Ep 258. - The Gaza Doctor TRUMP Needs To Hear | Dr. Bilal Piracha
Dr Bilal Piracha has just returned from a haunting trip to Gaza. He shares the stark reality: the extermination campaign is in its final stages, and we are running out of time. Dr Piracha is an emergency medicine doctor, also teaching at the University of Texas, and serves as a representative with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Council of Social Justice.
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Transcript - This is an AI generated transcript and may not reflect the actual conversation.
Introduction
0:00
as a doctor, someone who's who's got an eyewitness account of what's taking place in Gaza. This is not anti-semitism. When we talk about Zionist Israeli state killing people on
0:10
your cannot take any medical supplies, they were taking out baby formula from the bags. He said, "Give us food and then kill us. Give us food and then kill us." And you would see the brain coming
0:20
out because he was directly attacked. We demand that we be let in so that we can tell the world what's going on in Gaza. Who would have thought that Marjgerie Taylor Green would be calling it
0:29
a genocide and Bernie Sanders would refuse to call it a genocide? We have to reach to
0:34
this right mega base which Allah has opened it wide open in front of us. This absolute fear of
0:41
losing American dream that is I feel like the cornerstone of our problems at least know what
0:46
is here what we are standing up for and that is that the must that belongs to us this is
0:52
their goal this is their mission that is what they are living for Dr. Dr. Bilal Parachcha has just returned from a haunting trip to Gaza. He shares the stark reality. Dr. Parachcha is
1:02
an emergency medicine doctor also teaching at the University of Texas and serves as a
1:07
representative with the Islamic Circle of North America on the Council of Social Justice. [Music]
1:19
Dr. Bal Paracha and welcome to the Thinking Muslim. Dal, thank you very much for having
1:26
me here. Well, Jazak, I'm really really looking forward to today's conversation, even though it's a very bleak conversation. Um, for those of our viewers who don't know, and I I've been in in
Gaza’s Conditions
1:35
Texas now for around a week, and subhan Allah, I think I've seen you probably every day or every
1:41
other day for this past week, either at the masid um talking about your time in Gaza, you were a
1:47
doctor, you are a doctor, and you've been to Gaza now on three separate occasions. I've seen you at
1:53
the at press conference. We've obviously met uh say subhan Allah you are very much involved in the
2:00
advocacy work uh as a doctor someone who's who's got an eyewitness account of what's taking place
2:06
in Gaza and um mashallah you know I I would say that you're uh you're really spreading the word
2:13
of of what's happening being Gaza. Now, you've been to Gaza on three separate occasions and
2:19
uh the last occasion was very recently. Tell us a little bit about that trip, but more importantly,
2:24
what's changed from the first and second time you were in Gaza to today to the last visit?
2:30
What's changed in terms of the people and their uh position and their condition in Gaza? Okay.
2:37
Thank you very much again for having me on this show. It's really an honor and welcome to Texas. Uh as we say here, welcome home. So, so we are really excited to have you here. Uh, and yes,
2:50
as you said like sort of it has it was third time and first time when we went it was last year March
2:56
uh during Ramadan and we went through at that time through Rafa. So it was going through Cairo. Uh we
3:03
had some uh difficulty at Cairo airport of taking the medical supplies but overall it was pretty
3:11
smooth. Uh we were able to take a lot of bags. Then from Cairo early morning you leave and you go
3:16
through all the way about 5 6 hours drive through Sai desert. Uh feeling the history being unfolded
3:24
in front of you. How the whole nation of prophet Musa Alisam went through that and they were lost
3:31
there for 40 years due to the reasons we all know. Uh but then there we went through Rafa border.
3:38
At that time Rafa was open just it was few months before it got uh destroyed and uh that was pretty
3:45
smooth process. We go we went through the Egyptian side and then obviously Palestinian side were all welcoming. We were able to take a lot of bags full of medical supplies which were real crucial for
3:56
for the insight. U second time last July we went through Jordan. Uh things were entirely changed
4:03
at that time. you go through the Jordan border and then uh crossing the Jordan and then Israeli
4:09
border there will be can be a long process. Uh it's like sort of we start early morning 6:00
4:16
a.m. and then you go take go on the UN bus where a lot of the UN projects they're all going together
4:23
and then uh and and most most of them will be like non-Muslim UN workers who are passionate
4:28
to work in Gaza still in these conditions. So it is heartening to see that. But the other all
4:34
process is deliberately designed to disheart and discourage that you dare not to come back. So then
4:41
you will go through that you know the bags check first on the Jordanian side and on the Israeli side you cannot take any the supplies uh medical supplies. This time in particular they were taking
4:52
out baby formula from the bags and you can imagine like what kind of the humans will be who are
4:58
making sure the starvation in each and every micro level. Finally when you are able to go through all
5:04
those backjacks many hours of just sitting there and waiting then you when you cross the just that
5:10
border building then there will be another bus and then in that bus you will cross the um like whole
5:17
you will go through Israel you will see the uh the board in there saying Jerusalem this side and you
5:23
really want to go there but you cannot because you're not allowed to get the bus stop on the way all the way will go to the border and and then there at the border of like Kim Shalum crossing
5:34
basically. Uh this time in particular, you come across the the the Israeli soldiers, they will
5:41
come into in your bus with their guns and uh they will go through your papers and you know check you
5:47
uh and then you get off. So interesting thing when I was like at that building a a lady came
5:56
to me like Palestinian sister who was from US and she said like are you sure about this? I said,
6:02
"Yeah, I be like, why not?" So, this is kafia. I still wearing that. And when when I crossed and
6:07
when I was putting my bags in the bus, then the our Palestinian another sister who sort of like
6:14
coordinates all that movement from one the other, she said there you are going to come across the
6:19
combat soldiers and uh you know they they are who they are. So I request you to please take it off.
