Quds News Network – April 7, 2025
Israeli Airstrike Kills 9 Children Playing in Gaza Street
Gaza (Quds News Network)- A chilling attack by the Israeli military has left nine children dead as they were playing in the street in Gaza. The airstrike targeted the children in the Al-Tufah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, on Sunday, as part of the ongoing genocide in the region.
The attack is part of a series of horrific Israeli strikes on Gaza that have continued unabated, with children being the main target. The deaths add to the staggering toll of over 18,000 children killed in Gaza since the genocide began, with 490 of them killed in just the last 20 days.
In a statement, Hamas condemned the intentional targeting of children, calling it part of an ongoing, brutal campaign aimed at exterminating Gaza’s population. “The deliberate killing of children, targeting them with missiles and tearing their bodies apart, confirms the sadistic nature of the occupation and its leaders,” said the statement.
Hamas also laid responsibility for the ongoing massacres at the feet of the U.S. administration, as the U.S. government continues to provide political and military support to Israel’s actions. The movement urged the United Nations, particularly UNICEF, to take immediate action to protect Gaza’s children and put an end to the bloodshed.
https://countercurrents.org/2025/04/israeli-airstrike-kills-9-children-playing-in-gaza-street/
Gaza is a graveyard of the Muslim world’s conscience
Gaza’s blood stains not only the hands of Israel, the U.S., and the West — but also those of 2 billion Muslims who remain silent witnesses.
BY SALEEMA GUL
A week ago, Muslims across the world observed the Eid al-Fitr holiday on Sunday, March, 30. Millions celebrated with nice clothes, decorated homes and sweet desserts, as is the Islamic tradition on the Eid holidays. But in Gaza, Eid was observed under the weight of immense grief.
In a searing piece for The New Arab, Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed, from Gaza, writes:
“For 538 days, I mistakenly believed that the Muslim world would come to our aid… I ask you now: How can you rejoice while we are wrapped in shrouds? How can you wear your finest clothes while we are wrapped in shrouds? How can you enjoy sweets while the children in my neighbourhood draw food in the sand?”
He continues: “You will need Gaza more than Gaza needs you.” His words are not an exaggeration. They are an indictment. They are also a warning.
Abed’s piece, written from a state of malnutrition, moral clarity, and raw anguish, is a mirror held up to the Muslim world—a mirror that reflects not just silence, but decay.
What have we really done for Gaza? That is the only question worth asking this Eid.
‘We Care’ is not the same as ‘We Acted’
According to Al Jazeera’s live tracker, since the genocide began, over 61,709 Palestinians have been killed, including 17,492 children, 111,588 injured, with 14,222 reported missing and presumed dead.
These figures do not include deaths caused by starvation, malnutrition, or the lack of medical care, as the majority of Gaza’s hospitals have been destroyed by Israel, as it continues to block the entry of medical supplies and essential medicines.
And yet, the mood in much of the Muslim world, though sympathetic, feels detached.
Empathy without action is complicity. We must ask ourselves: Is anything we’ve done for Gaza and the rest of Occupied Palestine truly enough?
Abed’s words cut deep because they are painfully true: “You never truly stood up against your governments, nor did you pressure them to end their sales and connections with Israel.”
While some may argue that Muslims globally are more engaged than ever before, that engagement has not translated into sustained, coordinated action.
Muslim heads of state issue carefully worded statements. Protestors chant in the streets, but the sound rarely makes it past their own echo chambers.
Many have kept the momentum alive in cities like New York and London. On campuses, students continue to resist at great personal risk.
But these pockets of sustained resistance are exceptions — not the rule.
WhatsApp groups that once buzzed with strategy meetings focused on Palestine have become increasingly rare, drowned out by spam. There is a noticeable dip in energy, urgency, and sustained engagement.
Meanwhile, major Muslim countries have offered no coordinated economic or political pressure on Israel. Instead, many have strengthened their ties. What’s more troubling is the lack of serious public response to hold these governments accountable.
Yes, it’s true: much of the Arab and Muslim world is ruled by dictators, autocrats, or governments reliant on Western support for their survival. But the Muslim world must ask itself: is that a valid excuse?
Must Palestinians give everything while we hide behind fear? And how else will change come if people do not mobilize against massive injustice with massive mobilization?
Blood for trillion-dollar deals
The moral decay runs deep when we follow the money.
On March 7, 2025, Newsweek reported that Saudi Arabia plans to invest $1.3 trillion with the U.S. “There is no one else in the world now who could compete for Trump’s attention as MBS does,” said Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics in an interview with Newsweek.
Not to be outdone, Reuters reported on March 21, 2025, that the UAE has agreed to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. economy following a meeting with Trump at the White House.
According to Global Firepower, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt all rank among the top 20 global militaries. Saudi Arabia is at 24 and has the largest military budget among Muslim countries, at $55.6 billion. Dozens of Muslim countries have considerable military and economic capacity.
Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia even helped intercept missiles from Iran — bolstering Israeli security while Gaza crumbles.
