Suzanne Weiss is a long time pro Palestinian Jewish activist and a member of Independent Jewish Voices Canada.
On October 28, 2019 Suzanne Weiss was a speaker at “Islamic History Month & Kashmir Black Day” event organized by the Islamic society of York Region (ISYR) in Ontario, Canada.
Here are excerpts from Suzanne Weiss’ speech:
The contribution of the Muslims and other immigrants to the anti-Nazi struggle was erased from the historical record. But the broad united anti-Nazi resistance efforts of my childhood provide an example of the type of anti-racist movement we need now. We see today the rise of a movement for white supremacy which draws inspiration in part from the Nazis, white racists carried out massacres at both Muslim mosques and Jewish synagogues as well as against Blacks and Latin American immigrants and people of color. In addition, Canada’s carbon emissions speed climate change whose devastation strikes mainly at poor countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan. Large numbers are threatened with loss of home and livelihood. They will need our humanity, our welcome, our protection against the right-wing racists. We urgently, we must urgently reach out beyond our communities to build a united defense. This unity is rejected by some right-wingers including regrettably some in the Jewish community. They aim their fire not against the racists but against Muslims. They slander critics of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians as anti-Jewish. This year they tried to get [Toronto] City Hall to ban from city property the Muslim based pro Palestinians movement Al-Quds [Day Rally]. The leaders of Al-Quds [Day Rally] are in fact firm defenders of the Jewish people. We are grateful for Zafar Bangash’s declaration at a large protest in May. He said: If the Jewish people in Canada are ever under attack they can be sure that we Muslims will stand at their side. This touches me deeply. I’m a member of independent Jewish Voices [Canada]. Here are my friends Sue Goldstein and my husband John Riddell. They are here with me today. Independent Jewish Voices speaks out strongly against hatred of Muslims I and other members of our group joined with the leaders of Al-Quds [Day Rally] and of your Islamic Society [Islamic society of York Region – ISYR] in defending Al-Quds [Day Rally] at [Toronto] City Hall. Al-Quds [Day rally] and Independent Jewish Voices agree in defending each other and working together against Islamophobia and antisemitism. We call for united movement against all forms of racism. This goal has deep support in the Canadian population. Please note that in the recent elections held last Monday in fact [October 21, 2019] the anti-Muslim anti-immigrant party [People’s Party of Canada – PPC] got much media attention but received almost no votes. Unity against racism will arm us as farm protection from the violence of white supremacy. We of Independent Jewish Voices are proud to join with you in this noble cause. There is mass support for Palestinian rights on every continent including among the Jewish people like me, and there was a growing international movement of solidarity with Kashmir. Let us work to build this movement together. Like the struggle of the Palestinian people we support the struggle for dignity and freedom for Kashmiri people. From Kashmir to Palestine occupation is a crime. Thank you again for the honor of speaking with you.
On January 6, 2019 Suzanne Weiss stated:
Zafar [Bangash], John [Riddell] and I a[re] proud to have you as a friend.
Zafar Bangash is Director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT) and on the Editorial Board of Crescent International. He was among the founding members, with Dr Kalim Siddiqui of the Muslim Institute in London. He is the author of several books, his latest being: Power Manifestations of the Sirah: Examining the Letters and Treaties of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Zafar Bangash is also a community organizer affiliated with Al-Quds Day rally in Toronto.
Zafar Bangash: “Jews, Christians, polytheists, infidels will spare no effort to ruin you”
At an April 1996 conference at an unknown location, Pakistani-born Canadian Imam Zafar Bangash said (published by MemriTV in February 2019):
Also, there is a confusion in the minds of some Muslims who think that today’s Christians are the People of the Book, the Christians and Jews and so on, and therefore they are our cousins and so forth. First of all, I would like to ask those of my brothers and sisters who think that way whether the original book that was revealed to either Moses or Jesus – does anybody have a copy of that book? The original book, not the distorted version that they keep on changing every so many years.
[…]
If you do not have a copy of the original book, then these people cannot be considered People of the Book, because there is no Book that we are talking about to which they belong.