6:25
I said okay for you I will take off. So there when we uh in the at the when we reached the
6:32
cream showroom so this time as I said particularly entering was much even harder than last July. Last
6:37
July was pretty hard too and then when you enter there you the armored cars will be waiting for
6:42
you in the parking lot and but we kept waiting in bus for a long time because they did not get clearance to come from the UN house to there to pick us up and then you walk through the parking
6:54
lot with your two bags and you cannot come back. So everything is there. You are surrounded by the Israeli army there with their guns and you go and sit the armored cars quickly and then again
7:03
you may wait in the cars for many hours until get the clearance and then you enter. And now when you
7:09
enter uh the destruction like absolute destruction everywhere. So last year when we entered
7:17
uh in Rafa still Rafa was standing there like the life obviously the shops were closed. uh you
7:25
can imagine, feel, sense, hear drone going around that you are in the war zone. But then when July
7:33
we entered we felt that yes we are really in the war not only in the zone and uh now when now you
7:41
enter when this time the Khan ununas completely destroyed Rafa even you cannot go there and the other Gaza city. So in nutshell entering there is a big difference and then the situation there on
7:53
ground uh is much worse than you can even imagine from the last year. Asalam alalaykum. I need your
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8:01
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you to spread the word, comment, and keep an eye out for our shows. there. Subhan Allah. And and
8:43
in terms of the condition of the people, yes, you talked a little bit about the starvation. We know
Israel’s Starvation of Gaza
8:48
now that the Israelis are purposely starving uh the population in Gaza. You would have witnessed
8:56
that in on your last visit. Just describe what you saw in terms of starvation and malnut
9:01
malnutrition. Like sort of the first declared uh starvation or malnutrition death happened in
9:08
front of our eyes. Really? Yes. So that was a kid who got like the news got on the Alazer as well
9:16
uh maybe you would have seen that as well with his eyes open uh and don't know he's alive live
9:22
or dead and it was our pediatrician colleague uh who was there when he took his last breath. So
9:30
uh as you may have heard before in my talks like so on July 19th the the nurses and the doctors
9:40
there they told me that today is the last day we are going to get meal from world central kitchen
9:47
right and world central kitchen has been had been providing meal throughout this time at least one
9:54
meal to the healthcare workers and you can imagine what kind of meal it could be just some rice or some lentils or something just to call it meal and that was the day um you know like first time since
10:06
last time when I came and whenever I talked I always have talked about hope and still I'm talking about hope but that day I saw the hopes dimming on their faces smiling smiles fading away
10:17
because they said that you know they from today we don't know what will happen and uh that nurse
10:24
I mean many people said but one nurse and you when you were talking to them you you remain confused that you know uh what are their actual feelings. So he was smiling uh but you could feel that pain
10:37
deep there. He said give us food and then kill us. Give us food and then kill us. And we were sitting
10:43
in the ICU and um I was like sort of little shaken by that but still I thought that this is just
10:50
metaphorical. Uh I mean who in the world would do that? I mean still we we we had have the belief
10:57
in the humanity but just few days ago I read the news uh in the newspaper that a nurse from that
11:03
same hospital Shoddox hospital father of four was trying to get food for his family standing in the
11:10
middle uh you know like in on the ground and an air pallet so-called aid was coming down which
11:18
hit his chest and he was killed right away and not only that but the people ran over him to get the
11:25
his brother told that he was crushed completely there. So that was the situation of the hunger which we saw and we the the our like team we went with heroic hearts and they were able to and they
11:36
are still able to run the kitchen at that time particularly with the local produce. Um but you
11:42
could see themselves that they're how like you know frail they were looking and you talk to
11:47
anybody else you can see and you can feel that they have not eaten maybe in days or obviously
11:53
eaten very less and you could see the kids uh like running around but how weak and frail they
12:02
will be. So the absolute hunger this time was like unquestionable there because you could see
12:10
uh the blockade of the food is really in play. And uh maybe this sounds like a very simplistic
12:17
and and a an obvious question, but why? Yes. Why have they withdrawn food from the people
12:24
of Gaza? Why have they withdrawn food from the medical workers in Gaza? Like what's the what's
12:30
the objective there? Yes, I was uh I just texted before our interview to uh engineer Ayad. He is
12:38
NGO's coordinator as well as um journalist and I asked him the latest situation and he sent a
12:45
pretty good long written detail analysis and we will talk about that in detail as well if we get
12:50
time but most important thing is to break the hope to break the resilience that is the whole planning
12:58
there like he said that these attacks of which are called fire belt that the attacks happening
13:04
like each and every second and there is a story of the ambulance driver very like inspiring story
13:11
uh but how like he told that one you they will get the attack and they know that after this attack
13:19
there will be another attack coming and then yet the drivers will go in there to get the dead bodies but that's how exactly it is planned and it happened which you just saw in like Naser hospital
13:29
that they attacked and then they that was like a sort of a bait to get other workers there double
13:35
tap double tap yeah exactly that what the name is. So uh so so so that was so number so this is what
13:40
like also coming directly to your question. Yeah using hunger as weapon this is called
13:46
weaponization of hunger which we saw by our eyes. Gaza humanitarian foundation is nothing but the
13:52
absolute weapon for the hunger to number one not only kill by hunger but also make you humiliated,
14:01
ridiculed and completely demoralized by hunger and then kill. If you're enjoying the episode,
The Thinking Youth
14:07
you're going to love this next clipam. My name is Alam and I'm one of the co-hosts of our brand new project, the Thinking Youth Podcast. And to make our launch successful,
14:15
we need your help. Make sure to support us by subscribing to the Thinking Youth Podcast. So,
14:20
the idea is to demoralize Exactly. this spiritual resistance that existed. I mean, for year for for
Gazan’s Mindset
14:26
over a year now, for for 19 months, we've been talking about the resilience and the hope and and the amazing qualities of the people of Gaza. Look, I would say if I was in hunger,
14:37
I don't know how what my state of mind would be. Like when you left Gaza and I I would imagine
14:42
you left very reluctantly, but when you left Gaza, what was the state of mind of the ordinary person?
