Thursday, February 5, 2009

An Open Letter to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak




February 5, 2009

Dear Mr. Mubarak,

As Salaamu Alaikum.

The Muslim world is shocked by your realignment of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and its new status as Israeli ally, standing in opposition to the people of Palestine, refusing to open the Rafah Crossing and depriving the people of Gaza much needed food and medicines. How unfortunate that you would cause Egypt to be used and demoralized by Israel in this way. What did the Palestinian people do to you, or to Egypt that would cause you to assist Israel in starving them to death, and even worse, to kill them for no reason? From December 27, 2009, to January 23, 2009, Israel was able to slaughter more than 1000 Palestinians, mostly women and children because you would not open the Rafah Crossing and allow them to flee, and neither would you allow ambulances, medicines, or medical personnel to enter Gaza, so their lives might be saved.

I am writing this letter, to bring to your attention the fact that Egypt is in violation of the Geneva Conventions which prohibits using any type of illegal coercion to force a people suffering under an illegal occupation to surrender their rights out of duress. Your administration admitted publicly that your decision to close and to keep the Rafah Crossing closed is aimed at overthrowing the duly elected Hamas government, which is also illegal.

By closing the Rafah Crossing and refusing to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, you are in fact violating numerous laws that aim to protect those who are being held captive by illegal occupiers, and stripped of their right to exist, to live and to be free. It is important that you understand, that according to international law, Israel is an illegal and belligerent occupier of Palestine. Your cooperation with Israel causes Egypt to possibly be acting illegally, by aiding and abetting Israel in its illegal activities. Egypt neither has the legal or moral authority to trap the people of Gaza in the territory, and then to deny any food, or medicine or other essentials for life to reach them and also to take steps to prevent them from building tunnels or creating other alternative means to sustain their lives.

Your actions are inhumane by any standard, and it is unbelievable that a Muslim and Arab leader such as yourself, could side with Israel, who refers to Arab people as “animals” and who has on numerous occasions defamed the prophet Muhammad (sa) and sought to eliminate Islam. Israel routinely kills Muslims and Arabs, and destroys our property with brutal illegal wars. Israel is seeking to expand even beyond Palestine, Lebanon and Syria into the remaining Arab and Muslim world in an effort to establish what they refer to as “Greater Israel” and you are helping them. “Why?”

The hypocrisy of the United States, the EU and others who ignore Israel’s crimes, and these countries willingness to stand idle as Israel kills, and destroys private property with impunity, confuses many people about the legality of what Israel is doing. These countries actually supplies Israel with weapons and ammunition to carry out these illegal killings and meaningless destruction of property.

The people of the world cannot believe that the Western countries who claim to be the most cultured and civilized, and who claim to adhere to, and live by the law, are able to tell any lie, and pay any amount of money to assist Israel in its genocide in Palestine. Let me assure you that what Israel is doing is illegal, immoral and wrong, and the assistance that you are lending to Israel is also illegal, and immoral and wrong.

Mr. Mubarak, in closing I appeal to you, requesting that you permanently open the Rafah Crossing. I ask that you reconcile with the government of Gaza, and work cooperatively with them to insure that Egypt’s sovereign rights, and security are not threatened or compromised in any way by the movement of goods and supplies passing through the crossing. I ask that you allow the people of Gaza to receive the aid and supplies that you are illegally withholding from them. Also, these people should be allowed to move through the crossing to attain medical care, to visit relatives, and to live as normal people live. Gaza is not an enemy to Egypt. These people are Arab, Christians and Muslims. They are women and children, students, parents, old people, all who have rights, and whose lives and blood are sacred, as is all human life. I pray that God will guide you, and that you will end Egypt’s days of darkness in collusion with Zionism, and that you will bring Egypt back into the hearts of the Arab and Muslim people who over the years looked to Egypt for security and leadership.

Wa Salaamu Alaikum,

Anisa Abd el Fattah, Chairwoman
National Assoc. of Muslim American Women

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