AMP supports Loyola divestment

March 19, 2014

Dear Loyola Student Government Leaders:

The American Muslims for Palestine, a national education and advocacy organization based near Chicago, wholeheartedly congratulates you for overwhelmingly voting to divest your university from the Israeli Occupation.

You have taken a brave and courageous stance against injustice and Israel’s continual violation of international law. Despite the backlash you are undoubtedly experiencing, please remember that the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in 2005 was made because of the absence of international political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to abide by international law and end the occupation. BDS is an effective and important nonviolent tool in the movement to restore justice to the Palestinian people and to create a space where everyone in that region will be able to enjoy equal rights and live in peace.

All of us who are working for justice must stand strong and stand together to face the backlash, labeling and other tactics to silence us being applied by those who support Israel and want the status quo in Palestine to continue.

As you are well aware, Israel is engaged in the world’s last and longest-lasting occupation. It continually violates international law with impunity. The occupation, settlements, the siege on Gaza, random arrests and detentions of thousands of Palestinians every year – including hundreds of children – and the restrictions on freedom of movement, among so many other things, all violate international law and international humanitarian law. BDS is one way we can work to help change this inhumane system.

Thank you again for your courage. The American Muslims for Palestine stands with you in solidarity on this auspicious occasion.

Sincerely,

Dr. Hatem Bazian
Chairman
American Muslims for Palestine