Palestine Solidarity Month 2024, Literacy and Education for Liberation of Baitul Maqdis

Bogor, MINA – The humanitarian organization Aqsa Working Group (AWG) is again organizing the Palestine Solidarity Month (BSP) 2024 with the theme “The Urgency of Literacy and Education for the Liberation of Baitul Maqdis and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

According to a statement from AWG, BSP 2024 will be opened at the Al-Hamra Hall of the Tazkia Institute, Sentul, Bogor on Monday, November 4, 2024.

“This year, in its third year, the theme is about literacy and education. This is actually a very fundamental theme that should be acknowledged by Muslims. Why, after more than a year of genocide, the Palestinian people are being slaughtered by Zionists (since October 2023), does it seem that Muslims have no strength or effort to help the Palestinian people?” said AWG Presidium Chair, Nur Ikhwan Abadi, in Bogor on Sunday.

“If we talk about humanitarian aid, food assistance, and other forms of aid, many have already done that. But for over a year, no one has been able to stop the attacks on Gaza. This leads us to think that there must be a fundamental problem within the Muslim community. To see our brothers being slaughtered right before our eyes yet not being able to stop the massacre is troubling,” he added.

Nur Ikhwan stated that Muslims today are only able to provide humanitarian aid but cannot stop the slaughter by Israeli occupiers in Palestine. He believes this inability stems from a shallow understanding of Baitul Maqdis and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“After our analysis, it appears that the Muslim community’s knowledge about Palestine, their sense of ownership regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque, Baitul Maqdis, and our brothers in Gaza does not resonate deeply in their hearts. Thus, the defense provided is limited to humanitarian aid, demonstrations, and so forth. A deeper understanding is indeed necessary so that Muslims not only provide humanitarian aid but can also resist and stop the massacres in the Land of Palestine,” he explained.

The Site Manager of the Indonesian Hospital Construction in North Gaza expressed hope that the theme presented in BSP 2024 would remind Muslims that defending Baitul Maqdis and Al-Aqsa Mosque is an obligation of faith.

“This theme is to remind Muslims that our duty toward Baitul Maqdis and Al-Aqsa is a matter of faith, not merely humanitarian. We hope Muslims can realize and embody that the struggle in Palestine is fundamentally a matter of faith. This year’s tagline is ‘Liberation of Mind before Liberation of Land,’” said Nur Ikhwan.

He went on to outline the series of events that will take place during BSP 2024.

“This year, everything is themed around ‘one thousand.’ The first event is a gathering of 1,000 volunteers on November 17 at Buperta Cibubur, followed by a Daurah (study session) on Baitul Maqdis with 1,000 participants in Lampung from November 22-24, which will be led by a scholar and expert from Palestine. There will also be a flag-raising ceremony for Indonesia and Palestine in the Sunda Strait with 1,000 participants, as well as a Baitul Maqdis Festival with 1,000 participants,” he said.

In addition, there will be a Baitul Maqdis Digital and Virtual Expo, social services, a “Pedal to Peace of Baitul Maqdis” event, flag-raising in Rinjani Mountain, a Peace Maker Forum talk show, installation of Baitul Maqdis maps, discussions, and the grand launching of the Indonesian Mother and Child Hospital (RSIA) in Gaza.

The opening of BSP 2024 on Monday will also feature the launch and review of the book “Indonesia-Palestine Relations” by AWG’s main advisor Imaam Yakhsyallah Mansur and the International Al-Quds Ambassador Ustaz Ali Farkhan Tsani.

The BSP opening will present national figures, including the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Dr. Zuhari Al-Shun, Chairman of the MUI Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Board Prof. Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, M.A., Chairman of the Indonesian People’s Alliance for Palestine (ARI-BP) Prof. Muhammad Sirajuddin Syamsuddin, M.A., Ph.D., and the MUI Secretary General for Law and Human Rights Dr. Ikhsan Abdullah M.H.

The Palestine Solidarity Month (BSP) is an annual routine agenda of the Aqsa Working Group (AWG), held every November for a full month with various activities.

This year marks the third year of BSP since its inception in 2022, following a one-week event held in 2021 called the Palestine Solidarity Week (PSP). (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)