MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, CHICAGO — Protest by pro-Palestinian students and faculty members at many elite universities in the United States (U.S) in recent weeks have garnered global attention. They are demanding that their schools sever any direct or indirect financial and academic links with Israel, including by divesting from companies with ties to Israel.
Muhamad Rofiq Muzakkir, Secretary of the Muhammadiyah Council for Religious Opinion and Tajdid, stressed the significance of every effort, no matter how small, in the Palestinian liberation struggle. He urged against underestimating anyone’s role, as every step taken has the potential to create a positive impact.
“Never underestimate our role, whatever it may be. Every action we take will truly create change. We should not be self-absorbed,” Rofiq stated at the Santri Cendekia Forum organized by the Muhammadiyah Religious Opinion of Universitas Ahmad Dahlan on Sunday (May 5).
Rofiq further emphasized that solidarity and concern for the fate of Palestine should be demonstrated through tangible actions. He argued that symbolic gestures such as participating in demonstrations or forming solidarity camps are crucial in demonstrating opposition to the genocide taking place in Palestine.
Rofiq also cautioned against getting bogged down in self-serving activities and urged serious attention to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. “We need to pay more serious attention to this issue. Symbolic messages are essential to show solidarity and concern that we are against genocide,” stated Rofiq who is also teaching staff of the Department of International Relations, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.
Lien Iffah Naf’atu Fina, a member of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PCINU) Special Branch in the United States, acknowledged that the wave of protests by students on US campuses against Israeli actions towards the Palestinians is a very strategic move. She believes that whether directly or indirectly, if these protests continue to escalate and become more widespread, they will have a significant impact on US geopolitical policy.
Lien also reminded that this phenomenon is reminiscent of the student movement in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. At that time, students at universities like Columbia successfully pressured administrators to divest investments in companies doing business with the apartheid regime in South Africa. This action demonstrates the power of students to influence investment and foreign policy of their country.
While the impact of the current protests is not yet as significant as that period, Lien appreciated the demands and solidarity movements of pro-Palestinian students. She asserted that the spirit of resistance and awareness of justice demonstrated by the current generation of students has the potential to create significant change in supporting the Palestinian liberation struggle.
Lien emphasized that the role of students in expressing their disapproval of US government policy regarding Israel-Palestine has great potential to change the direction of foreign policy. She also warned against underestimating any form of struggle in the Palestinian liberation effort.
