seventy-five years of occupation, oppression, and injustice against the Palestinians have not made Israel safer. There is no victory for Netanyahu in this reckless military invasion.

Fostering hatred only begets more hatred. Transforming Gaza into a graveyard for its residents and perpetuating a second Nakba for the Palestinians will not lead to a safe and happy outcome for Israelis.

The indifference of the warmongers to voices of morality, and their disregard for the UN, Amnesty International, WHO, HRW, and even the Pope, should not make us give up.

Netanyahu and his supporters adhere to the belief in "Might is Right" and "The ends justify the means." However, they are wrong.

The ultimate triumph belongs to truth and justice. The arrogant, greedy, and power-worshiping individuals will depart this world with embarrassment and shame. On the day they face the Lord, there will be no justification for their acts of genocide.

Their 86 days of moral bankruptcy have garnered the attention of a significant majority of the global population, highlighting parallels to what a German pastor once observed during the Nazi Holocaust.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”.

Regardless of our thousands of miles from Gaza, let’s remember what MLK said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." He also emphasized, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Let's adopt the powerful words of the late Congressman Paul Findley: "Silence no more" and "They dare to speak out" as our resolution for 2024. With hope and determination, may the New Year of 2025 bring happiness, health, peace, and blessings to America and the world.

As true children of Abraham and followers of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, we believe in justice as the genuine path to peace, love, friendship, unity and the brotherhood of humanity.

يا مقلب القلوب والأبصار يا مدبر الليل والنهار يا محول الحول والأحوال حول حالنا إلى أحسن الحال برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين وصلى الله على محمد و اله الطاهرين و صحبه المنتجبين