This is not mere cowardice. It is betrayal. Meanwhile, blood is literally flowing through the streets of Gaza in yet the latest massacre.
Duplicitous diplomacy
While the West unites to enable genocide — supplying weapons, funds, and political cover — Muslim states compete to see who can descend deeper into moral depravity.
On March 4, 2025, the UAE publicly endorsed Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan—a direct rebuke to Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and rebrand it as a luxury resort, a dystopian, colonial “Riviera.” Yet according to Middle East Eye, the UAE simultaneously worked to sabotage that very plan.
A U.S. official told the outlet: “The UAE could not be the lone state opposing the Arab League plan when it was agreed, but they are trashing it with the Trump administration.”
This duplicity is not isolated. The UAE has destabilized regions from Gaza to Darfur while parading as a diplomatic leader.
The Quran is not ambiguous on injustice: “What is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah for those who are oppressed among men, women, and children?” (Quran 4:74)
Dr. Asim Qureshi, Research Director at CAGE International, warns that the Muslim world faces not just a political crisis, but a moral and spiritual collapse. In an open letter to Islamic scholars, he asks: “If scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, why have they created such a gap between religious instruction and real-world action?”
Yet, much of the religious leadership offers little beyond charity drives and prayers. As Qureshi notes, the Muslim world is effectively subsidizing Zionist violence by constantly rebuilding what Israel destroys: “This Ummah’s wealth eventually trickles down to a Zionist system engaged in settler colonialism and apartheid.”
Indonesia, ranked 13th militarily, responded to the destruction of over 1,000 mosques by pledging to build 100 more. Meanwhile, the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem remains under threat, as extremist groups openly prepare for a third Jewish temple atop its grounds.
These groups not only dream of demolishing al-Aqsa but are actively preparing for it. So what is the Muslim world’s plan to defend al-Aqsa, one of the holiest sites in Islam?
In a significant development, prominent Muslim scholars, likely at great personal risk, have issued a fatwa calling for armed resistance to defend Gaza. This decree urges Muslim-majority countries to intervene politically, economically, and militarily against the ongoing genocide. This shift could mark a pivotal moment for the Muslim world. Just as the world once united to halt the Nazi regime’s efforts to exterminate the Jewish people during the Holocaust, so too perhaps, the world might finally recognize the right to defend Gaza under both international and natural law.
Final words. Last chances?
On March 24, 2025, Israel assassinated journalist Hossam Shabat. Just hours before his murder, Shabat called out to the Muslims, not to their governments, imploring them for help.
His final words, released posthumously, now echo louder than most of ours will in life.
Gaza does not have to be the graveyard of the Muslim world’s moral standing. If even a fraction of their economic, political, and military power were used with unity as leverage, Gaza could become a symbol of the Muslim world’s turning point. Shabbat, who gave everything — including his life — left us with these words:
“I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories — until Palestine is free.”
Countercurrent – April 7, 2025
First They Came for The Jews… The Waqf Amendment Bill 2024
by Dr Ram Puniyani
Parliament recently passed the Waqf Amendment Bill calling it ‘Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995, UMMID, in short. In the wake of the LoP, Rahul Gandhi stated that after this the religious properties of other communities will be targeted. He was on the dot as immediately after the passage of the bill the RSS mouthpiece Organiser published an article about the property of the Catholic Church. Though it immediately withdrew the article, the message was loud and clear.
One Jharkhand minister expressed her anguish that in a similar way RSS-BJP will target the Adivasi properties. Who will be in the line next? During the debate on the bill the non BJP NDA allies like Niteesh Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chowdhary also fell in line with the BJP and betrayed the Muslim community in the worst possible way. Had they any principles of pluralism they could very well stopped the bill from passing? As Pastor Martin Noemollers classic anguish shows the methods of Fascists is to target one group at a time with the help of others and then be and by crush the other communities. The case of Catholic Bishops is also in line with the same they have enthusiastically supported Waqf Amendment bill, but tragically they may be the next targets. They are a strange group, deeply infested by Islamophobia and so in a shortsighted manner are supporting the communal strategies.
Waqf is a property donated by Muslims (even others can donate) for religious purposes. India has vast property which comes under this provision. While claims are that Waqf is the third largest property owner in the country but as such, Hindu trusts and temples have much more property. The present amendments in the Waqf are totally dictated by the Hindu nationalist agenda to diminish the control of Muslims in the Waqf Board.
The control of Hindu temples and trusts are exclusively in the hands of Hindus. Now Waqf, in contrast, will have non-Muslims on the Board and the district collector will be the main authority in issues related to ownership of the property. The contrast between the ownership of Hindu trusts and Waqf is absolutely partisan and the Government is determined to undermine the authority of Muslims in these matters.
The minority minister Kiran Rijuju, in his speech introducing the bill said that the bill is being aimed at bettering the condition of poor Muslims. Waqf as such is for religious and social purposes. Poverty alleviation is the job of the Government, and this government in particular has washed its hands off in this direction. Be it Muslims or Hindus or poor from other communities all Government policies are directed to serve the big Corporate.
