The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today expressed solidarity with the K-12 educators in California and throughout the nation who are participating in a three-day hunger strike for Gaza.
SEE: Educators, staff and students launch hunger strikes across the US
On the second anniversary of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, more than 100 educators are refusing food from Oct. 8–10 in a coordinated hunger strike to demand that U.S. policymakers protect the children of Palestine by ensuring a free flow of food and other humanitarian aid and by recognizing all Palestinian rights under international law.
Children make up more than half of Gaza’s population. For the last two years, Israel’s genocidal assault, which includes relentless bombardment and a total blockade, has destroyed schools and hospitals and subjected children to widespread starvation, death, and forced displacement. UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders have both described Gaza as the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, and United Nations officials have called the situation “a 21st-century atrocity.”
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“The children of Gaza are enduring unimaginable suffering—starvation, displacement, the loss of their families and schools, and their childhood—all while U.S. policymakers continue to fund and enable this devastation.
“The educators joining this hunger strike are showing the moral leadership our elected officials have failed to demonstrate. By putting their own bodies on the line, they are demanding what our leaders should already be fighting for: an end to Israel’s genocide and the delivery of food, medicine, and hope to Gaza’s children.”
In a statement, retired Orange County public educator Linn Lee said:
“I am joining in on the hunger strike with teachers across the U.S. to bring attention to the mass starvation of the people and especially children in Gaza. The educators of NEA for Palestine want to end this madness. Who in their right mind supports the starving of children?
“I also stand for the teaching of the truth about what’s happening in Gaza in the classroom. There’s no question that there is a genocide occurring before our very eyes. As a history teacher, I taught about the Holocaust for a full month and the lesson my students walked away with was to stand up against any genocide to stop it. The Holocaust could have been stopped if ordinary people took a stand against fascism, hate, and murder.”
Organized by Educators for Palestine, a caucus of the National Education Association (NEA), the hunger strike follows the caucus’ effort to urge the nation’s largest labor union to end its relationship with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has proven itself to be a pro-Israel political advocacy group rather than a social justice partner. Although NEA member educators voted democratically to cease interactions with the ADL, the NEA leadership overturned that decision following pressure from the ADL.
CAIR-CA stands with the educators taking part in this action and reaffirms its commitment to defending the rights of Palestinian children, promoting justice, and holding policymakers accountable for U.S. complicity in Israel’s war crimes.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT EDUCATORS: Mya (707) 694-5695 or Mike (310) 916-8787
CONTACT CAIR-CA: CAIR Greater Los Angeles Area Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, (916) 441-6269 or zhisham@cair.com; CAIR San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam, (760) 201-7626 or tnizam@cair.com; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, (408) 498-5779 or ladam@cair.com