14:48
So that nurse which I mentioned you and uh again like I did not have the courage to call back and
14:54
find out that the nurse who got killed was the same nurse or not. I hope not. But how does it
14:59
differ? But the words he said not only that they give us food and kill us but he said that we come here hungry our kids are hungry back at home and we go back hungry. So obviously you can
15:09
imagine that how you can work how you can survive and that's why you will put your life at risk.
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uh the story of like a a a young uh lady who has been working with me all these times as a
15:22
translator. The first time when I was there almost all lost and like you know all the uh injured on
15:28
the floor in the ER and I always say when they ask me that where have you come from so I would say
15:44
Pakistan but I was born in Saudi Arabia and my blood is Palestinian. And then I would say that I know Alra Shya which means I know some Arabic. So that sister was watching me and then
15:54
she came she said like um do you need help for the translation? I said definitely. Uh she said like I have returned from I I was studying in US and now I'm back here and since then whenever I go back
16:05
uh we get connected and she helps me out. But this time uh on her WhatsApp profile there was
16:11
a picture with her dad somebody looking like her dad and it was said Allah oh Allah have mercy on
16:17
my dad and I could not you know ask what what's going on but when I went there she said that her
16:23
uh brother who was 15 years old he uh could not see us anymore the hunger and he like wanted to
16:30
go to the that so-called humanitarian foundation and my father was always holding him back but one
16:35
day he sneaked out with his friends and uh when my father later found out at night time he ran after
16:41
him but it was too late for him for the father. Thankfully the the brother ultimately was able to
16:48
come back but uh that this uh the father he got attacked and killed in all the middle of nowhere
16:56
and then she said like obviously the phone was not were not working and she was trying to find him everywhere. uh uh finally she found him in NASA hospital and he had passed away with him.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
17:06
And so let's just talk about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation because of course it's still believed
17:12
here in the west in the mainstream media. I mean I've been watching CNN and and the the mainstream
17:17
channels and it's it's horrid the narrative that still persists on these channels. But,
17:23
uh, the Israeli narrative, which seems to still have some currency here in America, at least, I think the Europeans have realized it's it's all nonsense. Uh, the the narrative is that we've set
17:33
up these centers uh when we provide humanitarian aid and um there is no reason for the people of
17:40
Gaza to be starving. But it seems like what you've indicated there, what everyone else is saying,
17:46
and is that these centers are really places to annihilate. It's a way of targeting
17:51
Palestinians. Is that is that simply what it is? Exactly. So when I were talking to the doctor, nurses like the healthcare workers there and no almost nobody uh told me that they have gone there
18:02
or anyone they know have gone there and come back with food. this uh sister as I mentioned. Yes,
18:09
these these kind of the stories that some ended up going due to some reason and they come came back
18:15
dead and we could see like one day uh I mean like those the victims were there I mean like of all
18:23
the injuries and there was somebody lying on the floor in the ER and uh he had a big like gauze on
18:31
his forehead and as a quickly as you're seeing like you you you don't know like whether he's alive or dead so I I quickly like removed that gauze hoping that there will be like a small wound
18:41
and we will be able to save him or something like that. But when I removed the gauze there was that
18:47
big of a hole and you could see the brain coming out because he was directly attacked there at Gaza
18:53
Humanitary Foundation when I asked people what happened. So that's how the snipers the IDF they
18:59
are present there and as Colonel Aguilar who was the American contractor at Razan foundation and
19:06
he had given multiple interviews there he has very rightly said and that's what I was told there by
19:11
the by the people as well as I that I noticed that those centers the killings not happening just by
19:18
coincidence they are designed exactly like that to kill people so so they will be enter they will be
19:24
they will be forced to walk many miles to reach there and before reaching and that's why always
19:31
the the foundation will say uh nothing happened in our center we don't know no yeah you know very
19:37
well but yes it did not happen on your center it happened couple of kilometers before that
19:43
where ID IDF is stationed and situated to keep killing and keep like you know firing all that
19:51
area whoever is coming there and when they will come inside there will be like uh just food as
19:57
the people told. So there will be like some food just on the floor. There will be nobody giving no system at all. No system at all in place and they will like come around and go around and whatever
20:07
like is present there they will try to grab it. Obviously you can imagine like uh the only the
20:14
strong could have gotten whatever they could not the women and the children and but once they get
20:21
out of that station again they are in the line of fire and not only by the guns but by the tanks and
20:26
by the crop copters and crop copters are what they are like the running uh the flying machines on the
20:33
drones flying m gun machines have been uh placed there and they are not being only being used there
20:39
but everywhere else to remote control kill people. Yeah, this this sounds dystopian. It sounds like
20:47
um the world uh watches on as um the Israelis one by one kill Palestinians. Exactly. And that's what
20:56
the world food program and other the UN agencies and other aid program they all have said that this
21:04
uh Gaza humanitarian foundation is designed to make starvation worse and that was like
21:12
an independent research study as well done and an independent center for the yes that was the femine
21:19
control center feminine control center and they have said that the way it the foundation centers
21:25
have been placed and designed and being run. They make are making sure for the starvation
21:31
to happen not to help them. Um Dr. Bilal, I I at the very beginning of this crisis,
Stories from Gaza
21:37
we used to watch the social media feeds and I I found myself slowly passing those feeds because
21:44
it just became more and more horrific. And I think I made a conscious decision a few months back that
21:49
I need to watch these feeds because otherwise my heart becomes hardened and you know you you become
21:56
cold to you become numb to uh the atrocities that are taking place there. You must have seen
22:03
some horrible horrible situations. Just tell me about some of the stories that linger in your mind
22:09
uh since your return. you know as I mentioned this um this gentleman who was there on the floor and
22:16
with the skull open and brain coming out d with direct attack uh the other one like sort of uh
22:22
this time it was like around 3:00 a.m. and uh I was in my room and I had told uh the ER doctors
22:30
and that you know whenever there is any god forbid mass casuuality which is every day so just call me
22:36
uh but 3:00 a.m. It was a massive like loud explosion. You you could feel like
22:42
the whole our building got shaken and it I could imagine that it's just like little uh far away from the hospital. Uh and then I just quickly ran out. I saw the there were like