If his logic is correct why not begin with the majority Hindu community? Our Hindu temples and trusts have astronomical wealth which can nurture many educational institutions, health facilities and support employment generation. Why is this Government, guided by RSS agenda of Hindu nation, not undertaking the task of ensuring that temple trust properties are used to help poor farmers, unemployed youth and other marginalized sections of society?
Kiran Rijuju was claiming that many poor Muslims have thanked him for undertaking this! Good joke! Thousands of Muslims organizations have registered their opposition to this Amendment which BJP is imposing on the country to reduce the power of Muslim community. It is a warped argument that many poor Muslims have urged him to implement.
As far as democratic and secular values are concerned BJP cares the least about it. Its visible tears for the plight of Muslims in India will shame the Crocodiles. It is Muslims who have been the worst victims of BJP’s coming to power in the center. They are being beaten for offering Namaz on roads, being targeted for eating beef, being boycotted in Hindu Festivals or on the pretext of Corona Jihad or spitting jihad among others. Despite the counter instructions from the Supreme Court the states are using bulldozers against Muslim properties.
Mr. Modi put the Constitution on his forehead as a mark of respect. It was in the backdrop of campaigning for 2024 general elections when the INDIA coalition was carrying the Constitution as the major symbol of its campaign. For BJP Constitution is a mere showpiece. In UP any body opposing the Waqf bill will have to give a bond of RS 2 Lakhs, so much for our democratic freedoms in this regime!
The Waqf Amendment Bill totally violates the Indian Constitution in letter and spirit. P. Chidambaram summarizes it well “…Courts have recognized a waqf that was created by a non-Muslim, and examples are many. Further, under the existing law, a waqf is, by and large, independent and autonomous. The highest regulatory body in a State is the Board of Waqfs that consists of members who are all Muslims and the Chief Executive Officer is required to be a Muslim. The Board in exercise of its powers is required to “act in conformity with the directions of the waqf, the purposes of the waqf and any usage or custom of the waqf. The only body that has adjudicatory jurisdiction over waqf(s) is a Tribunal which is a judicial body presided over by a District Judge.”
The bill introduced by BJP stands its spirit on the head and totally smashes its original purpose. This is one more step to intimidate and disempowered the Muslims. The question of corruption in the matters of Waqf is a serious matter. As the Anna-Kejriwal campaign for Jan Lokpal has demonstrated that such methods don’t work. What can remove the corruption from body politic of our institutions by making them more transparent and democratic. This applies not only to Waqf but also most of the religious organizations controlling wealth and land.
The jumping in of Organiser with the article on Catholic prosperities reminds us that those supporting the assault on Muslim community should not be under the illusion that they can save themselves by supporting the attacks on other minorities.
-------------------
While protests among the Muslim community are picking up all those believing democratic and plural values need to support these, stand in solid unity with these. The turncoats, those for power and pelf for their selfish interests stand exposed and hopefully the countrymen will rise up in the forthcoming elections and other campaigns to show them their place in the dustbin of our History. Bottom of Form
https://countercurrents.org/2025/04/first-they-came-for-the-jews-the-waqf-amendment-bill-2024/
Pakistan Cricket Is In A Crisis
By Syed Rifaquat Ali
Pakistan cricket: once the World Champions, and now front-runner underdogs. In 1950s, when Pakistan Cricket team first toured India under the leadership of Abdul Hafeez Kardar, people admired the team which had legendary players like Hanif Mohammad, Fazal Mahmood et.al.
In recent times too, Pakistan produced world-class cricketers like, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Waseem Akram, Javed Miandad, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Anwar, Inzemam, Zaheer Abbas, Saqlain Mushtaq,Shahid Afridi, Salim Malik, Younis Khan and a battery of top notch cricketers.
Today, but for Babar Azam, the Pakistan team can be equated with any Indian University team which has sent ripples in Pakistan Cricket Board, chaired by the Interior Minister in the Federal Government, Mohsin Naqvi.
Not a single player in the Pakistan cricket team looks like an established professional cricketer. Recently, the Pakistan cricket team toured New Zealand and played three T-20 and three ODI, and lost all matches but one (Pakistan won one T-20 match).
The Pakistan Cricket team has been in such a sorry state of affairs and yet the PCB is unmoved and the show goes on. In such a situation, drastic measured are required to resurrect the Pakistan cricket team without losing time, else the fate of Pakistan Cricket team will be the same as that of hockey.
It should be a matter of shame for Pakistan Hockey Federation that today Pakistan finds it hard toqualify for the Olympics, when it was a dark horse in Olympics, World Cup, Champions Trophy and other FIH tournaments in the recent past.
The PCB aught to call an urgent meeting and and invite Zaheen Abbas, Javed Miandad, Waseem Akram and Saeed Anwar to stem the rot otherwise Pakistan cricket is doomed.
The world is watching your action, Mr. Naqvi, and it is an acid test for you. Wake up, for the national cause since the prestige of Pakistan Cricket is at stake.
Syed Rifaquat Ali is Sydney correspondent of JoA.
