Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem (MyGMJ)
18-2, Jalan Damai Mewah 2, Taman Damai Mewah, 43000 Kajang, Malaysia
Web: http://facebook.com/MalaysiaGMJ | http://gm2j.com/main/ | http://twitter.com/gm2j
Email: mujahidah.rose@gmail.com | azrabanu@gmail.com
PRESS RELEASE
March 18, 2012
Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem (MyGMJ)
As a run-up to the Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem on 30th March 2012, a flash mob was held at Dataran DBKL, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur. 120 students from institutions of higher learning acted out a scene depicting the plight of Palestinian Christians and Muslims who are refused access to worship in the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites by the Israeli authorities.
For many centuries Jerusalem was home to Muslims, Christians and Jews living in harmony and peacefully side-by-side. The seventh century Dome of the Rock is the place where prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven to meet with God. It is next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest mosque in Islam. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is perhaps the most sacred of the many Christian sites in the Old City. While Jews are free to pray at the Western Wall, believed to be part of Herod’s Temple, Christian and Muslim Palestinians face daily intimidation by the Israeli authorities. This is the central theme of the exciting flash mob which will include the use of props representing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of Nativity.
The Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem, MyGMJ, will be carried out in tandem with the rest of the nations across the globe, from Africa, Asia, Europe, America and Australasia under the banner of the Global March to Jerusalem. It is to send a very loud and clear message to the rest of the world that the majority of peaceful loving people in this world are demanding freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to call for an end to apartheid and ethnic cleansing policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem.
MyGMJ has outlined a series of activities to demonstrate our solidarity with Palestine and the protection of Jerusalem, culminating in the grand March 30th event. Among others, they include road shows to schools and universities to educate the students of the atrocities that Israel has for many years forced upon the Palestinians, via the screening of documentaries, lectures, dialogues and distribution of pamphlets and flyers.
On 30 March 2012, Malaysians from all walks of life, on foot or on superbikes, will be carrying the flags of all countries that have recognized Palestine and converge at a public venue with a virtual scene of the city of peace, Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of Nativity as the backdrop.
At least 100 renowned international personalities are signatories of the document governing the GMJ. These celebrities and all the national organizations supporting the GMJ will be listed in the GMJ Advisory Board, to demonstrate the international character of the GMJ. Individual supporters include Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Lynn Gotlieb, YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Founder of Viva Palestina George Galloway, Professor Richard Falk, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, former US Ambassador Samuel F. Hart and countless others. Other Malaysians on this prestigious GMJ International Advisory Board include YABhg Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, YBhg Dato Ahmad Talib, Y Bhg Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes, Y Bhg Datuk Yasmin Yusoff, YB Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, YB Tony Pua and Mrs Wardina Safiyyah
PRESS RELEASE
March 18, 2012
Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem (MyGMJ)
As a run-up to the Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem on 30th March 2012, a flash mob was held at Dataran DBKL, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur. 120 students from institutions of higher learning acted out a scene depicting the plight of Palestinian Christians and Muslims who are refused access to worship in the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites by the Israeli authorities.
For many centuries Jerusalem was home to Muslims, Christians and Jews living in harmony and peacefully side-by-side. The seventh century Dome of the Rock is the place where prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven to meet with God. It is next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest mosque in Islam. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is perhaps the most sacred of the many Christian sites in the Old City. While Jewsare free to pray at the Western Wall, believed to be part of Herod’s Temple, Christian and Muslim Palestinians face daily intimidation by the Israeli authorities. This is the central theme of the exciting flash mob which will include the use of props representing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of Nativity.
The Malaysia Global March to Jerusalem, MyGMJ, will be carried out in tandem with the rest of the nations across the globe, from Africa, Asia, Europe, America and Australasia under the banner of the Global March to Jerusalem. It is to send a very loud and clear message to the rest of the world that the majority of peaceful loving people in this world are demanding freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to call for an end to apartheid and ethnic cleansing policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem.
MyGMJ has outlined a series of activities to demonstrate our solidarity with Palestine and the protection of Jerusalem, culminating in the grand March 30th event. Among others, they include road shows to schools and universities to educate the students of the atrocities that Israel has for many years forced upon the Palestinians, via the screening of documentaries, lectures, dialogues and distribution of pamphlets and flyers.
