The rogue state of Israel has added a massive, unprovoked attack on Iran to the list of its crimes. It is not enough to slaughter, starve, and ethnically cleanse the people of Gaza; it is not enough to bomb anything in Lebanon with wanton impunity; it is not enough to arbitrarily destroy anything it deems of military value in Syria; it is not enough to detonate thousands of pagers and cell phones in homes and businesses across Lebanon; now a campaign of targeted assassinations and bombardment is being visited upon Iran.

The stated rationale is that, “Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.” Implicit in this reasoning is that the Iranian government cannot be trusted with a nuclear weapon. If we apply this reasoning to the bloodthirsty leaders of Israel, who dance in the streets celebrating the obliteration of Palestinian schools and the annihilation of its children, the world should have long ago bombed Israel’s nuclear facilities.

The reality is that Israel wants a monopoly on nuclear weapons in the region so it can reserve the right to exist as a rogue state capable of engaging in the kind of atrocities it is committing in Gaza, as well as the unprovoked attack on Iran, with no threat of any meaningful or lasting consequences. A simple test of this proposition is the following question: “If Iran possessed a nuclear arsenal, with the now proven capability to bomb the heart of Israel, would the current ongoing aggression be occurring?” Of course not.

Now, after launching an unprovoked attack, in the face of the Iranian response, Netanyahu says, “Tehran will burn,” if the Iranian response continues. He says this even as Israel continues its assault, which has already killed upwards of 100 Iranian civilians. After slaughtering 60,000 civilians in Gaza, he says that Iran has crossed a “red line” by attacking Tel Aviv. The arrogant assumption behind these statements is that Israel alone reserves to right to possess nuclear weapons. Israel alone reserves the right to threaten their use. Israel alone reserves the right to attack anyone it chooses. Israel alone reserves the right to trample on every human rights accord and to trash international law. Israel alone can behave like we are mad. If Israel continues its thuggery, it will find itself alone.

How much longer will we allow our tax dollars to finance this madness? We call for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Iran, a cessation of all weapons shipments and financial aid to Israel, and for a free Palestine. War will never bring peace, and murder will never protect life. They only create ever-deepening cycles of hatred and revenge.

Imam Zaid Shakir
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