22:55
some civilians like the who were taking you know like shelter in the hospital. So that family was
23:02
running around and they were looking panicked. Um so I quickly like changed and ran to the ER
23:10
and there when I reached there uh the family who was like neighbor there where we were staying in
23:17
the hospital their mother she uh was crying on a dead body coming out of the ER at that time. So
23:24
she had already reached there before I eat and then there were two kids there. Uh I think one
23:32
was maybe like 7 years or 6 years and the other kid is um like a 3 year old. Yeah. 3 to four year
23:39
old. Uh so the one with like I think seven year old his uh like you know again the same thing like
23:46
it was covered by the gauze on the on the belly and I removed it and the whole bubble was out.
23:52
uh he he was still alive and there was uh I mean we were hopeful thankfully we sort of like saved
23:59
him right at that time and then the other kid had his full arm fractured and he was also like
24:06
obviously crying and quickly we examined them uh and then we were able to send them to the O.
24:15
other colleague from heroic heart the orthopedic surgeon he then later like went to the surgery and
24:22
then he came back and he told me that the elder kid situation is pretty bad although the general surgeon were there the orthopedic were there uh but he said hopefully the younger we will be able
24:31
to save and then uh we got further like you know all the report that what happened and all that so
24:38
there was a family just staying little far from our hospital in a tent their mother like the
24:46
grandmother of the kids. she uh with her husband and and another son here and her son and wife they
24:54
were attacked. They both got uh shahed there and then those were the two sons out of that that son
25:01
also got shahid later on although initially we were able to save and after the surgeries and
25:06
now out of all that family that little kid he was only left behind. Mhm. And then particularly it
25:14
remained in our like in our memories is always there because we saw the kid every day obviously
25:21
because he there his grandmother was there and she was taking care of him. The way he had like
25:28
the vig here and I think he had like them foley in place and multiple other lines and I think he
25:33
had a leg injury as well. So they will be holding him taking him for the treatment and coming back.
25:40
Thankfully within two weeks he was able to walk around all right and he did smile to us and that
25:45
smile is you know that precious smile was the reward of all what we could do but obviously the
25:52
pain obvious um do you see yourself as a a doctor or a journalist an activist or a witness? I think
Self-Perception
26:02
everything um I see that um Allah has really given me uh opportunity to be at the forefront.
26:13
uh uh I tell my friends uh I don't tell many but I think that when I came to the to to us one of
26:22
the reasons I wanted to go to the emergency was that one day hopefully I mean that hopefully it
26:30
does not happen but if it happens the situation like this where we are needed in the forefront
26:35
so hopefully I may be there so Allah gave us this chance uh but obviously this opportunity and this
26:43
um uh you know like this these kind of a chances they come with the responsibility and that's what
26:49
I feel like when I'm back here right that just going there saving few lives and honestly every
26:56
time when I go back there I feel like me coming here it's maybe making me feel better uh that
27:04
I'm doing something but uh we are not able to do much by just going there to change the situation
27:12
I really feel bad about myself obviously first of all and and all other colleagues because we have
27:17
to plan things in a way that we are thinking 3 to 6 months in advance that we want to go back to
27:22
Gaza but what does it mean it means that we have taken it for granted that this is keep going on
27:29
and we are now planning our whole life like that so coming back to your question directly I feel
27:34
myself I'm a philanthropist and philanthropist who is somebody who sort of like believes in a cause
27:41
for the humanity and then he gives all of himself for that cause in whatever way possible. Yeah. And
27:50
uh that's how some I'm a doctor, I'm a you know a movement worker, I'm a like a relief worker,
27:57
witness and uh then talking here about the about the mission. Yeah. C can I ask you about your
28:04
return? Um you you live here in America as as you've just suggested. you you've um you're a
28:10
doctor here. Um uh you live here within the Dallas community, mashallah. I've seen you with the local
28:16
community groups, with IKNA, with the uh the big national organization. Um do you perceive that
28:23
Gaza is a burning cause for for people around you? I'm not talking about your organization. I'm just
28:28
generally our community here in the United States. Is there a is there a deep sort of feeling that
28:37
we need to be doing something um or has it become background noise as it has probably become in the
28:42
UK even before going there this was my feeling and then when came back that even grew up and
28:49
uh uh I mean like sadly I I mean and I don't blame anybody but there were like when we came back like
28:56
the brothers having like you know pool parties those things going on as if nothing is happening
29:02
At the same time at the same time uh the I really feel and believe that the everybody's aching
29:08
in the heart and we really feel embarrassed when like the brothers and sisters like they
29:15
uh come to us and say that you you were there and you know like we appreciate that and we really feel that we have done nothing but at least it shows that they have that pain and they feel that
29:26
happiness that somebody on their behalf has a has been able to go there. Yeah. So this this I would
29:32
say like this common pain which absolutely has brought everybody together as as Muslim um and
29:41
ultimately the whole humanity but talking about us um I I have a belief in that that yes everybody's
29:48
aching and everybody wants to do something at the same time uh we had been saying in the beginning
29:55
that what we are talking is just an echo chamber and it's going around and coming around on our own circles but sad Sadly our even echo chamber are silent now and that is affecting like it's
30:05
not those echo chambers are insignificant when the echo chamber are silent obviously there is
30:10
no voice going outside so that's why uh I you you're absolutely right as you u notice and we
30:20
both were here in a in a national you know judice organization conference and we felt that zazab was
30:29
just on the side note Similarly, another big convention happening and they had invited me
30:34
uh to to speak on that. But overall, again, if you see that the Gaza is nowhere, I I would just like
American Muslims
30:41
to say, I mean, I'm you're you're way too polite to say this, but this is a national organization that's holding a a massive conference for 10 20,000 Muslims, and you were given five minutes to
30:52
talk about Gaza. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, that that for me is unfathomable that you've got
31:00
so many Muslims present and Gaza hasn't factored anywhere in in the itinerary. That's right. That's
31:06
right. I mean, it begs the question, do you feel that American Muslims are just not doing enough? I would say that as a common American Muslim here, they have done pretty good in the
31:19
beginning particularly and still many are they're trying their best. But maybe the leadership is
31:27
failing them. U I mean like we have obviously like the vices like Immunar Surman and other like Dr.
