BAYAN CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE

Bayan Islamic Graduate School vehemently condemns all forms of racial discrimination and the taking of innocent human life. The inhumane treatment and unethical dehumanization of Palestinians in Gaza is deeply distressing and has been taking place since 1948. The overwhelming loss of human life and widespread destruction due to Israel's current military actions demands our immediate attention.

As of now, over 11,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been brutally killed. According to the United Nations, 1.5 million people in Gaza, constituting over 75% of the population, have been displaced, and 57 houses of worship have been razed to the ground. All hospitals are devoid of power, as fuel needed to operate generators has been blocked from reaching them. Recent reports by ABC News highlight the dire situation in the neonatal intensive care unit of al-Shifa Hospital where 3 premature babies have already died and dozens of others are at risk of death due to these conditions.

The toll on humanity is staggering, with the deliberate targeting of essential services raising concerns among medical professionals about a potential surge in the death toll as diseases spread, temperatures drop, and the population remains deprived of clean water, food, and shelter.

Regrettably, the Biden Administration has voiced unwavering support for Israel's attack on Gaza, offering military aid and complicity in restricting humanitarian aid, interrupting water access, and causing the mass killing of innocent Palestinians. These actions blatantly violate international law and have resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

We join the increasingly broad coalition of expressed concern and appeal to individuals of human sensitivity, peoples of faith, those with moral conscientiousness, and those driven by civil conviction to stand with us in demanding a change in our foreign policy to better reflect the spirit of American values. We insist that our elected officials urgently call for a ceasefire and demand an immediate end to the killing of innocent civilians and the devastation currently being carried out by the State of Israel.