MyGMJ would like to invite all Malaysians to be a part of this momentous event. Together we can take a step closer to liberating Jerusalem and Palestine which has been called “the world’s worst moral crisis” by Nelson Mandela. Abraham Joshua Heshel said, “few are guilty but all are responsible”. Let us be among the responsible.
Together we will all make history, inspired by our passion for peace, our conviction to a just cause and our spirit and determination to end the occupation and free Jerusalem and free Palestine!
For further information please contact :
MyGMJ Committee
Dr Tahir 0179879459 / Norazmi Talib 019 311 3456.
Noraini 012 277 1710 / Noorazian 012 211 5749 / Dr Hamidah 012 217 0918
.
Background information
Jerusalem the historic city of peace and religion
For many centuries Jerusalem was home to Muslims, Christians and Jews living in harmony and peacefully side-by-side. The seventh century Dome of the Rock is the place where prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven to meet with God. It is next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest mosque in Islam. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is perhaps the most sacred of the many Christian sites in the Old City. Jews pray at the Western Wall, believed to be part of Herod’s Temple.
Why Jerusalem?
As an international place for pilgrimage, Jerusalem was for centuries at the heart of Palestinian religious and social life for Muslims, Christians and Jews and the hub of the Palestinian economy. The future of Jerusalem is vital for the future of the state of Palestine.
Why the concern for the future of Jerusalem?
When the state of Israel was declared in 1948, the United Nations designated Jerusalem an international zone, lying in the heart of a future intended Palestinian state. However in 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and what remained of Jerusalem . This illegal annexation is not recognized by the international community but Israel defied UN Resolution 242 to withdraw from Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories.
The colonization and ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem
The European Union Missions Report 2005 states “Israel’s main motivation is almost certainly demographic – to reduce the Palestinian population of Jerusalem, while exerting efforts to boost the number of Jewish Israelis living in the city.” This is an apartheid policy to destroy the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity that Jerusalem has enjoyed in the past.
What about the Israeli Apartheid Wall?
Almost completed in Jerusalem, it is the most visible form of Israel’s Apartheid inhumane acts of racism. Despite the UN Resolution of 2004, which called on Israel to dismantle the Wall, it cuts deep into Palestinian communities, expropriating their fertile lands and water resources and handing them to Israeli settlers colonizing the area. Palestinian towns and villages are being turned into disconnected ghettoes subject to military incursions, total closures and arbitrary curfews.
Is there freedom of worship in Jerusalem?
Most of the Palestinian Christians and Muslims are refused access to worship in the city and its holy sites by the Israeli authorities.
Why 30 March?
The historic day 30 March marks Palestine Land Day in Palestinian national memory. In March 1976, the Israeli authorities confiscated thousands of dunums of private and public land in majority Palestinian areas. The Palestinians declared a general strike, confronting the Israeli authorities for the first since the occupation of Palestine in 1948. The Israeli army responded violently, reoccupying Palestinian villages, killing and wounding many civilians.
What is the significance of GMJ on 30 March 2012?
This year we aim to celebrate 30 March as an international event to demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinians and to protect Jerusalem. GMJ will demand freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to call for an end to Apartheid and ethnic cleansing policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem, a crime not only against Palestinians but against all humanity. GMJ will unite the efforts of civil society, gelling the conscience of the world citizens to peacefully demand an end to Israel’s defiance of International Laws and to end the occupation of Jerusalem and Palestine at large.
GMJ will mainstream the pristine cause of Jerusalem, the City of Peace, which holds the key to peace in the region and the world. Together we will all make history, inspired by our passion for peace, our conviction to a just cause and the spirit and determination of the young people in the “Arab Spring” who have overthrown autocratic regimes.
How will the Global March to Jerusalem take place?
Massive peaceful marches will be organized from Asia, Africa, Europe, America and Australasia to Palestine and neighboring Jordan, Egypt,Syria and Lebanon. Massive peaceful marches in Palestine will move towards Jerusalem or to the nearest point to it. Mass peaceful protests will be organized in front of Israeli embassies in the capitals of different countries. Mass peaceful demonstrations and protests will be held in the main public squares in the big cities in the world eg Tahrir Square in Egypt
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