31:36
Kazi and multiple others we can talk about. But collectively uh as the leadership individual as
31:43
well as organizational level that leadership could have uh rallied big movement from uh from of all
31:53
the Muslims and if that movement of the Muslims could have brought all the Americans together by
32:00
now. Yeah. Although there is some progress and we will talk that on that later that is taking
32:05
now lead and hopefully that will be shaping the new movement but yes till now the leadership the
32:13
religious the political the cultural uh everybody for example like again coming back to the doctors
32:23
uh I may be trouble with my friends but I like a Pakistani doctor we have a big organization
32:29
everybody knows about that. Yeah, but all their conferences and all their you know conventions
32:34
everything is going on as if nothing is happening in the world. The singing and the music and all
32:40
that is going on while I will talk to many of their members and everybody's aching for they want
32:46
to go there but the the the the leadership is not giving them an avenue to do something for them.
Complicity
32:54
Again, I maybe this next question is is um uh is not an appropriate question,
33:00
but it's something I've been thinking about because of course it's every everyone knows that um this country more than any country is probably the most complicit when it comes to I'm not saying
33:11
the American people, I'm saying the American establishment is they're far more complicit when it comes to what's happening in in Gaza. Um in that sense we live or you live in a country
33:25
where that complicity is very apparent from just from an accountability perspective you know Allahh
33:32
is will question us on our capabilities our abilities about what we can do and where we
33:38
can do it like do you feel that there is a greater accountability on your neck I mean subhan Allah
33:45
you do a lot of work but on your neck as well as the neck of those of your of your peers in in this
33:50
country. Absolutely. Uh uh like uh when we do our kids do the exams here and or we like you know the
33:57
USML exam or kids do the star exam and all that. So there as the exam if you keep doing good the
34:05
exam keeps getting more difficult. So absolutely like that on the American Muslims lies the biggest
34:12
responsibility. There is no doubt about that. as they say we are in the belly of the beast and they
34:17
say in a positive way but I think like if you are engulfed in the beast's belly and you're content
34:24
with that you don't want to you know like tame the beast or you don't want to come out of the beast there are no other option either you get the beast to uh to make to to to do what you want to
34:36
do which is good for the humanity which is the truth which is the justice which is the freedom and if you're not able to make the beast do that then get out from Yeah, and that is another this
34:46
is another whole topic of discussion about hijra and maybe some other time. But the point is that
34:52
maybe that American dream and that fear that we may not lose being individually as well as on the
35:01
level of big organizations. This absolute fear of losing American dream that is I feel like the
35:08
cornerstone of our problems. Yeah. That's Yeah. And sorry and that is what I feel like the pres
35:13
President Trump is using exactly that that you know like sort of that number one to get the visa
35:20
holders and then the green card holders and then the denaturalization so that you he knows or that
35:27
you know those those uh racist the racist rulers of the country they know that this is the problem.
35:38
This is where they we this is the weak point of uh those who talk about all these big words
35:44
fancy words of justice, freedom, truth. But as soon as the American dream will come, everything will shatter. Can I talk to you about what we can do as a as a as a Muslim Ummah and in particular
The Right
35:55
in your case as as American Muslims. Now um of course there have been demonstration protests
36:01
and and these need to continue and I think they're very important in showing solidarity. Uh but also there's work amongst the political elites and until now it it maybe seems to me that American
36:11
Muslims have largely found alliances amongst the left but there is this growing consensus on the
36:18
right. It seems to me u Tucker Carlson and the the the um the um journalists on and the YouTubers are
36:26
are now talking in a way in which um we would never have imagined five years ago even. Um,
36:35
who would have thought that Marjgerie Taylor Green would be calling it a genocide and Bernie Sanders
36:40
would refuse to call it a genocide? I think we spoke about this the other day. So there is a a movement a change a development on the right for whatever reason and you know we can we can go
36:50
into that but for whatever reason like how much effort especially a place like Texas where the
36:55
right belong I mean you know this is a heartland base for Donald Trump. How much effort is being
37:00
made on the right um uh to to bring them to our demonstrations to make them pressurize
37:08
their government uh into into uh stopping this uh this relationship I think with with Israel.
