Muslim Community Urges Parliament In Canada To Play War In Gaza

The Muslim group said Canadian lawmakers would not be allowed to speak to congregants on this Ramadan unless they acted to end Gaza's war.

Ramadan is a time of reflection, kinship, and joy for more than 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.

But with the protracted Israeli war in Gaza, which killed more than 31,000 Palestinians and plunged the small coast into a humanitarian crisis, this year's Islamic holy month which began on Sunday night had different feelings.

In Canada, the Muslim community's suffering over the situation in Gaza and the widespread belief that Canadian politicians are not doing enough to stem this crisis has sparked an unprecedented campaign this month of Ramadan.

"We see our brothers in Palestine dying every day. We see a number of terrible pictures popping up," said Fatema Abdalla, an advocacy officer at the Canadian Muslim National Council (NCCM) quoted from Al Jazeera.

"So this time Ramadan will definitely be more difficult for everyone."

NCCM is one of more than 300 Muslim groups in North American countries delivering ultimatums to Canadian politicians: Take action to end the war and defend Palestinian rights, or you will not be able to speak to worshipers during this month's community meeting.

The organizations, which include advocacy groups as well as mosques and cultural centers, demand five things from lawmakers, ranging from condemning Israeli war crimes to opposing Canada's arms transfer to Israel and supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"If lawmakers cannot be publicly committed to all these requests, unfortunately we cannot provide a platform for them to express their opinions to our congregation," Abdalla said.