[…]
But you know, we as Muslims must know that this can be expected from these people. We shouldn’t have any illusion about it. The reason being that Allah has told us in the Quran that these Jews murdered even sthe prophets of Allah. Did they not kill the Prophet Zachariah, and John [the Baptist]? The Jews killed them, so why should we expect them to treat us any better? I think that we will be remiss if we think that these people are going to be our friends. We must not be under any illusions that people that cannot be friends of Allah and His prophets can be friends of the Muslims, because if they are going to be our [friends], then we must examine our own faith – then there is something wrong with us, because Allah tells us that you cannot expect any friendship from these people [Jews].
[…]
These people – the Jews, the Christians, the polytheists, and the infidels – will spare no effort to ruin you, and they will do everything in their power to hamper your activities, including harmless activities like holding a conference. They will do everything in their power to hamper your activities, and yet Allah warns us and he says that what they utter with their mouths, what they say on their television screens, what you hear on their radio stations, what you read in their newspapers… Allah says that that is nothing. What they conceal in their hearts towards you is much greater. The hatred that they have towards you is much greater, so we as Muslims have to be conscious of this fact, and if we are conscious of this fact, and we understand their nature, and our responsibilities, then God willing, we cannot go astray.
Zafar Bangash calls for eradication of Zionism, Israel and dezionisation of Jews
On December 31, 2017 Crescent International published Zafar Bangash’s article titled “Understanding the True Nature of Zionism.” According to newpaper, “This article was first published in the CI April 2010 issue. It is being reproduced here in view of recent developments in the Holy Land.”
Here are excerpts from Zafar Bangash’s article:
Zionism has little or nothing to do with Judaism… Zionism is racism… Zionism will never become a bitter historical memory unless its eradication is coupled with the dismemberment of the State of Israel and the thorough dezionisation of its Jewish inhabitants.
However even this is not enough, as the tentacles of Zionism extend far beyond the borderless pariah State of Israel into the Arabian and imperialist capitals of the world. It is not enough to say that imperialist America and colonialist Europe prop up the Zionist cancer in the Muslim world…
Thus the will to make Israel disappear into the pages of history must also be the will to look for an Islamic post-national alternative to the nation-state fiasco that currently grips the whole world…
This is the only way to eradicate Zionism — as ideology and as social construct. All partial solutions will land us in the same spot we are in today. Until this racist ideology [Zionism] is uprooted and eliminated utterly and irrevocably, there will be no peace in Palestine or anywhere else in the world.
Zafar Bangash: “Palestine does not belong to the Zionists”
During Al-Quds Day rally on June 1, 2019, Zafar Bangash was interviewed for darstv YouTube channel. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Question: Today we’re here with Zafar Bangash. He is a longtime friend of the cause and the Al-Quds organization. So if you want to just say a couple words about yourself.
Zafar Bangash: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful [بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم], today we are gathered to observe Al-Quds day that was declared by our beloved leader the late Imam Khomeini back in 1979 to be observed as Quds day internationally and globally in 1979…
Question: if I could ask you why are you here today personally?
Zafar Bangash: I have attended each and every rally for Al-Qods since it was announced by the late Imam Khomeini. Initially there used to be about 15, 20 of us. We used together and hold this rally but gradually it grew. For me personally it is important because Al-Qsa Mosque is the first qibla [direction of prayer] of the Muslims and it is of the utmost importance that Muslims strive not only to draw attention to its illegal occupation by the Zionists, but also to liberate it from the clutches of the Zionists. And it is a both a religious, moral, political and human duty of every human being and as a Muslim it is my personal responsibility to continue to speak out in support of Al-Aqsa mosque and its liberation and the liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian people.
Question: Now that Palestine has been occupied for almost a century what do you think needs to happen?
Zafar Bangash: The first point is that there has to be much greater awareness created worldwide, and I see that that awareness is now growing. As I mentioned at least Quds rallies being held in at least 800 cities around the world.In Canada also this awareness is growing. Once we have greater awareness then we can strive towards imposing sanctions on the Zionist regime to bring it in conformity with international law, and if it doesn’t then it has to be forced to comply with international law. So Palestine does not belong to the Zionists. It belongs to the Palestinian people, and in fact the Palestinians have said and we as Muslims have said that once this racist ideology of Zionism has been removed that all people, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews can live as equal citizens under the law. And this is what needs to be done in occupied Palestine.
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