37:16
There's there's absolutely critical question and that is where like sort of for the last 20 years
37:23
I would say after 911 we were told that our survival is un becoming politically active we
37:31
have to get our candidates there we have to fund we have to do that we have to do that but what
37:36
was not being sent but was being done all those 20 years that our survival is only with the left is
37:42
only with the democrats and this was like I would say the one good thing of all this genocide that
37:49
it started when Democrats were in the power. Yeah. And they remain in power about like one and a half
37:54
year but this kept on going and they did not do they did not do absolutely anything. And uh last
38:01
year before going in February we had a big u uh rally in um in Austin and there I was one of the
38:08
speakers and I mentioned about a writer who wrote book uh on Biden and he said that I have met Biden
38:16
recently and I told him that below 32 years of the age everybody's talking about Gaza and he said
38:24
that if you do not do anything you will be removed and you you you will be like you know not able
38:31
to win the election as exactly it happened during Vietnam war that you did not listen to the public
38:36
and the public threw you off and that is exactly the situation as you mentioned that on the right
38:43
side we did not make absolutely any effort to penetrate in the right only Allah has opened the
38:49
ways this is where you know like the they always say that where is Allah in the equation that and those things like the those the representative which you took the name Tucker Carlson and
38:59
everybody or else I would like to read uh a quote and uh ask you guess who said that you can bring
39:07
it on. You can bring it on. I'm totally ready for this and this is a fight that I will fight and I
39:15
will give it my all and I can guarantee you and I can guarantee you you're going to lose because
39:22
America is fed up. What do you think? Sorry, I'm asking you a question. Yeah, that's a good
39:28
question. I mean I would imagine it's someone from the right. Exactly. That's why I'm asking. So the one you told us Congresswoman Major Taylor Green she said these words and who? None other than
39:39
Apac. She's talking to American Israel political you know committee who are literally buying the
39:46
the the the politicians here both sides of the aisle. Yeah. And that is important to know that
39:53
this uh dissatisfaction and as Steve Bannon who was a chief political strategist for Trump and
40:00
he is basically the driver of the far right movement and he is no doubt about that that
40:06
he is a driver of the Islamophobic sentiments in the far right. Yes. But he said that below uh 30
40:11
years everybody's fed up with this right and and they are the people who basically are close to the
40:17
public pulse and basically that is on both sides both right and left there had been a complete
40:25
frustration and disillusionment of this political cultural and economical the elites hedgemony who
40:35
have like taken over the whole politics and the the I mean like we say that this is a democracy
40:41
but basically is which is a putoaucracy where like the elections can be literally bought
40:46
so-called you have the uh like the the limit on everybody that you cannot give more than I think
40:52
$5,000 per candidate individually but at the same time you can make uh any pack and like Elon Musk
40:59
you can give billions of dollars and everybody will be uh in your pocket. So that that resentment
41:06
that revolt is going on both sides and that's where Bernie Sanders came on the left side and
41:12
his was like not me us or our revolution uh where the that dissatisfaction and frustration in the
41:21
African-Americans in the like you know Hispanics as well as the Muslims they all became his power
41:26
on the right side for for Trump the mega movement make America great again that is those frustrated
41:34
workingclass white Americans. Yeah. So this is like a complete big opportunity open in front of
41:41
us and honestly still we are not doing anything. Personally, we are trying that we reach out to
41:50
representative Major Taylor. I hope she listens to this somehow and this reaches to her that we
41:56
really want to meet her as the American doctors and nurses that we meet her and tell the stories
42:02
from there. I wish I hope that the American doctor who is right now the American nurse the
42:07
white American nurse non-Muslim who is right now there and we talked with her all of those
42:13
uh of us American doctors and nurses who have been back to from Gaza we have little organization uh healthcare workers for humanity so we had an emergency meeting with that American nurse and
42:22
UK doctor both ladies who are there now only two international uh when the attack on Naser hospital
42:29
happened and that attack was deliberately planned and designed when the international team left
42:34
and other international team was blocked so that there was no international doctor there and they attacked the hospital killing 20 people. these two ladies are in another hospital and people
42:43
were panicking there that uh you know are you planning to leave and we honestly speaking we said
42:49
you know if we don't think you getting killed will do anything for the war so save yourself you the
42:55
family get out but they said if we being the human shields can save some people we are not moving
43:01
from there so I hope that American nurse when she comes back she come goes and talks to major
43:08
Taylor representative major Taylor and she hears from us. I hope we we reach to Tucker Carlson. I
43:14
hope he listens to us and he invites us. We just want to sit. We just wrote today another letter to
43:20
President Trump. We are hundreds of those doctors who have been to Gaza and the nurses. We wrote letter to President Biden before and as it's like he did not never know. But we are writing another
43:31
letter to President Trump asking him that we want to come talk with you, tell you what we have seen
43:37
just on the basis of humanity and nothing else. Uh you're an emergency doctor here in in in America
43:43
and that's your day job. And uh from my last conversation, you talked about how you wear this kapia uh to work every day as you wear it now. Um um do people that I I would imagine you you
Kiffeyeh at Work
43:56
largely work with Muslims and non-Muslims. Do do uh your patients recognize what you're wearing and
44:03
and what sort of reactions do you get from them? Yes. Yes. And it's like sort of it's my day and
44:08
night job. That's right. So um and uh I worked like you know in in a university hospital which
44:16
is a little out of Dallas in a sort of you can say redneck area and u I think since not October 2023
44:24
but maybe November December October 2023 I have been wearing this because I felt that we go to the rallies and everywhere where everybody's wearing this and then we come and you know pack it and put
44:33
it somewhere else. So what's the benefit of it? So uh there have been pretty good in conversations on
44:40
base of that and it does open up lot of people and generally speaking hate has not come out.
44:46
No way. Generally speaking hate has not come out because we would imagine in Texas Yes. there would
44:51
be a lot of hate. There's not much hate. Yeah. So just uh uh the the story like sort of when I
44:57
was going to Gaza this time before that u I was doing my last shift at that university hospital
45:02
uh and I entered a room with a white couple old couple and that gentleman was pretty sick. So his
45:09
wife white lady so when I I started asking like what's going on and this and that and as obviously
45:16
we are in hurry always as the ER docs and she was just looking at me. So I said okay something is wrong. And then she said she pointed like to to my neck. I said okay be ready. She said I like this.
45:27
I said okay. So many of times people say that I like this. You're looking good you know like you're looking well put. And then I asked them do you know what it is? And then there I start
45:36
try to start the conversation. So I said do you know what it is? She said I very well know what it is. And I I am for Gaza. I'm standing up for Gaza. I every day I watch the news. I listened to
45:48
that my hearts ache and uh and then we kept going on and on and on and we forgot about the poor old
45:54
man there who lying on the bed. Yes. And then the next day uh when I was in the flight from Dallas
46:00
to Chicago to get the flight to Jordan. So I use it for multi-purpose thing. Sometime I like open
46:05
it up and put it as a the you know the prayer rug and during the flight I will wrap around my eyes
46:11
and sleep. So I don't need any eye shield anymore. So I was sleeping in the middle of the seat and
46:17
then another white lady was stand sitting next to me. So before uh landing when I woke up I said
46:23
you know I have to get off and I have to catch an international flight. So she said where are you going and then again we started talking and then she asked about this that you are wearing
46:31
this what does it mean why why do you do that? So overall I really u and then like again same
46:38
thing she said that is where like coming back to your previous question people are waiting for us
46:43
to reach to them. We were like talking again for a long time and uh she said like I really don't
46:50
want to watch but I'm watching as you said that I want to watch I don't want to but watch but I
46:55
want to watch what's going on by our tax dollars how we are killing the kids how long it will so
47:02
so so so that is the point that this only one or two occasions I remember where somebody gave some
47:08
bad comment or something like that but otherwise because of this I have been able I would say maybe
47:13
hundreds of people just open the conversation and then obviously we go from there. So because there is this shift I mean I spoke to we we know James Bell and uh you introduced me to him and um I
Shift amongst Right Wing?
47:25
interviewed him and it seems to me very clearly that there is a shift now especially amongst younger right-wing and leftwing but right-wing in particular individuals. How do we get these
47:35
people to be more vocal? How do we bring them to demonstrations? How do we make them make it very clear to the uh administration that this is not in our name and there needs to be a disconnect.
47:46
We need to disconnect uh have a disconnect between uh Israel and and America. Yes, that's that is the
47:55
crucial thing which we have to figure it out. Yeah. And that James Bell whom you mentioned,
48:00
he sort of like came to us. So it was again another interesting story is behind this that
48:06
I was going to sign out to to a white doctor when we uh like he took over uh very interesting guy
48:14
and we started talking and again the talks went to Gaza and all that and then he said do you know in
48:20
Irving there is a casino being built I said I had little idea but I like showed that yes yes I know
48:28
I know everything but so he said that this and who is building that casino? And I did not know that.
48:34
Uh so he said that the lady who is the biggest supporter, one of the biggest supporters of Trump
48:39
and she is the one who is behind at casino and the money which they will get from casino that
48:46
will go to Gaza and kill your kids and then he asked what are you guys doing? So basically that
48:52
James Bell he is like representing conservative Christians of this area and he along with that
48:59
uh that doctor whom I'm talking about along with another uh politician who was running for
49:04
city council here they three four people they ran the whole campaign of the conservative Christians
49:11
and they basically mobilized us and then in last Ramadan uh we jammed and packed the city
49:17
council hall and they had to take that casino uh resolution back otherwise because otherwise Texas
49:22
casinos are not allowed and it was going to happen here and through if it if they were succeeded here
49:28
it would have been a floodgate of casinos all over Texas. M so those kind of the people we who
49:33
match our values and that is where our biggest I I would say due to the fear as I mentioned before
49:40
we caved in and we put all our eggs in Democrats basket whether it be you know LGBTQ or whatever
49:47
like all those extreme leftist left agendas and again we really respect them and we like them we
49:53
want them to be with us but neither they have to give up their values nor we should be forced to
49:59
give up our values But we gave up our values just to please them. So now this uh right side our and
50:08
their values are very much aligned in many things. So this James B whom you mentioned these are the
50:15
white right-sided white people who came yesterday and and you asked like how to start the movement
50:20
and yesterday you mentioned about that press conference. So thankfully in that press conference we had this James Bell we had many pastors there. We had uh Jew as well, Jewish wise for peace and
50:33
multi multiple other diverse representation and we requested them that you open your doors for
50:39
us. We again the doctors and nurses who have been to Gaza from all different backgrounds,
50:44
all different religions, we come and talk to you. So this is very important that we reach out
50:50
to the bases here. Generally speaking, there are conservatives here practicing religious Christians
50:56
here. So we talk to them. to tell them that nobody's safe here like the holy church I worked
51:02
in that hospital which is also called Baptist hospital so it is like sort of considered like
51:10
the Christian funded hospital in a way but I was there and this holy church hospital is very close
51:16
to them and when this happened we were there in Gaza when they attacked the holy church hospital
51:22
and thankfully the cerebral policy kids who are taking refuge in the church for a long
51:27
time there the the classroom and the room and the kitchen that was attacked. Thankfully they
51:33
were out for the for the activities. So that is what we need to tell the Christians. That is what we need to tell the Americans that this is not anti-semitism when we talk about Zionist
51:43
Israeli state killing people on your name. We need to talk about Y lepid the opposition leader
51:51
of Israel who said what kind of nation we are who are starving and killing the kids in Gaza.
51:56
That is the Israeli opposition leader. If you read the Israeli newspapers, Harets, what they
52:01
talk every day about the atrocities of cause. So definitely we have to reach to this right mega
52:09
base which Allah has opened it wide open in front of us and that is where it comes responsibility
52:16
as you asked before on the American Muslims. We the American Muslims pursuing the dream having
52:21
all the luxuries of America having all these doors open in front of us and still if we remain
52:27
lost in those luxuries remain lost in pursuing that American dream which is nowhere there for
52:33
anybody else remaining how can we be answerable to Allah but what did we do for this Dr. Dr. Bacha,
Message to Gaza
52:39
I mean I think this is really sobering what you're what you're telling us. Um if the people of Gaza
52:44
could send one message to the Muslims here, what would that message be? Yes, absolutely. This is
52:50
very important. I will uh talk about that. Before that quickly if I would like to touch that as you
52:57
said but as a Muslim responsibility we have and what we as Ikina are starting a national
53:02
campaign from coast to coast which is let Gaza live and particularly in Dallas we are trying to
53:07
do a prototype campaign for that with the further moto of one Dallas for Gaza that yesterday as I
53:14
mentioned about the press conference we brought all together and now we are planning from micro to mega level activities. So micro will be like as I said like the banner drops and each bridge
53:24
there should be each bridge banner drop talking about Gaza next microlevel activity which I and
53:30
I just we will request everybody to copy that all over the country that we start showing up on in the offices of Congress representatives and senators just focus 15 people 20 people we
53:40
don't want a lot big groups and they reach there with the banners with the posters how long you
53:45
can keep supporting the genocide how long you can keep supporting the starvation and killing of the kids And then on the medium level we reach out to these churches to the synagogues to the schools
53:55
universities and keep talking about Gaza and again from the complete humanitarian standpoint.
54:00
And finally on the mega level and for all that we are requesting the big organizations and hopefully
54:06
IKNA will declare that that September and October month for Gaza. Just we keep in mind that this is
54:13
going to be the sad second anniversary of the genocide. Two years have gone in this. So how
54:18
can we just keep going on with our routine life? Everything can wait at this point and if those activities some of you have already planned bring Gaza in the center of that Gaza should
54:28
be center even if you are doing some local relief activity bring Gaza is a spirit in that. So this
54:33
will be like our request to everybody will be that September and October months for Gaza from micro,
54:39
medium and then mega level that in October we do mega marches all over the country and there will
54:46
be like this literally millions of people on the road and if we work on the right side if we work
54:51
on on the American public we can bring everybody out inshallah and then also I have been requesting
54:57
the Congress representatives I had a meeting other day which did not go pretty good Um but but what
55:03
we are and it was a Muslim representative woman but but what we are requesting that we take the
55:09
Congress representatives and senators group and we pay their uh fully you know we pay their trip to
55:18
uh to to Gaza and we say that we will go from here and if they we go to Bengory airport in
55:24
Talab as an American citizen we have the right and there we demand that we want to go to Gaza along
55:29
with the influencers along with our leaders. If this big group of American influencers, leaders,
55:34
politicians, they go there and they are not let in, then we just sit there. We ask for,
55:39
we demand that we be let in so that we can tell the world what's going on in Gaza. Coming back to the message, the two things. Yeah. One is urgent level and other is longlasting. Urgent
55:50
level thing is that when we were coming out this time as I mentioned those armored cars caravan takes us and then so-called holding points which means you are just on the road all the cars
56:00
are standing there and waiting the until the clearance gets and it could be hours just you
56:05
kept standing there so our last holding point of coming out of Gaza that should be the last message that which we was there we were literally surrounded by hundreds and thousands of people who
56:14
were waiting there for some aid to come in and the armored car like you know there are double
56:20
windows and we were absolutely you know told that no don't dare open the window or the door
56:25
but we were still communicating by the by by the way like by just a sign language or they were shouting from outside and one of them was doing like this you can imagine and then another
56:36
one he said like where are you from and then he guessed from inside I said you guess and
56:41
he said from Pakistan originally from Pakistan I said yes and he said nobody did anything for us not you the Pakistanis not you the Americans the whole human humanity is not doing anything
56:52
we have only believe in Allah and we will only complain to Allah if that's if that does not
56:58
you know ruin our sleep what else and then the final thing which is written literally on their
57:03
walls from their CEO offices the big paintings in the CEO hospital offices to literally on the wall
57:10
everywhere that also that and I just got a message from a PhD professor as well who said that if you
57:17
don't want to save the the people of Gaza at least know what is here what we are standing
57:22
up for and that is that this al-Q belongs to us this is their goal this is their mission that is
57:29
what they are living for this is not just they are I mean otherwise if you just think about it their home homes are destroyed so what else is left for them and that is another discussion point
57:39
which we may do in later that really they want to leave or not leave and or who wants to leave but collectively if they are still standing up there that is a mission much bigger than them
57:49
but this is not only their responsibility it is our responsibility as well and we will be asked for that that this should be the inspiration and again we should lose the sleep but not out
57:59
of the shame but out of the inspiration and dedication that we have to stand up for also
58:12
do pleasure thank you very much please remember to subscribe to our social media and YouTube channels and head over
58:20
to our website thinkingmuslim.com to sign up to my weekly newsletter.